Manitoba is one of Canada's provinces, lying midway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The northern part is a vast, rocky region that is rich in copper, gold, nickel and zinc. This region is thinly populated, with few inhabitants. The land is flat and covered with snow most of the year. Hudson Bay waters are frozen most of the year and provide Manitoba's only seaport. The winters are long and bitterly cold in the north, averaging -17oF in January. The summers are mild, averaging 55oF (13oC) in July.
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There are about 700 Inuits, formerly called Eskimos. They speak French and English. The Inuits hunt whales, seals, walrus, caribou and go ice fishing for food, storing enough to carry them through the harsh winters. They have simple lives and perform rituals and celebrations to please the spirits they worship. They have strong beliefs about hunting and killing. For example, they pour fresh water over a seal's mouth after it is killed and return walrus and whale skulls to the sea. They also have taboos about using the same weapons for hunting sea and land animals, as well as about the usage of different parts of their bodies. They have "anakoks" or healers, which attend to the sick and inspire when hunting is bad.
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