Kivitoo is an abandoned

Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...

community and a former

whaling Whaling is the hunting of whales for their products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16t ...

station on the northeast shore of

Baffin Island Baffin Island (formerly Baffin Land), in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada, the second-largest island in the Americas (behind Greenland), and the fifth-largest island in the world. Its area is (slightly smal ...

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 ...

, Canada. Kivitoo's Inuit families moved to

Qikiqtarjuaq Qikiqtarjuaq ( 'big island'; formerly known as Broughton Island until November 1998 ,) is a community located on Broughton Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. The island is known for Arctic wildlife ( ringed seals, polar bears, ...

, approximately to the south, in 1963. Kivitoo Memorial Park remains at the southern shore of the hamlet.

History

In the early 20th century, the Sabellum Trading Company established a post at Kivitoo to service the whalers who would anchor there to flense carcasses. The post was abandoned in 1926. Kivitoo (qivittu) ( FOX-D) is also a former

Distant Early Warning Line The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the north coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska (see List o ...

and is currently a

North Warning System The North Warning System (NWS, ) is a joint United States and Canadian early-warning radar system for the atmospheric air defense of North America. It provides surveillance of airspace from potential incursions or attacks from across North Amer ...

site. Because of a nearby small coastal plain, a short airstrip was built during early operation of FOX-D. The residents of Kivitoo were evacuated to Qikiqtarjuaq in 1963, purportedly for their safety, after three residents of the community were killed in a collapse of the ice under their

igloo An igloo (Inuit languages: , Inuktitut syllabics (plural: )), also known as a snow house or snow hut, is a type of shelter built of suitable snow. Although igloos are often associated with all Inuit, they were traditionally used only by the ...

s."Over 50 years ago, tragedy struck this Nunavut community. Zacharias Kunuk's new film wants answers"

CBC Arts CBC Arts () is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that creates and curates written articles, short documentaries, non-fiction series and interactive projects that represent the excellence of Canada's diverse artistic communitie ...

, October 19, 2018. However, the town was never resettled afterward, as the remaining structures in the community had been demolished by authorities by the time residents tried to return. The evacuation and destruction of Kivitoo is the subject of

Zacharias Kunuk Zacharias Kunuk (, born November 27, 1957) is a Canadian Inuk producer and director, most notable for his film '' Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner.'' It is the first Canadian dramatic feature film produced entirely in Inuktitut with an all Indige ...

's 2018 documentary film '' Kivitoo: What They Thought of Us''.

References

External links

*
Photo, 2008
Whaling stations in Canada Whaling in Canada Former populated places in the Qikiqtaaluk Region {{QikiqtaalukNU-geo-stub