The Canadian territory of NUNAVUT

Tereza Vargová, FNSPE CTU

General Information

General Information

• the largest, northernmost, newest and least populous Canadian territory

• Nunavut means 'our land' in Inuktitut, the Inuit language

• Inuit means 'the people', singularly Inuk• covers 1,877,787 km2 of land and 160, 935 km2

of water => almost 20% of Canada

General Information

• the capital city: Iqaluit (formerly known as Frobisher Bay)

• population of 31,906, mostly Inuit, with population density being one of the lowest in the world – 0.015 persons per square kilometre

• highest point: Barbeau Peak – 2,616 m on Ellesmere Island

Alert, Canada

Nunavut Flag

Coat of Arms

Climate

• most of the area is frozen and snow-covered for more than half the year

• the earth of the Arctic tundra has a permanently frozen subsoil (= permafrost)

• in summer, a thin layer of topsoil thaws and creates many pools, lakes, and marshes => attracts mosquitoes, midges, black flies => attracts migrant birds

Polar bear

Arctic fox

Beaver

Canadian Lynx

Moose

Grey wolf

Wolverine

Wolverine

(short) History of the Inuit

• the first well-documented post-Columbian contact between Europeans and the Inuit was during Martin Frobisher’s 1576 search for the Northwest Passage– sought as a possible trade route to East Asia

The Northwest Passage

(short) History of the Inuit

• the discovery of oil in the northern regions of Canada during the 1960s and 1970s stimulated aboriginal groups to bring several land claims against the Alaskan and Canadian governments

• transition completed on April 1, 1999

The Inuit People

• there are 4 Inuit regions in Canada, collectively known as ‘Inuit Nunangat’– Nunatsiavut (Labrador)– Nunavik (Québec)– Nunavut– Inuvialuit (Northwest Territories)

The Inuit People

The Inuit People

• there are 8 main Inuit ethnic groups: the Labrador, Ungava (= Québec), Baffin Island, Igloolik, Caribou, Netsilik, Copper and West Arctic Inuit

• Inuktitut, the Inuit language, has five main dialects in Canada

The Inuit People

The Inuit People

• traditionally hunters, fishers, and gatherers who moved seasonally from one camp to another– hunt whales, walrus, caribou, seal, polar bears,

birds, and fish– gather naturally available plants – grasses, roots,

stems, berries, and seaweed

Bowhead whale

Walrus

Caribou

Seal

The Inuit People

• somewhat traditional gender roles• marriage was common for women at puberty

and for men when they became productive hunters

• family structure is quite flexible– several households form communities

The Inuit People

• the Inuit use dog sleds for transportation on both land and sea ice – the Canadian Eskimo Dog (the official animal of

Nunavut), the Greenland Dog, the Siberian Husky, and the Alaskan Malamute are favoured by the Inuit

• Inukshuk - human-made stone landmarks used where natural landmarks are insufficient

Inuit dog sleds

Inuit dog sleds

Inukshuk

The Inuit People

• traditional law:– maligait – refers to what has to be followed– piqujait – refers to what has to be done– tirigusuusiit – refers to what has to be avoided

• should an individual’s actions go against the traditional laws, the shaman would usually intervene

The Inuit People

• in a culture with oral history, elders are the keepers of communal knowledge, the community library => cultural taboos against sacrificing elders

• among the Igloolik Inuit, however, death of elders by suicide is not uncommon

Quiz

Quiz

• In 1576, Martin Frobisher was searching for:

• A) the Northeast Passage• B) the Southwest Passage• C) the Northwest Passage• D) the Southeast Passage

Quiz

• In 1576, Martin Frobisher was searching for:

• C) the Northwest Passage

Quiz

• The traditional law does not consist of:

• A) piqujait• B) inugait• C) tirigusuusiit• D) maligait

Quiz

• The traditional law does not consist of:

• B) inugait

Quiz

• Death of elders by suicide is not uncommon among:

• A) the Netsilik Inuit• B) the Ungava Inuit• C) the Igloolik Inuit• D) the Baffin Island Inuit

Quiz

• Death of elders by suicide is not uncommon among:

• C) the Igloolik Inuit

References

• http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/• http://www.ducksters.com/history/

native_americans/inuit_peoples.php• various Wikipedia pages– https://en.wikipedia.org/

• various infoplease pages– http://www.infoplease.com/

Thank you for your attention!