Meaning: Where the earth is red
Population: 174
Aupaluk, the smallest Nunavik community, is located on the southern shore of Hopes Advance Bay, an inlet on the western shore of Ungava Bay. It is about 150 km north of Kuujjuaq and 80 km south of Kangirsuk. The village is built on the lowest of a series of natural terraces about 45 m above sea level. The landscape around is rather flat and is ideal for hiking excursions. The village offers a superb view of Ungava Bay. Aupaluk owes its meaning to the reddish colour of its ferruginous soil. This soil constitutes the northern reaches of the Labrador Trough which is rich in iron deposits. There was even mining activity in the region in the late 1950s.
Aupaluk, the smallest Nunavik community, is located on the southern shore of Hopes Advance Bay, an inlet on the western shore of Ungava Bay.
Unlike the majority of Nunavik communities, Aupaluk did not develop around trading or mission posts. With its abundance of caribou, fish and marine mammals, it was a traditional camp. In 1975, Inuit from Kangirsuk and some other villages relocated to this area where several generations of hunters before them, their ancestors, had sojourned and built temporary camps. For the first time in the Canadian Arctic, Inuit themselves planned and conceived the site of their village. Aupaluk was incorporated as a Northern Village in 1981 and opened its co-operative store in the early 1980s. Life of Aupalummiut remains essentially centred on traditional activities.
Attractions
- First village of the Canadian Arctic to have been entirely designed by Inuit.
- Aupaluk is located near the October/December migration path of the Leaf River caribou herd.
- Many of these animals winter in the area.
- Marine mammal observation.
- Being a very small community, it is easier to make contacts with Inuit who can accompany travellers wishing to discover the area.
Source: Nunavik Tourism Association