IVUJIVIK means “churning and piling of ice (especially along the shore)”, for there are many marine currents in the Ivujivik region. If you spear a seal in the water, it will disappear under the ice floe.

Before the arrival of large numbers of Qallunaat, Ivujivik was a favourite hunting ground, even for people who lived outside the region. There were many seals and walrus, which the Inuit hunted in umiaqs. There are also many sea fish in the summer, and belugas migrate through the area in the spring and fall. The cliffs are home to murres, and other birds nest there in the spring.

Location

The northern Inuit village of Ivujivik is located on the Hudson Strait, 800 kilometers north of Kuujjuarapik and 700 kilometers northwest of Kuujjuaq. The neighboring villages include Akulivik, to the south. The territory of Ivujivik, designated as Category 1 land, is comprised of 524.91 km2. The surface area of the territory and the rights attached to it are defined by the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement.

Principal access to Ivujivik is by airplane.

Presentation

At the beginning of the century, the Hudson’s Bay Company had a fur trading post about 20 km northeast of the actual site of Ivujivik. Operations closed down there in 1947, and the inhabitants were encouraged to move to Ivujivik, where a Catholic missionary had been established since 1938. The community of Ivujivik refused to sign the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement until 1981. The present-day village was incorporated at this moment, upon consent of the members of the community, thus making Ivujivik Quebec’s most northerly village.

The name ” Ivujivik ” means, in Inuktitut, “the place where the ice floes block”.

Administration

Local administration is assured by the municipal council of Ivujivik as established by the Northern Village Corporation. The Northern Village of Ivujivik council is part of the Kativik Regional Authority.

Economy

Seal, beluga whale and walrus hunting are traditional activities which remain important in the community, and, along with the production of soapstone sculptures, are the principal sectors of economic activity in Ivujivik.

The local cooperative store is active in retail sales, arts and crafts production, the commercial fur trade, the distribution of petroleum products and tourism.

Services

Ivujivik has a community radio station : Radio Appalimmiut Tusautinga Ivujivik, 89.9 MHz.

For more info: www.nvivujivik.ca