Archaeology in Nunavut

Last updated
Nunavut, Canada.svg

Canada welcomed its most recent territory, Nunavut, on April 1, 1999, after it separated from the Northwest Territories. With Nunavut's separation from the Northwest Territories came a need for new regulations regarding cultural history. Nunavut has the unique experience of having a large Aboriginal community that creates strong cultural ties within the legislation.

Aboriginal Ties

The Aboriginal ties within Nunavut are clear without knowing the territory; one just needs to view the flag. "The colors, blue and gold symbolize the riches of the land, sea and sky. Red is a reference to Canada. The inuksuk symbolizes stone monuments which guide people on the land and mark sacred and other special places." [1] The North Star is also featured on the flag symbolizing the leadership of elders in the community. These are clear markers that there is a strong relationship between archaeology and the Aboriginal community, therefore creating relevance with the government's cultural and archaeological practices. There are several environmental and archaeological policies and programs that are run by both Inuit and government members.

The Government of Nunavut lists Archaeology and Paleontology under the department of Culture and Heritage. Once again there is evidence of the close ties between elders and archaeology and therefore culture. This branch was established to provide leadership within the Government of Nunavut in the implementation and development of services, policies, and programs that are aimed to strengthen the culture, language, heritage and physical activity of Nunavut. The Nunavut Archaeology Program administers the archaeology and paleontology permitting process and work on the development of policies, technical standards and guidelines. [2]

Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) ensures that promises made under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (NCLA) are carried out. One of the main NCLA concerns are that the Inuit exchanged their Aboriginal title to all their traditional land in the Nunavut Settlement Area for the rights and benefits. Rights and benefits are focused on land, wildlife, and water, as these are very important aspects to the Inuit way of life. NTI coordinates and manages Inuit responsibilities set out in the NCLA and makes sure that all federal and territorial governments fulfill their obligations such as help with travel between communities, the care of elders, and help with education. [3]

There is also the Inuit Qauijimajatuqangt Katimajiit, which is a prestigious group of wise and talented Inuit who are responsible for advising the government on making programs and services more culturally relevant. The people selected for the group are appointed from outside the Government of Nunavut. [1]

One of the ongoing projects is the recovery of artifacts from HMS Terror and HMS Erebus wrecks from Franklin's lost expedition. A smaller scale project is the Oral History Project which claims "Recording and documenting the traditional knowledge and history of Elders is a priority" and help retain the Inuit Language. [1]

Related Research Articles

Nunavik Proposed autonomous area in Quebec, Canada

Nunavik comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, part of the Nord-du-Québec region and nearly coterminous with Kativik. Covering a land area of 443,684.71 km2 (171,307.62 sq mi) north of the 55th parallel, it is the homeland of the Inuit of Quebec and part of the wider Inuit Nunangat. Almost all of the 13,181 inhabitants of the region, of whom 90% are Inuit, live in fourteen northern villages on the coast of Nunavik and in the Cree reserved land (TC) of Whapmagoostui, near the northern village of Kuujjuarapik.

Indigenous peoples in Canada Indigenous peoples within the boundaries of Canada

In Canada, indigenous groups comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Although Indian is a term still commonly used in legal documents, the descriptors Indian and Eskimo have fallen into disuse in Canada, and most consider them to be pejorative. Aboriginal peoples as a collective noun is a specific term of art used in some legal documents, including the Constitution Act, 1982, though in most Indigenous circles Aboriginal has also fallen into disfavour.

Paul Okalik Canadian politician

Paul Okalik is a Canadian politician. He is the first Inuk to have been called to the Nunavut Bar. He was also the first premier of Nunavut.

Flag of Nunavut Civil and state flag of the territory of Nunavut in Canada

The official flag of Nunavut was proclaimed on 1 April 1999, along with the territory of Nunavut in Canada. It features a red inuksuk—a traditional Inuit land marker—and a blue star, which represents the Niqirtsuituq, the North Star, and the leadership of elders in the community. The colours blue and yellow represent the riches of the land, sea and sky. It was adopted following a process where input was sought from local communities and submissions were solicited from the Canadian public.

Inuinnaqtun Indigenous Inuit language of Canada

Inuinnaqtun, is an indigenous Inuit language. It is spoken in the central Canadian Arctic. It is related very closely to Inuktitut, and some scholars, such as Richard Condon, believe that Inuinnaqtun is more appropriately classified as a dialect of Inuktitut. The government of Nunavut recognises Inuinnaqtun as an official language in addition to Inuktitut, and together, they are sometimes referred to as Inuktut. It is also spoken in the Northwest Territories and is also recognised as an official language in addition to Inuvialuktun and Inuktitut.

