Nunavut
Encyclopedia
Nunavut ˈ 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. The creation of Nunavut – meaning "our land" in Inuktitut
– resulted in the first major change to Canada's map since the incorporation of the new province of Newfoundland
in 1949.
Nunavut comprises a major portion of Northern Canada, and most of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago
, making it the fifth-largest country subdivision in the world. The capital Iqaluit (formerly "Frobisher Bay") on Baffin Island
, in the east, was chosen by the 1995 capital plebiscite. Other major communities include the regional centres of Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay. Nunavut also includes Ellesmere Island
to the north, as well as the eastern and southern portions of Victoria Island in the west and Akimiski Island
in James Bay
to the far south.
Nunavut is both the least populous and the largest in geography of the provinces and territories of Canada. One of the most remote, sparsely settled regions in the world, it has an estimated population of over 33,000, mostly Inuit
, spread over an area the size of Western Europe. Nunavut is also home to the northernmost
permanently inhabited place in the world, Alert
.
, James Bay
, and Ungava Bay
(including the Belcher Islands
) which belonged to the Northwest Territories. This makes it the fifth largest subnational entity (or administrative division
) in the world. If Nunavut were a country, it would rank 15th in area.
Nunavut has land borders with the Northwest Territories on several islands as well as the mainland, Manitoba
to the south of the Nunavut mainland, Saskatchewan
to the southwest (at a single four-corner point) and a tiny land border with Newfoundland and Labrador on Killiniq Island
. It also shares maritime borders with the provinces of Quebec
, Ontario, and Manitoba and with Greenland
.
Nunavut's highest point is Barbeau Peak
(2616 m (8,583 ft)) on Ellesmere Island. The population density is 0.015 persons per square kilometre, one of the lowest in the world. By comparison, Greenland
has approximately the same area and nearly twice the population.
population for approximately 4,000 years. Most historians identify the coast of Baffin Island with the Helluland
described in Norse saga
s, so it is possible that the inhabitants of the region had occasional contact with Norse
sailors.
In September 2008, researchers reported on the evaluation of existing and newly excavated archaeological remains, including yarn
spun from a hare
, rats, tally sticks, a carved wooden face mask
depicting Caucasian
features, and possible architectural material. The materials were collected in five seasons of excavation at Cape Banfield. Scholars have determined these are evidence of European traders and possibly settlers on Baffin Island
not later than 1000 CE. They seem to indicate prolonged contact, possibly up to 1450. The origin of the Old World
contact is unclear; the article states: "Dating of some yarn and other artifacts, presumed to be left by Vikings on Baffin Island, have produced an age that predates the Vikings by several hundred years. So [...] you have to consider the possibility that as remote as it may seem, these finds may represent evidence of contact with Europeans prior to the Vikings' arrival in Greenland."
The written historical accounts of Nunavut begin in 1576, with an account by an English explorer. Martin Frobisher
, while leading an expedition to find the Northwest Passage
, thought he had discovered gold ore around the body of water now known as Frobisher Bay
on the coast of Baffin Island
. The ore turned out to be worthless, but Frobisher made the first recorded European contact with the Inuit
. Other explorers in search of the elusive Northwest Passage followed in the 17th century, including Henry Hudson
, William Baffin
and Robert Bylot
.
Cornwallis and Ellesmere Islands feature in the history of the Cold War
in the 1950s. Concerned about the area's strategic geopolitical position, the federal government relocated
Inuit from the High Arctic of northern Quebec
to Resolute
and Grise Fiord
. In the unfamiliar and hostile conditions, they faced starvation but were forced to stay. Forty years later, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples
issued a report titled The High Arctic Relocation: A Report on the 1953–55 Relocation. The government paid compensation to those affected and their descendants, but it did not apologize.
In 1976, as part of the land claims negotiations between the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
(then called the "Inuit Tapirisat of Canada") and the federal government
, the parties discussed division of the Northwest Territories to provide a separate territory for the Inuit. On April 14, 1982, a plebiscite on division was held throughout the Northwest Territories. A majority of the residents voted in favour and the federal government gave a conditional agreement seven months later.
The land claims agreement was completed in September 1992 and ratified by nearly 85% of the voters in Nunavut. On July 9, 1993, the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act and the Nunavut Act were passed by the Canadian Parliament
. The transition to establish Nunavut Territory was completed on April 1, 1999.
As of the 2006 Census
the population of Nunavut was 29,474, with 24,640 people identifying themselves as Inuit (83.6% of the total population), 100 as First Nations
(0.34%), 130 Métis
(0.44%) and 4,410 as non-aboriginal (14.96%).
The population growth rate of Nunavut has been well above the Canadian average for several decades, mostly due to birth rates which are significantly higher than the Canadian average, which is a trend that continues to this day. Between April and July 2010, Nunavut saw the highest population growth rate of any Canadian province or territory, at a rate of 1.01%. The second highest was Yukon, with a growth rate of 0.90%. However, Nunavut has a large net loss from migration, due to many native Inuit leaving the territory for better economic opportunity elsewhere.
(Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun
), English, and French are also official languages.
