Dorset Island
Encyclopedia
Dorset Island is one of the Canadian Arctic islands
located in Hudson Strait
, Nunavut
, Canada
. It lies off the Foxe Peninsula
area of southwestern Baffin Island
in the Qikiqtaaluk Region. It is serviced by an airport and a harbour.
The island was named after the statesman Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset
.
.
On the southern end of Dorset Island, at an elevation of 243 m (797.2 ft) above sea level
, the mountain, Cape Dorset, projects into the Hudson Strait. It is part of the Kingnait Range (Kingnait, in Inuktitut
, means "high mountains"). The cape represents the southern tip of the Foxe Peninsula. On September 24, 1631, Captain Luke Foxe named the landform "Cape Dorset" to honor his benefactor, Lord Chamberlain
, Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset.
Kingnait Hill, at 208 m (682.4 ft) high, is located on the island's north-west side. The shorter Eegatuak Hill is located 0.7 mi (1.1 km) north of the cape, on its eastern side, rising 99 m (324.8 ft) above sea level
, and exhibiting a distinctive bowl-shape surmounted by a cairn
.
Mallik Island
, directly to the north, is joined to Dorset Island by sand and boulders. A natural harbour exists in the peninsula formed by the southeast side of Mallik Island and the northwest side of Dorset Island with prevailing northwesterly winds at 10 to 15 knots, stronger in September and October. The anchorage may have heavy swell conditions and there is frequest fog during the navigation season of early August through mid-October. Ice break-up is around mid-July, and freeze-up occurs in early November. Winter ice thickness can be up to 1.2 m (3.9 ft).
There are several other islands within 10 km, including Okolli Island
and Sakkiak Island
.
was established on the island by the Hudson's Bay Company
. A Roman Catholic mission was located on Dorset Island during the period of 1938 to 1960.
The first discovery of the remains of Dorset culture
was on Dorset Island. An ancient Paleo-Eskimo
people, they flourished in this area for about 2,000 years, during the period of 1000 BC through 1100 AD. Present-day Dorset Islanders, Inuit who descend from the later Thule culture, refer to Dorset culture people as tuniit in their legends.
, on the northern side of Dorset Island is located the Inuit hamlet
of Cape Dorset
(also named Kingnait). It is approximately 7.2 mi (11.6 km) north of the mountain cape bearing the same name. Because the people of this community are known for their artisanship, including drawing, printmaking, and carving, the community of Cape Dorset is commonly referred to as the "Inuit art
capital".
, polar bear
s, and Arctic fox
, as well as caribou and Arctic hare
. Seals appear regularly, as do beluga whale during their migration through by the island in October and April.
Peregrine falcon
s, snowy owl
s, ptarmigan and ducks abound. Ornithologists
consider the island's cape a major entry way to the nesting area of the Blue Goose
. In 1929, it was the departure point for naturalist Dr. J. Dewey Soper
in his quest for locate the Blue Goose's Foxe Basin
nest area.
Mallikjuaq Territorial Park spans both Dorset Island and Mallik Island. Notable for its Thule culture, Dorset culture
, and Inuit
archaeological sites that date back as far as 3,000 years ago, it is reachable by foot from Cape Dorset at low tide, or by boat.
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...
located in Hudson Strait
Hudson Strait
Hudson Strait links the Atlantic Ocean to Hudson Bay in Canada. It lies between Baffin Island and the northern coast of Quebec, its eastern entrance marked by Cape Chidley and Resolution Island. It is long...
, 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...
. It lies off the Foxe Peninsula
Foxe Peninsula
Foxe Peninsula is a peninsula found at the southern end of Baffin Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It juts out from the southerly end of the island in a southwestly direction, dividing Foxe Basin and Hudson Strait. Its western extremity is Cape Queen; to the southeast lies the...
area of southwestern 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 Qikiqtaaluk Region. It is serviced by an airport and a harbour.
The island was named after the statesman Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset
Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset
Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset KG was the son of Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset and the brother and heir of Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset.-Life:...
.
Geography
The island is 4 mi (6.4 km) long and 2 mi (3.2 km) wide, with its highest elevation 220 m (721.8 ft) above sea levelSea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
.
On the southern end of Dorset Island, at an elevation of 243 m (797.2 ft) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, the mountain, Cape Dorset, projects into the Hudson Strait. It is part of the Kingnait Range (Kingnait, in Inuktitut
Inuktitut
Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...
, means "high mountains"). The cape represents the southern tip of the Foxe Peninsula. On September 24, 1631, Captain Luke Foxe named the landform "Cape Dorset" to honor his benefactor, Lord Chamberlain
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State....
, Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset.
Kingnait Hill, at 208 m (682.4 ft) high, is located on the island's north-west side. The shorter Eegatuak Hill is located 0.7 mi (1.1 km) north of the cape, on its eastern side, rising 99 m (324.8 ft) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, and exhibiting a distinctive bowl-shape surmounted by a cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
.
Mallik Island
Mallik Island
Mallik Island is one of the uninhabited Canadian arctic islands of Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Hudson Strait between Baffin Island's Foxe Peninsula and Dorset Island. Mallik Island and Dorset Island are joined together by sand and boulders...
