Cultural influences and the particular language needs of Eskimo children are considered, along with implications for curriculum and instruction. The Eskimos are of a culture and environment where there is little experience with the purpose of literacy and little exposure to reading and writing behavior, linguistic concepts, or language usage. Eskimo children also have vastly different life experiences, beliefs, values, and ways of explaining things that happen. They live in isolated and impoverished regions and are removed from western society and lack appropriate knowledge of the world to read materials prepared for children with different backgrounds. It is maintained that reading and writing tasks are being introduced to Eskimo students before they are cognitively ready. Instructional approaches that would be appropriate for the Eskimo student include: prereading activities, guided reading, vocabulary work, and rewriting of text material. It is suggested that to aid these children in obtaining language skills, it would be beneficial to spend time in preparing for and discussing the purposes of reading and writing. It cannot be assumed by the teacher that the students know concepts like "word,""letter," and "number." In addition, the teacher must be suitable for Eskimo students. Warmth and nonverbal communication (e.g., smiling, close body distance, and assuming the same postural level) are important to Eskimo students. (SW)