But promises were broken.
A family from Pond Inlet on board the C.D.
HOWE at Grise Fiord.
Inukjuak was a significant regional center at the time with a population of about 500.
It was also a traditional Inuit hunting and fishing area.
They later migrated to Grise Fiord about 35 miles west.
One Inukjuak family went to Craig Harbour, while the rest went to Resolute Bay.
When the families arrived on Craig Harbour, they struggled to survive in a completely new environment.
The land was barren with no buildings and very little familiar wildlife.
It was awful for them.
In northern Quebec, Audlaluk’s family ate cloudberries, Canada geese and Eider ducks.
None of these were available on Ellesmere Island.
There were none here.
Larry Audlaluk, age 7 or 8, at his new home on Lindstrom Peninsula on Ellesmere Island.
He died ten months later.
The descendants initiated a claim against the Canadian Government seeking $10 million in compensation.
We would like to pay tribute to the relocatees for their perseverance and courage.
The Government of Canada recognizes that these communities have contributed to a strong Canadian presence in the High Arctic.
Acknowledging our shared history allows us to move forward in partnership and in a spirit of reconciliation.
Inuit houses in Resolute Bay, as they existed in 1956.
Amagoalik’s monument, located in Resolute, depicts a lone man looking towards Grise Fiord.
This was meant to show separated families, and depicting them longing to see each other again.
Looty Pijaminis monument to the first Inuit settlers in Grise Fiord.
Photo:Timkal/Wikimedia Commons
Resolute Bay today.
Photo:Dave Brosha/Wikimedia Commons
Grise Fiord.
