Inuit Nation• Inuit share a common

culture across the North: they live in Greenland, Siberia or Canada.

• In Canada, they live in Nunavut (their own territory) and in Northern Quebec

• Their houses are igloos

• Or tents

• Their means of transport are slides or kayaks

• They go seal hunting

• and fishing

They greet each other rubbing their noses

Inuit language

• Inuit speak their own language called Inuktitut:

Sunday - NaattingujaqMonday - Naggajjau

Tuesday - AippiqWednesday - PingatsiqThursday - Tisammiq

Friday - TallirmiqSaturday - Naattingujalaarniaq

http://icor.ottawainuitchildrens.com/node/15

The Inuit flag

Inuit culture:

• Throat singing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnGM0BlA95I

• Drumming http://icor.ottawainuitchildrens.com/node/27

• Games http://icor.ottawainuitchildrens.com/node/21

Inuit poetrySAI CHE GLI ALBERI PARLANO? Si parlano. Parlano l'un con l'altro, e parlano a te, se li stai ad ascoltare. Ma gli uomini bianchi non ascoltano. Non hanno mai pensato che valga la pena di ascoltare noi indiani, e temo che non ascolteranno nemmeno le altri voci della Natura. I o stesso ho imparato molto dagli alberi: talvolta qualcosa sul tempo, talvolta qualcosa sugli animali, talvolta qualcosa sul Grande Spirito.

Tatanga Mani

“DID YOU KNOW THAT TREES TALK? Well they do. They talk to each other, and they’ll talk if you listen. Trouble is, white people don’t listen. They never learned to listen to the Indians so I don’t suppose they’ll listen to other voices in nature. But I have learned a lot from trees; sometimes about the weather, sometimes about animals, sometimes about the Great Spirit. Tatanga Mani, Stoney tribe

Text analysis

• What figures of speech can you find in the poem? (metaphors, alliterations, personifications, ….)

• Underline the pronouns they. What does they refer to in the first lines? And in the second part of the poem?

• The poem can be divided into three main parts. Identify them and give a title to each of them.

• What is the meaning of the poem, according to you?

• Compare the Italian and the English versions. Discuss about the main similarities and differences of the two poems.