In his 2000 commissioned report (Aajiiqatigiingniq Language of Instruction Research Paper) to the Nunavut Department of Education, Ian Martin of York University
states that a "long-term threat to Inuit language
from English is found everywhere, and current school language policies and practices on language are contributing to that threat" if Nunavut schools follow the Northwest Territories model. He provides a 20-year language plan to create a "fully functional bilingual society, in Inuktitut and English" by 2020. The plan provides different models, including:
Of the 29,025 responses to the census question concerning 'mother tongue', the most commonly reported languages were:
Only English and French were counted as official languages in the census. Nunavut's official languages are shown in bold. Figures shown are for the number of single-language responses and the percentage of total single-language responses.
In the 2006 census it was reported that 2,305 people (7.86%) living in Nunavut had no knowledge of either official language of Canada (English or French).
with 15,440 (58%); the Roman Catholic Church (Roman Catholic Diocese of Churchill-Baie d'Hudson
) with 6,205 (23%); and Pentecostal with 1,175 (4%). In total, 93.2% of the population are Christian.
Nunavut's Chief Executive is a Commissioner appointed by the federal Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
. As in the other territories, the commissioner's role is symbolic and is analogous to that of a Lieutenant-Governor. While the Commissioner
is not formally a representative of Canada's head of state, a role roughly analogous to representing The Crown
has accrued to the position.
Nunavut elects a single member of the Canadian House of Commons
. This makes Nunavut the largest parliamentary riding in the world by area, just ahead of the American state of Alaska
.
The members of the unicameral
Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
are elected individually; there are no parties
and the legislature is consensus-based
. The head of government, the premier of Nunavut
, is elected by, and from the members of the legislative assembly. As of November 14, 2008, the premier is Eva Aariak.
Faced by criticism of his policies, former Premier
Paul Okalik
set up an advisory council of eleven elders, whose function it is to help incorporate "Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit
" (Inuit culture and traditional knowledge, often referred to in English as "IQ") into the territory's political and governmental decisions.
Owing to Nunavut's vast size, the stated goal of the territorial government has been to decentralize governance beyond the region's capital. Three regions—Kitikmeot
, Kivalliq and Qikiqtaaluk/Baffin—are the basis for more localized administration, although they lack autonomous governments of their own.
The territory has an annual budget of C$
700 million, provided almost entirely by the federal government. Former Prime Minister Paul Martin
designated support for Northern Canada as one of his priorities for 2004, with an extra $500 million to be divided among the three territories.
In 2001, the government of New Brunswick collaborated with the federal government and the technology firm SSI Micro
to launch Qiniq
, a unique network which uses satellite
delivery to provide broadband Internet access
to 24 communities in Nunavut. As a result, the territory was named one of the world's "Smart 25 Communities" in 2006 by the Intelligent Community Forum
, a worldwide organization which honours innovation in broadband technologies.
The indigenous music of Nunavut
includes Inuit throat singing
and drum-led dancing, along with country music
, bluegrass
, square dancing, the button accordion
and the fiddle
, brought by European immigration.
is based in Nunavut. The territory is also served by Nunatsiaq News
and Nunavut News/North
, published by Northern News Services
, who also publish the regional Kivalliq News. Broadband internet is provided by Qiniq
and Northwestel
through Netkaster.
is based in Igloolik. Co-founded by Zacharias Kunuk
and Norman Cohn
in 1990, the company produced the 1999 feature Atanarjuat
, winner of the Caméra d'Or
for Best First Feature Film at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival
and the first feature film to be written, directed and acted entirely in Inuktitut
.
In November 2006, the National Film Board of Canada
(NFB) and the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation announced the start of the Nunavut Animation Lab, offering animation training to Nunavut artists at workshops in Iqaluit, Cape Dorset and Pangnirtung. Films from the Nunavut Animation Lab include Alethea Arnaquq-Baril's 2010 digital animation short Lumaajuuq, winner of the Best Aboriginal Award at the Golden Sheaf Awards and named Best Canadian Short Drama at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
In November 2011, the government of Nunavut and the NFB jointly announced the launch of a DVD and online collection entitled Unikkausivut (Inuktitut: Sharing Our Stories), which will make over 100 NFB films by and about Inuit
available in Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun
and other Inuit languages, as well as English and French. The Government of Nunavut is distributing Unikkausivut to every school in the territory.
is a collective of Inuit
circus
performers based in Igloolik. The group has performed around the world, including at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.
was originally created for the Northwest Territories in the 1970s and has long been famous worldwide for its unique design: shaped like a polar bear
. Nunavut opted to use the same licence plate
design in 1999 when it became a separate territory.
is an Inuit singer and song writer. She has released six albums and has won several Juno Awards. She blends the Inuktitut and English languages with contemporary pop music arrangements to tell the stories of her people, the Inuit of Arctic.
On May 3, 2008, the Kronos Quartet
premiered a collaborative piece with Inuit throat singer
Tanya Tagaq, entitled "Nunavut", which makes use of an Inuit folk story. Tagaq is also known internationally for her collaborations with Iceland
ic pop star Björk
.
Jordin John Kudluk Tootoo
(Inuktitut syllabics: ᔪᐊᑕᓐ ᑐᑐ; born February 2, 1983 in Churchill, Manitoba
, Canada) is a professional ice hockey player with the Nashville Predators
of the National Hockey League
. His middle name Kudluk (kalluk in standard Roman spelling) means "thunder." Although born in Manitoba, Tootoo grew up in Rankin Inlet, where he was taught to skate and play hockey by his father, Barney. Growing up in Rankin Inlet also allowed Tootoo to learn the traditional Inuit lifestyle that includes hunting and camping. As the first Inuk to play in the National Hockey League he has become a role model for youth in Nunavut.
