Inuit leaders such as Eegeesiak are aware of the inherent ironies. How will the seals pop up through a hole in the ice as the hunter waits and watches, when all the ice has gone? It could be argued that for many of them, particularly the younger generation, it may already be too late to return to the traditional way of life exemplified by Nanook of the North (Robert Flaherty filmed this famous documentary in the Canadian Arctic in 1920-21). The QIA has sought an injunction on the basis that the testing would cause irreparable damage to wildlife and impair the Inuit's ability to hunt in the area.

Although King George III's Royal Proclamation of 1763 asserted that the Crown would in future obtain lands required for settlement only through treaties negotiated in public with Indian nations, these guarantees were honoured more in the breach than the observance.

Unless the land claims agreements are fully and correctly implemented, the Inuit may, I fear, turn out to have sold their birthright for a mess of potage. Iqaluit is located on Baffin Island. There are some roads, and cars, in town. The town is very calm but there is quite a bit to see and you get an insight into the way of living of the Tununirmiut.

It could also be argued that equally noxious (in climate terms) developments would anyway simply take place elsewhere. The Court's verdict took the establishment by surprise. In some ways, the very existence of Nunavut as an Inuit homeland is a miracle. As temperatures rise, and waters become free of ice, opening up areas so far hard to reach, the practical possibilities of exploiting Arctic wealth are significantly increased. In his view, it is vital for all those engaged in Arctic matters in Canada to have a clear understanding of the issues of sovereignty and "ownership". Iqaluit is located on Baffin Island. Following the Nisga'a victory, the three Canadian Arctic territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut) have � after years of negotiation � all settled their land claims, the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, for example, finally having been ratified in 1993. Surely the snowshoe should be on the other foot? Their ancestors, the Thule people, are thought to have migrated to the region a thousand years ago from Alaska. Those difficulties will increase. They used piles of stones as markers. Baffin Island has a population of about 13 200, of whom about 80% are Inuit (Department of Executive and Intergovernmental affairs, Government of Nunavut: unpublished data based on Statistics Canada Census, 1996). Please choose a different date.Sorry, there are no tours or activities available to book online for the date(s) you selected.

The Basin is estimated to contain 17.4 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas and 334 million barrels of oil." In the 1776 Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson raged against the Royal Proclamation, the English and the Indians. "This new interest in the Arctic contains contradictions," Eegeesiak says. Was lucky enough to have helicopter access to some of the peaks near Akshayuk Pass. Some of the most disturbing statistics we heard were those which related to suicide. Why do these people, who have learnt over hundreds of years to live in harmony with nature and to manage their own resources (as we have not), have to ask to be "included as equals" in discussions about developing their own lands? We visited Pond Inlet … The climate is marked by intense cold in the winter with daytime temperatures averaging about -30° F. Summer temperatures … "Contradictions like the fear of climate change on the one hand and on the other hand a keen desire to exploit oil and gas resources that up to now have not been reached." The longest, indeed the only significant … Their territory extends from approximately 62° to 72° N. The northeastern sector of their Territory is mountainous with small glaciers, the southern sector has rolling terrain, and to the west the surface becomes flat. With suicides occurring at rates around 120 per 100,000, Nunavut is possibly the suicide capital of the world. We visited Pond InletWe cruised along Baffin Island. Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation signs Inuit Certainty Agreement with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association. It used to be called Frobisher after Sir Martin Frobisher, the Elizabethan buccaneer who – in 1576 – sailed into the sound now known as Frobisher Bay believing he had found the fabled "Northwest Passage" and a new route to China. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of Sorry, there are no tours or activities available to book online for the date(s) you selected. If global warming has opened up the Arctic, it has also made the Inuit's traditional daily life that much more difficult. Please choose a different date.Would you recommend this place or activity to a friend looking for an Is this a romantic place or activity that you would suggest for Our first visit to Pond Inlet was Aug 2016 on board NG Explorer – see our review on this trip below. Nunavut's total population is around 33,000 people, with 84 per cent of them being Inuit.