Gjoa Haven Research Articles

Spatial trends of perfluoroalkyl compounds in ringed seals (Phoca hispida) from the Canadian Arctic

The present study examined spatial trends of perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) in liver samples from 11 populations of ringed seals (Phoca hispida) in the Canadian Arctic from 2002 to 2005. Trophic position and relative carbon sources were compared by analyzing stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes in muscle samples. Geometric mean concentrations of total C9-C15 perfluorinated carboxylates (PFCAs) ranged from 8.8 to 84 ng/g wet weight, and C9-C11 PFCAs predominated. Perfluorooctane sulfonate was the dominant PFC measured, with concentrations ranging from 6.5 to 89 ng/g wet weight, contributing between 29 and 56% of the total PFC concentration. Overall, mean PFC concentrations were similar between populations, and differences were attributed largely to elevated levels in the Gjoa Haven (Rae Strait, central Canadian Arctic archipelago) and Inukjuak populations (eastern Hudson Bay) and to lower concentrations at Pangnirtung (Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island). Mean stable nitrogen isotope ratios (+/-95% confidence intervals) ranged from 14.7 per thousand (+/-0.3 per thousand) at Nain (Labrador) to 17.9 per thousand (+/-0.7 per thousand) at Gjoa Haven, suggesting that all populations were within the same trophic level. Stable carbon isotope ratios varied widely between the seal populations, ranging from -22.9 per thousand (+/-0.2 per thousand) at Gjoa Haven to -17.7 per thousand (+/-0.4 per thousand) at Nain. The delta13C ratios from Gjoa Haven were significantly more depleted than those for other populations and may suggest a terrestrially based carbon source. The depleted stable carbon isotope ratio may explain the elevated PFC concentrations in the Gjoa Haven population. Analysis of covariance indicated that delta13C was a significant covariable for seven of nine seal populations for which delta13C values were available. After adjusting for delta13C values, concentrations of most PFCs generally were statistically greater in the Grise Fiord, Qikiqtarjuaq, Arviat, and Nain populations.

KEITH, Darren (with Jerry Arqviq, Louie Kamookak, Jackie Ameralik and the Gjoa Haven Hunters’ and Trappers’ Organization), 2005 Inuit Qaujimaningit Nanurnut. Inuit Knowledge of Polar Bears. A project of the Gjoa Haven Hunters’ and Trappers’ Organization, Edmonton, CCI Press, Solstice series, 4, 242 pages.

KEITH, Darren (with Jerry Arqviq, Louie Kamookak, Jackie Ameralik and the Gjoa Haven Hunters’ and Trappers’ Organization), 2005 Inuit Qaujimaningit Nanurnut. Inuit Knowledge of Polar Bears. A project of the Gjoa Haven Hunters’ and Trappers’ Organization, Edmonton, CCI Press, Solstice series, 4, 242 pages.. An article from journal Études/Inuit/Studies (L’influence de Marcel Mauss), on Érudit.

E.J. (Scotty) Gall

The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) had been in the North for centuries and continued to play a dominant role in the period following World War I. Scotty Gall, an 18-year-old growing up just outside Aberdeen, Scotland, decided there must be a greater future for him than working in a local foundry. So he applied for an apprenticeship with the HBC and came to Canada in 1923. This was the beginning of Gall's career in the North, which lasted until his retirement in 1966. ... Navigating the Northwest Passage in 1937 was a feat still unknown to most Canadians. The more publicized trip of the St. Roch, the RCMP ship, in 1942, is generally regarded as the first Canadian transit through the Passage. However, Scotty Gall piloted the HBC ship Aklavik through the Passage in the course of dropping supplies to HBC posts in 1937. He admits his trip was not publicized because individuals with the Bay at the time did not see that it was in their interest to publicize anything in the North. The trip of the Aklavik required a great deal of preparation at its home port of Cambridge Bay. The crew had to prepared, for example, to spend the winter away from home if caught in the ice. The big drop of trading goods on this trip in late 1937 was to be at Gjoa Haven on King William Island, and then the target was to transit the Northwest Passage - Bellot Strait, on this occasion - by 1 September, before freeze-up. ... The Aklavik was 60 feet (20 metres) in length and drew 6 feet (2 metres) of water. It was powered by a 35 hp Fairbanks-Morse engine. While it was not a particularly good freighter, carrying only 40-50 tons of cargo, it was considered an excellent vessel for the Arctic. A few years after the 1937 trip, the Aklavik caught fire and sank off Cambridge Bay. The voyage itself should be considered in context. It occurred before ships were equipped with radar. At the time, navigation was done by what Gall calls instinct. ... Over the years his accomplishments have been a part of the history of the North. One of these accomplishments, his trip through the Northwest Passage in 1937, may be one of the best kept secrets in Canada. ...

