Naujaat

Naujaat
ᓇᐅᔮᑦ

Repulse Bay in October
Naujaat
Coordinates: 66°31′19″N 086°14′06″W / 66.52194°N 86.23500°W / 66.52194; -86.23500Coordinates: 66°31′19″N 086°14′06″W / 66.52194°N 86.23500°W / 66.52194; -86.23500
Country Canada
Territory Nunavut
Region Kivalliq Region
Electoral district Aivilik
Government[1][2]
 • Type Hamlet Council
 • Mayor Solomon Malliki
 • MLA Steve Mapsalak
Area[3]
 • Total 423.74 km2 (163.61 sq mi)
Elevation[4] 24 m (79 ft)
Population (2006)[3]
 • Total 748
 • Density 1.8/km2 (4.6/sq mi)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Canadian Postal code X0C 0H0
Area code(s) 867

Naujaat (Inuktitut: ᓇᐅᔮᑦ literally "seagulls' nesting place"), known until 2 July 2015 as Repulse Bay,[5] is an Inuit hamlet located on the shores of Hudson Bay, in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut, Canada.

The Bay

Repulse Bay is at the north end of Roes Welcome Sound which separates Southampton Island from the mainland. On the east side of Repulse Bay Frozen Strait leads east to Foxe Channel.

Location and wildlife

Arctic Circle arch

The hamlet is located exactly on the Arctic Circle, on the north shore of Repulse Bay and on the south shore of the Rae Isthmus. Transport to the community is provided primarily by air and by an annual sealift. Naujaat is home to a wide variety of animals including polar bears, caribou, seals, whales, and walrus. There are also approximately one hundred species of birds in the area, including gyrfalcons and peregrine falcons.

History

Naujaat is translated into English variously as "seagull fledgling," "seagull resting place" or "seagulls' nesting place," named after a cliff 5 km (3.1 mi) to the north, where seagulls, migrating from the south each June, make their nests. Naujaat was first visited by Europeans in the 1740s, and by the late 1800s it became a popular whaling ground for American and Scottish whalers. Many Naujaat Inuit residents worked on board these whaling vessels from the south. Although there are various theories as to the origin of the English name "Repulse Bay," many attribute the name to Christopher Middleton, who when searching for the Northwest Passage in 1742 discovered that the bay was not a route out of Hudson Bay, but rather a cul-de-sac. He is claimed to have called it the "Bay of Repulse, the bay where I was pushed away". Others believe that the name comes from an 18th-century English vessel named Repulse which visited the area. The Hudson's Bay Company opened a post in Repulse Bay about 1916 and in 1923 a rival fur trading company, Revillon Frères, opened a post. A Roman Catholic Mission was built in 1932. Naujaat was formerly part of the District of Keewatin and the Keewatin Region; in 1999 the area became part of the Kivalliq Region.

Revillon Frères post, Repulse Bay, 1926.

On 12 May 2014, a by-election was held to elect a new mayor which was won by Solomon Malliki. At the same time a non-binding plebiscite was held to gauge how the community felt about restoring the traditional name, Naujaat. With voter turnout at 36% there were 82 people in favour and 73 opposed to the name change. The hamlet council will decide on the change at a later date.[1]

Naujaat today

As of the 2006 census, the population was 748, an increase of 22.2% from the 2001 census.[3] The Naujaat community continues to rely on traditional sealing, fishing, hunting, trapping, and carving for their livelihood, together with tourism. Naujaat is known for its Inuit artists, especially carvers (typically creating small realist animal sculptures of ivory, soapstone, marble and antler), as well as jewellery and crafts. Its people are the 'Aivilingmiut'.

