Original Place Names in Arctic Lands

Inuit Nunangat is an Inuktitut term used to describe the lands of  the Inuit in Canada's North. There are four regions that make up Inuit Nunangat: the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (a.k.a. northern Northwest Territories), Nunavut, Nunavik (a.k.a. northern Quebec) and Nunatsiavut (a.k.a. northern Labrador). It includes 53 communities and encompasses roughly 35 per cent of Canada’s land mass and 50 per cent of the coastline.

Learn more about Inuit Nunangut on the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami website  here .

Just like your own name has an important meaning to you and your family, place names for many Inuit communities have special meanings too. For Inuit, the naming of a place signifies a strong connection to the surrounding landscape and celebrates their ancestors, culture, customs and traditions. As settlers began to arrive, they changed these place names to suit their values honouring politicians, cartographers, explorers and even royalty. Despite these names being changed on maps, the Inuit communities continue to use the names that had always been used to identify significant places.

In this section you will see quotes about place names and a map that highlights Inuit community names and their meanings. Scroll through the quotes and map to learn about the original place names, their meanings, and the connection the Inuit have to the land. Make note of the communities that have a settler name. Consider what it would be like to have a visitor rename your community, or even one of your relatives, something different without considering you. Remember that Inuit are connected to the land so there is a longstanding relationship that is being disrespected when place names are changed by outsiders.

Click on one of the communities on the lefthand side to learn more about it!

Parks Canada has a responsibility to protect and monitor all national parks in Canada. In many northern regions, where parks are more remote and difficult to reach at times, Parks Canada works with and uses the traditional skills and knowledge of the local Indigenous Peoples to learn about how best to protect the land.

Like community names, national park names hold special meanings and many of the ones located in the Arctic have Inuktitut names to pay tribute to the land where the parks are situated.

Using the slideshow below, learn about some of the national parks located within Inuit Nunangat, what these place names mean, and why these protected lands are so special. Choose one of the national parks highlighted in the slideshow, or another northern national park, to explore further.

Over the last few centuries, as more and more settlers began to immigrate to Turtle Island and call it home, these settlers renamed places after the explorers, politicians, and royalty that were important to them. As a result, the place names that once had spiritual and deep meaning to local Indigenous Peoples were dishonoured and disregarded.

Today there is a powerful movement to reclaim and honour the origins of these significant places. Indigenous people across the country  are working to restore the original  names their ancestors gave to their communities and surrounding places.

Preserving original place names is important to the cultural identities of Indigenous Peoples who have called these lands home for thousands of years. These names are also an important part of Canada and its history that all Canadians need to know.

Currently, there is a movement across Canada with  Indigenous people speaking up, calling on local, provincial and federal governments to restore original place names. To continue to move forward on the journey of reconciliation, learning from and with Indigneous peoples about their original place names and the teaching behind the names is one important  part of the process.

"With the passage of time, there are fewer Elders who grew up and travelled on the Land with their families who can still pass down expert knowledge. Place names research that culminates in the names being made official is essential to preserving this tangible source of traditional knowledge for tomorrow’s generations."

From "Place Names" by Lynn Peplinski, Traditional Place Names Manager at Inuit Heritage Trust, in the  Indigenous People's Atlas of Canada 

Connect with Indigenous groups, Elders, and/or Knowledge Keepers in your area to learn about the history of the  local community and territory from experience and perspective. Learn about the names of places, the teachings behind the names, as well as how the land was used and cared for by the people. Draw a new map of your community to reflect your learning and share with your class, school or community.