Kitikmeot Research Project
Since 1995 the KHS has amassed a large collection of audio and video interviews, transcripts and other archival materials. Included in this collection is a considerable amount of information on fur trader Stephen Angulaalik and the people of Kuukyuak (Perry River).
In 1996 and 1998 the KHS traveled with the Kuukyuammiut (the people of the Perry River area) back to their homeland. The first trip included nine Elders who were originally from Kuukyuak. The following year the camp was expanded to include Kuukyuammiut from Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven and Baker Lake – 13 Elders and a total camp size of 43 people.
Through this project we were able to construct a fairly detailed look at life in Kuukyuak. The project was followed up with research and additional interviews. It was clear from the interviews and the research that the Hudson’s Bay Company and the fur trade in general played a central role in the community of Perry River and in the development of the communities of Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven, Taloyoak (Spence Bay), Kugluktuk (Coppermine) and Kugaaruq (Pelly Bay).
Strong links to the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) remain in all of these communities. Many of our community members are directly related to HBC fur traders. Their lives revolved around the trading posts. People such as George Porter, Stephen Angulalik, Red Pedersen, Duncan Pride and Ernie Lyall all contributed significantly to the history of our region. George Porter and Red Pedersen still live in the Kitikmeot and both of these men have valuable information which should be shared and recorded. Many of the KHS board members and staff are directly related to some of these men.
Unfortunately access to this research, which includes sound archives, video archives, transcripts, reports, articles and photographs, is fairly limited. The KHS would like to ensure that the public has access to all of these rich resources through an interpretive exhibit and through educational materials which will be developed from these collections. The research will include information and materials on other trading posts across the Kitikmeot, including Bernard Harbour, Gjoa Haven, Kent Peninsula, Rymer Point, Bay Chimo and Read Island.
The KHS will research the history of the fur trader in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut. This research will focus on the lives of individual traders and in particular, Angulaalik (Stephen Angulalik), highlighting his life’s work with the Hudson’s Bay Company, Canalaska Trading Company and as the first Inuit free trader. Angulaalik was born at Ellice River 1898. He was the first Inuit free trader and a well-known philanthropist. His fascinating story records the changing social, cultural and economic conditions of the era. The oral history interviews and research we obtained during the Perry River project will draw upon Angulaalik’s experiences and the places he visited. The Perry River research will provide a framework for this project which, when combined with information on other Kitikmeot trading posts and traders, will give people a glimpse of this fascinating era through the eyes of individual fur traders. This research will be used to develop a historical exhibit for the May Hakongak Community Library and Cultural Centre. It will also be used to develop educational materials for the local schools and the general public.