Arctic Timeline
*Note: This timeline is a brief overview of events that occurred in the history of the eastern arctic and is by no means exhaustive.
1860 ᓯᑳᑎᔅ, ᐊᒥᐊᓕᒃᑲᑦ ᐊᕐᕕᕐᓂᐊᖅᑎᖏᑦ
1890 ᐃᑦᒪᓐ ᐱᒃ, ᐃᓄᒃᑐᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᓯᖅ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑐᖅ
1911 ᓂᐅᕕᖅᑎᑦ ᐅᒃᑯᐃᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑎᕆᒐᓂᐊᖅᓯᐅᕐᓂᖅ
1912 ᐊᕐᕕᕐᓂᐊᕐᓂᖅ ᓄᖃᖅᑐᖅ ᓄᖑᒃᒪᑕ ᕿᓇᓗᒃᑲᑦ, ᐃᑰᑕᖅᑐᑦ ᓄᓇᒥᒃ ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓕ ᓇᒡᕚᖅᑐᑦ ᐅᖅᓯᖅᑎᕈᒃᒥᑦ
1918 ᐅᖓᑕᕐᔪᐊᕐᓂᖅ ᐃᓱᓕᒃᑐᖅ
1919 ᐹᓪᓕᕐᒥᐅᑦ ᐱᕐᓛᕐᔪᑦ
1924 ᐊᕐᕕᐊᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑐᖅ
1925 ᖃᒪᓂᑦᔪᐊᖅ
1929 ᐃᒃᓯᕋᕐᔪᐊᒃᓈᖅ ᑖᓄᑦ ᒫᕐᔅ
1930 ᐊᒃᖢᒐᔮᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅ, ᑎᕆᒐᓂᐊᕋᓗᐃᑦ ᐊᑭᓖᑦ $ 25.00
1933 ᕕᓂᕗᕆᑦ ᒫᕐᔅ ᑎᑭᒃᑐᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑎᒡᓕᒃᑎᐅᓂᕋᐃᔪᖅ ᐹᓪᓕᕐᒥᐅᓂ ᑎᑎᖃᑎᒍᑦ
———————————- 1860ᒥᑦ 1933ᒧᑦ ᐆᒪᔪᓕᕆᔨᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑐᑦ ——————————-
ᑕᐃᔭᐅᔪᖅ Arctic Island Game Reserves
1935ᐃᖃᖅᑐᐃᒡᕕᒃ ᖁᒃᑎᓛᑦ, ᒐᕙᒪᑐᖃᒃᑯᓪᓗ ᑯᐸᐃᒃ ᒐᕙᒪᖓᓪᓗ
ᐊᐱᖅᓱᖅᑐᑦ ᓇᓕᐊᒃ ᐃᓄᖕᓂᒃ ᑭᕝᒐᖅᑐᐃᒃᒪᖔᕐᒦᒃ. ᒐᕙᒪᑐᖃᒃᑯᑦ
ᑭᕝᒐᖅᑐᐃᔪᑦ ᐃᓄᖕᓂᒃ
1939 ᑎᖕᒥᓲᖃᓕᖅᑐᖅ
1940 ᐅᖓᑕᕐᔪᐊᕐᓇᖅ ᑐᒡᓕᐊ
1942ᐊᔪᕿᖅᑐᐃᔨᓪᓗ ᐃᒃᓯᕋᕐᔪᐃᓪᓗ ᐃᓄᖃᒡᖒᒃᑐᒃ
1945 ᐅᖓᑕᕐᔪᐊᒐᓂᒃᑐᑦ, ᓄᑕᖃᓅᖅᑕᓕᖅᑐᑦ $5.00 ᐊᑕᐅᓯᖅ ᓄᑕᕋᖅ,
ᐳᑭᖅᑕᓖᑦ ᐃᓄᖕᓂᒃ ᓈᓴᐃᔪᑦ ᑕᒪᐃᒃᓂᒃ, ᕿᔫᑎᑦ ᐊᑐᓕᖅᑐᑦ ᓂᐅᕕᖅᑎᓂ
ᓂᐅᕕᕌᖓᒥᒃ ᐃᒻᒧᒃ, ᐹᑉᓗᒻ, ᐃᐳᐃᒃᑐᑦ ᓂᕿᑦ, ᐊᒡᒋᒃᓴᑦ ᐊᓯᖏᓪᓗ
1946 ᐅᖓᑕᖅᑐᒃᓴᑦ ᐊᒥᐊᓕᒃᑲᒥ
1947 ᒡᓖᓴᓐ ᓕᑦᔮᕐᑦ ᐊᒥᐊᓕᒃᑲᓂᒃ ᐊᔪᕿᖅᑐᐃᔨᑦᔪᐊᖅ ᑎᑭᒃᑐᖅ ᐅᓱᒐᓇᕐᓈᓄᑦ
ᕚᕐᓕ ᒨᕙᑦ, ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᖅᑎ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᑎᒍᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᕐᓂᓕᒃ ᑐᒃᑐᓂᒡᓗ ᐊᒪᑦᖁᓂᒡᓗ ᐊᐅᔭᖅ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᖅ
ᐅᒥᖕᒪᓕᕆᔪᑦ, ᑰᒡᔪᐊᕐᒥᑦ ᖃᒪᓂᑦᔪᐊᕐᒧᑦ ᓂᐅᕕᕆᐊᖅᑕᖅᑐᑦ, ᐆᒃᑐᕋᖅᑐᑦ ᐱᖁᑎᓂᒡᓗ ᐊᑦᓄᕌᓂᒡᓗ
1949 $3.50 ᓄᐃᓚᒃᓴᕋᓗᐃᑦ, ᑳᒡᔪᐊᖅᑐᑦ, ᑕᑯᓗᒋᑦ ᕆᑦᓱᕐᑦ ᕼᐃᕆᖕᑕᓐ
ᐊᑦᔨᖁᑕᐃ
1950ᑳᒡᔪᐊᖅᑐᓱᓕ
1952 ᑎᑯᕐᑎᐅᓪ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕆᐊᕐᓂᖅ ᐃᒡᓗᓕᒑᕐᔪᖕᒥᑦ, ᑭᑑᓚᐅᖅᐸᑦ
ᓕᑦᔮᕐᑦ, ᕗᕆᑦᓚᓐᑦ, ᐊᔪᕿᖅᑐᐃᔨᑦ, ᒥᑭᓛᖅ
1953
$13.00 ᑎᕆᒐᓂᐊᑦ
1. ᐊᑦᓄᕌᕌᕐᔪᒃᓯᒪᓂᖅ 2. ᐊᑭᑦᖃᑦ 3. ᓄᕕᖅᓵᑦ
ᐳᕙᓪᓗᐊᔭᖅᑐᑦ
1955ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥ ᐅᔭᕋᒃᑕᕆᐊᖅᑐᑦ, ᕿᑭᖅᑕᕆᐊᒃᑐᖅ, ᓴᓐᓂᖓᔪᕐᔪᐊᖅ,
