Bloody Falls Massacre
Encyclopedia
The Massacre at Bloody Falls was an incident that took place during Samuel Hearne
's exploration of the Coppermine River
on 17 July 1771. Chipewyan
and "Copper Indian"
Dene
men led by Hearne's guide and companion Matonabbee
attacked a group of Copper Inuit
camped by rapids approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) upstream from the mouth of the Coppermine River. Just after midnight on 17 July, the Dene set upon the Inuit camp and killed approximately 20 men, women, and children. Hearne was traumatized by the massacre
, saying "...and I am confident that my features must have feelingly expressed how sincerely I was affected at the barbarous scene I then witnessed; even at this hour I cannot reflect on the transactions of that horrid day without shedding tears.", and named the waterfall Bloody Falls
.
The site of the massacre is now located in Kugluk/Bloody Falls Territorial Park
near Kugluktuk
, Nunavut
. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1978.
In 1996, Dene and Inuit representatives participated in a healing ceremony to reconcile the centuries-old grievance.
The incident is referenced in the John Newlove poem "Samuel Hearne in Wintertime".
Samuel Hearne
Samuel Hearne was a an English explorer, fur-trader, author, and naturalist. He was the first European to make an overland excursion across northern Canada to the Arctic Ocean, actually Coronation Gulf, via the Coppermine River...
's exploration of the Coppermine River
Coppermine River
The Coppermine River is a river in the North Slave and Kitikmeot regions of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut in Canada. It is long. It rises in Lac de Gras, a small lake near Great Slave Lake and flows generally north to Coronation Gulf, an arm of the Arctic Ocean...
on 17 July 1771. Chipewyan
Chipewyan
The Chipewyan are a Dene Aboriginal people in Canada, whose ancestors were the Taltheilei...
and "Copper Indian"
Yellowknives
The Yellowknives, Yellow Knives, Copper Indians, Red Knives or T'atsaot'ine are Aboriginal peoples of Canada, one of the five main groups of the Dene indigenous people that live in the Northwest Territories of Canada...
Dene
Dene
The Dene are an aboriginal group of First Nations who live in the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dené speak Northern Athabaskan languages. Dene is the common Athabaskan word for "people" . The term "Dene" has two usages...
men led by Hearne's guide and companion Matonabbee
Matonabbee
Matonabbee was a Chipewyan hunter and leader. He traveled with Chief Akaitcho's older brother, Keskarrah. After his father died, Matonabbee spent some time living at Fort Prince of Wales where he learned to speak English....
attacked a group of Copper Inuit
Copper Inuit
Copper Inuit are a Canadian Inuit group who live north of the tree line, in Nunavut's Kitikmeot Region and the Northwest Territories's Inuvik Region. Most historically lived in the area around Coronation Gulf, on Victoria Island, and southern Banks Island.Their western boundary was Wise Point,...
camped by rapids approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) upstream from the mouth of the Coppermine River. Just after midnight on 17 July, the Dene set upon the Inuit camp and killed approximately 20 men, women, and children. Hearne was traumatized by the massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
, saying "...and I am confident that my features must have feelingly expressed how sincerely I was affected at the barbarous scene I then witnessed; even at this hour I cannot reflect on the transactions of that horrid day without shedding tears.", and named the waterfall Bloody Falls
Bloody Falls
Bloody Falls is a waterfall in the Kugluk/Bloody Falls Territorial Park and is the site of the Bloody Falls Massacre and the murder of two priests by Copper Inuit Uloqsaq and Sinnisiak in 1913...
.
The site of the massacre is now located in Kugluk/Bloody Falls Territorial Park
Kugluk/Bloody Falls Territorial Park
Kugluk/Bloody Falls Territorial Park is located about southwest of Kugluktuk, Nunavut, Canada. The park is situated around the Bloody Falls on the Coppermine River and was listed as a national historic site in 1978.The park is probably best known as the site of the Bloody Falls Massacre that...
near Kugluktuk
Kugluktuk, Nunavut
Kugluktuk 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...
, Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal 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, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1978.
In 1996, Dene and Inuit representatives participated in a healing ceremony to reconcile the centuries-old grievance.
The incident is referenced in the John Newlove poem "Samuel Hearne in Wintertime".
External links
- Youth Links - The Story of Bloody Falls Short article written by three Kugluktuk students.