Arviat, Nunavut
Encyclopedia
Arviat (Inuktitut syllabics
: ᐊᕐᕕᐊᑦ; formerly called Eskimo Point until 1 June 1989) is a predominantly Inuit
hamlet
located on the western shore of Hudson Bay
in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut
, Canada
. Arviat ("place of the bowhead whale") is derived from the Inuktitut
word arviq meaning "Bowhead Whale
". Earlier in history, its name was Tikirajualaaq ("a little long point"), and Ittaliurvik, ("a place where the people make tents").
community, having the third largest population in Nunavut, behind Rankin Inlet and the capital, Iqaluit. Arviat is currently growing at a faster rate than Rankin Inlet, however. From the 2001 census
to the 2006 census
there was a population increase of 8.5%. The mayor of Arviat is Robert Leonard.
Hunting and fishing are very active in the community; they are the primary source of sustenance. Three local stores - Padlei Co-op, Northern Stores and EPLS - carry a wide range of products.
To the south, the town of Churchill
, Manitoba
is accessible by boat, snowmobile and Bombardier from Arviat and is often travelled to for supplies.
Arviat is well known around the Arctic for its artistic qualities. It is a thriving community with many talented musicians: Susan Aglukark
, a well known musician; Simon "Johnny Cash of the North" Sigyariaq; the band Uniaqtuq, with Arsene, Pelagie and Mary Angalik; the Arviat Band, with John and Billy Kuksuk, Paul Kattau and others; the Irksuk band, played by Paul Irksuk and sons. All have had CDs recorded commercially.
Many types of wildlife are abundant. Within the vicinity of Arviat you have an opportunity to see polar bears, millions of migratory birds, beluga whales, and caribou.
The only access is by air, by snowmobile and by annual sealift
, but the Nunavut government and the federal Senate
member for Nunavut (Dennis Patterson
) are investigating the possibility of a highway from Thompson
, Lynn Lake
, or Gillam
to Rankin Inlet, through Arviat.
Arviat was originally inhabited by the Paallirmiut, a coastal/inland Inuit band. In 1957, dying of starvation, the last remaining Ihalmiut
, another Caribou Inuit
band, were relocated to Arviat by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
. Though there are differences between the two bands, they recognize a need to work together in order to benefit the community.
Inuktitut syllabics
Inuktitut syllabics is a writing system used by the Inuit in Nunavut and in Nunavik, Quebec...
: ᐊᕐᕕᐊᑦ; formerly called Eskimo Point until 1 June 1989) is a predominantly 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...
hamlet
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...
located on the western 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 the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
, 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...
. Arviat ("place of the bowhead whale") is derived from the Inuktitut
Inuktitut
Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...
word arviq meaning "Bowhead Whale
Bowhead Whale
The bowhead whale is a baleen whale of the right whale family Balaenidae in suborder Mysticeti. A stocky dark-colored whale without a dorsal fin, it can grow to in length. This thick-bodied species can weigh to , second only to the blue whale, although the bowhead's maximum length is less than...
". Earlier in history, its name was Tikirajualaaq ("a little long point"), and Ittaliurvik, ("a place where the people make tents").
Inuit community
Arviat is the southernmost community on the Nunavut mainland and is close to the geographical centre of Canada. Arviat is a traditional 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...
community, having the third largest population in Nunavut, behind Rankin Inlet and the capital, Iqaluit. Arviat is currently growing at a faster rate than Rankin Inlet, however. From the 2001 census
Canada 2001 Census
The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In...
to 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...
there was a population increase of 8.5%. The mayor of Arviat is Robert Leonard.
Hunting and fishing are very active in the community; they are the primary source of sustenance. Three local stores - Padlei Co-op, Northern Stores and EPLS - carry a wide range of products.
To the south, the town of Churchill
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...
, 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...
is accessible by boat, snowmobile and Bombardier from Arviat and is often travelled to for supplies.
Arviat is well known around the Arctic for its artistic qualities. It is a thriving community with many talented musicians: Susan Aglukark
Susan 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...
, a well known musician; Simon "Johnny Cash of the North" Sigyariaq; the band Uniaqtuq, with Arsene, Pelagie and Mary Angalik; the Arviat Band, with John and Billy Kuksuk, Paul Kattau and others; the Irksuk band, played by Paul Irksuk and sons. All have had CDs recorded commercially.
Many types of wildlife are abundant. Within the vicinity of Arviat you have an opportunity to see polar bears, millions of migratory birds, beluga whales, and caribou.
The only access is by air, by snowmobile and by annual sealift
Sealift
Sealift is a term used predominantly in military logistics and refers to the use of cargo ships for the deployment of military assets, such as weaponry, vehicles, military personnel, and supplies...