Tourism
Journalism
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement
Nunavut Land Claims Agreement
The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement is a 1993 land claims agreement between the Inuit of the Nunavut Settlement Area and the Government of Canada subject to the Constitution Act of 1982...
Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993. The creation of Nunavut – meaning "our land" in Inuktitut
Inuktitut
Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...
– resulted in the first major change to Canada's map since the incorporation of the new province of Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
in 1949.
Nunavut comprises a major portion of Northern Canada, and most of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Canadian Arctic Archipelago
The Canadian Arctic Archipelago, also known as the Arctic Archipelago, is a Canadian archipelago north of the Canadian mainland in the Arctic...
, making it the fifth-largest country subdivision in the world. The capital Iqaluit (formerly "Frobisher Bay") on Baffin Island
Baffin Island
Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...
, in the east, was chosen by the 1995 capital plebiscite. Other major communities include the regional centres of Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay. Nunavut also includes Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Lying within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, it is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia being the most northerly point of land in Canada...
to the north, as well as the eastern and southern portions of Victoria Island in the west and Akimiski Island
Akimiski Island
Akimiski Island is the largest island in James Bay , Canada, which is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the territory of Nunavut. It has an area of , making it the 163rd largest island in the world, and Canada's 29th largest island. Akimiski Island is only from the province of Ontario...
in James Bay
James Bay
James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...
to the far south.
Nunavut is both the least populous and the largest in geography of the provinces and territories of Canada. One of the most remote, sparsely settled regions in the world, it has an estimated population of over 33,000, mostly 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...
, spread over an area the size of Western Europe. Nunavut is also home to the northernmost
Northernmost settlements
Some of the northernmost settlements in the world are:-Larger cities north of the Arctic circle:-See also:*Southernmost settlements*Extreme points of Earth*The world's most northern bagpipe orchestra, city, capital, zoo etc....
permanently inhabited place in the world, Alert
Alert, Nunavut
Alert, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada, is the northernmost permanently inhabited place in the world, from the North Pole. It takes its name from HMS Alert, which wintered east of the present station, off what is now Cape Sheridan, in 1875–1876.Alert was reported to have five permanent...
.
Geography
Nunavut covers, 1932255 km² (746,047.8 sq mi) of land and 160935 km² (62,137.4 sq mi) of water in Northern Canada. The territory includes part of the mainland, most of the Arctic Archipelago, and all of the islands in Hudson BayHudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
, James Bay
James Bay
James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...
, and Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay is a large bay in northeastern Canada separating Nunavik from Baffin Island. The bay is shaped like a rounded square with a side length of about and has an area of approximately...
(including the Belcher Islands
Belcher Islands
The Belcher Islands are an archipelago in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. Located in Hudson Bay, the Belcher Islands are spread out over almost . The hamlet of Sanikiluaq is on the north coast of Flaherty Island and is the southernmost in Nunavut. Along with Flaherty Island, the other large...
) which belonged to the Northwest Territories. This makes it the fifth largest subnational entity (or administrative division
Administrative division
An administrative division, subnational entity, or country subdivision is a portion of a country or other political division, established for the purpose of government. Administrative divisions are each granted a certain degree of autonomy, and are required to manage themselves through their own...
) in the world. If Nunavut were a country, it would rank 15th in area.
Nunavut has land borders with the Northwest Territories on several islands as well as the mainland, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
to the south of the Nunavut mainland, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
to the southwest (at a single four-corner point) and a tiny land border with Newfoundland and Labrador on Killiniq Island
Killiniq Island
Killiniq Island is a small, remote island in northeastern Canada. Located at the extreme northern tip of Labrador between Ungava Bay and the Labrador Sea, it is notable in that it contains the only land border between Nunavut territory and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador...
. It also shares maritime borders with the provinces of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Ontario, and Manitoba and with Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
.
Nunavut's highest point is Barbeau Peak
Barbeau Peak
Barbeau Peak is a mountain in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. Located on Ellesmere Island within Quttinirpaaq National Park, it is the highest mountain in Nunavut, and the highest in eastern North America . The mountain was named in 1969 for Dr...
(2616 m (8,583 ft)) on Ellesmere Island. The population density is 0.015 persons per square kilometre, one of the lowest in the world. By comparison, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
has approximately the same area and nearly twice the population.
History
The region now known as Nunavut has supported a continuous indigenousIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
population for approximately 4,000 years. Most historians identify the coast of Baffin Island with the Helluland
Helluland
Helluland is the name given to one of the three lands discovered by Leif Eriksson around 1000 AD on the North Atlantic coast of North America....
described in Norse saga
Saga
Sagas, are stories in Old Norse about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, etc.Saga may also refer to:Business*Saga DAB radio, a British radio station*Saga Airlines, a Turkish airline*Saga Falabella, a department store chain in Peru...
s, so it is possible that the inhabitants of the region had occasional contact with Norse
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
sailors.
In September 2008, researchers reported on the evaluation of existing and newly excavated archaeological remains, including yarn
Yarn
Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, suitable for use in the production of textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery and ropemaking. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufactured sewing threads may be finished with wax or...
spun from a hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
, rats, tally sticks, a carved wooden face mask
Mask
A mask is an article normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance or entertainment. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes...
depicting Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
features, and possible architectural material. The materials were collected in five seasons of excavation at Cape Banfield. Scholars have determined these are evidence of European traders and possibly settlers on Baffin Island
Baffin Island
Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...
not later than 1000 CE. They seem to indicate prolonged contact, possibly up to 1450. The origin of the Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
contact is unclear; the article states: "Dating of some yarn and other artifacts, presumed to be left by Vikings on Baffin Island, have produced an age that predates the Vikings by several hundred years. So [...] you have to consider the possibility that as remote as it may seem, these finds may represent evidence of contact with Europeans prior to the Vikings' arrival in Greenland."