Piita Taqtu Irniq, formerly Peter Irniq, is an Inuk politician in Canada, who served as the second commissioner of Nunavut from April 2000 to April 2005.

Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada Department of the government of Canada

CrownIndigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada is the department of the Government of Canada responsible for Canada's northern lands and territories, and one of two departments with responsibility for policies relating to Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Canadian Inuit political organization

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, previously known as the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, is a nonprofit organization in Canada that represents over 65,000 Inuit across Inuit Nunangat and the rest of Canada. Their mission is to "serve as a national voice protecting and advancing the rights and interests of Inuit in Canada."

Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated is the legal representative of the Inuit of Nunavut for the purposes of native treaty rights and treaty negotiation. The presidents of NTI, Makivik Corporation, Nunatsiavut, and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the four regional land claims organizations, govern the national body, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) as its board of directors. NTI continues to play a central role in Nunavut, even after the creation of the Government of Nunavut. As the successor of the Tunngavik Federation of Nunavut, which was a signatory of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement on behalf of Inuit, NTI is responsible for ensuring that the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement is implemented fully by the Government of Canada and the Government of Nunavut and that all parties fulfill their obligations.

Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit is an Inuktitut phrase that is often translated as "Inuit traditional knowledge", "Inuit traditional institutions" or even "Inuit traditional technology". It is often abbreviated as "IQ". It comes from the verb root "qaujima-" meaning "to know" and could be literally translated as "that which has long been known by Inuit".

Tagak Curley is an Inuit leader, politician and businessman from Nunavut. As a prominent figure in the negotiations that led to the creation of Nunavut, Tagak is considered a living father of confederation in Canada. He was born in a hunting camp at Coral Harbour, Northwest Territories.

History of Nunavut Aspect of history

The history of Nunavut covers the period from the arrival of the Paleo-Eskimo thousands of years ago to present day. Prior to the colonization of the continent by Europeans, the lands encompassing present-day Nunavut were inhabited by several historical cultural groups, including the Pre-Dorset, the Dorsets, the Thule and their descendants, the Inuit.

Nunavut Territory of Canada

Nunavut is the largest and northernmost 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, which provided this territory to the Inuit for independent government. The boundaries had been drawn in 1993. The creation of Nunavut resulted in the first major change to Canada's political map in half a century since the province of Newfoundland was admitted in 1949.

Isuma Production company

Isuma is an artist collective and Canada's first Inuit-owned (75%) production company, co-founded by Zacharias Kunuk, Paul Apak Angilirq and Norman Cohn in Igloolik, Nunavut in 1990. Known internationally for its award-winning film, Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, the first feature film ever to be written, directed and acted entirely in the Inuktitut language, Isuma was selected to represent Canada at the 2019 Venice Biennale where they screened the film One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk, the first presentation of art by Inuit in the Canada Pavilion.

The Inuit Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) is a television production company based in Nunavut. Its programming is targeted at the Inuit population of Nunavut and almost all of its programs are broadcast in Inuktitut. Select programs are also broadcast in English. In contrast with traditional commercial television broadcasting companies, IBC shows centre on Inuit culture. The company has five production centres in various places in Nunavut, all staffed by Inuit. Founded in the early 1980s, the IBC was the first Native language television network in North America.

Inuit Group of peoples of Arctic North America

Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland (Denmark), Canada, and Alaska. The Inuit languages are part of the Eskimo–Aleut languages also known as Inuit-Yupik-Unangan and also as Eskaleut. Inuit Sign Language is a critically endangered language isolate used in Nunavut.

Inuit culture Culture of the Inuit in the Arctic and Subarctic region

The Inuit are an indigenous people of the Arctic and subarctic regions of North America. The ancestors of the present-day Inuit are culturally related to Iñupiat, and Yupik, and the Aleut who live in the Aleutian Islands of Siberia and Alaska. The term culture of the Inuit, therefore, refers primarily to these areas; however, parallels to other Eskimo groups can also be drawn.

The following is an alphabetical list of topics related to Indigenous peoples in Canada, comprising the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

Inuit Nunangat Inuit regions of Canada

For Inuvialuit Nunangat, see Inuvialuit Settlement Region

Unikkausivut: Sharing Our Stories is a 2011, two-volume DVD boxset, website and educational resource from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), bringing together films by and about the Inuit of Canada. The collection traces the development of filmmaking in Northern Canada, from the ethnographic films by NFB filmmakers in the 1940s, to contemporary work by Elisapie Isaac and other Inuit filmmakers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Facts About Nunavut". Government of Nunavut. Archived from the original on 2012-04-03. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
  2. "Culture, Language, Elders and Youth". Government of Nunavut. Archived from the original on 2011-12-22. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
  3. "About NTI" . Retrieved 2012-04-01.