Kinngait
Sikusiilaq
ᑭᙵᐃᑦ
Hamlet
Part of the village with characteristic Kinngait hill,May 1997
Part of the village with characteristic Kinngait hill,
May 1997
Nickname: 
Capital of Inuit Art
Kinngait is located in Nunavut
Kinngait
Kinngait
Kinngait is located in Canada
Kinngait
Kinngait
Coordinates: 64°14′00″N 076°32′30″W / 64.23333°N 76.54167°W / 64.23333; -76.54167[1]
CountryCanada
TerritoryNunavut
RegionQikiqtaaluk
Electoral districtSouth Baffin
Federal Electoral districtNunavut
Hudson's Bay Company post1913
Government
[2][3]
 • TypeHamlet
 • MayorTimoon Toonoo
 • MLADavid Joanasie
 • MPMumilaaq Qaqqaq
 • SenatorDennis Patterson
Area
 (2021)[4]
 • Total9.89 km2 (3.82 sq mi)
Elevation
[5]
50 m (160 ft)
Highest elevation
243 m (797 ft)
Lowest elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2021)[4]
 • Total1,396
 • Density141.2/km2 (366/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Postal code
X0A 0C0
Area code867

Kinngait (Inuktitut meaning "high mountain" or "where the hills are";[6][7] Syllabics: ᑭᙵᐃᑦ), known as Cape Dorset until 27 February 2020,[8] is an Inuit hamlet located on Dorset Island[9] near Foxe Peninsula at the southern tip of Baffin Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada.

History

Kinngait, previously Cape Dorset and Sikusiilaq before that[10] is where the remains of the Thule (Early Inuit) and pre-Inuit Dorset people (Tuniit) were discovered, who lived between 1000 BCE and 1100 CE. The European name of Cape Dorset was given by Captain Luke Foxe after Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset, on 24 September 1631.[11] The Inuit originally called the inlet Sikusiilaq, after the area of sea ocean nearby that remains ice-free all winter. Hudson's Bay Company set up a trading post here in 1913, where they traded furs and skins for supplies such as tobacco, ammunition, flour, gas, tea and sugar.[12]

In December 2019, the residents of Cape Dorset voted in favour of a request to officially rename the hamlet to its Inuktitut name of Kinngait.[13] Voters chose between Kinngait, Sikusiilaq, and the English name of Cape Dorset.

Art

Since the 1950s, Kinngait, which calls itself the "Capital of Inuit Art", has been a centre for drawing, printmaking, and carving. In the 21st century, printmaking and carving continue to be the community's main economic activities. Each year, Kinngait Studios issues an annual print collection. Kinngait has been hailed as the most artistic community in Canada, with some 22% of the labour force employed in the arts.[14]

In 1957, James Archibald Houston created a graphic arts workshop in Kinngait, in a program sponsored by the Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources. It was considered a way for the community to generate income by adapting traditional art forms to contemporary techniques.[15]: 49  Houston collected drawings from community artists and encouraged local Inuit stone carvers to apply their skills to stone-block printing, in order to create art that might be more widely sold and distributed. The print program was modelled after Japanese ukiyo-e workshops. Other cooperative print shops were established in nearby communities, but the Kinngait workshop has remained the most successful. The artists have experimented with etching, engraving, lithography, and silkscreen. They produce annual catalogues advertising the limited edition prints.[15]: 49 

Between the years of 1959 and 1974, Kinngait artists produced more than 48,000 prints. Well-known artists of Kinngait include Pitseolak Ashoona, Nuna Parr, Pudlo Pudlat, Angotigolu Teevee, Alashua Aningmiuq, Kiugak Ashoona, Ulayu Pingwartok, Oopik Pitsuilak, Innukjuakju Pudlat, Mary Qayuaryuk, Anirnik Oshuitoq, and Kenojuak Ashevak. Parr's carvings are internationally recognized and his work is exhibited in the National Gallery of Canada. Ashevak's drawings of owls have been chosen to appear on Canadian stamps as well as a Canadian quarter.[16]

Inuit carver, artist, photographer and author Peter Pitseolak spent several years living in Kinngait. The local junior-senior high school was named for him.[17]

Below is a list of some of the artists from Kinngait, according to the Inuit Art Foundation.[18][19][20]

Demographics

Federal census population history of Kinngait
YearPop.±%
1976688—    
1981784+14.0%
1986872+11.2%
1991961+10.2%
19961,118+16.3%
20011,148+2.7%
20061,236+7.7%
20111,363+10.3%
20161,441+5.7%
20211,396−3.1%
Source: Statistics Canada
[4][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]

In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Kinngait (Cape Dorset) had a population of 1,396 living in 362 of its 416 total private dwellings, a change of -3.1% from its 2016 population of 1,441. With a land area of 9.89 km2 (3.82 sq mi), it had a population density of 141.2/km2 (365.6/sq mi) in 2021.[4]

Transportation

A handful of unnamed dirt/gravel roads (unpaved because of winter conditions) cross the village but do not connect beyond Kinngait. Cars and trucks are the main means of transportation and supplemented by snowmobiles and ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) during the winter. The people use boats and ships for seasonal travel to and from Kinngait when the Hudson Strait is ice-free. A taxi company, Tuniit Taxis, offer a range of vehicles.

