Traditional knowledge and archaeology have revealed that Iqaluktuuq is one of the most important archaeological areas in Nunavut. Iqaluktuuq has been important to Inuit for centuries, but its importance as a place to fish and hunt caribou is even more ancient.
The cultural history of Iqaluktuuq is divided into several periods. For the past 750 years, Iqaluktuuq was inhabited by Inuit, including their early ancestors who are known as “Thule Inuit”. Before Inuit, the land was occupied by very different people whom Inuit knew as “Tuniit”, who first arrived in the region over 4000 years ago. Archaeologists call Tuniit by several names, with later Tuniit called Dorset, and the most ancient Tuniit known as Pre-Dorset. In the following pages, the lives of these ancient people will be described, starting with most recent period, and working back through time to the most ancient.
About 750 years ago, early Thule Inuit arrived at Iqaluktuuq, after migrating from Alaska in the west. They built large stone houses at a place archaeologists have named the Bell site. These houses have deep entrance tunnels and separate kitchen rooms. The deep deposits of animal bones and artifacts at this site show us that Thule Inuit led a comfortable, settled life here, depending on stored caribou and char to last them through the winter. During the summer, they lived in skin tents, and may have travelled inland or along the coast to hunt or trade with their neighbours. Thule Inuit brought with them from Alaska complex and very effective tools including several kinds of fish spears, bows and arrows, sleds, kayaks, and sophisticated sewing equipment. Modern Elders recognize almost all tool types from Thule sites, and have a deep understanding of how they were used. This has helped archaeologists reconstruct early Thule life.