Cape Dorset, Nunavut
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Kinngait (
Inuktitut Inuktitut (; , syllabics ; from , "person" + , "like", "in the manner of"), also Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the tree line, including parts of the provinces o ...
meaning "high mountain" or "where the hills are"; Syllabics: ᑭᙵᐃᑦ), formerly known as Cape Dorset until 27 February 2020, 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 located on
Dorset Island Dorset Island or Cape Dorset Island is one of the Canadian Arctic islands located in Hudson Strait, Nunavut, Canada. It lies off the Foxe Peninsula area of southwestern Baffin Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region. It is serviced by an airport and a ...
near
Foxe Peninsula Foxe Peninsula is a peninsula found at the southern end of Baffin Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It juts out from the southerly end of the island in a southwestly direction, dividing Foxe Basin and Hudson Strait. Its western ...
at the southern tip 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 ...
in the
Qikiqtaaluk Region The Qikiqtaaluk Region, Qikiqtani Region (Inuktitut syllabics: ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒃ ) or Baffin Region is the easternmost, northernmost, and southernmost administrative region of Nunavut, Canada. Qikiqtaaluk is the traditional Inuktitut name f ...
of
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.


History

Kinngait, previously Cape Dorset and Sikusiilaq before that is where the remains of the
Thule Thule ( grc-gre, Θούλη, Thoúlē; la, Thūlē) is the most northerly location mentioned in ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek and Latin literature, Roman literature and cartography. Modern interpretations have included Orkney, Shet ...
(Early Inuit) and pre-Inuit
Dorset people The Dorset was a Paleo-Eskimo culture, lasting from to between and , that followed the Pre-Dorset and preceded the Thule people (proto-Inuit) in the North American Arctic. The culture and people are named after Cape Dorset (now Kinngait) in N ...
(Tuniit) were discovered, who lived between 1000 BC and 1100 AD. The European name of Cape Dorset was given by Captain
Luke Foxe Luke Foxe (or Fox) (20 October 1586 – c. 15 July 1635) was an English explorer, born in Kingston-upon-Hull, Yorkshire, who searched for the Northwest Passage across North America. In 1631, he sailed much of the western Hudson Bay before ...
after
Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset KG (159117 July 1652) was an English courtier, soldier and politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1621 to 1622 and became Earl of Dorset in 1624. He fought a duel in his early life, and was later in ...
, on 24 September 1631. The Inuit originally called the inlet ''Sikusiilaq'', after the area of sea ocean nearby that remains ice-free all winter.
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 trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...
set up a trading post here in 1913, where they traded furs and skins for supplies such as tobacco, ammunition, flour, gas, tea and sugar. In December 2019, the residents of Cape Dorset voted in favour of a request to officially rename the hamlet to its Inuktitut name of Kinngait. Voters chose between Kinngait, Sikusiilaq, and the English name of Cape Dorset.


