Coopérative en vedette / ᑯᐊᐸ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑕᐅᔪᖅ / Co-op Spotlight
Puvirnituq
S[3ig3us5
lot, and though having struggled
through famine and the effects of
foreign diseases, the configuration
of events happened in such a way
that brought these Inuit to affirm
their autonomy in their own way.
This is part of their story.
Charlie Sivuaraapik de Puvirnituq vend de ses sculptures.
Charlie Sivuaraapik of Puvirnituq selling his carvings.
ᓵᓕ ᓯᕗᐊᕌᐱᒃ ᐳᕕᕐᓂᑐᒥ ᓂᐅᕐᕈᓭᔪᖅ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᕐᒥᓂᒃ.
ᒪᓕᑦᓱᒍ, ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖏᑦ ᕿᓂᖏᓐᓇᐸᑦᑐᑦ
ᓄᑖᓂᒃ ᐱᕕᑦᓴᐅᒐᔭᕐᒥᔪᓂᒃ
ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕋᔭᕐᑕᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᑯᐊᐸᖓᑕ,
ᓄᑖᓂᒃ ᐊᓯᐊᒍᑦ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᑎᒐᑦᓴᓂᒃ
ᐃᑲᔪᕐᓯᒪᒐᓱᐊᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᐅᑉ
ᐱᕈᕐᐸᓕᐊᓂᖓᓂᒃ. ᖃᒻᒥᖅ ᕿᒥᕐᕈᓚᐅᕐᒥᔪᒍᑦ
ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᒍᒪᓕᕐᓱᑎᒃ ᐅᕐᓱᐊᓗᓐᓂᐊᓂᕐᒥᒃ
ᐃᒻᒥᓂᕿᐅᑎᒋᓯᓗᒍ ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᑕᒪᓐᓇ
ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑕᐅᒍᒪᔪᖅ ᓄᕐᖃᑎᑕᐅᓚᐅᕐᑐᖅ
ᐱᑦᔪᑎᖃᕋᒥ, ᐃᓚᖓᓂᓗ ᐱᑦᔪᑎᖓᑕ
ᐲᑕ ᐃᑦᑐᑲᓪᓚᒃ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᓚᐅᕐᒥᔪᖅ,
ᑐᑭᓯᓴᕈᑕᐅᑦᓯᐊᖏᓗᐊᕐᓯᒪᔪᕕᓂᐅᓚᐅᕐᒪᑦ
ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᑲᔪᓯᑦᓯᐊᕈᓐᓇᐅᑎᒋᒐᔭᕐᑕᖏᑦᑕ
ᒥᑦᓵᓄᑦ. ᖃᐅᔨᓴᕐᓯᒪᒻᒥᓱᑎᓪ
ᓗ
ᐊᑐᕈᓐᓇᓯᒐᔭᕐᒪᖔᕐᒥᒃ ᐳᕕᕐᓂᑑᑉ
ᑰᖓᓂᒃ ᐃᑯᒪᓕᐅᕐᕕᒋᓗᒍ ᑖᓐᓇ
ᑮᓇᐅᔭᖃᕐᑎᑕᐅᒋᐊᖃᑐᐃᓐᓇᒨᕐᑐᖅ.
ᐅᓪ
ᓗᒥᐅᔪᕐᓗ ᐅᓇᒻᒥᓱᓕᕐᒥᓱᑎᒃ
ᐃᓪ
ᓗᓕᐅᕈᒪᓕᕐᓱᑎᒃ ᐃᑦᓴᕙᕕᐅᓗᓂ
ᓂᕆᕕᑦᓴᒥᒃ ᖃᒻᒥᑯᑦ.
ᐲᑕ ᐳᐃ ᐅᖃᕐᑕᐅᓯᒪᒻᒥᔪᒥᒃ
ᐃᕐᖃᐅᒪᒻᒥᔪᖅ. ᑌᒪᖕᖓᓂᐊᓗᒃ
ᑐᑭᓯᒪᑎᑕᐅᕗᒍᑦ ᑯᐊᐸᐅᑉ
ᑲᑐᑦᔨᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᖓ ᐱᒋᐊᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᒻᒪᑦ
ᑖᑦᓱᒪ ᑯᐊᐸᑦᑕ ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑐᑐᐃᓐᓇᓕᒫᑦᓯᐊᓂᒃ
ᐅᓇᒻᒥᒋᓕᕐᑕᒥᓂᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓐᓇᓂᖓᓂᒃ
ᐃᑲᔪᕐᓯᒪᐅᑕᐅᓚᖓᔪᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂᒃ
16
ᓱᕙᓪᓕᖁᑎᑦᓴᖏᓐ
ᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᐅᔪᖁᑎᖏᑦᑕ.
ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑐᑐᐃᓐᓇᓕᒫᑦᓯᐊᑦ
ᐅᓇᒻᒥᓇᕐᓯᒍᓐᓇᒪᑕ, ᐊᑭᑦᓴᖃᓚᐅᕈᑎᒃ
ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᑎᑦᓯᐅᑎᑦᓴᓂᒃ. ᓱᓇᓕᒫᑦᓯᐊᑦ
ᐱᔭᕆᔭᐅᒍᓐᓇᒪᑕ. ᑯᐊᐸᒻᒪᕆᐊᓗᑦᓴᑌ¡
ᑲᔪᓯᑎᓚᕗᑦ ᓯᕗᒧᑦ ᑯᐊᐸᕗᑦ.»
ᐋᓕᕙ ᑐᓗᒐᖅ ᐃᕐᙯᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᒻᒥᔪᖅ
ᓲᖑᓂᕆᓕᕐᑕᖓᓂᒃ ᑯᐊᐸᓐᓂᐅᑉ
ᐳᕕᕐᓂᑐᒥ: ᐃᕐᙯᑎᑕᐅᒋᐊᖃᑦᑕᓯᒪᒋᕗᒍᑦ
ᓯᕗᓕᕐᑐᕕᓂᕐᓄᑦ ᐆᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᐁᓴ
ᖁᐱᕐᕈᐊᓗᒃ, ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖃᑦᑕᓯᒪᒻᒪᑕ ᑯᐊᐸᓐᓂᑕ
ᒥᑦᓵᓄᑦ, ᑲᔪᖏᕐᓴᑕᐅᓯᒪᒻᒪᕆᒃᑲᑕ
ᓴᐱᓕᖁᔭᐅᒐᑕ, ᑲᔪᓯᖁᔭᐅᑦᓱᑕ
ᐊᔪᐃᓐᓈᕆᒐᓱᐊᓕᕐᑕᑎᓐᓂᒃ¡
ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᑯᐊᐸᓐᓂᖅ ᑭᓇᒃᑰᓂᑦᑎᓂᒃ
ᐃᓂᓪᓓᒍᑎᒋᓯᒪᔭᕗᑦ, ᐃᓚᒋᒻᒥᒪᐅᒃ
ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᒍᑎᑦᑕ ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑐᓴᔭᐅᓂᑦᑎᒍᑦ.
This story begins in 1921 along the
northeast coastal area of Hudson Bay
where Inuit lived seasonally on their
homelands, inland during the summer and
closer to the sea in winter. They survived
off the land and its resources, flora and
fauna for several hundred years. The Inuit
from the Hudson Bay region were a hardy
That year the Hudson Bay
Company (HBC) opened an
outpost trading camp in Kangiqsuruaq, Puvirnituq Bay, which is
several kilometers south of the
actual Puvirnituq of today. It was
in 1952 that the HBC established
their post permanently in the
Puvirnituq. A few families were
originally from there but several
others began setting up permanently as well, coming from the
north such as Qikirtaruaq (formerly known as Cape Smith) and
south from family camps such as
Uvilurtuuraarjuk, Kuugaaluk and
Tursukattaq. Puvirnituq became
a hub for the HBC and the Inuit
themselves, which also attracted
missionaries.
The Hudson Bay Company and
the Anglican missionaries exerted
great influence and power on the people,
though the missionaries were not yet present in Puvirnituq. The Anglican Church
was built first and an Anglican missionary arrived directly from England in1962.
However, a Catholic priest by the name
of André Steinmann arrived and built a
mission hall in the summer of 1956 where
he began schooling children. Father A.
Steinmann, or Umikallak (short beard) as
Inuit knew him, had mastered Inuktitut in
Kangirsujuaq and Quaqtaq prior to coming
to Puvirnituq. He became pivotal in the
coming years, along with Peter Murdoch,
HBC Manager at the time, in encouraging
and assisting the Inuit in setting up their
very first cooperative association.
Aliva Tulugak, longtime Puvirnituq
Co-op board member, iterates the perception at that time, “In Puvirnituq, Peter
Murdoch said that the Puvirniturmiut were
the poorest of all northern communities
that he knew. Their hunting grounds were
far, and there were not many animals for
harvesting, seals and caribou were not very