Igloolik Island Archaeological Sites National Historic Site of Canada

Igloolik Archaeological Sites was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1978 because:

• it presents one of the most complete archaeological sequences in the Arctic and, due primarily to the excellent sea mammal hunting, people have been attracted to the area for more than 4000 years;
• it was the wintering site for Edward Parry in 1821;
• it was the base of the Fifth Thule Expedition of 1921-1924.

Igloolik Island has been home to Arctic peoples for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence places human activity on the island as early as 2000 BCE, when the Pre-Dorset peoples were attracted to the area due to its excellent fishing and sea mammal hunting. Later occupations include both Dorset and Thule. Archaeological research at the island has provided one of the most complete archaeological sequences in Arctic Canada. Today, the village of Igloolik occupies a portion of the western section of the island.

In the early 1800s, Igloolik Island served as the wintering site of the explorer Edward Parry. Captain of the Fury, Parry was one of several explorers searching for a western passage through the Arctic. During his second year of exploring the northern reaches of the Hudson Bay, he and his crew wintered at Igloolik, where they were in contact with the island’s Inuit population. Over a century later, the anthropolgist Knud Rasmussen based his Fifth Thule Expedition (1921-1924) at Igloolik Island. This anthropological expedition was a wide ranging examination of several arctic cultural groups, and the monographs produced from Rassmussen’s research are still considered some of the most important work in the areas of Arctic archaeology, physical anthropology and ethnography.