ᖃᖓᓂᑕᓕᕆᔨ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᖅᑐᖅ ᑕᕆᐅᑉ ᐊᑭᐊᓂᕐᒥᐅᑦ
1956ᑐᓴᕈᑎᑦ LIFE MAGAZINE “primitive” ᐃᒃᑕᕐᓂᑕᕐᔪᐊᒃᑎᐊᒥᐊᑦ,
ᐃᓚᒌᑦ ᐅᖓᑕᕐᔪᐊᖅᑐᑦ DEW LINE ᐊᑐᕆᐊᖅᑐᖅ
1957ᓴᓐᓂᖓᔪᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥᐅᑦ ᐱᕐᓛᔪᑦ, ᐃᓄᐊᕐᓂᖅ
1958ᓄᓇᓕᐊᓛᖑᖅᑐᖅ, ᐃᓕᖁᓯᖅ, ᐅᒃᐱᕐᓂᖅ, ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕆᐊᓕᖅᑐᑦ
1959ᐃᒡᓗᕐᔪᐃᑦ ᓄᒡᕗᕆᒃᑐᑦ
1960ᐃᒃᑭᑕᐅᓯᕖᑦ ᐃᒡᓗᕐᔪᐃᑦ
————————- 1952ᒥᑦ 1960ᒧᑦ ᐳᕙᓪᓗᐊᔭᕐᓂᖅ ᑲᔪᓯᔪᖅ —————————————
—————————- 1955ᒥᑦ 1965ᒧᑦ ᐊᕐᕕᐊᑦ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᔪᖅ —————————————
————— ᐳᑭᖅᑕᓖᑦ, ᐃᒃᓯᕋᕐᔪᐃᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕆᐊᖏᒃᐸᑕ ᓄᑕᖃᓅᓚᖏᒃᑐᑦ ———————
Arviat History – 1860-1988
Motives of Qallunaat
1. Profit
2. Avoid dependency
3. Sovereignty
1860’s– Scottish and American whalers
1890’s – Rev. Peck introduces syllabics
1911
- 1. Hudson’s Bay Company opens the first trading post (fox trade)
- 2. Game regulation starts
1912 – Whaling ends
1919
- 1. Spanish flu
- 2. Starvation at Padlei
1924 – Arviat is established as a settlement
1925 - Baker Lake is established as a settlement
1927 – Arctic Islands Game Preserve
1928
– 1. Closure of Arctic Bay trading post
- 2. Dr. Banting criticize Hudson’s Bay Company
1929 – Donald Marsh arrives in Arviat
This picture is from the Marsh collection
at the National Library and Archives of
Canada where the Nanisiniq: Arviat History
Project team will be visiting next summer.
This is the first Anglican Mission in
Eskimo Point (Arviat), built after Donald
Marsh arrived in 1929.
The tent in front is a caribou skin tent,
typical of tents occupied by Inuit during
the late spring, summer and early fall.
The poles are likely driftwood, although
there were regions of the interior
where there were small Black Spruce trees
that Inuit used for food and to build
items needed in their camps. Racks for
hanging pots over the kudlik were made
of wood, as were the komatiks (sleds)
used for travel over ice and snow.
1929-30
– 1. The Great Depression in the South
- 2. Trading posts reopen to provide work to Southern Canadians
1933 – Winifred Marsh joins her husband, Rev. Marsh, in Arviat
