Igloolik (
Inuktitut syllabics: , ''Iglulik'', ) is 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, ...
hamlet in
Foxe Basin,
Qikiqtaaluk Region in
Nunavut
Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the '' Nunavut Act'' and the '' Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act'' ...
, northern Canada. Because its location on
Igloolik Island is close to
Melville Peninsula, it is often mistakenly thought to be on the peninsula. The name "Igloolik" means "there is a house here". It derives from meaning house or building, and refers to the
sod houses that were originally in the area, not to snow
igloo
An igloo (Inuit languages: , Inuktitut syllabics (plural: )), also known as a snow house or snow hut, is a type of shelter built of suitable snow.
Although igloos are often associated with all Inuit, they were traditionally used only ...
s. In
Inuktitut the residents are called Iglulingmiut (the suffix ''miut'' means "people of").
History
Information about the area’s earliest inhabitants comes mainly from numerous archaeological sites on the island; some dating back more than 4,000 years. First contact with
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
ans came when
British Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
ships
HMS ''Fury'' and
HMS ''Hecla'', under the command of Captain
William Edward Parry, wintered in Igloolik in 1822.
The island was visited in 1867 and 1868 by the American explorer
Charles Francis Hall in his search for survivors of the lost
Franklin Expedition
Franklin's lost expedition was a failed British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Captain Sir John Franklin that departed England in 1845 aboard two ships, and , and was assigned to traverse the last unnavigated sections of the Northwes ...
. In 1913,
Alfred Tremblay, a
French-Canadian prospector with Captain
Joseph Bernier’s expedition to
Pond Inlet
Pond Inlet ( iu, Mittimatalik, lit=the place where Mittima is buried) is a small, predominantly Inuit community in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada, located on northern Baffin Island. To the Inuit the name of the place "is and always ...
, extended his mineral exploration overland to Igloolik, and in 1921 a member of
Knud Rasmussen's Fifth
Thule Expedition visited the island.
The first permanent presence by southerners in Igloolik came with the establishment of a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
Mission in the 1930s. By the end of the decade, the
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trade, fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake b ...
had also set up a post on the island.
Non-indigenous establishments, such as
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...
(RCMP) stations,
day school
A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when comp ...
s, and
clinic
A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambulatory care clinic) is a health facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. Clinics can be privately operated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the primary care nee ...
s, were here before they came to be in surrounding communities. The Igloolik Research Centre focuses on documenting
Inuit traditional knowledge and technology, as well as climatology and seismic data research.
Culture
Anthropologically, ''Iglulik Inuit'' are usually considered to be the Iglulingmiut, the
Aivilingmiut, and the Tununirmiut, the Inuit from northern
Baffin Island, on
Southampton Island, and in the
Melville Peninsula.
An ancient legend from the Igloolik area was adapted by
Zacharias Kunuk into the award-winning Canadian film ''
Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner'' in 2001. In 2004,
Isuma produced the film ''
The Journals of Knud Rasmussen'' which was released in September 2006 after premiering at the
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...
.
Igloolik is also the home-base of the only Inuit
circus,
Artcirq. This collective is active in video-making, music production and live circus show performances. Early in 2008, when temperatures in Igloolik were at , eight members of Artcirq went to
Essakane
Essakane is a rural commune and village of the Cercle of Goundam in the Tombouctou Region of Mali. The commune includes around 16 small settlements. The small village of Essakane is around 70 kilometers west of the town of Timbuktu. The co ...
north of
Timbuktu
Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou;
Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label= Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrat ...
,
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...
, where temperatures were , to perform at the
Festival au Désert. In February 2010, six members of Artcirq represented Nunavut in performances at the
2010 Olympic Winter Games
)''
, nations = 82
, athletes = 2,626
, events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, opening = February 12, 2010
, closing = February 28, 2010
, opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean
, cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...
in Vancouver, British Columbia.
In late 2007, the Igloolik HTO (Hunter and Trappers Organization) banned all forms of tourism (sport hunting, filming, photography, watching) related to the northern Foxe Basin
walrus
The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the f ...
population for a period of two years. This ban was in response to an observed decrease in walrus. The Igloolik Inuit continued to harvest walrus while the tourism ban was in place.
In 2017, documentary film maker
Alan Zweig released ''
There Is a House Here
''There Is a House Here'' is a Canadian documentary film by Alan Zweig, which premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. Taking its name from the English translation of Igloolik, the film explores several visits by Zweig to the Ca ...
'', a documentary film about his visits to the community.
Demographics
In the
2021 Canadian census conducted by
Statistics Canada, Igloolik had a population of 2,049 living in 394 of its 468 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 1,744. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Environmental concerns
The ''
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the governme ...
'' interviewed people from the region in April 2008, about their concerns over plans to ship iron ore from the nearby
Steensby Inlet Steensby Inlet is a waterway in Nunavut's Qikiqtaaluk Region. It extends northerly from Foxe Basin into central Baffin Island. There are several unnamed islands within the inlet, and Koch Island lies outside of it. The Steensby Inlet Ice Stream aros ...
on Baffin Island from the
Baffinland Iron Mine.
[
]
Jaypetee Palluq, an Igloolik resident who had been asked to serve on a Baffinland advisory committee, was concerned that the mine's operation would interfere with the traditional hunts for sea mammals, like
walrus
The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the f ...
. He called on Baffinland to ''"find an alternate shipping route to the mine, regardless of the cost."''
Paul Quassa, former mayor of Igloolik, also expressed concern, over the effect of freighters on the ice used by the walrus. He said the region was known for its highly prized aged, fermented walrus meat, a valuable export from the region.
On November 2, 2016, ''CBC News'' reported that residents were describing a hum or buzz, coming from deep within the
Fury and Hecla Strait—near
Steensby Inlet Steensby Inlet is a waterway in Nunavut's Qikiqtaaluk Region. It extends northerly from Foxe Basin into central Baffin Island. There are several unnamed islands within the inlet, and Koch Island lies outside of it. The Steensby Inlet Ice Stream aros ...
where Baffinland has one of its ports.
[
Paul Quassa, Igloolik's representative to the ]Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
The Legislative Assembly of Nunavut is the legislative assembly for the Canadian territory of Nunavut. The seat of the Assembly is the Legislative Building of Nunavut in Iqaluit.
Prior to the creation of Nunavut as a Canadian territory on Ap ...
, said the hum had been disturbing the sea mammals community members rely on for food.[ The hum is very loud, so loud the complement of vessels transiting the straits can hear it transmitted through the hulls, without any electronic aids. The ]Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environ ...
sent a Lockheed CP-140 Aurora to the area but were unable to detect the noise or the source.No unusual sounds near Nunavut’s Fury and Hecla Strait, RCAF reports
/ref>
Climate
Igloolik has a polar climate
The polar climate regions are characterized by a lack of warm summers but with varying winters. Every month in a polar climate has an average temperature of less than . Regions with polar climate cover more than 20% of the Earth's area. Most of ...
( ET) with nine months averaging below . Winters are long and cold, with October being the snowiest month. Summers range from chilly to sometimes mild, with cold nights.
Broadband communications
The community has been served by the Qiniq Qiniq may refer to:
* Qiniq (tribe), a historical Oghuz Turkic tribe
*Qiniq (company)
Qiniq, from the Inuktitut root word for "to search", is a Canadian company, which uses satellite and wireless communications technology to provide broadband ...
network since 2005. Qiniq is a fixed wireless service to homes and businesses, connecting to the outside world via a satellite backbone. The Qiniq network is designed and operated by SSI Micro. In 2017, the network was upgraded to 4G LTE technology, and 2G-GSM for mobile voice.
Transportation
The community is served by the Igloolik Airport.
Notable people
* Germaine Arnaktauyok (born 1946), artist
* Levi Barnabas (born 1964), politician
* Lori Idlout, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Nunavut
Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the '' Nunavut Act'' and the '' Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act'' ...
* Northern Haze, rock band
* Annabella Piugattuk (born 1982), actress
* Paul Quassa, Premier of Nunavut (2017–2018)
* Aua AUA may stand for:
Association
* American Unitarian Association, a Unitarian religious denomination in the United States and Canada from 1828 to 1961
* American Urological Association
*Asian Universities Alliance
* Association of University Adminis ...
, spiritual leader
* Kelly Fraser (1993–2019), singer-songwriter
* Terry Uyarak, singer-songwriter
Gallery
Image:Iglulik 2002-08-17.jpg, Part of the hamlet, August 2002
Image:Igloolik winter 2006.jpg, After the sun has gone below the horizon
Image:Igloolik return of the sun.jpg, The Igloolik ''Return of the Sun'' festival
Image:Iglulik Stone Church 2002-08-11.jpg, The old stone church, August 2002, prior to being torn down in 2006
Image:Igloolik-researchcentre.jpg, The Igloolik Research Centre
Image:Towards Northern.jpg, Women carry their children in amautiit while walking to Northern Store, past Isuma productions (left) and the Coop hotel (right)
Image:Tummivut Building.jpg, Tummivut Iglu - The Nunavut government building in Igloolik
Image:Sod House.jpg, Remnants of older Inuit sod houses in Igloolik Point
See also
* List of municipalities in Nunavut
* Kayak angst
References
Further reading
*Allen, Kristiann. ''Negotiating Health The Meanings and Implications of Building a Healthy Community in Igloolik, Nunavut''. Ottawa: National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2002.
*Aporta, Claudio. ''Old Routes, New Trails Contemporary Inuit Travel and Orienting in Igloolik, Nunavut''. Ottawa: National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2004.
*Dredge, L. A. ''The Geology of the Igloolik Island Area, and Sea Level Changes''. Yellowknife, N.W.T.: Science Institute of the Northwest Territories, 1992.
*Ford, James D., Barry Smit, Johanna Wandel, and John MacDonald. 2006. "Vulnerability to Climate Change in Igloolik, Nunavut: What We Can Learn from the Past and Present". '' Polar Record (journal)''. 42, no. 2: 127-138.
*Leontowich, Kent. ''A Study of the Benthic Faunal Distribution in the Subtidal Zone of Turton Bay, Igloolik Island, Nunavut''. Ottawa: National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2005.
*Niwranski, K., P. G. Kevan, and A. Fjellberg. 2002. "Effects of Vehicle Disturbance and Soil Compaction on Arctic Collembolan Abundance and Diversity on Igloolik Island, Nunavut, Canada". ''European Journal of Soil Biology''. 38, no. 2: 193-196.
*Wachowich, Nancy. ''Making a Living, Making a Life Subsistence and the Re-Enactment of Iglulingmiut Cultural Practices''. Vancouver: University of British Columbia, 2001.
External links
{{Authority control
Populated places in Arctic Canada
Hudson's Bay Company trading posts in Nunavut
Hamlets in the Qikiqtaaluk Region
Road-inaccessible communities of Nunavut