Little Whale River
Encyclopedia
The Little Whale River (French: Petite rivière de la Baleine) (Cree: 'Wâpamekustûss) is a river
in Nunavik
, Quebec, Canada. With an area of 15900 square kilometres (6,139 sq mi), it is ranked as the 35th largest river basin in Quebec.
The Cree
named a segment of the Little Whale River near its mouth as Wapimakustus, which is similar to what Isbister noted in 1740. The Inuit
call it Qilalugarsiuviup Kuunga, which means "river or place where beluga is hunted".
Its name has often been wrongly translated into French as Rivière de la Petite Baleine.
, there is reference to a river called Wapameg-Us-Sosh (meaning White Whale River), where a multitude of beluga is found. It mentions that the river is located a short distance south of the Gulph (that is Richmond Gulf or Lac Guillaume-Delisle in French).
The English name of the river was first recorded in 1744 in the logbook
s of Hudson's Bay Company
employees Thomas Mitchell and John Longland, while exploring the bay's coast. On July 29, Mitchell made mention of Little White Whale River.
From 1853 to 1890, the Hudson's Bay Company operated a trading post, named after the river, at its mouth. This place, now known as Jiaviniup Narsanga, has long been abandoned.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
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...
, Quebec, Canada. With an area of 15900 square kilometres (6,139 sq mi), it is ranked as the 35th largest river basin in Quebec.
The Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
named a segment of the Little Whale River near its mouth as Wapimakustus, which is similar to what Isbister noted in 1740. 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...
call it Qilalugarsiuviup Kuunga, which means "river or place where beluga is hunted".
Its name has often been wrongly translated into French as Rivière de la Petite Baleine.
History
In the records of 1740 kept by Joseph Isbister of the Eastmain PostEastmain, Quebec
Eastmain is a Cree community located on James Bay at the mouth of the Eastmain River, Quebec, Canada. It is the smallest of the coastal Cree villages with a population of 606 people...
, there is reference to a river called Wapameg-Us-Sosh (meaning White Whale River), where a multitude of beluga is found. It mentions that the river is located a short distance south of the Gulph (that is Richmond Gulf or Lac Guillaume-Delisle in French).
The English name of the river was first recorded in 1744 in the logbook
Logbook
A logbook was originally a book for recording readings from the chip log, and is used to determine the distance a ship traveled within a certain amount of time...
s of 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...
employees Thomas Mitchell and John Longland, while exploring the bay's coast. On July 29, Mitchell made mention of Little White Whale River.
From 1853 to 1890, the Hudson's Bay Company operated a trading post, named after the river, at its mouth. This place, now known as Jiaviniup Narsanga, has long been abandoned.
See also
- Great Whale RiverGreat Whale RiverThe Great Whale River is a river in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. It flows from Lac Saint-Luson through Lac Bienville west to Hudson Bay...
- flowing parallel to the Little Whale River about 100 km to the south - List of Quebec rivers