The written historical accounts of Nunavut begin in 1576, with an account by an English explorer. Martin Frobisher
Martin Frobisher
Sir Martin Frobisher was an English seaman who made three voyages to the New World to look for the Northwest Passage...
, while leading an expedition to find the Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
, thought he had discovered gold ore around the body of water now known as Frobisher Bay
Frobisher Bay
Frobisher Bay is a relatively large inlet of the Labrador Sea in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the southeastern corner of Baffin Island...
on the coast of Baffin Island
Baffin Island
Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...
. The ore turned out to be worthless, but Frobisher made the first recorded European contact with the 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...
. Other explorers in search of the elusive Northwest Passage followed in the 17th century, including Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson was an English sea explorer and navigator in the early 17th century. Hudson made two attempts on behalf of English merchants to find a prospective Northeast Passage to Cathay via a route above the Arctic Circle...
, William Baffin
William Baffin
William Baffin was an English navigator and explorer. Nothing is known of his early life, but it is conjectured that he was born in London of humble origin, and gradually raised himself by his diligence and perseverance...
and Robert Bylot
Robert Bylot
Robert Bylot was a 17th-century explorer who made four voyages to the Arctic. He was uneducated and from a working class background, but was able to rise to rank of Master in the British Royal Navy....
.
Cornwallis and Ellesmere Islands feature in the history of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
in the 1950s. Concerned about the area's strategic geopolitical position, the federal government relocated
High Arctic relocation
The High Arctic relocation took place during the Cold War in the 1950s, when 87 Inuit were moved by the Government of Canada to the High Arctic....
Inuit from the High Arctic of northern Quebec
Nunavik
Nunavik comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, Canada. Covering a land area of 443,684.71 km² north of the 55th parallel, it is the homeland of the Inuit of Quebec...
to Resolute
Resolute, Nunavut
Resolute or Resolute Bay is a small Inuit hamlet on Cornwallis Island in Nunavut, Canada. It is situated at the northern end of Resolute Bay and the Northwest Passage and is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region....
and Grise Fiord
Grise Fiord, Nunavut
Grise Fiord, is a small Inuit hamlet in the Qikiqtaaluk Region in the territory of Nunavut, Canada. Despite its low population , it is the largest community on Ellesmere Island...
. In the unfamiliar and hostile conditions, they faced starvation but were forced to stay. Forty years later, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples
Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples
The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples was a Canadian Royal Commission established in 1991 to address many issues of aboriginal status that had come to light with recent events such as the Oka Crisis and the Meech Lake Accord. The commission culminated in a final report of 4000 pages,...
issued a report titled The High Arctic Relocation: A Report on the 1953–55 Relocation. The government paid compensation to those affected and their descendants, but it did not apologize.
In 1976, as part of the land claims negotiations between the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
The Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami is a nonprofit organization in Canada that represents over 50,400 Inuit. It was founded in 1971 by Tagak Curley as the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada...
(then called the "Inuit Tapirisat of Canada") and the federal government
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
, the parties discussed division of the Northwest Territories to provide a separate territory for the Inuit. On April 14, 1982, a plebiscite on division was held throughout the Northwest Territories. A majority of the residents voted in favour and the federal government gave a conditional agreement seven months later.
The land claims agreement was completed in September 1992 and ratified by nearly 85% of the voters in Nunavut. On July 9, 1993, the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act and the Nunavut Act were passed by the Canadian Parliament
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
. The transition to establish Nunavut Territory was completed on April 1, 1999.
Demographics
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
the population of Nunavut was 29,474, with 24,640 people identifying themselves as Inuit (83.6% of the total population), 100 as First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
(0.34%), 130 Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
(0.44%) and 4,410 as non-aboriginal (14.96%).
| Municipality | 2006 | 2001 | growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iqaluit | 6,184 | 5,236 | 18.1% |
| Rankin Inlet | 2,358 | 2,177 | 8.3% |
| Arviat | 2,060 | 1,899 | 8.5% |
| Baker Lake Baker Lake, Nunavut Baker Lake , is a hamlet in the Kivalliq Region, in Nunavut on mainland Canada. Located inland from Hudson Bay, it is near the nation's geographical centre, and is notable for being the Canadian Arctic's sole inland community... |
1,728 | 1,507 | 14.7% |
| Igloolik | 1,538 | 1,286 | 19.6% |
| Cambridge Bay | 1,477 | 1,309 | 12.8% |
| Pangnirtung Pangnirtung, Nunavut Pangnirtung is an Inuit hamlet, Qikiqtaaluk Region, in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, located on Baffin Island. As of the 2006 census the population was 1,325, an increase of 3.8% from the 2001 census... |
1,325 | 1,276 | 3.8% |
| Pond Inlet Pond Inlet, Nunavut Pond Inlet is a small, predominantly Inuit community in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada and is located at the top of Baffin Island. As of the 2006 census the population was 1,315, an increase of 7.8% from the 2001 census making it the largest of the four hamlets above the 72nd parallel... |
1,315 | 1,220 | 7.8% |
| 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... |
1,302 | 1,212 | 7.4% |
| Cape Dorset Cape Dorset, Nunavut Cape Dorset is an Inuit hamlet located on Dorset Island near Foxe Peninsula at the southern tip of Baffin Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada... |
1,236 | 1,148 | 7.7% |
The population growth rate of Nunavut has been well above the Canadian average for several decades, mostly due to birth rates which are significantly higher than the Canadian average, which is a trend that continues to this day. Between April and July 2010, Nunavut saw the highest population growth rate of any Canadian province or territory, at a rate of 1.01%. The second highest was Yukon, with a growth rate of 0.90%. However, Nunavut has a large net loss from migration, due to many native Inuit leaving the territory for better economic opportunity elsewhere.
