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Home , Blacklead Island, William Penny

Nunavut Parks & Special Places – Editorial Series January, 2008

Kekerten Territorial Park

It’s the late 1830s, and whaling ships from England Penny searches southward along the coast of and America ply the waters of , for the fabled bay. Finding a large , and , hunting the great bay opening to the west, he sails into the bay, past bowhead whales, rendering their blubber into oil numerous beautiful fiords. Whales are everywhere, and shipping it back to England. Each year the rolling, breaching, and spy-hopping. Seals bob exacts a tremendous price – ships are crushed in the sparkling waters and seabirds dart over by ice or crews are trapped and forced to overwinter the waves. This may be the sanctuary he has been without proper supplies. Captain William Penny seeking, an ideal spot for the crews to spend the has an idea – if a place could be found where the winter. Penny anchors his ship off three small ships could be frozen in and where crews could live islands at the mouth of a deep fiord. The rest is on land during the winter, they could start the hunt history. much earlier in the spring, hunting along the floe Today, the area is called – edge, getting whales in a shorter time so they could and it played a huge role in North American return to England earlier, and rich. whaling history. As stocks elsewhere were The speak of a large bay that teems with depleted, there was more and more focus on this whales, seals, and fish, calling it Tenudiackbik… inlet, with its rich marine life that attracted the Aided by his Inuit shipmate, Eenoolooapik, baleen whales.

Aussi disponible en français xgw8Ns7uJ5 wk5tg5 Pilaaktut Inuinaqtut ᑲᔾᔮᓇᖅᑐᖅ k a t j a q n a a q listen to the land aliannaktuk en osmose avec la terre

by scientists, government officials and and sometimes walrus and belugas or missionaries. By 1912, the unrelenting occasionally a narwhal. All three species of hunting pressure pushed the bowhead jaegers occur here, as well as sea ducks like whale population of the sound to below common and king eiders and longtail ducks, the economic threshold, and by 1917 the and seabirds like the thick-billed murre, ᑲᔾᔮᓇᖅᑐᖅ k a t j a q n a a q whalers were gone. Inuit continued the hunt black gillemot, or dovkie are frequently listen to the land for five more years, but the post at Kekerten seen. Peregrine falcons and gyrfalcons aliannaktuk was abandoned by the mid 1920s. are possible around any cliffs. Shorebirds en osmose avec la terre (Baird’s and white-rumped sandpipers, red- Kekerten Territorial Park is a special place necked phalaropes, and sometimes golden of national historic significance, and was plovers) skitter along the beaches. This is established to preserve the historic remains ᑲᔾᔮᓇᖅᑐᖅ k a t j a q n a a q one of the few places in the world where you of a time when Inuit and whalers worked listen to the land might be able to see both the semipalmated together in a harsh environment. Penny’s crew did overwinter aliannaktuk in the sound in plover and the ringed plover at the same en osmose avec la terre 1854 and they, and an American ship that Conserving history time. Small perching birds include the snow had first overwintered in 1852, enjoyed very Today, the island is entirely protected. A bunting, Lapland longspur, common redpoll successful sprint hunts around Kekerten boardwalk trail connects points of interest, and horned lark. Island. At Kekerten, buildings were added and people are encouraged to remain on Travelling to the Park in 1857, and many Inuit joined the whalers the trail to protect the remains of many Located about 50 kilometres south of for the winter, living around the whaling old houses and storage caches. Hundreds , Kekerten Territorial Park outpost, finding employment as crews on of barrel hoops, some wooden barrels, is accessible by snowmobile in springtime whaleboats, transporting blubber from the blubber-hauling pins, and several old iron (early May through mid-June), and by boat floe edge back to the island, rendering whale trypots remain, along with fragments of old in summer (mid-July to mid-September), oil, hunting to supply food for the camps, whaleboats and buildings, the foundations approximately a three-hour trip in each or providing fur clothing for the whalers. In of an old forge used to work iron into season. To preserve the delicate sites, return, the Inuit received rifles, telescopes, harpoons and flensing equipment, and a slip camping is not permitted in the park. whaleboats, knives, needles, matches, kettles, used to haul the whaleboats out for repairs However, local guides offer day trips to and many more manufactured items. They or storage. There are reconstructions of the the island from Pangnirtung. They are well were also exposed to many of the “white whalebone frameworks used to support versed in the culture and the history of the man’s” diseases, and epidemics decimated the roofs of Inuit winter houses, and many whaling industry in Cumberland Sound, their numbers. However, many survived old tent rings and house foundations. An and willingly share their stories. Cruise ships and worked through the last half of the extension to the boardwalk trail leads to visiting eastern Baffin Island often stop at nineteenth century with the whalers. By the the whalers’ graveyard and a whale-spotting Kekerten, and are joined by local guides who 1860s, ships from both England and the US lookout where the first Union Jack was interpret the park. were routinely wintering at the islands called raised in 1897 to assert sovereignty over Kekerten, and at Niantilik, Blacklead Island, the Canadian arctic. Signs with historical The traditional Inuit community of and Cape Haven. photographs and a printed guide tell the Pangnirtung is accessible by air from , story of the island and its role in the Inuit and is also the jumping-off spot for your trip As the bowhead stocks were depleted, the and whaling cultures of the eastern arctic. to Kekerten Territorial Park. There’s a lot to hunt moved on to smaller marine mammals do in Pangnirtung. The scenery is gorgeous, like seals, walrus, narwhals and belugas. Bird and sea mammal watching in and and the people are friendly and helpful. The islands were beehives of activity in from the park is generally very good, The first language is Inuktitut, but many the late 1800s, as the whalers were joined with glimpses of ringed and harp seals younger people speak English as well. The Camping is permitted in Pangnirtung, For more information on Kekerten Angmarlik Visitors’ Centre features displays at the Pisuktinu Tunngavik Territorial Territorial Park, the Angmarlik interpreting the traditional Inuit life and Campground, which offers sturdy tent Visitors’ Centre, and Pisuktinu the whaling history of the area, including platforms, windbreaks, “comfort stations”, Tunngavik Territorial Campground, displays of a Thule qammaq, or winter picnic facilities, and a stunning view of check the Parks website at house, with all the implements of everyday Pangnirtung Fiord. Staff at the Visitors’ www.nunavutparks.com, or call living. The Visitors’ Centre is a combination Centre will direct you to the campground, Nunavut Tourism at 1-866-NUNAVUT of museum, community library and elders’ arrange for local guides and outfitters to to request the Nunavut Travel Planner, centre, where Inuit elders gather to play take you to Kekerten Territorial Park, or which lists all licensed tourism operators, cards, knit or reminisce with each other. An various day trips around Pangnirtung and accommodations and services. old Company Blubber Station Cumberland Sound. with whaleboat slip is also preserved and Nunavut Parks Visitors to Pangnirtung also enjoy the & Special Places open to visitors. Inside there are displays Y • displays in the Parks Interpretive 867.975.7700 867.975.7747 with historical photographs and a restored Centre as well as visiting Uqqurmiut Arts [email protected] whaling boat equipped as it would have been and Crafts, which includes the famed www.nunavutparks.com for a whale hunt. Pangnirtung Print Shop and Pangnirtung Angmarlik Visitors’ Centre Pangnirtung has become one of the main Tapestry Studio, which produces incredible Y 867.939.2416 • 867.979.2406 venues for traditional knowledge workshops woven tapestries. [email protected] and meetings, and is visited by people from all over Nunavut as well as from outside Nunavut Tourism the territory. Y 866.NUN.AVUT • 867.979.1261 (1.866.686.2888) Kekerten Territorial Park is a special place of national [email protected] www.nunavuttourism.com historic significance, and was established to preserve the historic remains of a time when Inuit and whalers worked together in a harsh environment. Canada