Bishop Omer Robidoux, O.M.I. 1913-1986

On the evening of 12 November 1986 Omer Robidoux, o.m.i., the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Central and Eastern Canadian Arctic, boarded his final northern flight and the Canadian North lost one of its strongest supporters. The twin-engined Navaho he was aboard tragically crashed after take-off at Rankin Inlet, N.W.T., killing all passengers, ... Toward the end of his novitiate as a matter of routine he was asked where he might like to undertake missionary work. His first choice was "Eskimo missions," but this was not to be until many years later. His first missionary work was with native Saulteaux Indians in Fort Alexander, Manitoba; following this, he was sent to Lestock, Saskatchewan. Beginning in 1947, the next 22 years of his life were devoted to ministry in Indian residential schools as a teacher, principal, superior and pastor in Lestock and Lebret, Saskatchewan, and in Winnipeg, Manitoba. ... In particular, sports and outdoor activities played an important part in the education they received at the hands of Father Robidoux, himself a former Montreal Canadian draft choice. In the summers Father Robidoux visited the various communities and homes of his students. Back in those days the study of one's native ancestry and traditions was not encouraged or sanctioned by the Department of Indian Affairs, but Father Robidoux always found a way to fit into the curriculum "unofficial projects" designed to instill a pride and understanding of the student's background. The call to go North came a few years later, in March 1970, when he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Churchill-Hudson Bay, which included the Central Arctic and Eastern Arctic of the Northwest Territories west from Gjoa Haven and south to Churchill, Manitoba, the Bishop's cathedral. ... His early actions in the Diocese were to confirm and fully support the beginning steps taken by the Diocese a few years earlier to involve and train the local laity in the communities to more fully participate in the ministry of the church. ... He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre from its inception in 1976 through 1984. ... The plight of the northern hunters and trappers as they faced the problems of increasing cost of equipment and the results of extensive anti-trapping propaganda in the South was a strong concern of Bishop Robidoux's. A public statement of support and information was issued from the Diocesan office in April 1986 to benefactors of the missions and interested parishes in western Canada and Great Britain. "Hunting and trapping activities are valuable activities not only to be measured in strict dollars and cents but in cultural integrity, as a gainful activity in an already fragile economy, for nutritional purposes, and Christian stewardship of northern lands." ... John Hicks, an Inuk from Churchill and a former president of Nunasi Corporation, said, the Bishop's genius was the quality of his friendship. You could talk to him anywhere, anytime about anything. He always had time. I valued his sharp, strong yet constructive criticisms. They were always given to you face to face and never mentioned behind your back. He was our sounding board for testing out new ideas. He would always say exactly what he thought, but never press his point. We would always leave him encouraged to go ahead with our aim of economic development by our people and for our people.