The area is serviced by the Cape Dorset Airport with connections only within Nunavut. Travel outside Nunavut can be made via connections through Iqaluit Airport.[30]

Education

The only secondary school in town, Peter Pitseolak School (PPS), was destroyed by fire set by three youths in September 2015.[31] In summer 2019, the school opened a printmaking studio workshop space for children, through the Embassy of Imagination program.[32]

Sam Pudlat School is the community's only elementary school; it has enrolment of 227 students. Attendance is good at the elementary school but quite poor at the high school.[33]

Post-secondary education is available in a limited number of areas in Kinngait at the Community Learning Centre. Nunavut Arctic College, based in Iqaluit, periodically offers community-based programs in Kinngait at the Community Learning Centre.

Community services

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has a detachment staffed by six officers and sometimes number as many as 10 officers with one sergeant and one corporal.

The Fire Department is staffed by 25 volunteers and a pumper at a single fire hall. There is a lack of fire hydrants in the town, so each run has to be filled up at the water station.

Medical facilities are basic at the Cape Dorset Health Centre.[34] Advanced medical care requires an airlift to the 35-bed Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit.[35] There is no ambulance in the town. Qualified doctors visit only occasionally. There is a taxi service but it is not consistently reliable.

Broadband communications

The community has been served by the Qiniq network since 2005.[36] The Qiniq network is designed and operated by SSi Canada. In 2017, the network was upgraded to 4G LTE technology, and 2G-GSM for mobile voice.[37]

Housing

Like the rest of Nunavut, houses are overcrowded, with a 2006 report saying that up to 12 people were living in a two-bedroom unit.[38] Tuberculosis is active in the town.[39] This is made more acutely dangerous as the overcrowding continues. However, the Nunavut Housing Corporation plans to build 5 new housing units in the town by late 2022 or early 2023.[40]

Food insecurity

The cost of basic food staples like milk, cheese, flour, and butter is 65-75% higher than in Ottawa or Montreal, which has led to high rates of food insecurity in Kinngait, as well as in the rest of Nunavut.[41]

Tourism

Spanning both Dorset Island and Mallik Island, Mallikjuaq Territorial Park is notable for archaeological sites revealing Thule culture, Dorset culture, and Inuit history. The park is reachable by foot from Kinngait at low tide, or by boat.[42]

A cairn was raised in memory of the ship, RMS Nascopie, a supply ship to the Arctic, that hit a rock and sank in 1947. Although the cargo was lost, the passengers and crew were saved.[43]

In September 2018, the Kenokuak Cultural Centre and Print Shop[44] opened. The centre is named after local artist and Inuit art pioneer Kenojuak Ashevak who died in 2013. The centre serves a community facility, art studio and exhibition space for local artists.

There are outfitters that provide numerous dog sledding, camping, and hiking to parks tours.

Climate

Kinngait has a tundra climate (ET) with short but cool summers and long cold winters.[45]

