In inuktitut Arctic Bay is Ikpiarjuk, which translated means “pocket”. It is an apt description of Arctic Bay. Arctic Bay is in a bowl or a pocket, surrounded by hills.
. It is by far one of the most picturesque communities I know.
The entire area surrounding Arctic Bay in this part of the north Baffin is beautiful, fiords, mountains, cliffs, glaciers, and hoodoos that would do the Badlands proud, can be found here. The St George Society cliffs, just around the corner (literally) from Arctic Bay are the most beautiful cliffs I’ve seen.
. They rise 600 feet from the waters of Adam Sound and are a gorgeous red colour, that this photo doesn’t near do justice to. They are home to a Glaucous Gull colony and a pair of Kiggavik (Gyrfalcons).
The area around Arctic Bay has been inhabited for at least 3500 years, and it wasn’t until only very recently that non-inuit people came here. Arctic Bay (the body of water from whense the town gets its name) was named for a Scottish whaling ship, Captained by Willie Adams, which wintered here in the 1800’s. The next vessel to winter here was also called the Arctic. The Canadian Government ship Arctic, captained by Capt. Bernier wintered here in 1910.
As an aside a Norwegian Vessel the Jotun Arctic is wintering here this year. She will be making her third attempt at the Northwest Passage in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Asmundson’s first successful voyage through the passage. They are really hoping for third time lucky, being blocked by multiyear ice on their first attempt in 2003, and by the same ice that blocked our attempt last year. But hey, if it was easy I guess everyone would do it.
Arctic Bay became a settlement upon the establishment of a Hudson’s Bay Co. post here. Their first attempt in 1927 was abandoned but they were back in 1933 and stayed. A meteorlogical station was established here in 1941, and in fact the RCMP was still using their building (now the oldest in Arctic Bay) as a patrol cabin up until Nov 2000 when the new detachment was built. For the most part though people lived on the land until the late 60’s early 70’s when housing was built here to encourage people to settle. Leah’s mother and dad, for instance, didn’t move to town until 1969, living on the land until that time.
It sometimes seems a little surreal to think that had I been born up here, I’d probably lived at least the first 12 years of my life in qarmat (sod houses) or igloo (snow house). People not only lived in here, without any of the comforts that we take for granted, such as central heating, they thrived. And for thousands of years. Not an easy existance to be sure, starvation and privation were regular visiters. But for the most part people lived good lives in a hostile environment.
The area is rich in history, both inuit and european. And rich in beauty and wildlife. It’s small wonder that some people come for a year, and end up staying for life.