The Kangiryuarmiut (or Kanhiryuarmiut; or Kanhiryiirmiut) are an

Inuvialuit The Inuvialuit (sing. Inuvialuk; ''the real people'') or Western Canadian Inuit are Inuit who live in the western Canadian Arctic region. They, like all other Inuit, are descendants of the Thule who migrated eastward from Alaska Alask ...

group, culturally and historically related to the

Copper Inuit Copper Inuit, also known as Kitlinermiut and Inuinnait, are a Canadian Inuit group who live north of the tree line, in what is now the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut and in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Ter ...

. They were historically located on

Victoria Island Victoria Island ( ikt, Kitlineq, italic=yes) is a large island in the Arctic Archipelago that straddles the boundary between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is the List of islands by area, eighth-largest island in the world, ...

in the areas of

Prince Albert Sound Prince Albert Sound (Inuit: ''Kangiryuak'') is a Northern Canadian body of water located in the Inuvik Region of southwestern Victoria Island, Northwest Territories. It is an inlet of Amundsen Gulf. The sound separates the Wollaston Peninsula ...

Cape Baring Cape Baring is a Canadian Arctic headland in the Northwest Territories. The most westerly point of the Wollaston Peninsula, it is located on Victoria Island, protruding into the Amundsen Gulf. The cape is the ancestral home of Kangiryuarmiut, a ...

, and central Victoria island. They often travelled seasonally around their traditional territory including to

Banks Island Banks Island is one of the larger members of the Arctic Archipelago. Situated in the Inuvik Region, and part of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, of the Northwest Territories, it is separated from Victoria Island to its east by the Prince of ...

, both south to

Nelson Head Nelson Head is a Canadian Arctic hypsographic cape in the Northwest Territories. The most southerly point of Banks Island, it protrudes into the Amundsen Gulf. It is the ancestral home of Kangiryuarmiut, a Copper Inuit subgroup. Naming The cape w ...

and as far north as

Mercy Bay Mercy Bay is a Canadian Arctic waterway in the Northwest Territories. It is a southern arm of M'Clure Strait on northeast Banks Island. The mouth of Castel Bay is less than to the west. These bays are a part of Aulavik National Park. HMS '' ...

to collect raw materials from the wreck of the

HMS Investigator Nine ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Investigator''. Another was planned, but renamed before being launched. The name ''Investigator'' passed on to the Royal Indian Navy and after India's Independence, to its successor the Indian ...

. Archaeologists have also found many sites left by Kangiryuarmiut and their ancestors in what is now

Aulavik National Park Aulavik National Park ( ); from the Inuvialuktun for "place where people travel") is a National Parks of Canada, national park located on Banks Island in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is known for its access to the Thomsen River, one of ...

. Today, many Kangiryurmiut still live on Victoria Island, in the hamlet of Uluhaktok, now within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. The Kangiryuarmiut speak the

Kangiryuarmiutun ''Kangiryuarmiutun'' (sometimes ''Kangirjuarmiut(un)''), is a dialect of Inuit language spoken in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada by the Kangiryuarmiut, a Copper Inuit group. The dialect is part of the Inuvialuktun language. The peopl ...

, often considered a subdialect of

Inuvialuktun Inuvialuktun (part of ''Western Canadian Inuit/Inuktitut/Inuktut/Inuktun'') comprises several Inuit language varieties spoken in the northern Northwest Territories by Canadian Inuit who call themselves ''Inuvialuit''. Some dialects and sub-dialec ...

, although it is more closely related to

Inuinnaqtun Inuinnaqtun (; natively meaning ''like the real human beings/peoples''), is an indigenous Inuit language. It is spoken in the central Canadian Arctic. It is related very closely to Inuktitut, and some scholars, such as Richard Condon, believe ...

. Inuvialuktun names for groups often refer to geographic features within a group's traditional territory. Kangiryuarmiut translates to "the people of the large bay", referring to Prince Albert Sound. Kangiryuarmiut subsisted on

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

. They were the only Copper Inuit who built ''

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 b ...

it'' on land. Double tent of two Kanghiryuarmiut families at Lake Numichion (36985 LS)

The Kangiryuarmiut and the Kangiryuatjagmiut of

Minto Inlet Minto Inlet is located east of Amundsen Gulf in western Victoria Island, at the southern end of Prince of Wales Strait in the Northwest Territories. It is long and between wide. The inlet is part of the historical territory of the Copper Inuit. ...

were the northernmost Copper Inuit. They migrated seasonally in western Victoria Island, Banks Island, and the mainland around

Kugluktuk, Nunavut Kugluktuk (, ; Inuktitut syllabics: ; ), formerly known as Coppermine until 1 January 1996, is a hamlet located at the mouth of the Coppermine River in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, Canada, on Coronation Gulf, southwest of Victoria Island. I ...

. Prior to white contact, and prior to the introduction of

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

s, they migrated usually by foot, developing what Nuttall referred to as an "embodied memoryscape", meaning that people knew place names along the route, the accompanying stories, and the collective significance with relational understanding of locations. According to Helen Balanoff from the NWT Literacy Council and Cynthia Chambers from the University of Lethbridge, this knowledge is integral to social identity and

literacy.

References

Copper Inuit Inuvialuit groups {{Nunavut-stub