The Inughuit (also spelled Inuhuit), or the Smith Sound Inuit, historically Arctic Highlanders, are Greenlandic Inuit. Formerly known as "Polar Eskimos", they are the northernmost group of Inuit and the northernmost people in North America, living in Greenland. Inughuit make up about 1% of the population of Greenland. Language The Inughuit speak Inuktun, also known as North Greenlandic, Thule Inuit, or Polar Eskimo. It is a dialect of Inuktitut, an Eskimo–Aleut language related to the Greenlandic language spoken elsewhere in Greenland. In Kalaallisut, the official dialect of Greenlandic, Inuktun is called Avanersuarmiutut. Population Before 1880, their population was estimated to be between 100 and 200 people. From 1880 to 1930, they were estimated to number 250. In 1980, their estimated population was 700, and it rose to 800 in 2010. History Early history The Inughuit are believed to be descended from the Thule people who spread across the North American Arctic around the eleventh century. They used and traded iron from meteorites such as the Cape York meteorite. The earliest discovered Thule settlement is found in modern-day Uummannaq (Dundas). There were also extensive contacts with other Inuit from different regions. Around the 17th century, climate change cooled the northwest areas of Greenland which cut off the Inughuit from other Inuit and regions. It was during this time that the Inughuit developed their unique language, culture, and fashion - all of which differ significantly from other Inuit. Around this period, the Inughuit also lost the ability and skills to build kayaks or umiaks, which inevitably further restricted travel and contact with other communities. Modern history The Inughuit were first contacted by Europeans in 1818, when John Ross led an expedition into their territory. Ross dubbed them "Arctic Highlanders". They are believed to have previously lived in total isolation, to the point of being unaware of other humans, and are cited as one of the only non-agricultural societies to live without armed feuds or warfare, a state that continued after contact. Erik Holtved, a Dane, was the first university-trained ethnologist to study the Inughuit. During the mid-19th century, Inuit from Baffin visited and lived with the Inughuits. The Baffin Inuit reintroduced some technologies lost to the Inughuit such as boats, leisters, and bows and arrows. The Inughuit in their part taught the Baffin Inuit a more advanced form of sled technology. American and European explorers in the 19th and early-20th centuries had