Language
Along with the Inuit LanguageInuit language
The Inuit language is traditionally spoken across the North American Arctic and to some extent in the subarctic in Labrador. The related Yupik languages are spoken in western and southern Alaska and Russian Far East, particularly the Diomede Islands, but is severely endangered in Russia today and...
(Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun
Inuinnaqtun
Inuinnaqtun , is an indigenous Inuit language of Canada and a dialect of Inuvialuktun. It is related very closely to Inuktitut, and some scholars, such as Richard Condon, believe that Inuinnaqtun is more appropriately classified as a dialect of Inuktitut...
), English, and French are also official languages.
In his 2000 commissioned report (Aajiiqatigiingniq Language of Instruction Research Paper) to the Nunavut Department of Education, Ian Martin of York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
states that a "long-term threat to Inuit language
Inuit language
The Inuit language is traditionally spoken across the North American Arctic and to some extent in the subarctic in Labrador. The related Yupik languages are spoken in western and southern Alaska and Russian Far East, particularly the Diomede Islands, but is severely endangered in Russia today and...
from English is found everywhere, and current school language policies and practices on language are contributing to that threat" if Nunavut schools follow the Northwest Territories model. He provides a 20-year language plan to create a "fully functional bilingual society, in Inuktitut and English" by 2020. The plan provides different models, including:
- "Qulliq Model," for most Nunavut communities, with Inuktitut as the main language of instruction.
- "Inuinnaqtun Immersion Model," for language reclamation and immersion to revitalize Inuinnaqtun as a living language.
- "Mixed Population Model," mainly for Iqaluit (possibly for Rankin Inlet), as the 40% Qallunaat, or non-Inuit, population may have different requirements.
Of the 29,025 responses to the census question concerning 'mother tongue', the most commonly reported languages were:
| 1. | Inuktitut Inuktitut Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada... |
20,185 | 69.54% |
| 2. | English | 7,765 | 26.75% |
| 3. | French | 370 | 1.27% |
| 4. | Inuinnaqtun Inuinnaqtun Inuinnaqtun , is an indigenous Inuit language of Canada and a dialect of Inuvialuktun. It is related very closely to Inuktitut, and some scholars, such as Richard Condon, believe that Inuinnaqtun is more appropriately classified as a dialect of Inuktitut... |
295 | 1.02% |
Only English and French were counted as official languages in the census. Nunavut's official languages are shown in bold. Figures shown are for the number of single-language responses and the percentage of total single-language responses.
In the 2006 census it was reported that 2,305 people (7.86%) living in Nunavut had no knowledge of either official language of Canada (English or French).
Religion
The largest denominations by number of adherents according to the 2001 census were the Anglican Church of CanadaAnglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
with 15,440 (58%); the Roman Catholic Church (Roman Catholic Diocese of Churchill-Baie d'Hudson
Roman Catholic Diocese of Churchill-Baie d'Hudson
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Churchill–Baie d'Hudson is a Roman Catholic diocese that includes part of the Province of Manitoba. It had previously been known as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Churchill for a short time in 1967 and 1968. It is currently led by Bishop Reynald Rouleau.As of 2004,...
) with 6,205 (23%); and Pentecostal with 1,175 (4%). In total, 93.2% of the population are Christian.
Economy
- Lupin MineLupin MineLupin Mine was a gold mine in Nunavut Territory, Canada. It opened in 1982 and was originally owned and operated by Echo Bay Mines Limited, who in 2003 became a fully owned subsidiary of Kinross Gold Corporation....
—1982–2005—gold (located near the Northwest Territories boundary near Contwoyto LakeContwoyto LakeContwoyto Lake is a lake in the Kitikmeot Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, located near the border with the Northwest Territories. With a total area of , it is the territories' tenth largest lake.Lupin Mine is located near Contwoyto Lake...
) - Polaris MinePolaris minePolaris zinc mine was an underground zinc mine on Little Cornwallis Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut . The Polaris mine was located north of the Arctic Circle, and north of the community of Resolute...
—1982–2002—lead and zincZincZinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
(located on Little Cornwallis IslandLittle Cornwallis IslandLittle Cornwallis Island is one of the Canadian Arctic islands in Nunavut, Canada. It is located at 75°30'N 96°30'W, between Cornwallis Island and Bathurst Island in McDougall Sound, and measures . It is uninhabited....
, not far from Resolute) - Nanisivik MineNanisivik MineNanisivik Mine was a zinc-lead mine in the company town of Nanisivik, Nunavut, north of the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island. It was Canada's first mine in the Arctic....
at NanisivikNanisivik, NunavutNanisivik was a company town which was built in 1975 to support the lead-zinc mining and mineral processing operations for the Nanisivik Mine, in production between 1976 and 2002...