Climate data for Kinngait (Cape Dorset Airport)
WMO ID: 71910; coordinates 64°13′09″N 76°31′30″W / 64.21917°N 76.52500°W / 64.21917; -76.52500 (Cape Dorset Airport); elevation: 48.2 m (158 ft); 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1963–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high humidex −1.4 0.7 0.7 3.9 10.4 17.3 25.0 21.6 12.7 6.5 3.4 1.6 25.0
Record high °C (°F) 0.9
(33.6)		 1.9
(35.4)		 0.8
(33.4)		 5.6
(42.1)		 10.9
(51.6)		 19.7
(67.5)		 25.0
(77.0)		 21.9
(71.4)		 18.1
(64.6)		 7.1
(44.8)		 3.4
(38.1)		 2.2
(36.0)		 25.0
(77.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −20.7
(−5.3)		 −21.6
(−6.9)		 −17.4
(0.7)		 −9.2
(15.4)		 −1.9
(28.6)		 5.7
(42.3)		 12.1
(53.8)		 9.9
(49.8)		 4.1
(39.4)		 −1.0
(30.2)		 −7.2
(19.0)		 −14.2
(6.4)		 −5.1
(22.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) −23.7
(−10.7)		 −24.4
(−11.9)		 −20.7
(−5.3)		 −12.4
(9.7)		 −4.2
(24.4)		 2.9
(37.2)		 8.3
(46.9)		 6.8
(44.2)		 2.2
(36.0)		 −2.7
(27.1)		 −9.5
(14.9)		 −17.1
(1.2)		 −7.9
(17.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −26.3
(−15.3)		 −27.1
(−16.8)		 −23.9
(−11.0)		 −15.5
(4.1)		 −6.4
(20.5)		 0.1
(32.2)		 4.5
(40.1)		 3.8
(38.8)		 0.1
(32.2)		 −4.4
(24.1)		 −12.0
(10.4)		 −19.8
(−3.6)		 −10.6
(12.9)
Record low °C (°F) −38.9
(−38.0)		 −40.6
(−41.1)		 −42.2
(−44.0)		 −32.8
(−27.0)		 −19.6
(−3.3)		 −7.4
(18.7)		 −3.4
(25.9)		 −4.6
(23.7)		 −8.3
(17.1)		 −23.9
(−11.0)		 −30.6
(−23.1)		 −42.8
(−45.0)		 −42.8
(−45.0)
Record low wind chill −54.5 −58.1 −53.0 −44.6 −29.3 −14.6 −7.0 −8.7 −14.7 −39.7 −39.7 −51.4 −58.1
Average precipitation mm (inches) 19.4
(0.76)		 17.2
(0.68)		 26.1
(1.03)		 25.8
(1.02)		 27.8
(1.09)		 33.3
(1.31)		 39.0
(1.54)		 57.3
(2.26)		 52.9
(2.08)		 48.0
(1.89)		 37.0
(1.46)		 29.6
(1.17)		 413.3
(16.27)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.3
(0.01)		 4.0
(0.16)		 20.9
(0.82)		 37.8
(1.49)		 52.1
(2.05)		 35.7
(1.41)		 7.2
(0.28)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 158.0
(6.22)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 24.2
(9.5)		 24.2
(9.5)		 28.3
(11.1)		 32.8
(12.9)		 29.7
(11.7)		 8.5
(3.3)		 0.2
(0.1)		 1.2
(0.5)		 13.2
(5.2)		 40.1
(15.8)		 50.6
(19.9)		 37.6
(14.8)		 290.7
(114.4)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 15.2 13.0 15.7 14.0 12.7 10.1 11.1 13.0 15.7 17.5 19.0 18.2 175.1
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 1.9 6.8 11.4 13.3 10.6 3.2 0.1 0.0 47.8
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 16.0 14.5 15.3 14.4 14.6 4.8 0.1 0.4 6.9 17.8 19.8 19.0 143.6
Average relative humidity (%) 69.3 68.0 69.6 76.9 82.6 77.5 68.8 74.7 81.7 84.1 82.1 75.8 75.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 7.6 72.5 172.6 215.7 157.0 220.1 274.1 187.3 87.4 45.2 17.6 0.0 1,457.2
Percent possible sunshine 4.5 30.3 47.5 47.8 27.5 35.1 44.9 36.8 22.2 14.9 9.0 0.0 26.7
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada[46] (rain/rain days, snow/snow days, humidex, wind chill, humidity 1981–2010) Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010[47]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Kinngait". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  2. ↑ "Municipal Election Results 2019-2020" (PDF). Elections Nunavut. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  3. ↑ "2021 General Election" (PDF). Elections Nunavut. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Nunavut". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  5. ↑ Elevation at airport. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
  6. ↑ History of Cape Dorset Archived 14 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Cohen, Sidney. "Cape Dorset council endorses vote to return community name to Kinngait". CBC News. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  8. ↑ Nunavut minister signs off on name changes for two communities
  9. ↑ Government of Nunavut - Communities
  10. ↑ "Cape Dorset considers changing to traditional Inuktitut name". CBC News. 5 July 2019. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022.
  11. ↑ "A Short History of Cape Dorset" (PDF).
  12. ↑ "Cape Dorset | Travel Nunavut". Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  13. ↑ "Cape Dorset votes to revert to a traditional name — Kinngait". CBC. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  14. ↑ "Cape Dorset named most 'artistic' municipality", CBC
  15. 1 2 Hessel, Ingo. Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum. Phoenix: Heard Museum, 2006. ISBN 9781553651895.
  16. ↑ "Kenojuak Ashevak: A Celebration of Sculpture and Graphics (Inuit Solo Exhibition) (May 4 - May 24, 2002)". Spirit Wrestler Gallery. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  17. ↑ Burke, Travis (12 September 2018). "School's in: New Cape Dorset high school opens 1 year ahead of schedule | CBC News". CBC.ca. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  18. ↑ "Kinngait (Cape Dorset)". Inuit Art Foundation. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  19. ↑ "Kinngait". Inuit Art Foundation. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  20. ↑ "Ohotaq Mikkikaq". Inuit Art Foundation. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  21. ↑ "1976 Census of Canada: Population - Geographic Distributions" (PDF). Statistics Canada. June 1977. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  22. ↑ "1981 Census of Canada: Census subdivisions in decreasing population order" (PDF). Statistics Canada. May 1992. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  23. ↑ "1986 Census: Population - Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions" (PDF). Statistics Canada. September 1987. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  24. ↑ "91 Census: Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions - Population and Dwelling Counts" (PDF). Statistics Canada. April 1992. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  25. ↑ "96 Census: A National Overview - Population and Dwelling Counts" (PDF). Statistics Canada. April 1997. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  26. ↑ "Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, and Census Subdivisions (Municipalities), 2001 and 1996 Censuses - 100% Data (Nunavut)". Statistics Canada. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  27. ↑ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data (Nunavut)". Statistics Canada. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  28. ↑ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Nunavut)". Statistics Canada. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  29. ↑ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Nunavut)". Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  30. ↑ "CYTE - Cape Dorset Airport | SkyVector".
  31. ↑ "RCMP lay charges in fire that destroyed school in Nunavut", City News, 8 September 2015
  32. ↑ "Artistic space for youth opens in Cape Dorset". Nunatsiaq News. Nunatsiaq News. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  33. ↑ "New school in Nunavut, three years after fire". Nunatsiaq News. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  34. ↑ "Cape Dorset | Government of Nunavut". www.gov.nu.ca. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  35. ↑ "Qikiqtani General Hospital | Government of Nunavut". www.gov.nu.ca. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  36. ↑ Qiniq History
  37. ↑ SSI Canada - Our Story
  38. ↑ "Overcrowded and mad as hell". Nunatsiaq News. 16 June 2006. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  39. ↑ "Nunavut's efforts to eliminate tuberculosis have been hampered by COVID-19". 30 October 2020.
  40. ↑ "52 new public housing units to be built in Nunavut in 2022-'23". 11 March 2022.
  41. ↑ "Nunavut struggling with crisis that 'won't go away'". 3 March 2022.
  42. ↑ "Mallikjuaq Territorial Park". nunavutparks.com. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  43. ↑ "RMS Nascopie - HBC Heritage".
  44. ↑ "Dreamt of for decades, Cape Dorset finally gets a cultural centre". CBC News. 25 July 2018. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022.
  45. ↑ "National Centers for Environmental Information".
  46. ↑ "Kinngait/Cape Dorset (Composite Station Threads)". Canadian Climate Normals 1991-2020 Data. Environment and Climate Change Canada. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  47. ↑ "Cape Dorset A". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment and Climate Change Canada. Climate ID: 2400635. Retrieved 27 November 2013.

