The Amitturmiut are an Inuit group who live in northern Foxe Basin, in what is now

Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...

, Canada. They are a supergroup of "five or more small -miut groups" that "shared strong kinship ties." This part of Foxe Basin is rich in resources, including walrus, seal, and caribou, which meant that they could sustain "fairly substantial communities." By 2008, the Amitturmiut mainly live in

Igloolik Igloolik ( Inuktitut syllabics: , ''Iglulik'', ) is an Inuit hamlet in Foxe Basin, Qikiqtaaluk Region in Nunavut, northern Canada. Because its location on Igloolik Island is close to Melville Peninsula, it is often mistakenly thought to be on th ...

, whose people are now known as ''Iglulingmiut'', and Sanirajak (

Hall Beach Sanirajak (Inuktitut meaning ''the shoreline''), Syllabics: ᓴᓂᕋᔭᒃ), formerly known as Hall Beach until 27 February 2020, is an Inuit settlement within the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada, approximately south of Igloolik. Histo ...

). According to the Qikiqtani Truth Commission, the "major geographical feature for the Amitturmiut were two areas of open water where two strong currents meet west of

Rowley Island Rowley Island is one of the Canadian Arctic islands in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut. It is located in Foxe Basin and has an area of . Although the island is uninhabited there is both an unmanned Distant Early Warning Line base, called FOX ...

, where seals and walrus are especially abundant". President J. Okalik Eegeesiak The Amitturmiut frequently travelled to the area around Pond Inlet. They are "bound to the sea, land, and ice of the region, and to each other, through hunting, language, cultural activities, kinship, and environmental understanding." The Amitturmiut historical area —''Ilagiit nunagivaktangit''—where they hunted, stretched from "south past Amittuq, southwest to Qarmaqtalik, northwest to Aggu, northeast to Isuqtuq", and east to the Piling area of

Baffin Island Baffin Island (formerly Baffin Land), in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada and the fifth-largest island in the world. Its area is , slightly larger than Spain; its population was 13,039 as of the 2021 Canadia ...

's west coast."Although the Amitturmiut had seven main winter camps—Usuarjuk, Alanriq, Iglulik, Iqaluit, Qaiqsut, Iglurjuat, and Maniqtuuq—one of their teachings discouraged the occupation for any one camp for too long, in order to allow the wildlife to replenish. The Amitturmiut "use and occupancy of the area goes back at least four thousand years". Because resources were plentiful, many Igloolik families were able to occupy ilagiit nunagivaktangit well into the 1970s.

References

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