Art

Since the 1950s, Kinngait, which calls itself the "Capital of
Inuit Art Inuit art, also known as Eskimo art, refers to artwork produced by Inuit, that is, the people of the Arctic previously known as Eskimos, a term that is now often considered offensive. Historically, their preferred medium was walrus ivory, but s ...
", has been a centre for drawing, printmaking, and carving. In the 21st century, printmaking and carving continue to be the community's main economic activities. Each year, Kinngait Studios issues an annual print collection. Kinngait has been hailed as the most artistic community in Canada, with some 22% of the labour force employed in the arts. In 1957,
James Archibald Houston James Archibald Houston (June 12, 1921 – April 17, 2005) was a Canadian artist, designer, children's author and filmmaker who played an important role in the recognition of Inuit art and introduced printmaking to the Inuit. The Inuit named him ...
created a graphic arts workshop in Kinngait, in a program sponsored by the
Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
. It was considered a way for the community to generate income by adapting traditional art forms to contemporary techniques.Hessel, Ingo. ''Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum.'' Phoenix:
Heard Museum The Heard Museum is a private, not-for-profit museum in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, dedicated to the advancement of American Indian art. It presents the stories of American Indian people from a first-person perspective, as well as exhibitio ...
, 2006. .
Houston collected drawings from community artists and encouraged local Inuit stone carvers to apply their skills to stone-block printing, in order to create art that might be more widely sold and distributed. The print program was modelled after Japanese
ukiyo-e Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surfac ...
workshops. Other cooperative print shops were established in nearby communities, but the Kinngait workshop has remained the most successful. The artists have experimented with
etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...
,
engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ...
,
lithography Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...
, and silkscreen. They produce annual catalogues advertising the limited edition prints. Between the years of 1959 and 1974, Kinngait artists produced more than 48,000 prints. Well-known artists of Kinngait include
Pitseolak Ashoona Pitseolak Ashoona ( – May 28, 1983;) was an Inuk Canadian artist admired for her prolific body of work. She was also a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Biography Pitseolak was born to Timungiak and Oootochie on Nottingham Island ...
,
Nuna Parr Nuna is the name of a series of manned solar powered race cars that have won the World Solar Challenge in Australia seven times: in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015 and 2017. The vehicles are built by students who are part of the "Brunel Solar ...
,
Pudlo Pudlat Pudlo Pudlat (Pudlo), (February 4, 1916 - December 28, 1992) was a Canadian Inuit artist whose preferred medium was a combination of acrylic wash and coloured pencils. His works are in the collections of most Canadian museums. At his death in 1992, ...
,
Angotigolu Teevee Angotigolu Teevee (also spelled Angitteegooloo Tivi, 1910–1967) was a Canadian Inuit artist. She practiced printmaking and drawing, with major works mainly on Inuit religion, Inuit mythology themes. Teevee lived and worked in the community of Ca ...
, Alashua Aningmiuq,
Kiugak Ashoona Kiugak Ashoona (September 16, 1933 – 2014; also known as Kiawak; Inuktitut syllabics ᑭᐅᒐᒃ ᐊᓲᓇ) was a Canadian Inuk artist renowned for his sculptural work and his expansive artistic portfolio. He experienced the longest career of ...
, Ulayu Pingwartok,
Oopik Pitsuilak Oopik Pitsuilak is an Inuit, Inuk carver and sculptor who works in the Cape Dorset community of Inuit artists in Canada. Early life She was born in Lake Harbour, Northwest Territories, now Kimmirut, Nunavut, in 1946. Pitsuilak was raised in Lak ...
, Innukjuakju Pudlat, Mary Qayuaryuk, Anirnik Oshuitoq, and
Kenojuak Ashevak Kenojuak Ashevak, (Inuktitut: ᕿᓐᓄᐊᔪᐊᖅ ᐋᓯᕙᒃ, Qinnuajuaq Aasivak), (October 3, 1927 – January 8, 2013) is celebrated as a leading figure of modern Inuit art. Early life and family Kenojuak Ashevak was born in an igloo ...
. Parr's carvings are internationally recognized and his work is exhibited in the
National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the l ...
. Ashevak's drawings of owls have been chosen to appear on Canadian stamps as well as a Canadian
quarter A quarter is one-fourth, , 25% or 0.25. Quarter or quarters may refer to: Places * Quarter (urban subdivision), a section or area, usually of a town Placenames * Quarter, South Lanarkshire, a settlement in Scotland * Le Quartier, a settlement ...
. Inuit carver, artist, photographer and author
Peter Pitseolak Peter Pitseolak (1902–1973) was an Inuk photographer, sculptor, artist and historian. Pitseolak was Baffin Island's first indigenous photographer. Life Pitseolak was born September 2, 1902 on Nottingham Island, Northwest Territories. He liv ...
spent several years living in Kinngait. The local junior-senior high school was named for him. Below is a list of some of the artists from Kinngait, according to the Inuit Art Foundation.


Demographics

In the
2021 Canadian census The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sl ...
conducted by
Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, Kinngait (Cape Dorset) had a population of 1,396 living in 362 of its 416 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 1441. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.


