The Importance of Eyesight

          I was reading a study online entitled "Visual Memory in Village Eskimo and Urban Caucasian Children", in this article the author Judith Kleinfeld concludes that village Inupiaq children demonstrated significantly higher levels of visual memory (their levels of visual memory increases with age as well) than urban Caucasian children. The visual memory differences are a proven scientific fact, and in this article Judith Kleinfeld delves into cultural/ecological explanations as to why.
Her hypothesis is based on these findings...

Requirements of Arctic and Urban Ecology

• The flat tundra/ and or sea ice provide few distinctive visual markers for hunters to rely on
• Inupiat's had to rely on small visual cues
• Traveling through featureless terrain
• They had to develop small landmarks and their locations

Socialization

• The Inupiaq language may increase the speakers' awareness for visual concepts
• Genetics
• They live in a hunting culture

The thesis and her findings are extremely well done, I advise anyone who wishes to further understand the importance of eyesight in Inupiat culture to check out her site.

Click Here

Farewell

- Josey