Indigenous Arviat: Nunavut Agreement, Nations and Community

About Arviat

Arviat had 2,864 residents in the 2021 census, up from 2,657 in 2016. The hamlet sits on the western shore of Hudson Bay, about 200 kilometres north of Churchill, Manitoba. It is the southernmost community on the Nunavut mainland. The hamlet describes itself as Nunavut's second-largest community. Its name comes from arviq, the bowhead whale, and means place of the bowhead whale. The community was known as Eskimo Point until June 1, 1989. It became a hamlet in 1977. In 2021, more than 95 per cent of residents were Indigenous. The land around town is rolling tundra dotted with lakes and ponds. Calm Air and Canadian North provide air service.

Arviat history

The Paallirmiut, a Caribou Inuit group, are the original people of this coast. By the mid-1800s, they were known as skilled traders and middlemen. They brought furs and ivory from the north. They hunted seal, whale and walrus along the coast. They also traded with Hudson's Bay Company ships at Eskimo Point, which appeared on maps as early as 1738. A trading post opened here in 1921. A Roman Catholic church followed in 1924, and an Anglican mission in 1926. The RCMP arrived permanently in 1937. Shifts in caribou migration and weak fur prices brought hardship. In the 1940s, famine struck alongside tuberculosis and diphtheria. The federal government relocated Inuit from other areas, many against their will. Some later returned to their ancestral lands for part of each year. In 1957, the RCMP moved the last remaining Ihalmiut here after starvation. A federal school opened in 1959, which encouraged year-round settlement. The Alliance mission also moved its school here from the mouth of the Maguse River. Eskimo Point became a hamlet in 1977. It took the name Arviat in 1989. The Nunavut Agreement followed in 1993, and Nunavut became a territory in 1999.

Treaty and territory

Arviat is Inuit homeland in Nunavut’s Kivalliq Region, where the Paallirmiut were the original inhabitants. It is covered by the Nunavut Agreement, signed in Iqaluit on May 25, 1993.

Nearby: Whale Cove · Rankin Inlet · Churchill, Manitoba · Maguse River · Hudson Bay

Indigenous Arviat today

Inuit make up the great majority of Arviat's population. The community is known for traditional arts. The hamlet says many Arviatmiut are carvers of stone and bone, seamstresses, designers, visual artists and beaders. Kiluk Ltd., known as Ivalu, is a local craft shop and sewing centre. Work from Arviat has reached the National Gallery of Canada. The Aqqiumavvik Society has run wellness programming here since 2011. Its work includes a Young Hunters Program, climate change monitoring and maternal wellness support. It also runs youth media projects, cooking and culture programs, and the Donald Suluk Library. The Kivalliq Inuit Association serves Arviat and six other Kivalliq communities from Rankin Inlet. It offers post-secondary scholarships, a Traditional Artisan Support Fund and language camps. Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated works to make sure Nunavut Agreement promises are kept. Music runs deep here. Singer Susan Aglukark is from Arviat. A 2017 CBC documentary, Dancing Towards the Light, followed the community's annual dance competition.

Life in Arviat

Arviat is known for its wildlife. Polar bears, beluga whales, caribou and millions of migratory birds are often seen near town. Hunting, fishing and life on the land remain part of everyday life. The hamlet calls itself an emerging hub for mine training and regional jobs. Local and territorial governments are major employers. Arviat is also a dog sledding community. In 2004, the Hudson Bay Quest sled dog race ran from Churchill to Arviat for the first time. The community has a strong music scene. Beyond Susan Aglukark, it produced Simon Sigyariaq, called the Johnny Cash of the North. Local bands include Uniaqtuq, Arviat Band and Irksuk. Arts and crafts from Arviat sell through galleries in Winnipeg, Iqaluit, Ottawa and beyond.

Arviat seasons and weather

Arviat's January averages −28.2°C, and July averages 11.2°C. The record low is −48.3°C. The hamlet gets about 81 centimetres of snow a year. Cold lasts most of the year here, so dressing means layering under a parka for months. Even in July, a warm layer stays close at hand on the Hudson Bay coast.

More on the region: Indigenous Nunavut · all of Canada.

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Arviat questions