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Nunavut Communities

Pangnirtung

Pangnirtung, known by the local residents as Pangniqtuuq - The Place of Bull Caribou - is located on Baffin Island and is situated on a coastal plain at the coast of the magnificent Pangnirtung Fjord, a fjord which eventually merges with Cumberland Sound. The current population is about 1,325 residents. Pangnirtung has a long history of whaling in Cumberland Sound where commercial whaling started in 1820. In 1838 a Scottish whaler named William Penny along with an Inuk guide, Eenoolooapik, rediscovered Cumberland Sound.

The sound was rich in bowhead whales causing the Inuit way of life to change. By the late 1850's many Inuit left their camps to work at the whaling stations in Blackhead Island on the southern coast and to Kekerten Island on the northern coast. In the mid 1860's Cumberland Sound was showing signs of being "fished out". By 1870 Blackhead Island was in ruins and hardly any ships came to hunt whales so the Inuit returned to life in camps scattered throughout Cumberland Sound. In 1921, the Hudson Bay Company built a trading post in Pangnirtung which began to attract Inuit. Two years later the Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment was built. In 1929 St. Luke's Mission Hospital was established. The first government appointed teacher arrived in 1956. The year 1962 saw many of the Inuit living in Cumberland Sound move to Pangnirtung when a distemper epidemic killed most of their dogs. The federal government established its first administrative office that year as well.

The Land and Wildlife

The beauty of Pangnirtung is in its backdrop, the mountains of Cumberland Peninsula, where some peaks reach 2,200 meters.The central part of the peninsula is dominated by the massive Penny Ice Cap, from which many glaciers flow into the sea. Large numers of beluga whales may be seen in the summer at their calving grounds near the head of the sound; walruses can be seen in the sound and occasionally, so can bowhead whales. Ringed seals are found throughout the sound and the fiord.

Pangnirtung is the nearest community to Auyuittuq National Park - one hour by boat - where outdoor enthusiasts can hike, climb and ski. The Angmarlik Visitors Center features displays interpreting Thule culture and staff there can help arrange trips in the area. The Parks Canada Interpretive Center holds the Parks Canada office and houses displays and exhibits to describe the varied nature of Auyuittuq National Park. For those not ready for the challenge of hiking in Auyuiituq National Park there are several good hiking trails that start just outside Pangnirtung. The Ukuma Trail skirts the Duval River and heads towards Kingnait Fiord, which parallels Pangnirtung Fiord over the mountins behind the community. You can also spend a day climbing Mount Duval.

In the summer, longtime outfitting service, Alivaktuk Outfitting Services owned and operated by Joavee Alivaktuk, can provide boat tours to Auyuittuq National Park and Kekerten Historic Park.

The Uqqurmiut Centre for Arts & Crafts

Established since 1991, the Uqqurmiut Centre serves the entire arts and crafts community of Pangnirtung - carvers, graphic artists, printmakers, tapestry weavers and craftspeople. The center houses the facilities and equipment for the Pangnirtung Print Shop, the Pangnirtung Tapestry Studio, a retail Craft Gallery, and provides space for administration and board activities. The three buildings that comprise the Uqqurmiut Centre represent a significant presence for Inuit in the arts-and-crafts economy of Nunavut, while providing the community of Pangnirtung with a major share in one of the most important economic activities on Baffin Island.

The Uqqurmiut Centre supports the Uqqurmiut (the people of the leeside) in their mission to promote and preserve their local culture, and to foster the continued development of the artistic heritage of their community. In this way, the presence of Uqqurmiut Centre helps to preserve the fragile artistic record of the culture and traditions of the Inuit of the Cumberland Sound region.

For more information on the Uqqurmiut Centre for Arts & Crafts go to: www.uqqurmiut.com

Getting There

Pangnirtung is served daily by two airlines, First Air and Kenn Borek Air, both based in Iqaluit.