—1976–2002—lead and zinc (near Arctic BayArctic Bay, NunavutArctic Bay is an Inuit hamlet located in the northern part of the Borden Peninsula on Baffin Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. Arctic Bay is located in the Eastern Time Zone although it is quite close to the time zone boundary. The predominant languages are Inuktitut and English...
) - Rankin Inlet Mine—1957–1962—nickel and copper
- Jericho Diamond MineJericho Diamond MineThe Jericho Diamond Mine is a dormant diamond mine located in Canada's Nunavut territory. Jericho is Nunavut’s first and only diamond mine. It is located northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and is accessible by air all year and by winter road from Yellowknife...
—2006–2008— diamond (located 400 km, 250 mi, northeast of Yellowknife) - Miramar Mining Corporation—n/a–present—Doris North Gold Mine, the mine received environmental approval from the Nunavut Impact Review Board and Indian and Northern Affairs CanadaIndian and Northern Affairs CanadaThe Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for policies relating to Aboriginal peoples...
in September 2006 and a water use licence from the Nunavut Water Board in 2007. - Cumberland Resources (Meadowbank Mining Corporation)—n/a–present—Meadowbank Gold MineMeadowbank Gold MineThe Meadowbank Gold Mine is a gold mine in the Kivalliq district of the Nunavut of Canada.- Discovery :Discovery of gold-containing Archean greenstone in the Baker Lake region were made in the 1980s. Asamera Minterals and Comaplex set out as partners in the project...
has received a water use licence from the Nunavut Water Board and expects to have open-pit miningOpen-pit miningOpen-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
started by the end of 2008 or the beginning of 2009 - Northern Transportation Company LimitedNorthern Transportation Company LimitedNorthern Transportation Company Limited is a marine transportation company in the Canadian and American Arctic owned by Norterra, a holding company jointly owned by the Inuvialuit of the Northwest Territories and the Inuit of Nunavut...
, owned by Norterra, a holding companyHolding companyA holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
jointly owned by the InuvialuitInuvialuitThe Inuvialuit or Western Canadian Inuit are Inuit people who live in the western Canadian Arctic region. They, like all other Inuit, are descendants of the Thule who migrated eastward from Alaska...
of the Northwest Territories and the Inuit of Nunavut.
Government
Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (Canada)
The Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who heads two different departments...
. As in the other territories, the commissioner's role is symbolic and is analogous to that of a Lieutenant-Governor. While the Commissioner
Commissioners of Nunavut
This is a list of the Commissioners of Nunavut, Canada, since its creation in 1999. As of 12 May 2010, the commissioner is Edna Elias.-History:The position of Commissioner was created in 1999 with the creation of the new territory...
is not formally a representative of Canada's head of state, a role roughly analogous to representing The Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
has accrued to the position.
Nunavut elects a single member of the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
. This makes Nunavut the largest parliamentary riding in the world by area, just ahead of the American state of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
The members of the unicameral
Unicameralism
In government, unicameralism is the practice of having one legislative or parliamentary chamber. Thus, a unicameral parliament or unicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of one chamber or house...
Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
The Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, Canada, is located in Iqaluit, and is the territory's parliament.The Legislative Assembly of Nunavut was opened by Queen Elizabeth II, as Queen of Canada, on 7 October 2002, during her Golden Jubilee tour of Canada...
are elected individually; there are no parties
Non-partisan democracy
Nonpartisan democracy is a system of representative government or organization such that universal and periodic elections take place without reference to political parties.-Overview:...
and the legislature is consensus-based
Consensus government
Consensus government is a form of consensus democracy government in Canada in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, as well as Nunatsiavut, an autonomous area in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador....
. The head of government, the premier of Nunavut
Premier of Nunavut
The Premier of Nunavut is the first minister for the Canadian territory of Nunavut. They are the territory's head of government and de facto chief executive, although their powers are considerably smaller than that of a provincial premier....
, is elected by, and from the members of the legislative assembly. As of November 14, 2008, the premier is Eva Aariak.
Faced by criticism of his policies, former Premier
Premier (Canada)
In Canada, a premier is the head of government of a province or territory. There are currently ten provincial premiers and three territorial premiers in Canada....
Paul Okalik
Paul Okalik
Paul Okalik MLA is a Canadian politician. He is the first Inuk member called to the Nunavut Bar, the first Premier of Nunavut and the only multi-term premier of a Canadian territory....
set up an advisory council of eleven elders, whose function it is to help incorporate "Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit is an Inuktitut phrase that is often translated as Inuit traditional knowledge, Inuit traditional institutions or even Inuit traditional technology...
" (Inuit culture and traditional knowledge, often referred to in English as "IQ") into the territory's political and governmental decisions.
Owing to Nunavut's vast size, the stated goal of the territorial government has been to decentralize governance beyond the region's capital. Three regions—Kitikmeot
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...
, Kivalliq and Qikiqtaaluk/Baffin—are the basis for more localized administration, although they lack autonomous governments of their own.
The territory has an annual budget of C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
700 million, provided almost entirely by the federal government. Former Prime Minister Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
designated support for Northern Canada as one of his priorities for 2004, with an extra $500 million to be divided among the three territories.
