Inuit meet to forge language ties

Representatives of people inhabiting one of the remotest regions in the world have been meeting for a conference aimed at improving their lot and strengthening their sense of community.

The Inuit people inhabit the arctic regions of Russia, Canada and the United States, as well as Greenland.

Although they speak the same language they do not use the same alphabet and the conference is hoping to come up with a plan to make the written Inuit language easier for all its users to understand.

The General Assembly of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference is held every four years - this year's gathering is in the far north of the Canadian province of Quebec.

Name change

About 100,000 Inuit people live in the arctic region. They used to be known as Eskimos but that word is a native American term meaning "eater of raw meat" and the Inuit unsurprisingly prefer to use their proper name.

Although they live in four nations they share a common ancestry and culture and a common language - Inuktitut.

But its been difficult to foster a sense of community in the past - partly because of the distances involved but also because Inuktitut developed as a spoken language - there was not much of a postal service in the region.

But the internet has brought a new opportunity for the Inuit people to talk to the outside world and among themselves.

So Inuktitut needs to be given a standard alphabet that allows all Inuit people to read it.

This conference is not seeking an Inuit nation but it is trying to find a way of fostering a renewed sense of identity - bringing the Inuit in from the cold.