Garry Lake
Encyclopedia
Garry Lake is a lake
in sub-Arctic
Kivalliq Region, Nunavut
, Canada
. As a portion of the Back River
waterway, Garry Lake originates directly east of Lake Pelly and drains to the east by the Back River. A set of rapids separate Buliard Lake (directly to the north) from Garry Lake. Two other sets of rapids separate Garry Lake's three sections (Upper Garry Lake, Garry Lake, Lower Garry Lake) which are also differentiated by elevation. Garry Lakes are isolated from nearby communities.
—Rae craton
geological province.
It is a low relief area including sedge
/grass meadows along lake shores, and substrates of glacial silts, sands, and gravels.
. Garry Lake was historically home to Inuit
who refer to themselves as Hanningajurmiut or Hanningaruqmiut or Hanningajulinmiut {meaning "the people of the place that lies across"}. Inuit to the north (the Utkusiksalinmiut) refer to Garry Lake Inuit as Ualininmiut ("people from the area of which the sun follows east to west"). The Garry Lake Inuktitut dialect is related to Utkuhiksalik, the dialect of the Utkusiksalinmiut. Like other Caribou Inuit
, Hanningajurmiut life consisted of tracking Arctic
game (Beverly herd Barren-ground caribou
) and fishing (whitefish
and lake trout
). They lived in igloos in the winter months, and caribou skin tents in the summer months.
Between 1948-1955, Hanningajurmiut were able to trade at Kitikmeot
fur trader Stephen Angulalik
's outpost located at Atanikittuq ("little connection") at Sherman Inlet. A Roman Catholic mission post
was established on an island in Garry Lake in 1949, staffed by Father Joseph Buliard, who disappeared in 1956. The cabin still stands in present day. Suffering from famine in 1958 as the annual caribou migration bypassed their territorial hunting grounds, 58 Garry Lake inhabitants died. The federal government intervened by relocating the 31 survivors to Baker Lake
. Most Hanningajurmiut never returned to Garry Lake on a permanent basis.
William Noah, Community Liaison Officer for Areva Resources Canada in Nunavut toured around Garry Lake on August 11, 2009 along with Paul Atuutuva, Betsy Aksawnee, Silas Kenalugak, and David Aksawnee. The pilot was with Forest Helicopters, working on contract for Kiggavik camp for Areva Resources Uranium Camp, 80 km (49.7 mi) west of Baker Lake
. They found a bag and some small items that were still fresh in the attic of the old Buliard mission.
-rich area and made plans for a multi-phased drill program/exploration project for 2008.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in sub-Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
Kivalliq Region, 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...
. As a portion of the Back River
Back River
The Back River , is a river in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut in Canada...
waterway, Garry Lake originates directly east of Lake Pelly and drains to the east by the Back River. A set of rapids separate Buliard Lake (directly to the north) from Garry Lake. Two other sets of rapids separate Garry Lake's three sections (Upper Garry Lake, Garry Lake, Lower Garry Lake) which are also differentiated by elevation. Garry Lakes are isolated from nearby communities.
Geography
Garry Lakes are a part of the Churchill cratonChurchill craton
The Churchill craton is the northwest section of the Canadian Shield and stretches from southern Saskatchewan and Alberta to northern Nunavut. It has a very complex geological history punctuated by at least seven distinct regional tectonometamorphic intervals, including many discrete accretionary...
—Rae craton
Rae craton
right|thumb|250px|North America cratons and basement rock.The Rae craton is an Archean craton located in northern Canada north of the Superior craton.-Ungava Peninsula:...
geological province.
It is a low relief area including sedge
Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...
/grass meadows along lake shores, and substrates of glacial silts, sands, and gravels.
Fauna
As moulting Canada Geese arrive in late summer, the Canadian Wildlife Service designated the area as a Key Migratory Bird Terrestrial Habitat site.Ethnography
Hanningajuq is the Inuktitut word for both Garry Lake and the Christian crossChristian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
. Garry Lake was historically home to 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...
who refer to themselves as Hanningajurmiut or Hanningaruqmiut or Hanningajulinmiut {meaning "the people of the place that lies across"}. Inuit to the north (the Utkusiksalinmiut) refer to Garry Lake Inuit as Ualininmiut ("people from the area of which the sun follows east to west"). The Garry Lake Inuktitut dialect is related to Utkuhiksalik, the dialect of the Utkusiksalinmiut. Like other 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...
, Hanningajurmiut life consisted of tracking Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
game (Beverly herd Barren-ground caribou
Barren-ground Caribou
Barren-ground Caribou is a subspecies of the caribou that is found mainly in the Canadian territories Nunavut and the Northwest Territories and western Greenland. It sometimes includes the similar porcupine caribou, in which case the barren-ground caribou also is found in Alaska...
) and fishing (whitefish
Freshwater whitefish
The freshwater whitefish are fish of the subfamily Coregoninae in the salmon family Salmonidae. Along with the freshwater whitefish, the Salmonidae includes the freshwater and anadromous trout and salmon species as well as graylings...
and 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...
). They lived in igloos in the winter months, and caribou skin tents in the summer months.
Between 1948-1955, Hanningajurmiut were able to trade at Kitikmeot
Kitikmeot
Kitikmeot can refer to:* Kitikmeot Region, Nunavut, a region of Nunavut** Kitikmeot, Unorganized, a census subdivision, consisting of those parts of the Kitikmeot Region outside communities...
fur trader Stephen Angulalik
Stephen Angulalik
Stephen Angulalik was an internationally known Ahiarmiut Inuit from northern Canada notable as a Kitikmeot fur trader and trading post operator at Kuugjuaq , Northwest Territories...
's outpost located at Atanikittuq ("little connection") at Sherman Inlet. A Roman Catholic mission post
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 established on an island in Garry Lake in 1949, staffed by Father Joseph Buliard, who disappeared in 1956. The cabin still stands in present day. Suffering from famine in 1958 as the annual caribou migration bypassed their territorial hunting grounds, 58 Garry Lake inhabitants died. The federal government intervened by relocating the 31 survivors to 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...
. Most Hanningajurmiut never returned to Garry Lake on a permanent basis.
William Noah, Community Liaison Officer for Areva Resources Canada in Nunavut toured around Garry Lake on August 11, 2009 along with Paul Atuutuva, Betsy Aksawnee, Silas Kenalugak, and David Aksawnee. The pilot was with Forest Helicopters, working on contract for Kiggavik camp for Areva Resources Uranium Camp, 80 km (49.7 mi) west of 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...
. They found a bag and some small items that were still fresh in the attic of the old Buliard mission.
Minerals
In 1981, Kidd Creek Minerals discovered 19 uraniferous boulders in a train formation, extending approximately 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi) along Garry Lake's north shore. In 2007, Uravan Minerals Inc. surveyed Garry Lake's uraniumUranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
-rich area and made plans for a multi-phased drill program/exploration project for 2008.