Paulatuk, Northwest Territories
Encyclopedia
Paulatuk is a hamlet
located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories
, Canada
. It is located adjacent to Darnley Bay
, in the Amundsen Gulf
. The town was named for the coal that was found in the area in the 1920s, and the Siglitun
spelling is Paulatuuq, "place of coal".
, had a population of 294, of these, 260 were Inuit
(Inuvialuit
). The two principal languages spoken in Paulatuk are Inuvialuktun
and English
. In 2009 the Government of the Northwest Territories reported that the population was 311 with an average yearly growth rate of 0.4 from 1996.
which opened a trading post
. In the 1950s a Distant Early Warning Line
site was built about 95 km (59 mi) to the northeast at Cape Parry
, on the Parry Peninsula
, providing a wage based income for the community. The trading post was taken over by the local co-op and today the local store is part of The North West Company
.
Hunting
, fishing
and trapping are major economic activities, but in recent years art printmaking has played an increasing role in the local economy.
The Smoking Hills
which are about 105 km (65 mi) west on the shores of the Arctic Ocean
are a scientifically interesting object, since they are diminishing the pH
value of the water areas. So the buffer effect has completely disappeared. Located to the east of the community is Tuktut Nogait National Park
and Parks Canada
has an office in the community.
detachment and a health centre
with two nurses. Phone services are provided by Northwestel
with Internet by SSI Micro
and their AirWare service.
The community is part of the Beaufort Delta Education Council and schooling is available up to Grade 11
at the Angik School. There is also a community learning centre operated by Aurora College
.
The community is not accessible by road but there is an airport, Paulatuk Airport
, and flights into the community are provided by Aklak Air
from Inuvik
three times a week. In the summer floatplane
s can use the Paulatuk Water Aerodrome
and an annual sealift
is provided by Northern Transportation Company Limited
from Hay River
.
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 in the Inuvik Region of 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...
, 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 is located adjacent to Darnley Bay
Darnley Bay
Darnley Bay is a large inlet in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is a southern arm of the Amundsen Gulf. The bay measures long, and wide at its mouth.The Parry Peninsula is to the west and Halcro Point is to the east...
, in the Amundsen Gulf
Amundsen Gulf
Amundsen Gulf is a gulf located in Canadian Northwest Territories, between Banks Island and Victoria Island and the mainland . It is approximately in length and about across where it meets the Beaufort Sea....
. The town was named for the coal that was found in the area in the 1920s, and the Siglitun
Siglitun
The Siglit dialect, or Siglitun, is the dialect of Inuvialuk language spoken by the Siglit Inuit. It is mainly used in the communities of Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour and Tuktoyaktuk...
spelling is Paulatuuq, "place of coal".
Demographics
Paulatuk, as of the 2006 CensusCanada 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...
, had a population of 294, of these, 260 were 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...
(Inuvialuit
Inuvialuit
The Inuvialuit or Western Canadian Inuit are Inuit people who live in the western Canadian Arctic region. They, like all other Inuit, are descendants of the Thule who migrated eastward from Alaska...
). The two principal languages spoken in Paulatuk are Inuvialuktun
Inuvialuktun
Inuvialuktun, or Western Canadian Inuit language, Western Canadian Inuktitut, Western Canadian Inuktun comprises three Inuit dialects spoken in the northern Northwest Territories by those Canadian Inuit who call themselves Inuvialuk .Inuvialuktun is spoken by the Inuit of the Mackenzie River delta...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. In 2009 the Government of the Northwest Territories reported that the population was 311 with an average yearly growth rate of 0.4 from 1996.
Community
The community is situated on Letty Harbour and was settled in the 1920s. This was followed a few years later by the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
which opened a trading post
Trading 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....
. In the 1950s a Distant Early Warning Line
Distant Early Warning Line
The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the North Coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska, in addition to the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland...
site was built about 95 km (59 mi) to the northeast at Cape Parry
Cape Parry
Cape Parry is a headland in Canada's Northwest Territories. Located at the northern tip of the Parry Peninsula, it projects into Amundsen Gulf, from the North Pole. The nearest settlement is Paulatuk, to the south, and Fiji Island is located to the west...
, on the Parry Peninsula
Parry Peninsula
The Parry Peninsula is located on the north coast of Canada's Northwest Territories. It is bounded on the west by Franklin Bay, on the north by Amundsen Gulf, and on the east by Darnley Bay. The nearest settlement is Paulatuk....
