Qilalukkat

‘Place of Narwhales’

Qilalukkat was a very important hunting ground, as this is where they harvested narwhales giving it the name Qilalukkat. The site is located at the end of a large stream, about one mile south-west of the community of Pond Inlet, and consisted of 24 sod houses (qammaviniit). Qilalukkat was one of the subject parts in the Fifth Thule Expedition for archaeology around the Pond Inlet area, in 1923-1924. Mathiassen a Danish archaeologists excavated three sod houses in the summer of 1923. Followed by Freuchen in 1924 and then  Joy, Parsons and  Inuit , Archaeologist Father Guy Marie- Rousseliere and others  have visited Qilalukkat, since Mathiassen. Qilalikkat has been inhabited from the earliest times up until a few years ago. The earliest  materials that archaeologists have found at Qilalukkat date to 1000 B.C

            Inuit Heritage Trust and the University of British Columbia have organized this archaeological field school, for Nunavut beneficiaries. At this field school we learn about archaeology and how important it is, for Inuit to excavate and find artifacts that were made by our ancestors. We can only imagine how they lived. By finding these different types of artifacts, that are thousands of years old we see how important things really are.

Jessica Pearce

 Archaeological Field School-Student July 2005