Inukjuak, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Inukjuak alternatively spelled Inoucdjouac, former name and current postal name Port Harrison, is an Inuit
settlement located on Hudson Bay
at the mouth of the Innuksuak River in the Nunavik
region of northern Quebec
, Canada. Its population is 1,294 (2001 census of Canada). It is not accessible by road, but by boat in summer and year-round by air through Inukjuak Airport
.
"The Giant" is the literal translation of the word Inukjuak, but originally it was Inurjuat.
Inurjuat means "many people". In the past there was an Inuk (singular for the word Inuit
) who went down to the river of Inukjuak to fetch some water. While there, the person saw many Inuit
in kayaks approaching from the mouth of the river, and then yelled back out to the community "Inurjuat! Inurjuat!" That is where the name for the community comes from.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Revillon Freres
company set up a fur trading post in Inukjuak. In order to compete with them, the Hudson's Bay Company
(HBC) established a post in 1920. In the same year Revillon Freres paid for Robert J. Flaherty
to film Nanook of the North
(released 1922) in the area.
The HBC bought out Revillon Freres in 1936 and continued its trade monopoly here until 1958. In 1927 an Anglican mission was established, followed by a post office and RCMP
detachment in 1935, a nursing station in 1947, and a school in 1951. From this time on the Inuit started to give up their traditional nomad
ic way of life and live permanently in the community. A cooperative store was formed in 1962. Inukjuak was legally established as a municipality in 1980.
In 1953, the Canadian government forcibly relocated some of the area's inhabitants to Resolute
and Grise Fiord
—then in the Northwest Territories
, but now part of Nunavut
—as part of a plan to establish a Canadian presence in the High Arctic and assert its sovereignty
. This caused families to be split up and relocated persons faced hardships in the much more severe conditions of the far north. See also human flagpoles.
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...
settlement located on 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,...
at the mouth of the Innuksuak River in the 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...
region of 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. Its population is 1,294 (2001 census of Canada). It is not accessible by road, but by boat in summer and year-round by air through Inukjuak Airport
Inukjuak Airport
Inukjuak Airport, , is located adjacent to Inukjuak, Quebec, Canada....
.
"The Giant" is the literal translation of the word Inukjuak, but originally it was Inurjuat.
Inurjuat means "many people". In the past there was an Inuk (singular for the word 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 went down to the river of Inukjuak to fetch some water. While there, the person saw many 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...
in kayaks approaching from the mouth of the river, and then yelled back out to the community "Inurjuat! Inurjuat!" That is where the name for the community comes from.
History
The many archeological sites near Inukjuak indicate that the area has long been inhabited by Inuit.At the beginning of the 20th century, the Revillon Freres
Revillon Freres
Révillon Frères was a French fur and luxury goods company, founded in 1723.At the end of the 19th century, Revillon had stores in Paris, London, New York, and Montreal. -Fur trading operation:...
company set up a fur trading post in Inukjuak. In order to compete with them, 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...
(HBC) established a post in 1920. In the same year Revillon Freres paid for Robert J. Flaherty
Robert J. Flaherty
Robert Joseph Flaherty, F.R.G.S. was an American filmmaker who directed and produced the first commercially successful feature length documentary film, Nanook of the North...
to film Nanook of the North
Nanook of the North
Nanook of the North is a 1922 silent documentary film by Robert J. Flaherty. In the tradition of what would later be called salvage ethnography, Flaherty captured the struggles of the Inuk Nanook and his family in the Canadian arctic...
(released 1922) in the area.
The HBC bought out Revillon Freres in 1936 and continued its trade monopoly here until 1958. In 1927 an Anglican mission was established, followed by a post office and RCMP
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,...
detachment in 1935, a nursing station in 1947, and a school in 1951. From this time on the Inuit started to give up their traditional nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
ic way of life and live permanently in the community. A cooperative store was formed in 1962. Inukjuak was legally established as a municipality in 1980.
In 1953, the Canadian government forcibly relocated some of the area's inhabitants to Resolute
Resolute, Nunavut
Resolute or Resolute Bay is a small Inuit hamlet on Cornwallis Island in Nunavut, Canada. It is situated at the northern end of Resolute Bay and the Northwest Passage and is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region....
and Grise Fiord
Grise Fiord, Nunavut
Grise Fiord, is a small Inuit hamlet in the Qikiqtaaluk Region in the territory of Nunavut, Canada. Despite its low population , it is the largest community on Ellesmere Island...
—then in 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...
, but now part 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...
—as part of a plan to establish a Canadian presence in the High Arctic and assert its sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
. This caused families to be split up and relocated persons faced hardships in the much more severe conditions of the far north. See also human flagpoles.
Climate
External links
Further reading
- Melanie McGrath, The Long Exile: A Tale of Inuit Betrayal and Survival in the High Arctic. ISBN 0-00-715796-7 (London: Fourth Estate, 2006) and ISBN 1-4000-4047-7 (New York: Random House, 2007). The story of forced removal of Inuit peoples in Canada in 1953, including Robert Flaherty's illegitimate Inuit son Joseph.