Ferguson Lake (Kitikmeot Region)
Encyclopedia
Ferguson Lake is located on southern Victoria Island in the Kitikmeot Region
of Nunavut
, in northern Canada
. It drains westward into Iqaluktuuq River (meaning "place of big fish") which is a segment of the Ekalluk River
, 5 mi (8 km) from the northeastern side of Wellington Bay
(Ekaloktok), on Dease Strait
, Arctic Ocean
Ferguson Lake is the namesake of Constable Ferguson, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police
member.
Ferguson Lake has been characterized as "polar semi-desert". Its fauna includes willow
-sedge
meadows, Dryas
uplands, and raised beaches. The narrow land area between Wellington Bay and Ferguson Lake funnels migrating Dolphin and Union
caribou herd, making them easy prey for Inuit
hunters. Muskox, Arctic hare
, and ptarmigan also inhabit the area. The lake itself contains Arctic char
(iqalukpiit) and lake trout
(ihuurayuit). These were the principal food sources for Copper Inuit
who were predated by people of the Dorset culture
through Thule culture
as evidenced by Canadian Arctic
archaeological sites on the banks of the lake, its river, and about 1 km north on the bay (Cadfael site).
Kitikmeot Region, Nunavut
Kitikmeot Region is an administrative region of Nunavut, Canada. It consists of the southern and eastern parts of Victoria Island with the adjacent part of the mainland as far as the Boothia Peninsula, together with King William Island and the southern portion of Prince of Wales Island...
of 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...
, in northern Canada
Northern Canada
Northern Canada, colloquially the North, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut...
. It drains westward into Iqaluktuuq River (meaning "place of big fish") which is a segment of the Ekalluk River
Ekalluk River
The Ekalluk River is a river in Kitikmeot Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in central through southeastern Victoria Island. Its source is Ferguson Lake, and it flows west to Wellington Bay and east to Albert Edward Bay. Nearby lakes include Keyhole Lake, Kitiga Lake, and Surrey Lake...
, 5 mi (8 km) from the northeastern side of Wellington Bay
Wellington Bay
Wellington Bay is an Arctic waterway in Kitikmeot Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Dease Strait, off southern Victoria Island. It is northwest of the community of Cambridge Bay....
(Ekaloktok), on Dease Strait
Dease Strait
Dease Strait is an east-west waterway between the mainland's Kent Peninsula and Victoria Island in Nunavut, Canada. At its eastern end, approximately wide, is Cambridge Bay; to the west it widens to approximately and becomes Coronation Gulf. The strait is long.-External links:*...
, Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
Ferguson Lake is the namesake of Constable Ferguson, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
member.
Ferguson Lake has been characterized as "polar semi-desert". Its fauna includes willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
-sedge
Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...
meadows, Dryas
Dryas
Dryas is the name of nine characters in Greek mythology1. Dryas was the son of King Lycurgus, king of the Edoni in Thrace. He was killed when Lycurgus went insane and mistook him for a mature trunk of ivy, a plant holy to the god Dionysus, whose cult Lycurgus was attempting to extirpate.Resisting...
uplands, and raised beaches. The narrow land area between Wellington Bay and Ferguson Lake funnels migrating Dolphin and Union
Dolphin and Union Strait
Dolphin and Union Strait lies in both the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada, between the mainland and Victoria Island. It links Amundsen Gulf, lying to the northwest, with Coronation Gulf, lying to the southeast...
caribou herd, making them easy prey for Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
hunters. Muskox, Arctic hare
Arctic Hare
The arctic hare , or polar rabbit is a species of hare which is adapted largely to polar and mountainous habitats. The arctic hare survives with a thick coat of fur and usually digs holes under the ground or snow to keep warm and sleep...
, and ptarmigan also inhabit the area. The lake itself contains Arctic char
Arctic char
Arctic char or Arctic charr is both a freshwater and saltwater fish in the Salmonidae family, native to Arctic, sub-Arctic and alpine lakes and coastal waters. No other freshwater fish is found as far north. It is the only species of fish in Lake Hazen, on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic...
(iqalukpiit) and lake trout
Lake trout
Lake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char , touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, they can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbellies and leans...
(ihuurayuit). These were the principal food sources for 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,...
who were predated by people of the Dorset culture
Dorset culture
The Dorset culture was a Paleo-Eskimo culture that preceded the Inuit culture in Arctic North America. It has been defined as having four phases, with distinct technology related to the people's hunting and tool making...
through Thule culture
Thule people
The Thule or proto-Inuit were the ancestors of all modern Inuit. They developed in coastal Alaska by AD 1000 and expanded eastwards across Canada, reaching Greenland by the 13th century. In the process, they replaced people of the earlier Dorset culture that had previously inhabited the region...
as evidenced by Canadian Arctic
Northern Canada
Northern Canada, colloquially the North, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut...
archaeological sites on the banks of the lake, its river, and about 1 km north on the bay (Cadfael site).