Further reading

  • Dorais, Louis-Jacques. Kinngaqmiut Uqausingit = The Inuit Language in Cape Dorset N.W.T. = Le Parler Inuit De Cape Dorset T.N.O.. Quebec: Association Inuksiutiit katimajiit, Laboratoire d'anthropologie, Université Laval, 1975.
  • Leroux, Odette, Marion E. Jackson, and Minnie Aodla Freeman. Inuit Women Artists Voices from Cape Dorset. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1994. ISBN 0-295-97389-7
  • Norton, Derek, and Nigel Reading. Cape Dorset Sculpture. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2005. ISBN 0-295-98478-3
  • Nunavut Handbook, Iqaluit 2004 ISBN 0-9736754-0-3
  • Pitseolak, Peter, and Dorothy Eber. People from Our Side An Eskimo Life Story in Words and Photographs : an Inuit Record of Seekooseelak, the Land of the People of Cape Dorset, Baffin Island. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1975. ISBN 0-253-34334-8
  • Ryan, Leslie Boyd. Cape Dorset Prints, a Retrospective Fifty Years of Printmaking at the Kinngait Studios. San Francisco: Pomegranate, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7649-4191-7
  • SchoolNet Digital Collections (Canada). Cape Dorset Inuit art and Inuit cultural perspectives. Ottawa: Industry Canada, 2000.
  • Walk, Ansgar. Kenojuak - The Life Story of an Inuit Artist. Manotick: Penumbra Press, 1999. ISBN 0-921254-95-4
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