, providing a wage based income for the community. The trading post was taken over by the local co-op and today the local store is part of The North West Company
The North West Company
The North West Company is a grocery and merchandise store in remote communities across northern Canada and Alaska. Through its subsidiary, Cost-U-Less stores it also operates in the US territories of Guam, The CNMI, and American Samoa and in the Caribbean....
.
Hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and trapping are major economic activities, but in recent years art printmaking has played an increasing role in the local economy.
The Smoking Hills
Smoking Hills
The Smoking Hills are located on the east coast of Cape Bathurst in Canada's Northwest Territories, next to the Arctic Ocean and a small group of lakes. The cliffs were named by explorer John Franklin, who discovered them on his 1826 expeditions...
which are about 105 km (65 mi) west on the shores of the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
are a scientifically interesting object, since they are diminishing the pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
value of the water areas. So the buffer effect has completely disappeared. Located to the east of the community is Tuktut Nogait National Park
Tuktut Nogait National Park
Tuktut Nogait National Park is a national park located in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Meaning "young caribou" in Inuvialuktun, the park contains many herds of caribou. However, it is also the home to other wildlife species, such as Musk Ox, Grizzly Bears, Arctic char, and the Grey Wolf...
and Parks Canada
Parks Canada
Parks Canada , also known as the Parks Canada Agency , is an agency of the Government of Canada mandated to protect and present nationally significant natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative...
has an office in the community.
Services
Services include a two member Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceRoyal 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 and a health centre
Clinic
A clinic is a health care facility that is primarily devoted to the care of outpatients...
with two nurses. Phone services are provided by Northwestel
Northwestel
Northwestel Inc. is the incumbent local exchange carrier and long distance carrier in Northern Canada. The company name is a portmanteau, sometimes spelled NorthwesTel, for Northwest Telecommunications.-Modern corporate history:...
with Internet by SSI Micro
SSI Micro
SSI Micro Ltd. is a Canadian wireless broadband internet service provider primarily serving remote areas that lack terrestrial service options. SSI Micro was established in 1990 by Jeffrey Philipp and is headquartered in Yellowknife, capital of the Northwest Territories...
and their AirWare service.
The community is part of the Beaufort Delta Education Council and schooling is available up to Grade 11
Eleventh grade
Eleventh Grade is the eleventh, and for some countries final, grade of secondary schools. Students are typically 16 or 17 years of age, depending on the country and the students' birthdays.-Brazil:...
at the Angik School. There is also a community learning centre operated by Aurora College
Aurora College
Aurora College, formerly Arctic College, is a college in the Northwest Territories, Canada with campuses in Inuvik, Fort Smith and Yellowknife. They have learning centres in 23 communities in the NWT. The head office for Aurora College is located in Fort Smith.-Mission:*Aurora College is dedicated...
.
The community is not accessible by road but there is an airport, Paulatuk Airport
Paulatuk Airport
Paulatuk Airport is located near Paulatuk, Northwest Territories, Canada. NAV CANADA reports that subsidence, turbulence and cross-winds may be encountered when landing here.-Airlines and destinations:...
, and flights into the community are provided by Aklak Air
Aklak Air
Aklak Air is an airline based in Inuvik in Northwest Territories in Canada. It operates year-round and seasonal scheduled services, as well as charter flights throughout the western Arctic. Its main base is Inuvik Airport.-History:...
from Inuvik
Inuvik, Northwest Territories
Inuvik is a town in the Northwest Territories of Canada and is the administrative centre for the Inuvik Region.The population as of the 2006 Census was 3,484, but the two previous census counts show wide fluctuations due to economic conditions: 2,894 in 2001 and 3,296 in 1996...
three times a week. In the summer floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
s can use the Paulatuk Water Aerodrome
Paulatuk Water Aerodrome
Paulatuk Water Aerodrome , is located in the Parry Peninsula's Darnley Bay near Paulatuk, Northwest Territories, Canada and is open from July until October....
and an 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...
is provided by Northern Transportation Company Limited
Northern Transportation Company Limited
Northern Transportation Company Limited is a marine transportation company in the Canadian and American Arctic owned by Norterra, a holding company jointly owned by the Inuvialuit of the Northwest Territories and the Inuit of Nunavut...
from Hay River
Hay River, Northwest Territories
Hay River , known as "the Hub of the North," is a town in the Northwest Territories, Canada, located on the south shore of Great Slave Lake, at the mouth of the Hay River. The town is separated into two sections, a new town and an old town with the Hay River Airport between them...
.