Knowing the Far North

Inuit mapmaker Ijiraq drew this map of the Aivilik region of present-day Nunavut for British explorer William Edward Parry, who published the maps in England. The map records the Inuktut names for places and features of the area, names that reflect knowledge of the land from time immemorial. Parry and other colonizers gave their own names to many of these places, but Inuit communities are now restoring the original names.

A set of three historical maps by Ijiraq and her fellow mapmaker Illilliuq feature in the exhibition, alongside a new map from the Inuit Heritage Trust that shows the extent and persistence of Indigenous place names.

Map of the Aivilik Region
Ijiraq (Ewerat) (cartographer); C. Hullmandel (lithographer), 1822
Lithographic print
© Library and Archives Canada, e011211396

Large Image

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