, but the Nunavut government and the federal Senate
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
member for Nunavut (Dennis Patterson
Dennis Patterson
Dennis Glen Patterson is a politician and lawyer. He served as MLA for Frobisher Bay and Iqaluit from 1978 to 1995, as NWT Minister of Education, Justice and Municipal Affairs and was chosen as the fifth consensus Government Leader of Northwest Territories, Canada from 1987 to 1991...
) are investigating the possibility of a highway from Thompson
Thompson, Manitoba
Thompson is a city in northern Manitoba. As the "Hub of the North" it serves as the regional trade and service centre of northern Manitoba. Thompson is located north of the Canada – United States border, north of the provincial capital of Winnipeg, and is northeast of Flin Flon...
, Lynn Lake
Lynn Lake, Manitoba
Lynn Lake is a small town in the northwest region of Manitoba, Canada, 1,071 km from Winnipeg. The town was named after Lynn Smith, chief engineer of Sherritt Gordon Mines Ltd. There are numerous outfitters in the Lynn Lake area...
, or Gillam
Gillam, Manitoba
Gillam, Manitoba, Canada, is a community between Thompson and Churchill on the Hudson Bay Railway line. Gillam is a significant community because of the nearby Nelson River Bipole converter station on the Nelson River...
to Rankin Inlet, through Arviat.
Arviat was originally inhabited by the Paallirmiut, a coastal/inland Inuit band. In 1957, dying of starvation, the last remaining Ihalmiut
Ihalmiut
The Ihalmiut or Ahiarmiut are a group of inland Inuit who lived along the banks of the Kazan River, Ennadai Lake Little Dubawnt Lake , and north of Thlewiaza in northern Canada's Keewatin Region of the Northwest Territories, now the Kivalliq Region of present-day Nunavut...
, another Caribou Inuit
Caribou Inuit
Caribou Inuit, Barren-ground Caribou hunters, are bands of inland Inuit who lived west of Hudson Bay in northern Canada's Keewatin Region of the Northwest Territories, now the Kivalliq Region of present-day Nunavut between 61° and 65° N and 90° and 102° W...
band, were relocated to Arviat by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
. Though there are differences between the two bands, they recognize a need to work together in order to benefit the community.
Recreation
The Hudson Bay Quest sled-dog race was run from Churchill to Arviat for the first time in 2004. The web-based flash game 'Orbox B' is quite popular in Arviat, owing to the city's love of puzzle-solving.See also
- Peter KritaqlilukPeter KritaqlilukPeter Kritaqliluk is a former mayor of Arviat, Nunavut, Canada. He is the chair of the Nunavut Implementation Training Committee. Kritaqliluk was also Nunavut Trust chair from 1990 to 2002. Nunavut Trust invests the $1.1 billion in federal payments being paid out under the Nunavut Land Claims...
- Arviat AirportArviat AirportArviat Airport, , is located at Arviat, Nunavut, Canada, and is operated by the government of Nunavut.-Airlines and destinations:...
- Nancy Karetak-LindellNancy Karetak-LindellNancy Karetak-Lindell is a former Canadian politician. Previously she was a financial comptroller and municipal councillor in Arviat, Karetak-Lindell ran for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons as a Liberal candidate in the 1997 federal election in the riding of Nunavut...
- John PangnarkJohn PangnarkJohn Pangnark was an Inuit sculptor and native of Arviat, Nunavut. His work is notable for its frequent use of geometric abstraction and its nearly exclusive focus on the human figure. His work is in the collections of the Dennos Museum Center and the National Gallery of Canada.-External links:* -...
- Andy MikiAndy MikiAndy Miki was an Inuit artist from Arviat, Nunavut.His works are mainly in soapstone, and are often geometric abstractions.While the abstract work of John Pangnark focused on the human figure, Miki's work abstracted animals, often to such a degree that only by the title could weasels and bears be...
- McConnell River Migratory Bird SanctuaryMcConnell River Migratory Bird SanctuaryThe McConnell River Migratory Bird Sanctuary is located in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut, Canada. The 32,800 hectar sanctuary, at , is on Hudson Bay's west coast, 27 km south of Arviat, and 50 km north of the Manitoba border. Its namesake is the McConnell River which flows to the Hudson...
- Arvia'juaq and Qikiqtaarjuk National Historic SiteArvia'juaq and Qikiqtaarjuk National Historic SiteThe Arvia'juaq and Qikiqtaarjuk National Historic Site contains two areas: Arvia'Juaq and Qikiqtaaruk. Arvia'juaq , an island in Hudson Bay, is located close to Arviat, Nunavut...