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Indigenous-owned · Saskatoon, Treaty 6 · Shipping across Canada
An introduction to Iqaluit: its history, the Nations whose lands it sits on, and Indigenous community life today, with sources.
The name is Inuktitut for many fish, and residents chose it in 1987 to replace the former name, Frobisher Bay. Inuktitut, English and French are all heard in daily life. The main campus of Nunavut Arctic College is here, and the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum shares Inuit art and culture. For centuries, Inuit lived in small nomadic groups around Frobisher Bay. They relied on caribou, fish, seal, walrus and whales. In the 1950s, the government built Apex, five kilometres east, as a model village for Inuit. The deal recognized 318,084 square kilometres of Inuit-owned land with surface rights. The name means place of many fish in Inuktitut, and it points to the fishing grounds at the mouth of the Sylvia Grinnell River. Inuit hunted and fished around Frobisher Bay long before commercial whalers arrived in the 1800s and the fur trade followed in the early 1900s. In 1942 the United States Air Force chose Koojesse Inlet for an airbase, the airstrip opened in 1943, and the Hudson’s Bay Company moved its post to follow the families who settled nearby. The community carried the name Frobisher Bay from 1955 until 1987. It was chosen as capital of Nunavut in December 1995, the territory came into being on April 1, 1999, and Iqaluit was incorporated as a city on April 19, 2001.
Iqaluit is the capital of Nunavut, in Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit homeland. Most residents are Inuit.
Nearby: Apex · Kimmirut · Pangnirtung
In the 2021 census, Iqaluit had 7,429 residents, and 52.1 per cent identified as Inuit. The Qikiqtani Inuit Association has its main office here. It is the Regional Inuit Association for the Qikiqtani Region and represents 51 per cent of Inuit in Nunavut. Thirteen community directors, each elected by Inuit in their own community, sit on its board. QIA’s social policy work includes youth programs and the Qikiqtani Truth Commission. Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated makes sure the promises of the Nunavut Agreement are carried out. It also coordinates Inuit responsibilities under the agreement. Arts are central to city life. The Alianait Arts Festival, produced by Iqaluit’s Alianait Entertainment Group, runs from late June into early July. It brings together performing and visual artists from Nunavut and around the world. Its 2025 lineup promised Inuit excellence from across Inuit Nunangat. The Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre celebrates Nunavut’s lands, people and history. It shows Inuit films and rents bicycles to visitors.
More on the region: Indigenous Nunavut · all of Canada.
XUSI is an Indigenous-owned business from Saskatoon, started in 2020 by two brothers from northern Saskatchewan. Along with our clothing, we bring Indigenous youth workshops and custom screen printing to Iqaluit and across Nunavut.
Strong Roots Strong Future is our interactive workshop for Indigenous youth, led by the two brothers who founded XUSI. We travel to schools, First Nations and Indigenous communities, youth organizations and funding programs in Iqaluit and across Nunavut. Youth ages 10 and up work through identity and culture, financial literacy, fitness, entrepreneurship and business skills, career readiness and hands-on screen printing.
Custom t-shirts, hoodies and crewnecks for Iqaluit schools, sports teams, businesses, events and First Nations and Indigenous organizations. Send us an idea, get free design help and a full quote before anything is printed. We print in Saskatoon and ship to Iqaluit. 10-garment minimum, up to 4 colours per design.
Heavyweight cotton tees, hoodies, crewnecks and A-frame hats with Cree words and the stories behind them. Fitness is part of how XUSI started, so our pieces are built for the gym and the street, and we ship them to Iqaluit.
Orders ship from Saskatoon and usually leave within 1–3 business days. The shipping cost to Iqaluit is calculated at checkout, and orders of $90 or more ship free within Canada.
Returns can be requested within 30 days of your order.
Yes. Our custom screen printing works for festivals, teams and community groups, with a 10-garment minimum and up to 4 colours per design. Every order gets a full quote before anything is printed, and design help is included. We print in Saskatoon and ship to Iqaluit, with shipping costs shown at checkout.
Last reviewed . Facts on this page come from the sources listed below.
Orders to Iqaluit leave Saskatoon within three business days, printed on Gildan, ALSTYLE, Independent and Bella+Canvas blanks, in the same shop that prints XUSI’s own designs.
The brand is owned by two brothers from northern Saskatchewan, and every word on the clothing is Cree, with the meaning written by them. Browse all XUSI, or read the Meanings page.
