Sanikiluaq ( iu, ᓴᓂᑭᓗᐊᖅ ) is a municipality and

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, ...

community located on the north coast of Flaherty Island in Hudson Bay, on the Belcher Islands. Despite being geographically much closer to the shores of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

and

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

, the community and the Belcher Islands lie within the Qikiqtaaluk Region of

Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the '' Nunavut Act'' and the '' Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act'' ...

, Canada.

History

The community was developed in the early 1970s to replace "South Camp", located further south in the island group. To the north of the town is Kinngaaluk Territorial Park, a space designed for camping, cultural expression, and seasonal hunting. The park contains archeological remains deposited by the

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of ...

and Thule cultures. The park is expected to be formally designated as such by the Nunavut legislature in 2019.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by Statistics Canada, Sanikiluaq had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Economic development

Sanikiluaq had an eider down factory for 20 years. It closed down in 2005 due to government funding running out and the population of eider ducks decreasing at a rapid rate. The factory reopened in June 2015.

Transportation

It is the southernmost community in the territory, and is served by the Sanikiluaq Airport. Air service is provided by

Air Inuit Air Inuit (Inuktitut syllabics: ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᔪᖏᑦ) is an airline based in the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada. It operates domestic passenger services and charter and cargo services in Nunavik, Labrador ...

, Calm and Panorama Aviation.

Education

There are two schools in the community, Nuiyak School, with 11 teaching staff, teaches grades K-6, with 125 students enrolled. Paatsaali School has 177 students and teaches grades 7-12. In 2007, former Principal Lisi Kavik was named one of Canada's Outstanding Principals.

Broadband communications

The community has been served by the

Qiniq Qiniq may refer to: * Qiniq (tribe), a historical Oghuz Turkic tribe *Qiniq (company) Qiniq, from the Inuktitut root word for "to search", is a Canadian company, which uses satellite and wireless communications technology to provide broadband ...

network since 2005. Qiniq is a fixed wireless service to homes and businesses, connecting to the outside world via a satellite backbone. The Qiniq network is designed and operated by SSI Micro. In 2017, the network was upgraded to 4G LTE technology, and 2G-GSM for mobile voice.

Government

The community is in the Hudson Bay Electoral District and Allan Rumbolt is the member of the

Legislative Assembly of Nunavut The Legislative Assembly of Nunavut is the legislative assembly for the Canadian territory of Nunavut. The seat of the Assembly is the Legislative Building of Nunavut in Iqaluit. Prior to the creation of Nunavut as a Canadian territory on Ap ...

. He replaced Peter Kattuk in the 2008 general election. In the territorial election held October 27, 2008, the candidates were Rumbolt, Bill Fraser and Johnny Manning. Rumbolt won by 31 votes over Fraser, with 45 per cent of the vote. In the

2013 general election Thirteen or 13 may refer to: * 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14 * One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013 Music * 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band Albums * ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013 * ...

Allan Rumbolt was reelected. The local municipality has a Hamlet Council of elected councillors. Former acting mayor Elijassie Sala became mayor after the December 12, 2011, election, earning 87 votes, five more than incumbent Joe Arragutainaq. In the December 9, 2013, hamlet elections, Joe Arragutainaq was once again elected mayor.

Revival of Basket Making

Lyme grass basket made in Sanikiluaq in 2009

In 1996, Nunavut Arctic College began a project in Sanikiluaq, to revive the art of sewing baskets, ''qisiq'', from ''ivigag'' or lyme grass ('' Leymus mollis''), which is common along the shorelines of Hudson Bay. Traditional grass baskets made by the Sanikiluaqmiut, residents of Sanikiluaq, are finely crafted, and are unique: they have lids and handles often carved from soapstone, and it "can take weeks to make just one grapefruit-sized basket".Cowan, C., 2004. Recovering the Traditional Art of Sanikiluaq Basket-Making: A Case Study of the Development of a Community-based College Curriculum, with Inuit Women of the Belcher Islands. In ''Proceedings of the Conference of Indigenous Knowledges''. The baskets are of great significance to the community, because of the complexity of the sewing and coiling techniques used, but there were no remaining experienced basket-makers practicing the art. Therefore, community members came together to revive the art of traditional Sanikiluaq basketry, consulting Elders for their advice and knowledge, as well as using photographs and descriptions from the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, and relying on their collective cultural memory and extant skills.

Film

Written and directed by Joel Heath, with support from the community of Sanikiluaq, ''

People of a Feather ''People of a Feather'' is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Joel Heath and released in 2011."Documentary about ducks in Hudson Bay investigates our role in the cycle of life". ''Prince George Citizen'', March 2, 2012. The film explores the ...

'' is a documentary film about the relationship between climate change, hydroelectric dams, eider ducks and the people of the Belcher Islands."Documentary about ducks in Hudson Bay investigates our role in the cycle of life". '' Prince George Citizen'', March 2, 2012.