Ekalluk River

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Ekalluk River
Canada Nunavut location map-lambert proj3.svg
Red pog.svg
Canada relief map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Location
Country Canada
Physical characteristics
Source 
  location Tahiryuaq
  coordinates 69°24′N106°18′W / 69.400°N 106.300°W / 69.400; -106.300 (Ekalluk River) [1]
Mouth  
  location
Wellington Bay
Albert Edward Bay
  elevation
Sea level

The Ekalluk River [1] (variations: Ekalluktok, Ekaluktuuk, Ekaluk) is a river in the Kitikmeot Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in central through southeastern Victoria Island. Its source is Tahiryuaq (Ferguson Lake); it flows west to Wellington Bay and east to Albert Edward Bay. Nearby lakes include Keyhole Lake, Kitigaq, and Surrey Lake. [2] The closest community is Cambridge Bay.

Contents

The people of the Ekalluk River area are called Ekalluktogmiut, a geographically defined Copper Inuit subgroup.

Iqaluktuuq

"There is a huge Arctic char run in the (Iqaluktuuq) river in August, and in fall, large caribou herds migrate southward across this river. Because of these resources, everyone who has ever lived there has been drawn to this one tiny area like a magnet. There is nothing like it for hundreds of kilometres." (Max Friesen, University of Toronto archaeologist, 2005)

[3]

The short span of the Ekalluk River that flows west from Tahiryuaq into eastern Wellington Bay is named Iqaluktuuq (Inuinnaqtun, meaning 'place of big fish'). [4] Having been inhabited for the last 4,000 years by Tuniit and Inuit, it is an important Nunavut archaeological area. The Iqaluktuuq is a source of char-fishing and caribou-hunting for local residents. [5]

The people of Iqaluktuuq are called Iqaluktuurmiut.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ekalluk River". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
  2. "Ekalluk River". travelingluck.com.
  3. Fraumeni, Paul (Winter 2005). "Max Friesen: Unearthing 4,000 years of Arctic history". Edge Magazine. 6 (1).
  4. "Iqaluktuuq – A Place of many Fish". nald.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06.
  5. Friesen, Max. "Iqaluktuuq Archaeology Project". kitikmeotheritage.ca. Archived from the original on 2009-02-14.