Arctic IQ: Arviat Archaeology & Oral History Project

Arctic IQ: Arviat Archaeology & Oral History Project

Traditional ecological knowledge
Names, Geographical—Inuktitut
Maps

2025-06

English
Inuktitut

The project began in 2006 with a small group of dedicated Elders, translators, and researchers from the University of Calgary. In those days, 1:250,000 map sheets were placed under plastic mylar sheets. Elders would identify important locations and write place names on the plastic sheets using marker pens. These sheets were then scanned and integrated into a Geographic Information System (GIS). Over the years, this system has evolved to include technologies such as Google Earth and Facebook, making the process of recording information much faster. What you see here could be considered a "Wikipedia of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangiit" for the Arviat region. We hope the information it contains will continue to grow, as Elders recurrently add new place names, activities, and other forms of knowledge, while also editing and revising existing entries.