A PILOT BETA‐CAROTENE INTERVENTION TRIAL WITH INUITS USING SMOKELESS TOBACCO

The frequency of exfoliated cells with micronuclei (MNC) was used to estimate the genotoxic effect of smokeless tobacco (snuff) on the oral mucosa and to follow the response to the administration of beta-carotene (180 mg/week, given twice weekly in 6 capsules of 30 mg each). The pilot trial was carried out with Inuits in Gjoa Haven, Northwest Territories, Canada. Their traditional diet, which is rich in caribou and seal meat and liver but low in vegetables and fruits, leads to "normal" serum levels of retinol (447 ng/ml in non-users of tobacco and 463 ng/ml in tobacco users) but low levels of beta-carotene (57 ng/ml for non-users of tobacco and 47 ng/ml for users). Prior to the twice-weekly administration of beta-carotene, the frequency of MNC was 1.87% +/- 0.92 (n = 23) in the mucosa of the lower gingival groove where the tobacco was usually kept. It decreased significantly (P less than 0.001) to 0.74% +/- 0.42 following the 10-week oral administration of beta-carotene capsules. The frequency of MNC did not change significantly in the group receiving a placebo and in snuff users who received no treatment over the 10-week trial period. The size and morphological appearance of the typical snuff-related, whitish, wrinkled patches of the mucosa where the tobacco was kept was not affected by the 10-week treatment with beta-carotene. Similarly, no reduction was observed in the frequency of anucleated, exfoliated mucosa cells. Beta-carotene appears to be an efficient inhibitor of MNC in the oral mucosa of snuff users who do not suffer from any vitamin A deficiency and who have "normal" levels of retinol.

Working in the digital contact zone. The digital sharing portal for Roald Amundsen’s Gjoa Haven collection

In this article a story of digital sharing is told. The focus is on a collectionof traditional Inuit material culture brought together on King William Islandover 22 months in 1903–1905 by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. Today,shared interest in and concern for this collection centres the collaboration betweenthe Nattilik Heritage Centre in Gjoa Haven, Arctic Canada, and the Museumof Cultural History in Oslo, Norway. A digital sharing portal launched in 2017sets out to realise the space and framework for crucial collaborative practicesconcerning knowledge sharing and access to the material. The article discusses thisprocess, using Clifford’s perspectives on the contact zone (1997) as an intake todiscuss the construction and practice of this digital sharing site.

Notes On Franklin Relics

Mr. L. A. Learmonth, formerly of the Fur Trade Department, Hudson's Bay Company and a Fellow of the Arctic Institute has provided Arctic with notes and sketch maps concerning traces of the Franklin Expedition found in the King William Island region of northern Canada. The map published here is based on the Canadian National Topographic Series map on a scale of 8 miles to the inch, with amendments by Mr. Learmonth. The following items refer to the large map. Mr. Learmonth and Mr. D. G. Sturrock discovered the remains of three men at Tikeraniyou (1) together with a George IV Half Crown and a large ivory sailor's button (Pootogo). The remains were taken to Gjoa Haven and the relics forwarded to Hudson's Bay House, Winnipeg. The place is a point of land shaped like a crooked finger, and is where the land bends round to the southwest, between 12 and 15 miles west of Starvation Cove. A skull and some bones were found at (2) near Washington Bay late in June 1942 and were taken to Gjoa Haven. Two skulls were discovered on the beach at (3) near Tulloch Point in June 1942 and forwarded to the R.C.M.P. at Cambridge Bay, where they were buried near the grave of Patsy Klengenberg. Remains of seven of Franklin's men were found at (4), Douglas Bay, by Paddy Gibson. Bones of four of Franklin's men were moved from islands at (5) and along with three others from Tikeraniyou were buried under the beacon at Gjoa Haven. The following items refer to the small inset map of the Richardson Point area. Jaw bones of three white men discovered at (1) in June 1942. Most of the teeth were in place, in good condition, and not ground down as would have been the case with adult Eskimos. Mr. Learmonth also found one whole skull and many large bones scattered on the surface close to an old Eskimo seal cache. Moss had grown over many of the bones. He erected a small cairn where the bones were discovered, and a larger one at the sky line on the ridge above, and which can readily be seen from the sea.He took all the bones to Gjoa Haven. Neniook, Eyaritituk's mother, about seventy years old, reported having come across the skeletons of seven white men still partly clothed in blue serge, and partly buried in the sand and seaweed on a small island in the vicinity of (2). Hard boots with nails in the soles were also noted by Neniook who was a small child at the time. She was not available at the time Mr. Learmonth searched several small islands in the vicinity very carefully, but he failed to discover any evidence. In a letter accompanying the above notes Mr. Learmonth suggests that it might be appropriate for a cairn or other memorial to be erected at Victory Point, King William Island commemorating the landing of 105 men under Crozier from the abandoned Erebus and Terror. It was there, he points out, that the only written record ever recovered from the expedition was found. He also suggests a cairn and a memorial plaque for the grave of the seven men buried near the Hudson's Bay Company post at Gjoa Haven. Their names of course are unknown, but did they not die in a great cause? Whoever they may be, did they not fight as tough a battle as any unknown soldier? In August 1948, Mr. Learmonth flew north from Winnipeg on the H.B.C. Canso with Mr. R. H. Chesshire, Manager of the Fur Trade Department. He plans to remain in the area of Fort Ross throughout the winter, in order to carry out archaeological, geographical and other studies.

