Inuvialuit

The Inuvialuit (in Inuvialuktun: the real people) are Inuit people who live in the western Canadian Arctic region. They are descendants of the Thule people, other descendants who inhabit Russia. Their homeland - the Inuvialuit Settlement Region - covers the Arctic Ocean coastline area from the Alaskan border east to Amundsen Gulf and includes the western Canadian Arctic Islands. The land, which largely belongs to the Canadian Northwest Territories, was demarked in 1984 by the Inuvialuit Final Agreement.

Communities

Inuvialuit communities^[1]
Community	English translation	2006 population	Inuvaluit	First Nations	Métis	Other Aboriginal	non-Aboriginal
Aklavik	"barren-ground grizzly place"	594	375	140	35	25	50
Inuvik	"place of man"	3,484	1,050	440	140	60	1,165
Paulatuk	"place of coal"	294	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Sachs Harbour	traditionally called Ikahuak, meaning "where you go across to"	122	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Tuktoyaktuk	"resembling a caribou"; formerly known as Port Brabant	870	840	20	0	10	55
Ulukhaktok	"a large bluff where we used to collect raw material to make ulus", formerly known as Holman	398	375	0	0	0	20

The area of the land is Template:Km2 to mi2. Some of these communities are shared with the Gwich’in people.

History/Migration

Before the 20th century. the Inuvialuit Settlement Region was primarily inhabited by Siglit Inuit, but in the second half of the 19th century, their numbers were dramatically reduced by the introduction of new diseases. Nunatamiut, Alaskan Inuit, moved into traditionally Siglit areas in the 1910s and 20s, enticed in part by renewed demand for furs from the Hudson's Bay Company. The Nunatamiut who settled in the Siglit area became known as Uummarmiut. Originally, there was an intense dislike between the Siglit and the Uummarmiut, but these differences faded over the years, and the two aboriginal peoples intermarried. With improved healthcare and Nunatamiut intermarriage, the Inuvialuit now number approximately 3,000.^[2]

The Inuvialuit Settlement Region Traditional Knowledge Report of 2006 identified additional naming characteristics. Western Inuvialuit are called Ualinirmiut by eastern Inuvialuit. Eastern Inuvialuit are called Kivaninmiut by western Inuvialuit. Ualiniq are western Inuvialuit. Kivaliniq are eastern Inuvialuit.^[3]

The Inuit of Ulukhaktok are neither Siglit nor Uummarmiut but are Copper Inuit and refer to themselves as Ulukhaktokmuit after Ulukhaktok, the native name for what used to be called Holman.

Culture

Year-round, Inuvialuit hunt caribou from the Cape Bathurst and Bluenose herds, and havealso shared the Porcupine herd with the Gwich’in. There has been some tension between the Inuvialuit and the Gwich’in over caribou hunting.^[4] Other activities are sesasonal:^[5]

Spring: fishing, geese hunting, grizzly hunting
Summer: whaling, fishing, gathering berries, roots and medicinal plants
Autumn: fishing, sealing, geese hunting, and plant gathering
Winter: fishing, sealing, polar bear hunting

The proposed Mackenzie Valley Pipeline would pass through both Inuvialuit and Gwich'in territory.

Traditional games include:^[6]

akimuq: high kick game
ayahaaq: string game
iglukisaaq: juggling rocks
mak: played by trying to make a person laugh
napaatchak: darts; played with a wooden handle and sharp nail

References

^ Population from the Canada 2006 Census, all other figures from the Canada 2001 Census, Aklavik, Inuvik, Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, Tuktoyaktuk and Ulukhaktok.
^ "The People of the Boreal Forest". albertasource.ca. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
^ "Inuvialuit Settlement Region Traditional Knowledge Report" (PDF). ngps.nt.ca. August 2006. p. 45. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
^ Gwich'in step up measures to protect Porcupine herd, retrieved 2007-07-23
^ Inuvialuit Settlement Report (2006), p. 62
^ Inuvialuit Settlement Report (2006), p. 60

External links

History of the Inuvialuit
Inuvialuit Development Corporation
Morrison, David. "Retracing an Archaeological Expedition. The Inuvialuit". Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation.