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Total (2001)
Density
930
84.0/km²
Summer (DST)
MDT (UTC-6)
Tuktoyaktuk, or Tuktoyuktuk ("it looks like a caribou"), is a remote Inuvialuit hamlet located in the Northwest Territories of 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.
History
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 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 Distant Early Warning Line to watch for Soviet missiles 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 Tuktoyuktuk 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.
Geography and Demographics
Tuktoyaktuk is located at 69° 26' 20" North and 133° 01' 45" West. It is set on Kugmallit Bay, near the Mackenzie River Delta.
As of the 2001 census, the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk has a population of 930. There are 343 private dwellings, and a population density per square kilometer of 84. 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.
References
- TUK Canada 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
External links
- Polarpalooza An article about the 1995 rock concert
- A trip to Tuktoyaktuk by two Americans in an Oldsmobile in January
Coastal towns in Canada | Communities in the Northwest Territories
"Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories"