Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories
Encyclopedia
Ulukhaktok is a small hamlet
on the west coast of Victoria Island, in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories
, Canada
. The 2006 census
indicated a population of 398 of which 360 (90.0%) were Inuvialuit
or Inuit
along with 7.5% non-Aboriginal and 2.5% North American Indian
. In 2009 the Government of the Northwest Territories reported that the population was 451 with an average yearly growth rate of 0.1 from 1996.
Like other small traditional communities in the territories, hunting
, trapping
, and fishing
are major sources of income, but printmaking
has taken over as the primary source of income in recent years.
The two principal languages in Ulukhaktok are the Kangiryuarmiutun
dialect
of Inuinnaqtun
, which is politically part of the Inuvialuktun
group and English
.
relocated from Walker Bay and a Roman Catholic
mission
was opened the same year.
The English name, Holman, was in honor of J.R. Holman, a member of Sir Edward Augustus Inglefield
's 1853 expedition in search for the Arctic explorer, John Franklin
.
The community was sometimes known as Holman Island. This, however, is the name of the small island outcrop to the east-southeast in the Amundsen Gulf
.
In 2006, the community was renamed with the traditional name, Ulukhaktok, meaning "the place where ulu
parts are found", or "a large bluff where we used to collect raw material to make ulus". The large bluff
that overlooks Ulukhaktok was the source that provided the slate
and copper
used to make ulus and give the community its name. Thus, the people who live there are called Ulukhaktokmiut ("people of"). Ulukhaktokmiut is a recent word as no people actually lived permanently in this area until the opening of the Hudson's Bay Company store, although people did visit the area to obtain the ulu materials and camp enroute to other nomadic seasonal camp areas.
Inuit traded with mainland groups as far east as King William Island
and as far south as Great Bear Lake
although most commerce occurred with the Inuvialuit and Copper Inuit
populations indigenous to the Coppermine River
watershed and Bernard Harbour seasonal areas on the mainland. The majority of Ulukhaktokmiut come from a varied background, with family ties extending mainly to the Coppermine River community of Kugluktuk
, Nunavut
and the communities of the Mackenzie River
Delta and Beaufort Sea
, though some families have relatives as far away as Gjoa Haven
on King William Island, and along the north slope of Alaska as far as Port Clarence on the Seward Peninsula.
Some families are descendants of the Danish explorer-trader Christian Klengenberg
. Others are descended from two members of the Vilhjalmur Stefansson
led, Canadian Arctic Expedition. The first was Natkusiak, a friend of Stefansson, he was the primary guide and lead hunter of the expedition. Originally from Port Clarence
, Alaska
he was later known as Billy Banksland, this name came from his time trapping Arctic foxes on Banks Island
. Another member of the expedition with relatives in the area was the Alaskan Inupiat, Ikey Bolt from Point Hope
. Married to Klengenberg's daughter Etna, they lived for several years at Rymer Point
before moving to Minto Inlet
and eventually to Coppermine (now Kugluktuk).
, California
or Melbourne
, Australia
, but more often to other regional centers across the north.
Ulukhaktok is home to the Holman Eskimo Co-op
which was formed by the residents of the community with the help of a Roman Catholic priest
, Father Henri Tardy. The Co-op was formed to provide income to the residents of the community by producing arts and crafts, and is famous for the production of prints. A famous artist who has produced prints for the Holman Eskimo Co-op is Mary Okheena. The Holman Eskimo Co-op now is involved in arts and crafts, retailing, the hotel business, cable television, operates a Canada Post
outlet, operates the fuel delivery contract, and is the local Aklak Air
agent.
Ulukhaktok is also the location of the world's most northern
golf
course and hosts the "Billy Joss Open Celebrity Golf Tournament" every summer. Over the years they have managed to attract players from the Edmonton Oilers
and the Edmonton Eskimos
, as well as golfers from other countries. This tournament is growing and features excursions to traditional areas where Arctic char
and Northern Lake trout
are harvested for subsistence as well as limited commercial fishing and hunting.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
on the west coast of Victoria Island, in the Inuvik Region of 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...
, 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...
. The 2006 census
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...
indicated a population of 398 of which 360 (90.0%) were Inuvialuit
Inuvialuit
The 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...
or 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...
along with 7.5% non-Aboriginal and 2.5% North American Indian
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...
. In 2009 the Government of the Northwest Territories reported that the population was 451 with an average yearly growth rate of 0.1 from 1996.
Like other small traditional communities in the territories, hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, trapping
Trapping (Animal)
Animal trapping, or simply trapping, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, wildlife management, hunting, and pest control...