Climate

Climate data for Repulse Bay Airport
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high humidex −4.6 −11.6 −2.1 2.4 7.9 21.1 29.3 21.9 15.4 4.2 0.4 −1.0 29.3
Record high °C (°F) −1.7
(28.9)		 −11.0
(12.2)		 −1.5
(29.3)		 3.5
(38.3)		 8.0
(46.4)		 22.5
(72.5)		 28.0
(82.4)		 22.0
(71.6)		 15.5
(59.9)		 4.0
(39.2)		 0.0
(32)		 1.1
(34)		 28.0
(82.4)
Average high °C (°F) −28.2
(−18.8)		 −28.0
(−18.4)		 −22.4
(−8.3)		 −12.8
(9)		 −3.6
(25.5)		 6.2
(43.2)		 13.1
(55.6)		 10.3
(50.5)		 3.3
(37.9)		 −4.4
(24.1)		 −15.2
(4.6)		 −22.3
(−8.1)		 −8.7
(16.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) −31.3
(−24.3)		 −31.4
(−24.5)		 −26.4
(−15.5)		 −17.1
(1.2)		 −6.9
(19.6)		 3.0
(37.4)		 8.8
(47.8)		 6.8
(44.2)		 0.9
(33.6)		 −7.3
(18.9)		 −18.8
(−1.8)		 −25.8
(−14.4)		 −12.1
(10.2)
Average low °C (°F) −34.1
(−29.4)		 −34.6
(−30.3)		 −30.4
(−22.7)		 −21.4
(−6.5)		 −10.2
(13.6)		 −0.1
(31.8)		 4.4
(39.9)		 3.2
(37.8)		 −1.5
(29.3)		 −10.2
(13.6)		 −22.2
(−8)		 −29.3
(−20.7)		 −15.5
(4.1)
Record low °C (°F) −47.8
(−54)		 −50.0
(−58)		 −45.0
(−49)		 −40.0
(−40)		 −27.0
(−16.6)		 −11.0
(12.2)		 −1.0
(30.2)		 −3.0
(26.6)		 −11.5
(11.3)		 −31.0
(−23.8)		 −42.0
(−43.6)		 −46.0
(−50.8)		 −50.0
(−58)
Record low wind chill −66.3 −63.7 −59.5 −49.7 −30.2 −18.7 0.0 −8.3 −18.1 −41.1 −50.1 −59.2 −66.3
Average precipitation mm (inches) 18.4
(0.724)		 14.8
(0.583)		 18.6
(0.732)		 24.3
(0.957)		 18.5
(0.728)		 28.9
(1.138)		 29.0
(1.142)		 46.4
(1.827)		 33.6
(1.323)		 28.2
(1.11)		 29.2
(1.15)		 21.4
(0.843)		 311.3
(12.256)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.4
(0.016)		 1.9
(0.075)		 23.3
(0.917)		 29.0
(1.142)		 46.1
(1.815)		 22.3
(0.878)		 0.8
(0.031)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 123.8
(4.874)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 18.8
(7.4)		 19.1
(7.52)		 21.7
(8.54)		 27.7
(10.91)		 19.7
(7.76)		 5.5
(2.17)		 0.0
(0)		 0.3
(0.12)		 12.6
(4.96)		 32.6
(12.83)		 32.9
(12.95)		 24.6
(9.69)		 215.4
(84.8)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 10.3 6.7 11.0 9.9 9.4 8.4 9.6 11.8 11.1 13.7 11.3 10.3 123.4
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.8 6.5 9.6 11.8 7.1 0.6 0.1 0.0 36.5
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 10.2 7.3 11.6 10.7 9.2 2.3 0.0 0.2 4.8 13.1 11.8 10.5 91.6
Average relative humidity (%) 74.2 71.9 73.5 80.9 82.7 78.1 65.3 71.1 81.1 85.9 79.1 76.0 76.7
Source: Environment Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Repulse Bay — or Naujaat? — elects new mayor, votes to change community name
  2. ↑ Results for the constituency of Aivilik at Elections Nunavut
  3. 1 2 3 2006 census
  4. ↑ Elevation at airport. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 15 September 2016 to 0901Z 10 November 2016
  5. ↑ Naujaat, Nunavut, residents celebrate official renaming today
  6. ↑ "Repulse Bay A" (CSV (4222 KB)). Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. Climate ID: 2403490. Retrieved 2013-11-27.

Further reading

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