, directly to the north, is joined to Dorset Island by sand and boulders. A natural harbour exists in the peninsula formed by the southeast side of Mallik Island and the northwest side of Dorset Island with prevailing northwesterly winds at 10 to 15 knots, stronger in September and October. The anchorage may have heavy swell conditions and there is frequest fog during the navigation season of early August through mid-October. Ice break-up is around mid-July, and freeze-up occurs in early November. Winter ice thickness can be up to 1.2 m (3.9 ft).
There are several other islands within 10 km, including Okolli Island
Okolli Island
Okolli Island is one of the Canadian arctic islands located in Hudson Strait, Nunavut, Canada. It is a Baffin Island offshore island in Qikiqtaaluk Region. The island is miles long and miles wide. The elevation is above sea level....
and Sakkiak Island
Sakkiak Island
Sakkiak Island is one of the uninhabited Canadian arctic islands located in Hudson Strait, Nunavut, Canada. It is a Baffin Island offshore island in Qikiqtaaluk Region, separated by deep water from Cape Dorset, Nunavut, to the south-southwest. The island is approximately in size, long, and wide...
.
History
In 1913, a trading postTrading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
was established on the island by the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson'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...
. A Roman Catholic mission was located on Dorset Island during the period of 1938 to 1960.
The first discovery of the remains of Dorset culture
Dorset culture
The Dorset culture was a Paleo-Eskimo culture that preceded the Inuit culture in Arctic North America. It has been defined as having four phases, with distinct technology related to the people's hunting and tool making...
was on Dorset Island. An ancient Paleo-Eskimo
Paleo-Eskimo
The Paleo-Eskimo were the peoples who inhabited the Arctic region from Chukotka in present-day Russia across North America to Greenland prior to the rise of the modern Inuit and/or Eskimo and related cultures...
people, they flourished in this area for about 2,000 years, during the period of 1000 BC through 1100 AD. Present-day Dorset Islanders, Inuit who descend from the later Thule culture, refer to Dorset culture people as tuniit in their legends.
Community
Across from Mallik IslandMallik Island
Mallik Island is one of the uninhabited Canadian arctic islands of Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Hudson Strait between Baffin Island's Foxe Peninsula and Dorset Island. Mallik Island and Dorset Island are joined together by sand and boulders...
, on the northern side of Dorset Island is located the Inuit hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
of 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...
(also named Kingnait). It is approximately 7.2 mi (11.6 km) north of the mountain cape bearing the same name. Because the people of this community are known for their artisanship, including drawing, printmaking, and carving, the community of Cape Dorset is commonly referred to as the "Inuit art
Inuit art
Inuit art refers to artwork produced by Inuit people, that is, the people of the Arctic previously known as Eskimos, a term that is now often considered offensive outside Alaska...
capital".
Wildlife
The island and its surrounds are frequented by Arctic wolvesArctic Wolf
The Arctic Wolf , also called Polar Wolf or White Wolf, is a subspecies of the Gray Wolf, a mammal of the family Canidae. Arctic Wolves inhabit the Canadian Arctic, Alaska and the northern parts of Greenland....
, 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...
s, and Arctic fox
Arctic fox
The arctic fox , also known as the white fox, polar fox or snow fox, is a small fox native to Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. The Greek word alopex, means a fox and Vulpes is the Latin version...
, as well as caribou and Arctic hare
Arctic Hare
The arctic hare , or polar rabbit is a species of hare which is adapted largely to polar and mountainous habitats. The arctic hare survives with a thick coat of fur and usually digs holes under the ground or snow to keep warm and sleep...
. Seals appear regularly, as do beluga whale during their migration through by the island in October and April.
Peregrine falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
s, snowy owl
Snowy Owl
The Snowy Owl is a large owl of the typical owl family Strigidae. The Snowy Owl was first classified in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist who developed binomial nomenclature to classify and organize plants and animals. The bird is also known in North America as the Arctic Owl, Great...
s, ptarmigan and ducks abound. Ornithologists
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
consider the island's cape a major entry way to the nesting area of the Blue Goose
Snow Goose
The Snow Goose , also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed...
. In 1929, it was the departure point for naturalist Dr. J. Dewey Soper
J. Dewey Soper
Joseph Dewey Soper was a widely-traveled Canadian Arctic explorer, zoologist, ornithologist, and prolific author.-Early years:...
in his quest for locate the Blue Goose's Foxe Basin
Foxe Basin
Not to be confused with Fox Bay, Falkland IslandsFoxe Basin is a shallow oceanic basin north of Hudson Bay, in Nunavut, Canada, located between Baffin Island and the Melville Peninsula...
nest area.
Mallikjuaq Territorial Park spans both Dorset Island and Mallik Island. Notable for its Thule culture, Dorset culture
Dorset culture
The Dorset culture was a Paleo-Eskimo culture that preceded the Inuit culture in Arctic North America. It has been defined as having four phases, with distinct technology related to the people's hunting and tool making...
, and 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...
archaeological sites that date back as far as 3,000 years ago, it is reachable by foot from Cape Dorset at low tide, or by boat.