Transportation

A handful of unnamed dirt/gravel roads (unpaved because of winter conditions) cross the village but do not connect beyond Kinngait. Cars and trucks are the main means of transportation and supplemented by snowmobiles and ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) during the winter. The people use boats and ships for seasonal travel to and from Kinngait when the
Hudson Strait Hudson Strait (french: Détroit d'Hudson) links the Atlantic Ocean and Labrador Sea to Hudson Bay in Canada. This strait lies between Baffin Island and Nunavik, with its eastern entrance marked by Cape Chidley in Newfoundland and Labrador and ...
is ice-free. A taxi company, Tuniit Taxis, offer a range of vehicles. The area is serviced by the
Cape Dorset Airport Cape Dorset Airport is located at Kinngait (formerly Cape Dorset), Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated offic ...
with connections only within Nunavut. Travel outside Nunavut can be made via connections through
Iqaluit Airport Iqaluit Airport ( iu, ᐃᖃᓗᖕᓂ ᒥᑦᑕᕐᕕᒃ) serves Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada and is located adjacent to the city. It is operated by the government of Nunavut. It hosts scheduled passenger service from Ottawa, Montreal, Rankin Inlet ...
.


Education

The only secondary school in town, Peter Pitseolak School (PPS), was destroyed by fire set by three youths in September 2015."RCMP lay charges in fire that destroyed school in Nunavut"
''City News'', 8 September 2015
In summer 2019, the school opened a printmaking studio workshop space for children, through the Embassy of Imagination program. Sam Pudlat School is the community's only elementary school; it has enrolment of 227 students. Attendance is good at the elementary school but quite poor at the high school. Post-secondary education is available in a limited number of areas in Kinngait at the Community Learning Centre.
Nunavut Arctic College Nunavut Arctic College ( iu, ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥᓯᓚᑦᑐᖅᓴᕐᕕᒃ, french: Collège de l’Arctique du Nunavut, Inuinnaqtun: ''Nunavunmi Inirnirit Iliharviat'') is a public community college in the territory of Nunavut, Canada. The colleg ...
, based in
Iqaluit Iqaluit ( ; , ; ) is the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, its largest community, and its only city. It was known as Frobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987, after the large bay on the coast on which the city is situated. In 1987, its t ...
, periodically offers community-based programs in Kinngait at the Community Learning Centre.


Community services

The
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 ...
has a detachment staffed by six officers and sometimes number as many as 10 officers with one sergeant and one corporal. The Fire Department is staffed by 25 volunteers and a pumper at a single fire hall. There is a lack of fire hydrants in the town, so each run has to be filled up at the water station. Medical facilities are basic at the Cape Dorset Health Centre. Advanced medical care requires an airlift to the 35-bed Qikiqtani General Hospital in
Iqaluit Iqaluit ( ; , ; ) is the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, its largest community, and its only city. It was known as Frobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987, after the large bay on the coast on which the city is situated. In 1987, its t ...
. There is no ambulance in the town. Qualified doctors visit only occasionally. There is a taxi service but it is not consistently reliable.


Broadband communications

The community has been served by the Qiniq network since 2005. The Qiniq network is designed and operated by SSi Canada. In 2017, the network was upgraded to 4G LTE technology, and 2G-GSM for mobile voice.


Housing

No new family dwellings have been built in more than 10 years, so houses are overcrowded with as many as 17 people living in small quarters. Tuberculosis is active in the town. This is made more acutely dangerous as the overcrowding continues. However, the Canadian government plans to build 5 new housing units in the town by late 2022 or early 2023.


Food insecurity

The cost of basic food staples like milk, cheese, flour, and butter is 65-75% higher than in Ottawa or Montreal, which has led to high rates of food insecurity in Kinngait, as well as in the rest of Nunavut.