In 2001, the government of New Brunswick collaborated with the federal government and the technology firm SSI Micro
SSI Micro
SSI Micro Ltd. is a Canadian wireless broadband internet service provider primarily serving remote areas that lack terrestrial service options. SSI Micro was established in 1990 by Jeffrey Philipp and is headquartered in Yellowknife, capital of the Northwest Territories...
to launch Qiniq
Qiniq
QINIQ is a Canadian company, which uses satellite and wireless communications technology to provide broadband Internet service to remote communities in the Canadian territory of Nunavut....
, a unique network which uses satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
delivery to provide broadband Internet access
Broadband Internet access
Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is a high data rate, low-latency connection to the Internet— typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56 kbit/s modem or satellite Internet with inherently high latency....
to 24 communities in Nunavut. As a result, the territory was named one of the world's "Smart 25 Communities" in 2006 by the Intelligent Community Forum
Intelligent Community Forum
The Intelligent Community Forum , a nonprofit policy research organization, focuses on job creation and economic development in the broadband economy...
, a worldwide organization which honours innovation in broadband technologies.
Music
The indigenous music of Nunavut
Music of Nunavut
Early European immigration brought new styles and instruments to Nunavut, including country music, bluegrass, square dancing, the button accordion and the fiddle....
includes Inuit throat singing
Inuit throat singing
Inuit throat singing or katajjaq, also known as the generic term overtone singing, is a form of musical performance uniquely found among the Inuit...
and drum-led dancing, along with country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
, square dancing, the button accordion
Button accordion
A button accordion is a type of accordion on which the melody-side keyboard consists of a series of buttons rather than piano-style keys. There exists a wide variation in keyboard systems, tuning, action and construction of these instruments...
and the fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, brought by European immigration.
Media
The Inuit Broadcasting CorporationInuit Broadcasting Corporation
The Inuit Broadcasting Corporation is a television broadcasting company based in Nunavut. Its programming is targeted at the Inuit population of Nunavut and almost all of its programs are broadcast in Inuktitut. Select programs are also broadcast in English. In contrast with traditional...
is based in Nunavut. The territory is also served by Nunatsiaq News
Nunatsiaq News
Nunatsiaq News is a Canadian weekly newspaper based in Iqaluit, Nunavut serving Nunavut and the Nunavik region of northern Quebec and has been in operation since 1973. The paper, published every Friday by Nortext Publishing Corporation of Iqaluit and Ottawa, bears a retail price of $1.00...
and Nunavut News/North
News/North
News/North is a newspaper based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, with offices in Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, and owned by Northern News Services. The newspaper is printed in two separate editions, Northwest Territories News/North and Nunavut News/North that reports on news throughout...
, published by Northern News Services
Northern News Services
Northern News Services is a news company based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories with approximately 60 employees; they are one of the few remaining independent newspapers in Canada, producing all their own content, instead of relying on syndicated news...
, who also publish the regional Kivalliq News. Broadband internet is provided by Qiniq
Qiniq
QINIQ is a Canadian company, which uses satellite and wireless communications technology to provide broadband Internet service to remote communities in the Canadian territory of Nunavut....
and Northwestel
Northwestel
Northwestel Inc. is the incumbent local exchange carrier and long distance carrier in Northern Canada. The company name is a portmanteau, sometimes spelled NorthwesTel, for Northwest Telecommunications.-Modern corporate history:...
through Netkaster.
Film
The film production company IsumaIsuma
Isuma is Canada's first Inuit production company co-founded by Zacharias Kunuk and Norman Cohn in Igloolik, Nunavut in 1990...
is based in Igloolik. Co-founded by Zacharias Kunuk
Zacharias Kunuk
Zacharias Kunuk, is a Canadian Inuk producer and director most notable for his film Atanarjuat, the first Canadian dramatic feature film produced completely in Inuktitut...
and Norman Cohn
Norman Cohn (film producer)
Norman Cohn is an American born Canadian film director and producer best known for his work on films Atanarjuat and The Journals of Knud Rasmussen....
in 1990, the company produced the 1999 feature Atanarjuat
Atanarjuat
Atanarjuat is a 2001 Canadian film directed by Zacharias Kunuk. It was the first feature film ever to be written, directed and acted entirely in Inuktitut...
, winner of the Caméra d'Or
Caméra d'Or
The Caméra d'Or is an award of the Cannes Film Festival for the best first feature film presented in one of the Cannes' selections ....
for Best First Feature Film at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
and the first feature film to be written, directed and acted entirely in Inuktitut
Inuktitut
Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...
.
In November 2006, the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
(NFB) and the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation announced the start of the Nunavut Animation Lab, offering animation training to Nunavut artists at workshops in Iqaluit, Cape Dorset and Pangnirtung. Films from the Nunavut Animation Lab include Alethea Arnaquq-Baril's 2010 digital animation short Lumaajuuq, winner of the Best Aboriginal Award at the Golden Sheaf Awards and named Best Canadian Short Drama at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
In November 2011, the government of Nunavut and the NFB jointly announced the launch of a DVD and online collection entitled Unikkausivut (Inuktitut: Sharing Our Stories), which will make over 100 NFB films by and about 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...
available in Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun
Inuinnaqtun
Inuinnaqtun , is an indigenous Inuit language of Canada and a dialect of Inuvialuktun. It is related very closely to Inuktitut, and some scholars, such as Richard Condon, believe that Inuinnaqtun is more appropriately classified as a dialect of Inuktitut...
and other Inuit languages, as well as English and French. The Government of Nunavut is distributing Unikkausivut to every school in the territory.
