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Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| City nickname: "Tuk" | ||
| Government | ||
| Territory | Northwest Territories | |
| Land Claim Area | Inuvialuit | |
| Electoral District | Nunakput | |
| Member of Parliament | Dennis Bevington | |
| Senator | Nick G. Sibbeston | |
| Mayor | Jackie Jacobson | |
| Physical characteristics | ||
| Land Area | 11.07 km² | |
| Population Total (2006) Density |
870[1] 78.6/km² |
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| Latitude | 69° 26' 20" N | |
| Longitude | 133° 01' 45" W | |
| Time zone Summer (DST) |
MST (UTC-7) MDT (UTC-6) |
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Tuktoyaktuk, or Tuktuujaqrtuuq (Inuvialuktun: it looks like a caribou), is a Inuvialuit hamlet located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Commonly referred to as Tuk, the settlement lies north of the Arctic Circle on the shore of the Arctic Ocean. Formerly known as Port Brabant, the community was renamed in 1950 as part of a trend of changing community names to those used by Native people.
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Tuktoyaktuk is the anglicized form of the native Invialuit place-name meaning "resembling a caribou." According to legend, a woman looked on as caribou waded into the water and became petrified. Today, reefs resembling these pertified caribou are said to be visible at low tide.
No formal archaeological sites exist today, but the settlement has been used by the native Inuvialuit for centuries as a place to harvest caribou and beluga whales. In addition, Tuk's natural harbor was used as a means to transport supplies to other Inuvialuit settlements.
Between 1890 and 1910, a sizeable number of Tuktoyaktuk's native families were wiped out in flu epidemics brought in by American whalers. In subsequent years, the Alaskan Dene as well as residents of Herschel Island settled here. A Hudson's Bay Company trading post was established here in 1937.
The community eventually became a base for oil and gas exploration in the Beaufort Sea. Large industrial buildings remain from a busy period of exploration. This brought many more outsiders into the region over the next few decades. In addition, radar domes were installed as part of Distant Early Warning Line to watch for Soviet aircraft intrusions during the Cold War. The settlement's location played an important role in resupplying the line.
On September 3, 1995, Molson Brewing Company arranged for several popular rock bands to give a concert in Tuktoyaktuk as a publicity stunt. During the months leading up to concert, radio stations across North America ran contests in which they gave away free tickets. Dubbed The Molson Ice Beach Party and Polar Beach Party, it featured Hole, Metallica, Moist and Veruca Salt. Canadian film-maker Albert Nerenberg made a documentary about this concert entitled Invasion of the Beer People.
Tuktoyaktuk is located at 69° 26' 20" North and 133° 01' 45" West. It is set on Kugmallit Bay, near the Mackenzie River Delta, and is located on the Arctic tree line.
As of the 2006 census, the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk has a population of 870 down 6.5% from the 2001 Census total of 930. There are 274 private dwellings, and a population density per square kilometer of 78.6. The average annual salary of a full-time worker is $45,598 Canadian. Tuktoyaktuk has a large Protestant following, with a sizeable Catholic population as well. Local languages are Inuvialuktun and English.
Many locals still hunt, fish, and trap. Locals rely on caribou in the fall, ducks and geese in the spring and fall, and fishing year-round. Other activities include trapping, collecting driftwood, reindeer herding, and berrypicking. Most wages today, however, come from tourism and transportation. Northern Transportation Company Limited (NTCL) is a major employer in this region. In addition, the oil industry continues to employ explorers.
Tuktoyaktuk is the gateway for exploring Pingo National Landmark, an area protecting eight pingos in a region which contains approximately 1,350 of these Arctic ice dome hills. The Landmark comprises an area roughly six miles square, just a few miles west of the community, and includes Canada's highest (and the world's second-highest) pingo, at 160 feet. It is managed by Parks Canada within the national park system, and, although a nationwide Landmarks program was envisioned, Pingo remains the country's only National Landmark.
- Tuktoyaktuk website: Visitors Guide of Tuktoyaktuk
- Website for Invasion of the Beer People.
- Phoenix New Times website: Polarpaloozian Article by Chad Wilton
- Government of Canada website: Community Demographics
- Polarpalooza An article about the 1995 rock concert
- Pingo National Landmark
- Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Tuktoyaktuk profile
- Prince of Wales Northen Heritage Centre - official names