, and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
are major sources of income, but printmaking
Printmaking
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
has taken over as the primary source of income in recent years.
The two principal languages in Ulukhaktok are the Kangiryuarmiutun
Kangiryuarmiutun
The Kangiryuarmiut dialect, or Kangiryuarmiutun , is the name of the dialect of Inuit language spoken in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada by Kangiryuarmiut people of Copper Inuit. The dialect is part of the Inuvialuktun language...
dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
of 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...
, which is politically part of the Inuvialuktun
Inuvialuktun
Inuvialuktun, or Western Canadian Inuit language, Western Canadian Inuktitut, Western Canadian Inuktun comprises three Inuit dialects spoken in the northern Northwest Territories by those Canadian Inuit who call themselves Inuvialuk .Inuvialuktun is spoken by the Inuit of the Mackenzie River delta...
group and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
History
The first people to settle in the area were Natkusiak and his family in 1937. Two years later, the Hudson's Bay CompanyHudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
relocated from Walker Bay and a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
was opened the same year.
The English name, Holman, was in honor of J.R. Holman, a member of Sir Edward Augustus Inglefield
Edward Augustus Inglefield
Sir Edward Augustus Inglefield was a Royal Naval officer who led one of the searches for the missing Arctic explorer John Franklin during the 1850s. In doing so, his expedition charted previously unexplored areas along the northern Canadian coastline, including Baffin Bay, Smith Sound and...
's 1853 expedition in search for the Arctic explorer, John Franklin
John Franklin
Rear-Admiral Sir John Franklin KCH FRGS RN was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. Franklin also served as governor of Tasmania for several years. In his last expedition, he disappeared while attempting to chart and navigate a section of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic...
.
The community was sometimes known as Holman Island. This, however, is the name of the small island outcrop to the east-southeast in the Amundsen Gulf
Amundsen Gulf
Amundsen Gulf is a gulf located in Canadian Northwest Territories, between Banks Island and Victoria Island and the mainland . It is approximately in length and about across where it meets the Beaufort Sea....
.
In 2006, the community was renamed with the traditional name, Ulukhaktok, meaning "the place where ulu
Ulu
An ulu is an all-purpose knife traditionally used by Eskimo women, both Yupik and Inuit. It is utilized in applications as diverse as skinning and cleaning animals, cutting a child's hair, cutting food and, if necessary, trimming blocks of snow and ice used to build an igloo...
parts are found", or "a large bluff where we used to collect raw material to make ulus". The large bluff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
that overlooks Ulukhaktok was the source that provided the slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
used to make ulus and give the community its name. Thus, the people who live there are called Ulukhaktokmiut ("people of"). Ulukhaktokmiut is a recent word as no people actually lived permanently in this area until the opening of the Hudson's Bay Company store, although people did visit the area to obtain the ulu materials and camp enroute to other nomadic seasonal camp areas.
Inuit traded with mainland groups as far east as King William Island
King William Island
King William Island is an island in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut and forms part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. In area it is between and making it the 61st largest island in the world and Canada's 15th largest island...
and as far south as Great Bear Lake
Great Bear Lake
Great Bear Lake is the largest lake entirely within Canada , the third or fourth largest in North America, and the seventh or eighth largest in the world...
although most commerce occurred with the Inuvialuit and 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,...
populations indigenous to 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...
watershed and Bernard Harbour seasonal areas on the mainland. The majority of Ulukhaktokmiut come from a varied background, with family ties extending mainly to the Coppermine River community of 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...
and the communities of the Mackenzie River
Mackenzie River
The Mackenzie River is the largest river system in Canada. It flows through a vast, isolated region of forest and tundra entirely within the country's Northwest Territories, although its many tributaries reach into four other Canadian provinces and territories...
Delta and Beaufort Sea
Beaufort Sea
The Beaufort Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Alaska, west of Canada's Arctic islands. The sea is named after hydrographer Sir Francis Beaufort...
, though some families have relatives as far away as Gjoa Haven
Gjoa Haven, Nunavut
Gjoa Haven is a hamlet in Nunavut, above the Arctic Circle, located in the Kitikmeot Region, northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. It is the only settlement on King William Island...
on King William Island, and along the north slope of Alaska as far as Port Clarence on the Seward Peninsula.
Some families are descendants of the Danish explorer-trader Christian Klengenberg
Christian Klengenberg
Christian Klengenberg Jorgensen , was a Danish whaler, trapper, and trader, active for 34 years in Alaska and Northern Canada . He is notable for opening trade routes to the Copper Inuit territory...