Tourism

Spanning both Dorset Island and Mallik Island, Mallikjuaq Territorial Park is notable for archaeological sites revealing
Thule culture The Thule (, , ) or proto-Inuit were the ancestors of all modern Inuit. They developed in coastal Alaska by the year 1000 and expanded eastward across northern Canada, reaching Greenland by the 13th century. In the process, they replaced people o ...
,
Dorset culture The Dorset was a Paleo-Eskimo culture, lasting from to between and , that followed the Pre-Dorset and preceded the Thule people (proto-Inuit) in the North American Arctic. The culture and people are named after Cape Dorset (now Kinngait) in N ...
, and
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 ...
history. The park is reachable by foot from Kinngait at low tide, or by boat. A cairn was raised in memory of the ship, RMS ''Nascopie'', a supply ship to the
Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
, that hit a rock and sank in 1947. Although the cargo was lost, the passengers and crew were saved. In September 2018, the Kenokuak Cultural Centre and Print Shop opened. The centre is named after local artist and Inuit art pioneer
Kenojuak Ashevak Kenojuak Ashevak, (Inuktitut: ᕿᓐᓄᐊᔪᐊᖅ ᐋᓯᕙᒃ, Qinnuajuaq Aasivak), (October 3, 1927 – January 8, 2013) is celebrated as a leading figure of modern Inuit art. Early life and family Kenojuak Ashevak was born in an igloo ...
who died in 2013. The centre serves a community facility, art studio and exhibition space for local artists. There are outfitters that provide numerous
dog sled A dog sled or dog sleigh is a sled pulled by one or more sled dogs used to travel over ice and through snow. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function. They can be used for dog sled racing. Traditionally in Greenland and the e ...
ding, camping, and hiking to parks tours.


Gallery

File:Cape_Dorset_Summertime_2002-08-04.jpg File:Cape_Dorset_WBEC_2002-08-04.jpg File:Cape_dorset_sept2010.jpg File:Cape_dorset_shore_sept2010.jpg File:Cape Dorset.jpg


Climate

Kinngait has a
tundra climate The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. undra climate https://www.britannica.com/science/tundra-climateThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019 It is classified as ET according to Köppen ...
( ET) with short but cool summers and long cold winters.


See also

*
List of municipalities in Nunavut Nunavut is the least populous of Canada's three territories with 36,858 residents as of 2021, but the largest territory in land area, at . Nunavut is also larger than any of Canada's ten provinces. Nunavut's 25 municipalities cover only o ...


References


Further reading

* Dorais, Louis-Jacques. ''Kinngaqmiut Uqausingit = The Inuit Language in Cape Dorset N.W.T. = Le Parler Inuit De Cape Dorset T.N.O.''. Quebec: Association Inuksiutiit katimajiit, Laboratoire d'anthropologie, Université Laval, 1975. * Leroux, Odette, Marion E. Jackson, and Minnie Aodla Freeman. ''Inuit Women Artists Voices from Cape Dorset''. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1994. * Norton, Derek, and Nigel Reading.
Cape Dorset Sculpture
'. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2005. * ''Nunavut Handbook'', Iqaluit 2004 * Pitseolak, Peter, and Dorothy Eber. ''People from Our Side An Eskimo Life Story in Words and Photographs : an Inuit Record of Seekooseelak, the Land of the People of Cape Dorset, Baffin Island''. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1975. * Ryan, Leslie Boyd.

'. San Francisco: Pomegranate, 2007. * SchoolNet Digital Collections (Canada). ''Cape Dorset Inuit art and Inuit cultural perspectives''. Ottawa: Industry Canada, 2000. * Walk, Ansgar. ''Kenojuak - The Life Story of an Inuit Artist''. Manotick: Penumbra Press, 1999.


External links


Cape Dorset homepage
from the Library and Archives of Canada
Archives: Finding Aids: Kinngait
from the Inuit Art Foundation
"A Family of Artists Creates a Portrait of Inuk Life Across Three Generations"
from
Hyperallergic ''Hyperallergic'' is an online arts magazine, based in Brooklyn, New York. Founded by the art critic Hrag Vartanian and his husband Veken Gueyikian in October 2009, the site describes itself as a "forum for serious, playful, and radical thinking ...
{{Authority control Landforms of Baffin Island Hudson's Bay Company trading posts in Nunavut Hamlets in the Qikiqtaaluk Region Road-inaccessible communities of Nunavut Populated places in Baffin Island