March 1998

Government of Canada
Canadian Heritage - Parks Canada
National Historic Sites

Fall Caribou Crossing National Historic Site

A Conservation and Presentation Report, completed for Fall Caribou Crossing National Historic Site (NHS) in November 1997, reflects the efforts of the Harvaqtuuq Historic Site Committee and Parks Canada in planning the presentation and protection of the site, which was designated a national historic site in August 1995. The Report is the basis upon which Parks Canada entered into a Cost-Sharing Agreement with the Hamlet of Baker Lake for commemoration of the site.

Fall Caribou Crossing NHS commemorates the importance of the fall caribou hunt at water crossings to the survival of Inuit of Baker Lake. Inuit groups who now live in Baker Lake depended heavily on caribou, and it was the fall caribou hunt that allowed them to cache enough meat to survive the winter. The area chosen to represent this significant historical story is located on the lower Kazan River in Harvaqtuurmiut traditional territory.

Four seasons of field work with Harvaqtuurmiut Elders has resulted in the recording of many traditional Inuktitut place names, oral traditions and archaeological sites in and around the historic site. The data have been put onto a computerized geographic information system to be used for the interpretation and protection of the site.

In accordance with the Conservation and Presentation Report, the site will be interpreted locally through exhibits at the Inuit Heritage Centre in Baker Lake. A web-site will be created, and future publications are being considered. In addition, local outfitters will be encouraged to develop tour packages that include site visits. Programs are being put into place to protect and monitor the historic site area and the archaeological sites. As the historic site consists mostly of Inuit Owned Lands, the Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) has agreed to manage these lands in accordance with the Conservation and Presentation Report. In addition, the Fall Caribou Crossing NHS has been brought to the attention of the Nunavut Planning Commission through the Keewatin Regional Land Use Plan review process. The protection of the site is sought through land use planning measures and the land use controls available to KIA.

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