. Others are descended from two members of the Vilhjalmur Stefansson
Vilhjalmur Stefansson
Vilhjalmur Stefansson was a Canadian Arctic explorer and ethnologist.-Early life:Stefansson, born William Stephenson, was born at Gimli, Manitoba, Canada, in 1879. His parents had emigrated from Iceland to Manitoba two years earlier...
led, Canadian Arctic Expedition. The first was Natkusiak, a friend of Stefansson, he was the primary guide and lead hunter of the expedition. Originally from Port Clarence
Port Clarence, Alaska
Port Clarence is a census-designated place in Nome Census Area, Alaska. The population was 21 at the 2000 census. It is located on the spit separating the bay of Port Clarence from the Bering Strait.-History:...
, 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...
he was later known as Billy Banksland, this name came from his time trapping Arctic foxes on Banks Island
Banks Island
One of the larger members of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Banks Island is situated in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is separated from Victoria Island to its east by the Prince of Wales Strait and from the mainland by Amundsen Gulf to its south. The Beaufort Sea lies...
. Another member of the expedition with relatives in the area was the Alaskan Inupiat, Ikey Bolt from Point Hope
Point Hope, Alaska
Point Hope is a city in North Slope Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 757.-Geography:...
. Married to Klengenberg's daughter Etna, they lived for several years at Rymer Point
Rymer Point
Rymer Point is a cape in the Canadian Arctic territory of Nunavut. It is located on southwestern Victoria Island's Wollaston Peninsula, facing the Dolphin and Union Strait. Clouston Bay is situated along the north shoreline...
before moving to Minto Inlet
Minto Inlet
Minto Inlet is located east of Amundsen Gulf in western Victoria Island, at the southern end of Prince of Wales Strait in the Northwest Territories. It is long and - wide....
and eventually to Coppermine (now Kugluktuk).
Economy
In recent years, this hamlet has seen both sides of the rush for mineral exploration and has regained an appreciation for its wild places and culturally sensitive areas where long-gone relatives once survived and lived with the ice and snow. Some private concerns have witnessed the zeal with which these locals defend their competing interests for the same tracts of land and resources. Other companies have learned to work with residents and this has produced some hope for mineral development around traditional lands and other cultural areas of these Inuvialuit and their fellow Inuit brethren. Arts and crafts are also another source of income with international recognition of local artisans. Occasionally some residents travel to such places as San FranciscoSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
or Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, but more often to other regional centers across the north.
Ulukhaktok is home to the Holman Eskimo Co-op
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
which was formed by the residents of the community with the help of a Roman Catholic priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
, Father Henri Tardy. The Co-op was formed to provide income to the residents of the community by producing arts and crafts, and is famous for the production of prints. A famous artist who has produced prints for the Holman Eskimo Co-op is Mary Okheena. The Holman Eskimo Co-op now is involved in arts and crafts, retailing, the hotel business, cable television, operates a Canada Post
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation, known more simply as Canada Post , is the Canadian crown corporation which functions as the country's primary postal operator...
outlet, operates the fuel delivery contract, and is the local Aklak Air
Aklak Air
Aklak Air is an airline based in Inuvik in Northwest Territories in Canada. It operates year-round and seasonal scheduled services, as well as charter flights throughout the western Arctic. Its main base is Inuvik Airport.-History:...
agent.
Ulukhaktok is also the location of the world's most northern
The world's most northern
This is a list of various northernmost things on earth.- Cities and settlements :See also: Northernmost settlements, Northernmost cities and towns-Geography:-Animals:-General:-Shrubs:-Trees:-Culture and music:-Sport :- Religion :...
golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
course and hosts the "Billy Joss Open Celebrity Golf Tournament" every summer. Over the years they have managed to attract players from the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
and the Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
, as well as golfers from other countries. This tournament is growing and features excursions to traditional areas where 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...
and Northern 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...
are harvested for subsistence as well as limited commercial fishing and hunting.
Climate
See also
- Helen KalvakHelen KalvakHelen Kalvak, CM was a Copper Inuit graphic artist from Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada.-Early years:...
, Inuit artist native to Ulukhaktok - Ulukhaktok/Holman AirportUlukhaktok/Holman AirportUlukhaktok/Holman Airport, located at Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada was fully opened in December 1978 with the start of the Community Aerodrome Radio Station . However, aircraft had been using the runway prior to that as construction was completed in the summer of 1978.Construction of...
- Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories
External links
- Holman Eskimo Co-op
- 1905 Christian Klengenberg NWT Historical Timeline, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre