Akulivik () ( 2021 population 642) is an

Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...

village in

Nunavik Nunavik (; ; ) is an area in Canada which comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, part of the Nord-du-Québec region and nearly coterminous with Kativik. Covering a land area of north of the 55th parallel, it is the homelan ...

, in northern

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. It is located on a peninsula that juts southwesterly into

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...

across from Smith Island, Nunavut (Qikirtajuaq). Akulivik lies 1,850 km north of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. Akulivik, meaning "central prong of a kakivak" in the Nunavik dialect of

Inuktitut Inuktitut ( ; , Inuktitut syllabics, syllabics ), also known as Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the North American tree line, including parts of the provinces of ...

, takes its name from the surrounding geography. Located on a peninsula between two bays, the area evokes the shape of a kakivak, a traditional, trident-shaped spear used for fishing. Telephone and internet services are delivered by satellite. There is no hospital, but a clinic staffed by nurses provides non-critical care; otherwise air ambulances are available. Policing is done by the Kativik Regional Police Force.

History

Akulivik was incorporated as a community in 1976. The Inuit have lived in the area for thousands of years. In 1610, the explorer

Henry Hudson Henry Hudson ( 1565 – disappeared 23 June 1611) was an English sea explorer and navigator during the early 17th century, best known for his explorations of present-day Canada and parts of the Northeastern United States. In 1607 and 16 ...

passed by the island of Qikirtajuaq near present-day Akulivik. In 1922, the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

established a

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory in European and colonial contexts, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically a trading post allows people from one geogr ...

on the site of today's settlement. The outpost was moved to the island of Qikirtajuaq in 1926. Between 1922 and 1955, the area where Akulivik is located today was the summer camp of Inuit who congregated around the trading post. In 1952, the post was closed, forcing the families to move to Puvirnituq, 100 km to the south. In 1973, one family moved back to the area. The following year, many others followed and, together, they built the village of Akulivik. On June 11, 2017, a resident named Illutak Anautak broke into three homes and stabbed five people, killing three and critically injuring two, among them a 10-year-old child. Anautak was shot and killed by police when attempting to break into a fourth home. His motives were unclear.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Akulivik had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Education

The Kativik School Board operates the Tukisiniarvik School. The Tukisiniarvik School has 167 students in classes from Kindergarten to Secondary V (Grade 11). Inuktitut remains the dominant language of the community. As in all the communities of Nunavik, Inuktitut is also the language of instruction at school until grade 3, at which point students choose between English or French as the language of instruction, and continue to study Inuktitut language and Inuit culture as separate subjects.

Transportation

Inaccessible by road, Akulivik is served by the small Akulivik Airport – AKV. Ice starts to form in late September and stays until late July, when the Bay becomes navigable. Large items are delivered by ship, including in building supplies, snowmobiles and

gasoline Gasoline ( North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When for ...

, as well as a year's supply of

diesel fuel Diesel fuel, also called diesel oil, heavy oil (historically) or simply diesel, is any liquid fuel specifically designed for use in a diesel engine, a type of internal combustion engine in which fuel ignition takes place without a spark as a re ...

for the town generator. Thrice-weekly air service brings cargo including food and services to Akulivik.

References

External links