![Inukshuk 1930](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Inukshuk_1930.jpg)
Harvaqtuurmiut (alternate: Harvaqtormiut, or Ha'vaqtuurmiut; translation: "whirlpools aplenty people") were a
Caribou Inuit
Caribou Inuit ( iu, Kivallirmiut/ᑭᕙᓪᓕᕐᒥᐅᑦ), barren-ground caribou hunters, are Inuit who live west of Hudson Bay in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, between 61° and 65° N and 90° and 102° W in Northern Canada. They were originally na ...
society in
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. Predominantly, their inland existence was along the lower
Kazan River
The Kazan River (Inuktitut ''Harvaqtuuq'', Inuktitut syllabics ᓴᕐᕙᖅᑑᖅ; meaning "strong rapids", "the big drift" or "place of much fast flowing water"), is a Canadian Heritage River located in Nunavut, Canada. The Dene name for the riv ...
section, by
Thirty Mile Lake, that they called ''Harvaqtuuq''. In 1995, the lower Kazan River area, an important crossing area for the Kaminuriak caribou herd as well as the traditional territory and ancestral home of Harvaqtuurmiut, was designated the
Fall Caribou Crossing National Historic Site.
History
In the 19th and 20th centuries, Harvaqtuurmiut and others lived in the interior west of
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐᓂᐹᒄ, translit=Wînipâkw; iu, text=ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓗᐊ, translit=Kangiqsualuk ilua or iu, text=ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᐊᖅ, translit=Tasiujarjuaq; french: b ...
. In addition to the lower Kazan River area, they also occupied areas below
Yathkyed Lake
Yathkyed Lake (variant: Haecoligua; meaning: "white swan") is a lake in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. Located between Angikuni Lake and Forde Lake, it is one of several lakes on the Kazan River.
Yathkyed lake was named by the Sayisi Dene, hi ...
, below the
Kunwak River The Kunwak River is a river of Nunavut, Canada. It flows northeast out of Tulemalu Lake and enters Tebesjuak Lake, Mallery Lake and Princess Mary Lake before turning southeast and flowing into Thirty Mile Lake on the Kazan River.
Historically ...
, and inland to
Beverly Lake and the lower
Dubawnt River
Dubawnt Lake is a lake in the Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is in size and has several islands. It is about north of the Four Corners, about west of Hudson Bay and about south of the Arctic Circle. To the northwest is the Thelon Wild ...
. Historically, the land of the Harvaqtuurmiut was also a gathering place for people from other places because the Kazan River is a fall caribou crossing area.
Population estimates in 1918 were 186, but down to 71 in 1922. By the early 1980s, most had moved to
Baker Lake.
Culture
Their cultural and linguistic traditions were shared with the Ahiarmiut, Hauniqtuurmiut, Paallirmiut, and Qairnirmiut.
By the 19th century, the Harvaqtuurmiut and the Qairnirmiut were known to live inland and to the north.
While according to Vallee (1962), they were known to rarely visit the coast and on those occasions, they came to trade but did not hunt sea mammals,
Kuoljok (1969) stated that sea mammals held some importance during the summer for the Harvaqtuurmiut.
While they engaged in the
fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...
, their primary focus was the
Barren-ground Caribou
The barren-ground caribou (''Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus''; but subject to a recent taxonomic revision. See Reindeer: Taxomony.) is a subspecies of the reindeer (or the caribou in North America) that is found in the Canadian territories of ...
as they relied on it for subsistence and it determined where they built their homes. They specialized in hunting at autumn river-crossings. They used kayaks characterized as being sleek and of well made design.
The Harvaqtuurmiut society had its own traditions. ''Niqaptaq'' was a goose hunting ritual involving strings with bones ties at the ends that were spun overhead and when they wrapped around a goose's neck, the goose fell to the ground. They used moss smoke in their tents as a mosquito repellent. Dried moss, collected in the summer, was used as a fuel lighting mechanism.
Drum dances might be incorporated into asking questions of Shamans. Drum dancing movement is up to the individual and might include bending at the knee, moving in a circle, standing still, moving in a procession, moving back and forth, running, or jumping.
According to Rasmussen (1927), the Harvaqtuurmiut believed in
Pinga
In Inuit religion, Pinga ("the one who is p onhigh") is a goddess of the hunt and medicine. She is heavily associated with the sky.
Caribou Inuit tradition
In Caribou Inuit communities, Pinga had some authority over caribou herds. She became a ...
, an
Inuit
Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...
female spirit, who was watchful of people's conduct, rewarding and punishing them based on how they behaved.
Harvaqtuurmiut followed five seasons: ''Upinraqhaaq'' (a time of snow melt), ''Upinraaq'' (July and early August), ''Aujahajuq'' or ''Aujaq'' (mid-August to September), ''Ukiaqhaq'' or ''Ukiaq'' (October to early November), and ''Ukiuq'' (mid-November to April).
[Keith, pp. 6-10]
References
{{Reflist, 2
External links
Photos
Indigenous peoples in Northern Canada
Caribou Inuit
Kivalliq Region