1939
– 1. The Supreme Court declares that Inuit are “Indians” and are therefore the responsibility of the federal government.
- 2. World War II
1945 – Family allowances
This picture shows what happened as
settlements and trading posts
grew in size. All fuel for settlements was
brought in by ship in 45 gallon drums.
Until a few years ago
when the federal government decided to
clean up the mess left behind
by thousands of fuel drums,
there were plenty of these drums
to be found in Inuit communities all over
Nunavut. Ship time was a big deal!
Inuit often helped unload, carry,
and in the case of fuel drums,
roll them from the beach to the Hudson’s
Bay Company or the RCMP station.
Until the arrival of nursing stations in
the late 1950s, the only buildings
‘in town’ were the HBC store and
manager’s house, the RCMP
station and the missions. This photo was
likely taken in the early to mid-1940s.
1946
– 1. Cold War. Military activity, particularly U.S.
- 2. Operation Muskox
1947 – Ledyard at Maguse River
1949
– 1. Price for fox pelt drops to $3.50
- 2. Starvation at Padlei
- 3. Farley Mowat in area
- 4. Hunting of caribou is restricted
- 5. Inuit children have to go to school
1952 – Foundation of Turquetil Hall residential school in Chesterfield Inlet
1953
– 1. Price of fox pelt rises a bit to $13
- 2. High Arctic relocation
1955 – Start of Northern Services Offices
1956
– 1. Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line
- 2. Muskox killings in Ikaluktutiak
1957 – Move to Henik Lake
1958
– 1. Starvation at Henik Lake and at Garry Lake
- 2. Trial of Kikkik
- 3. Move of Ihiarmuit to Arviat
1959
- 1. Nursing station
- 2. First houses (rigid frames)
1960 – Matchbox houses
1962-63
– 1. First snowmobiles
- 2. TB epidemic. Ill relocated to the South
– 1. Settlement council
- 2. Education committee
1971 – ITK formed
1975 - Inuit Land use and Occupancy study
1978 – Polar Gas Pipeline Inquiry
1979-80 – Land Claim withdrawn
1981- Constitution
1988 - Conferences
———————————————————————
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