Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

welcomed its most recent territory,

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'' ...

, on April 1, 1999, after it separated from the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

. With Nunavut's separation from the Northwest Territories came a need for new regulations regarding cultural history. Nunavut has the unique experience of having a large Aboriginal community that creates strong cultural ties within the legislation.

Aboriginal Ties

The Aboriginal ties within Nunavut are clear without knowing the territory; one just needs to view the flag. "The colors, blue and gold symbolize the riches of the land, sea and sky. Red is a reference to Canada. The

inuksuk An inuksuk (plural inuksuit) or inukshuk (from the iu, ᐃᓄᒃᓱᒃ, plural ; alternatively in Inuinnaqtun, in Iñupiaq, in Greenlandic) is a type of stone landmark or cairn built by, and for the use of, Inuit, Iñupiat, Kalaallit, Yupi ...

symbolizes stone monuments which guide people on the land and mark sacred and other special places." The North Star is also featured on the flag symbolizing the leadership of elders in the community. These are clear markers that there is a strong relationship between archaeology and the Aboriginal community, therefore creating relevance with the government's cultural and archaeological practices. There are several environmental and archaeological policies and programs that are run by both

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 ...

and government members. Th
Government of Nunavut
lists Archaeology and Paleontology under the department o
Culture and Heritage
Once again there is evidence of the close ties between elders and archaeology and therefore culture. This branch was established to provide leadership within the Government of Nunavut in the implementation and development of services, policies, and programs that are aimed to strengthen the culture, language, heritage and physical activity of Nunavut. The Nunavut Archaeology Program administers the archaeology and paleontology permitting process and work on the development of policies, technical standards and guidelines. Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) ensures that promises made under the

Nunavut Land Claims Agreement The Nunavut Land Claim Agreement (french: L'Accord sur les revendications territoriales du Nunavut) was signed on May 25, 1993, in Iqaluit, by representatives of the Tunngavik Federation of Nunavut (now Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated), the Governm ...

(NCLA) are carried out. One of the main NCLA concerns are that the Inuit exchanged their Aboriginal title to all their traditional land in the Nunavut Settlement Area for the rights and benefits. Rights and benefits are focused on land, wildlife, and water, as these are very important aspects to the Inuit way of life. NTI coordinates and manages Inuit responsibilities set out in the NCLA and makes sure that all federal and territorial governments fulfill their obligations such as help with travel between communities, the care of elders, and help with education. There is also the Inuit Qauijimajatuqangt Katimajiit, which is a prestigious group of wise and talented Inuit who are responsible for advising the government on making programs and services more culturally relevant. The people selected for the group are appointed from outside the Government of Nunavut. One of the ongoing projects is the recovery of artifacts from

HMS Terror Nine ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Terror'': * was a 4-gun bomb vessel launched in 1696, and captured and burnt by the French in 1704. * was a 14-gun bomb vessel launched in 1741 and sold in 1754. * was an 8-gun bomb ketc ...

and

HMS Erebus Five ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Erebus'' after Erebus, the dark region of Hades in Greek Mythology. * was a rocket vessel launched in 1807, converted to an 18-gun sloop in 1808, to a fire ship in 1809, and to a 24-gun post shi ...

wrecks from Franklin's lost expedition. A smaller scale project is the Oral History Project which claims "Recording and documenting the

traditional knowledge Traditional knowledge (TK), indigenous knowledge (IK) and local knowledge generally refer to knowledge systems embedded in the cultural traditions of regional, indigenous, or local communities. According to the World Intellectual Property Organ ...

and history of Elders is a priority" and help retain the Inuit Language.

References

{{Canada topic, Archaeology in Archaeology of Nunavut Natural history of Nunavut