Indigenous Happy Valley-Goose Bay: Innu and Inuit Lands, Nations and Community
An introduction to Happy Valley-Goose Bay: its history, the Nations whose lands it sits on, and Indigenous community life today, with sources.
About Happy Valley-Goose Bay
Happy Valley-Goose Bay lies at the western end of Hamilton Inlet in central Labrador, on the traditional territory of the Innu and the NunatuKavut Inuit. The town grew around an air base that Canada and the United States began building in 1941; it became permanent after the Second World War and was strategically important during the Cold War. The two communities of Happy Valley and Goose Bay were joined in 1973. Today 5 Wing Goose Bay supports Canadian Armed Forces and NORAD operations and training, and the town is a service centre for the region. Nearly half of residents identify as Inuit, Métis or First Nations. About 32 km away, Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation sits beside North West River, where Grand Lake drains into Lake Melville; its people speak Innu-aimun, an Algonquian language, and value nutshimit, time spent on the land.
Happy Valley-Goose Bay history
Long before any runway, this was Innu and Inuit country. The NunatuKavut Community Council describes its homeland as the southern coast and central interior of Labrador. It is a land of coastlines, barrens, sheltered bays and inland forest, where each feature carries stories passed down through generations. Canada and the United States chose Goose Bay for an air base in 1941. It would serve as a transatlantic stopover and strengthen North Atlantic defence. Workers first camped at Otter Creek. Officials judged that site too close to fuel storage, so the camp moved to what became Happy Valley. By 1943 the airport was the largest in the Western Hemisphere, with 3,000 workers and 5,000 military personnel. From 1957 until the early 1970s, the United States Air Force ran the base under a lease from Canada. Low-level military flights became one of the Innu Nation's concerns. The Innu Nation has long pressed to settle its land claims. It also seeks protection from forestry, hydroelectric dams, roads, mines and low-level military flights. The Innu of Labrador gained federal recognition as Status Indians in 2002. That same year about 680 people moved from Davis Inlet to the new community of Natuashish. In 2019 Canada signed a memorandum of understanding recognizing NunatuKavut as a rights-holding Indigenous people.
Treaty and territory
Happy Valley-Goose Bay is in central Labrador, on the lands of the Innu and the Labrador Inuit, and near the Innu community of Sheshatshiu.
Nearby: Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation · North West River · Mud Lake
Indigenous Happy Valley-Goose Bay today
The NunatuKavut Community Council represents about 6,000 Inuit across south and central Labrador. It says NunatuKavut means Our Ancient Land in Inuttitut. The council divides its territory into six governing areas. Happy Valley-Goose Bay falls in Area 5, Central and Northern Labrador. The Innu Nation represents about 3,200 Innu, most of them in Sheshatshiu and Natuashish. It speaks with one voice for Innu rights and manages the Nation's political and business affairs. It also continues land claim and self-government negotiations with both levels of government. Memorial University's Labrador Campus, on Hamilton River Road, is the university's newest location. It focuses on place-based, Northern-focused and Indigenous-led education and research. Programs include a Diploma in Northern Peoples, Lands, and Resources, nursing and graduate degrees in Arctic and Subarctic Futures. The School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies and the Pye Centre for Northern Boreal Food Systems are based there. Them Days magazine and archives documents and preserves Labrador history and culture. Its quarterly magazine has reached Volume 49. It also runs guided tours and community projects such as the Height of Land Challenge.
Life in Happy Valley-Goose Bay
Happy Valley-Goose Bay counted 8,109 people in 2016, up from 7,552 in 2011. It remains a hub for central Labrador's services, research and travel. The town is the gateway to Akami-Uapishkᵁ-KakKasuak-Mealy Mountains National Park Reserve, run by Parks Canada from an office in town. At 10,700 square kilometres, it is the largest national park in eastern Canada. Parks Canada manages it with the Innu and Inuit of Labrador. Its name joins an Innu word meaning White Mountains across with KakKasuak, a Labrador Inuit word for mountain. The Mealy Mountains rise 1,180 metres above Lake Melville. The park protects a key example of the East Coast Boreal Natural Region, including the Wunderstrand beach. There are no established hiking routes, so visitors plan trips with Parks Canada first. Memorial's Pye Centre for Northern Boreal Food Systems adds food research to the town's mix.
Happy Valley-Goose Bay seasons and weather
Central Labrador winters are long, very cold and snowy, while summers are short and mild with plenty of insects. Warm layers, a heavy hoodie and a toque suit most of the year.
More on the region: Indigenous Newfoundland and Labrador · all of Canada.
Keep learning in the XUSI Journal
- First Nations, Métis and Inuit: What’s the Difference?
- How to Write a Land Acknowledgement That Means Something
- Orange Shirt Day & the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- National Indigenous Peoples Day and History Month: A Guide
- All Journal articles
Happy Valley-Goose Bay questions
Can you ship to Happy Valley-Goose Bay in Labrador?
Orders ship from Saskatoon and usually leave within 1–3 business days. The shipping cost for your Labrador address is calculated at checkout, and orders of $90 or more ship free within Canada.
Could our Labrador school order printed hoodies for a team?
Yes. Custom screen printing starts at 10 garments, with up to 4 colours per design, and every order is quoted before printing. Design help is included, and the order is printed in Saskatoon and shipped to you.
Could a NunatuKavut or Innu organization in Happy Valley-Goose Bay order custom shirts?
Yes. Custom screen printing starts at 10 garments, with up to 4 colours per design, and every order is quoted before printing. Design help is included, and we can lay out Inuttitut or Innu-aimun wording you provide. Orders are printed in Saskatoon and shipped to Labrador.
XUSI designs use Cree words. Do they fit Innu and Inuit country?
Many of our designs carry a Cree word and its story, shared on our meanings page, because we are based in Saskatoon on Treaty 6 territory. Central Labrador is Innu and Inuit land with its own languages. For local wording, a custom order in your community's words is the respectful choice.
Last reviewed . Facts on this page come from the sources listed below.
Indigenous clothing from XUSI
XUSI reaches central Labrador too. The Saskatoon-based, Indigenous-owned brand ships its hoodies, tees and hats to customers in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, so gear designed on the Prairies can keep you warm beside Lake Melville.
Life in central Labrador swings from deep snow to a short, bright summer on Lake Melville. We see a heavy hoodie as the base layer for most of the year, under a parka for winter trips on the land. On a summer trip toward the Mealy Mountains, the Black Oni long sleeve covers your arms from sun and bugs. A heavyweight 100% cotton tee works for warm July days in town. Memorial's Labrador Campus students might pick the Revitalize Culture crewneck, which carries a Cree word and story. An A-frame snapback handles the glare off the water.
