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This map illustrates the six major aboriginal cultural
areas of Canada. Notice that the Nunavut boundary closely reflects
that of the cultural zone of the people of the Eastern Arctic. The Inuit
also live in the northern regions of the Northwest Territories, northern
Quebec and Labrador. The spoken language, Inuktitut, is limited to Nordic
regions, while the other native cultural areas of Canada are much more
heterogeneous.
The Arctic, characterized by its cold environment and scarce resources,
has produced a highly specialized culture which was centred primarily
on the hunt for seals and other marine mammals in coastal regions and
caribou in inland areas west of Hudson Bay. Small, widely dispersed bands
of hunters have traditionally followed seasonal migration patterns in
search of these prey.
During the twentieth century, the Inuit have settled in small communities.
The communities of Nunavut are scattered along the coasts of Hudson Bay
and Baffin Island and on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Zoom in to locate
the Nunavut communities.
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