Some Further Traces of the Franklin Retreat

THIS is the narrative of an overland trip along the south coast of King William Island, from Gjoa Haven to the western entrance to Simpson Strait, during the months of June and July 1931, with Mr. William Skinner, of the Hudson's Bay Company. Our principal object was to search for remains of members ofthe Franklin Expedition, reported by the Eskimo. Gjoa Haven is an excellent small land-locked harbour on the eastern shore of Petersen Bay, with a post of the Hudson's Bay Company: the trading centre for an extensive area. The harbour was discovered in 1903 by the late Captain Roald Amundsen, during the course of his North-West Passage, and sheltered the Gjoa for two consecutive winters. Striking out from the harbour across the ice of the bay, the western shore is gained in about three hours' walking. At this period of the year the short arctic summer is at hand; the weather is mild and often pleasant; most of the winter snows have disappeared from the land; and the surface of the ice is covered with pools and small lakes of water of varying depths up to 2 or 3 feet. With native water-boots made from seal skin the feet are adequately protected and the surface water is no great impediment to walking. For this trip we had dispensed with the use of dogs, which allowed us more freedom to examine the shore-line. With the assistance of a native boy we packedwhat equipment was necessary: a small silk tent, two caribou skins, a light blanket, primus lamp, food, extra boots, etc. The packs weighed about 60 lb. each and proved of no great discomfort, except on those days when the hot sun shone down from an unclouded sky with almost tropical force. For food we depended on the easily procured seal and the small salmon-trout which are obtainable through holes in the lake-ice. The western shore of Petersen Bay runs south-westerly as far as the Todd Islands, which are 18 miles distant from Gjoa Haven. The island is of limestone, the coast exceedingly rocky and bare of vegetation except in low-lying patches, where mosses, grasses, and a profusion and variety ofthe hardy alpine flowers lend a pleasing contrast to the sombreness of the landscape in general. The land rises gently from the coast in a series of terraces to an immediate and fairly uniform height of 150 feet; numerous shoals and low rocky islets occur at regular intervals along the beach. Booth Point, the westerly extremity of Petersen Bay, is not a prominent landmark. Several native stone caches and tent rings were found here; these are quite common all along the coast. At this point we also discovered a number of Eskimo graves, arranged after the manner of surface burial peculiar to the people. A ring of small boulders surrounds the remains, placed on the surface wrapped in caribou or seal skins. Time and weather remove all traces except the whitened bones and the ring of boulders, which latter are symbolical protection from the influence of malicious spirits. On every grave are miniature weapons, fashioned from wood or bone, for the hunters, and diminutive household goods for the women. Booth Point marks the most easterly point on King William Island at which