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Safe and Sustainable Travel in Nunavut Nunavut’s Territorial Parks offer some of the most breathtaking scenery and magnificent wildlife imaginable, but there are risks when traveling in a remote area. You must be self-reliant and responsible for your own safety. The extreme environment can change quickly, challenge your survival skills and face you with an emergency. Also remember, when you travel in Nunavut you are in polar bear country. Polar bears are strong, fast and agile on ice, land, and in water. For more information on Safe and Sustainable Travel and Polar Bear Safety in Nunavut please visit our website at www.nunavutparks.com.

ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ Nunavut Parks Nunavummi Parcs et endroits ᐊᕕᑦᑐᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᒥᕐᖑᐃᓯᕐᕕᖏᑦ & Special Places Unnagiurhiqviit spéciaux Nunavut ᐊᓯᖏᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᑦᑎᐊᕙᐅᔪᑦ Department of Environment & Inniiturliit Ministère de l’Environnement ᐊᕙᑎᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ Government of Nunavut Havakviat Avatiligiyikkut Gouvernement du Nunavut Y 867.975.7700 ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᒐᕙᒪᖓᑦ P.O. Box 1000, Station 1340 Nunavut Kavamatkut Case Postale 1000, Succursale 1340 • 867.975.7747 ᑎᑎᖅᑲᖃᐅᑖ 1000 Iqaluit, Nunavut X0A 0H0 Qiuqutaa 1000, Nayugaa 1340 Iqaluit, Nunavut X0A 0H0 [email protected] ᑎᑎᖅᑲᖃᕕᖓ 1340 Iqaluit, Nunavut X0A 0H0 nunavutparks.com ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ X0A 0H0