Performing arts
ArtcirqArtcirq
Artcirq is a collective of Inuit circus performers based in Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada. The circus began in 1998, co-founded by Igloolik Isuma Productions, a film production company, and Guillaume Saladin, a Montreal acrobat, with financial support from Cirque Éloize in Montreal...
is a collective of 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...
circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
performers based in Igloolik. The group has performed around the world, including at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Licence plates
The Nunavut licence plateVehicle registration plates of Nunavut
The Canadian territory of Nunavut, established in 1999, splitting from the Northwest Territories, since that time has issued licence plates to motor vehicles registered there...
was originally created for the Northwest Territories in the 1970s and has long been famous worldwide for its unique design: shaped like a polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
. Nunavut opted to use the same licence plate
Vehicle registration plate
A vehicle registration plate is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies the vehicle within the issuing region's database...
design in 1999 when it became a separate territory.
Nunavummiut
Susan AglukarkSusan Aglukark
Susan Aglukark, OC , is an Inuk musician whose blend of Inuit folk music traditions with country and pop songwriting has made her a major recording star in Canada. Her most successful single is "O Siem", which reached #1 on the Canadian country and adult contemporary charts in 1995...
is an Inuit singer and song writer. She has released six albums and has won several Juno Awards. She blends the Inuktitut and English languages with contemporary pop music arrangements to tell the stories of her people, the Inuit of Arctic.
On May 3, 2008, the Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
premiered a collaborative piece with Inuit throat singer
Inuit throat singing
Inuit throat singing or katajjaq, also known as the generic term overtone singing, is a form of musical performance uniquely found among the Inuit...
Tanya Tagaq, entitled "Nunavut", which makes use of an Inuit folk story. Tagaq is also known internationally for her collaborations with Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic pop star Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
.
Jordin John Kudluk Tootoo
Jordin Tootoo
Jordin John Kudluk Tootoo is a Canadian professional ice hockey player with the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League . He is both the first Inuk player and the first player who grew up in Nunavut to participate in an NHL game....
(Inuktitut syllabics: ᔪᐊᑕᓐ ᑐᑐ; born February 2, 1983 in Churchill, Manitoba
Churchill, Manitoba
Churchill is a town on the shore of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada. It is most famous for the many polar bears that move toward the shore from inland in the autumn, leading to the nickname "Polar Bear Capital of the World" that has helped its growing tourism industry.-History:A variety of nomadic...
, Canada) is a professional ice hockey player with the Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. His middle name Kudluk (kalluk in standard Roman spelling) means "thunder." Although born in Manitoba, Tootoo grew up in Rankin Inlet, where he was taught to skate and play hockey by his father, Barney. Growing up in Rankin Inlet also allowed Tootoo to learn the traditional Inuit lifestyle that includes hunting and camping. As the first Inuk to play in the National Hockey League he has become a role model for youth in Nunavut.
See also
- ChemetcoChemetcoChemetco was formerly one of the largest United States refiners of copper from recycled or residual sources.Its maximum output of 120,000 tons per year was approximately half of the entire U.S...
- Nunavut Arctic CollegeNunavut Arctic CollegeNunavut Arctic College is a Crown corporation that is funded by the Government of Nunavut and has several campuses and centres spread out throughout Nunavut, Canada.-History:...
- Scouting and Guiding in Nunavut
- Symbols of NunavutSymbols of NunavutNunavut is one of Canada's territories, and has established several territorial symbols.-Symbols of nunavut:# "Qimmiq" or "qimmik" is the Inuit language word for "dog"...
Further reading
- Alia, Valerie. (2007) Names and Nunavut Culture and Identity in Arctic Canada. New York: Berghahn Books. ISBN 1845451651
- Henderson, Ailsa. (2007) Nunavut: Rethinking Political Culture. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press. ISBN 0774814233
- Kulchyski, Peter Keith. (2005) Like the Sound of a Drum: Aboriginal Cultural Politics in Denendeh and Nunavut. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press. ISBN 0887551785
- Sanna, Ellyn, and William Hunter. (2008) Canada's Modern-Day Aboriginal Peoples Nunavut & Evolving Relationships. Markham, Ont: Scholastic Canada. ISBN 9780779173228
External links
- Nunavut Kavamat / Government of Nunavut: Official site
- Map showing regions of Nunavut (from Nunavut Government website)
- Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
- Nunavut Planning Commission
- Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.: Nunavut Land Claims website
- The Nunavut Act of 1993 at Canadian Legal Information Institute
- Nunavut K-12 bilingual language instruction plan: Martin, Ian. Aajiiqatigiingniq Language of Instruction Research Paper. Nunavut: Dept. of Education, 2000.
Tourism
Journalism
- CBC North Radio: hear Inuktitut and English radio from Nunavut
- Territorial newspaper reporting in Inuktitut and English, Nunatsiaq NewsNunatsiaq NewsNunatsiaq News is a Canadian weekly newspaper based in Iqaluit, Nunavut serving Nunavut and the Nunavik region of northern Quebec and has been in operation since 1973. The paper, published every Friday by Nortext Publishing Corporation of Iqaluit and Ottawa, bears a retail price of $1.00...
- Nunavut News from News/NorthNews/NorthNews/North is a newspaper based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, with offices in Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, and owned by Northern News Services. The newspaper is printed in two separate editions, Northwest Territories News/North and Nunavut News/North that reports on news throughout...