WordsRuminations on Eskimo vocabulary. Just how many words do they have for snow? "The Public Information Officer for the North Slope Borough, Barrow, Alaska, has said, "the Inupiats have more than 30 words for snow, and more than 70 words for ice. In the Arctic, the specific conditions of snow and ice are critical to hunting and survival. ..." (Patkotak 1994). And again, "Ice is very important here because of whaling and hunting done on the pack ice. Each word denotes ice in a very specific place or condition. Use the wrong word when you go hunting on the ice and you are apt never to be seen again" (Patkotak 1996)." Fascinating article which blows a few myths but creates a few new ones.