Northern Haze is a Canadian rock music group from

Igloolik Igloolik ( Inuktitut syllabics: , ''Iglulik'', ) is an Inuit hamlet in Foxe Basin, Qikiqtaaluk Region in Nunavut, northern Canada. Because its location on Igloolik Island is close to Melville Peninsula, it is often mistakenly thought to be o ...

Nunavut Nunavut is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' and the Nunavut Land Claims Agr ...

, whose self-titled 1985 debut album is believed to have been the first-ever indigenous-language rock album recorded in North America. Formed in 1984 by Kolitalik Inukshuk, Naisana Qamaniq, James Ungalaq, Elijah Kunnuk and John Inooya, musicians from Igloolik who had collaborated in various bands since the 1970s, the band released the self-titled album in 1985 through the CBC Northern Service."Arctic Metal Veterans Northern Haze Unleash 'Siqinnaarut,' First Album In 33 Years: Premiere"
''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', November 20, 2018. The band played various festival dates, including at Folk on the Rocks and

Expo 86 The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo 86, was a world's fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from May 2 until October 13, 1986. The fair, the theme of which was "Transportation and Communicatio ...

, to support the album. They continued for many years afterward to play concert dates in

Canadian Arctic Northern Canada (), colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada, variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories a ...

communities, but could not afford to record a followup album due to the extremely high cost of doing so in remote Arctic communities;

Ben Rayner Ben Rayner is a music critic and writer for the ''Toronto Star'' since 1998. His commentary on artists is extensively cited across the industry. Indie88 considers him "of the most respected industry professionals around." In 2012, he served on ...

"Legendary Nunavut rockers Northern Haze release first album in 33 years"
''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'', November 21, 2018. they did, however, record some individual singles. In 2007, the band broke up after the deaths of Kunnuk and Inukshuk. In 2012, the independent label Supreme Echo Records released ''Sinaaktuq'', a compilation of the original album and the non-album singles. In 2017 Aakuluk Music, the record label owned and operated by Nunavut-based band

The Jerry Cans The Jerry Cans (, ''Pai Gaalaqautikkut'') are a band from Iqaluit, Nunavut who combine traditional Inuit throat singing with folk music and country rock. Their music is largely written in Inuktitut, the indigenous language of the Inuit, with ly ...

, reissued the 1985 album and convinced the band to reunite. With new members Derek Aqqiaruq and Allan Kangok, the band worked with record producer

Michael Phillip Wojewoda Michael Phillip Wojewoda is a Canadian record producer and musician. He has been nominated for eight Juno Awards and has received one for Recording Engineer of the Year and one for Producer of the Year. History Wojewoda began recording bands in ...

to record ''Siqinnaarut'', which was released in 2018. The album was a

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

nominee for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the

Juno Awards of 2020 The Juno Awards of 2020, the 49th Juno Awards, was an awards presentation that was to be held at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on 15 March 2020. The awards and associated events were cancelled due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pa ...

. In 2023, Ungalaq released the solo album ''rebel music / E5-2143'' under the stage name qiyuapik. In 2024 he appeared as a guest collaborator on the debut album by Echoes Of, a side project led by Andrew Morrison of the Jerry Cans.Calum Slingerland
"Echoes Of..., Naja P and Maazes Call to "Shine Your Light" on New Single"
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'', January 8, 2024.

References

{{Authority control Canadian rock music groups Musical groups from Nunavut Inuit musical groups Musical groups established in 1984 Musical groups disestablished in 2007 Musical groups reestablished in 2017