Umiujaq, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Umiujaq is an Inuit
village near the eastern shore of Hudson Bay
in Nunavik
in northern Quebec
, Canada
. The village was established in 1986 by Inuit
from Kuujjuarapik
, 160 km to the south, who decided to relocate away from the area affected by the James Bay Hydro-electric Project
.
Umiujaq, meaning "which resembles a boat" in the Inuktituk language, is located at the foot of a hill resembling an overturned umiaq, a traditional Inuit
walrus
-skin boat. The village is located 15 km west of Guillaume Delisle Lake (English: Richmond Gulf; ), an immense inland bay which is joined with Hudson Bay
by a rocky gulch.
Inaccessible by road, Umiujaq is served by a small airport
.
negotiated a clause into the 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
that provided for the relocation of Inuit
from Kuujjuarapik
to a new settlement unaffected by hydro-electric development. Following a referendum
, in 1982 the Inuit
opted to create a new community
where they could preserve their traditional lifestyle in an area where fish
and game
were not threatened by hydro-electric development. After extensive studies a location was selected, and construction of the new village was completed in 1986.
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...
village near the eastern shore of Hudson Bay
Hudson 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,...
in Nunavik
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...
in northern 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....
, 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 village was established in 1986 by 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...
from Kuujjuarapik
Kuujjuarapik, Quebec
Kuujjuarapik is the southernmost Inuit village at the mouth of the Great Whale River on the coast of Hudson Bay in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. About 800 people, mostly Cree, live in the adjacent village of Whapmagoostui. The community is only accessible by air and, in late summer, by boat...
, 160 km to the south, who decided to relocate away from the area affected by the James Bay Hydro-electric Project
James Bay Project
The James Bay Project is a series of hydroelectric development with a combined installed capacity of over 16,000 megawatts built since 1974 for Hydro-Québec by the on the La Grande and other rivers of Northern Quebec....
.
Umiujaq, meaning "which resembles a boat" in the Inuktituk language, is located at the foot of a hill resembling an overturned umiaq, a traditional 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...
walrus
Walrus
The walrus is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the Odobenidae family and Odobenus genus. It is subdivided into three subspecies: the Atlantic...
-skin boat. The village is located 15 km west of Guillaume Delisle Lake (English: Richmond Gulf; ), an immense inland bay which is joined with Hudson Bay
Hudson 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,...
by a rocky gulch.
Inaccessible by road, Umiujaq is served by a small airport
Umiujaq Airport
Umiujaq Airport, , is located near the town of Umiujaq, Quebec, Canada.-Airlines and destinations:*Air Inuit...
.
History
InuitInuit
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...
negotiated a clause into the 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
The James Bay And Northern Quebec Agreement was an Aboriginal land claim settlement, approved in 1975 by the Cree and Inuit of northern Quebec, and later slightly modified in 1978 by the Northeastern Quebec Agreement, through which Quebec's Naskapi First Nations joined the treaty...
that provided for the relocation 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...
from Kuujjuarapik
Kuujjuarapik, Quebec
Kuujjuarapik is the southernmost Inuit village at the mouth of the Great Whale River on the coast of Hudson Bay in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. About 800 people, mostly Cree, live in the adjacent village of Whapmagoostui. The community is only accessible by air and, in late summer, by boat...
to a new settlement unaffected by hydro-electric development. Following a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
, in 1982 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...
opted to create a new community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
where they could preserve their traditional lifestyle in an area where fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
and game
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...
were not threatened by hydro-electric development. After extensive studies a location was selected, and construction of the new village was completed in 1986.