7 Nunavut bird sanctuaries have Inuktitut place names restored
‘It’s very important for our culture,’ said Nunavut man on co-management committee
Seven Nunavut wildlife bird sanctuaries have had their Inuktitut place names restored, something one man says is important for people in the area.
Philip Manik is chair of a co-management committee in Resolute Bay, Nunavut, for the Sulukvaut area. The committee was involved in renaming the sanctuaries.
"It's very important for our culture to have the names changed to Inuktitut," he said.
The move comes as the federal government continues to work to meet its obligations under the Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement for Nunavut.
Lisa Pirie, a manager in conservation and protected areas with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said the Inuktitut names are already how Inuit have been referring to the areas.
"We feel it's an important part of reconciliation to recognize these names," he said.
Place names were chosen by different co-management committees representing the protected areas. Those committees are made up of community members and one representative from the Canadian Wildlife Service.
The renamed sites include:
- Isulijarniq, formerly Dewey Soper.
- Qaqsauqtuuq, formerly East Bay.
- Ikkattuaq, formerly Harry Gibbons.
- Kuugaarjuk, formerly McConnell River.
- Akpaqarvik, formerly Prince Leopold Island.
- Ahiak, formerly Queen Maud Gulf.
- Naujavaat, formerly Seymour Island.
Pirie said her department is in the process of updating the site names on its websites. She said that updating signage at the sites themselves will take a bit longer but that it's something the department is working on.
Bird sanctuaries cover over 90,000 square kilometres in Nunavut.
With files from Teresa Qiatsuq