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Parks Canada administers a program that recognizes
places of national historic importance. These sites and their associated
artefacts are preserved to promote an appreciation of historic places,
people and events and their contribution to the Canadian identity. There
are eleven national historic sites in Nunavut. Some are managed by the
territorial government, others are managed locally. The first designated
national historic sites in what is now Nunavut recognized European activities.
However, more recently, national historic sites have been designated to
recognize sites important in aboriginal history. Note that both status
and names of the sites are subject to change.
Historic sites commemorating European activities include the Frobisher
site, Beechey Island, and whaling stations on Kekerten and Blacklead Islands.
The Frobisher Site is on Kodlunarn Island in Frobisher
Bay (close to Iqaluit). This tiny island has the remains of Martin
Frobisher’s habitation and the smelting plant he operated
between 1576 and 1578.
Beechey Island, in Lancaster Sound, (close to Resolute),
was an important stopping point of the 1845 expedition of Sir John Franklin
in his quest for the Northwest Passage. This expedition is famous for
its disappearance; it is unknown where Franklin’s ships, the Terror
and Erebus sank but their sinking is commemorated on O’Reilly
Island, in Queen Maud Gulf close to King William Island
Kekerten Island Whaling Station, found within
the Kekerten Historic Park, was a heavily-used whaling station during
the 1850s and 1860s. Located in Cumberland Sound, 50 kilometres
from Pangnirtung, the island was used for this purpose soon after
it was charted by Scottish whaler, William Penny, in 1840. The whaling
industry made great use of Inuit knowledge of whales, the local
area, and methods of survival in the Arctic. A number of artefacts
remain as part of the whaling station including the foundation of
three storehouses built in 1857 by Scottish whalers, and large cast-iron
pots used for rendering whale oil.
A prominent historic site commemorating Inuit activities is Fall
Caribou Crossing on the Kazan River. Caribou have been essential
to inland Inuit, providing them the necessities of daily life and the
means to survive the long winter. When crossing the Kazan River at this
place, the caribou were vulnerable to hunters in qajaqs (kayaks) who caught
and lanced as many as possible. The Inuit cherished and cared for the
land and crossing areas in accordance with traditional beliefs and practices
to ensure the caribou returned each year during their southward migration.
To inland Inuit, the caribou were the essence of life, and all parts of
the animals were valuable for food, fuel, tools, clothing and shelter.
Arvia’juaq and Qikiqtaarjuk, found close to Arviat,
are sites where, for centuries, Inuit returned each spring to camp and
harvest the abundant marine resources. These gatherings also provided
an opportunity to teach the young, celebrate life, and to affirm and renew
Inuit society. Along with oral histories and traditional knowledge, archaeological
sites such as these provide a cultural and historical foundation for future
generations.
Other sites with prehistoric remains include Bloody Falls
near Kugluktuk where hunting and fishing sites were discovered; the Igloolik
Island archaeological sites which illustrate a sequence of 3000
years between 2000 BC and 1000 AD; Inuksuk at Enusko
Point, where there is an Inuit complex of hundreds of stone landmarks;
and Port Refuge, on Devon Island, which shows traces
of prehistoric occupations and trade with Norse colonies.
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