Gjoa Haven

The name Gjoa Haven is from the Norwegian Gjøahavn or "Gjøa's Harbour"; it was named by early 20th-century polar explorer Roald Amundsen after his ship Gjøa. This was derived from the old Norse name Gyða, a compressed compound form of Guðfríðr (guð "god" and fríðr "beautiful"').

In 1903, the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen had entered the area on his ship Gjøa in an expedition intending to travel through the Northwest Passage. By October the straits through which he was travelling began to ice up. Amundsen put Gjøa into a natural harbour on the southeast coast of King William Island. He stayed there, in what Amundsen called "the finest little harbor in the world", for nearly two years. He and his crew spent much of that time with the local Netsilik Inuit, learning from them the skills to live off the land and travel efficiently in the Arctic environment. This knowledge proved to be vital for Amundsen's later successful exploration to the South Pole. He explored the Boothia Peninsula, searching for the exact location of the North Magnetic Pole.

Some Inuit people in Gjoa Haven with European ancestry have claimed to be descendants of Amundsen (or one of his six crew, whose names have not remained as well known). Accounts by members of the expedition told of their relations with Inuit women, and historians have speculated that Amundsen might also have taken a partner,[6] although he wrote a warning against this.[7] Specifically, half brothers Bob Konona and Paul Ikuallaq say that their father Luke Ikuallaq (b. 1904) told them on his deathbed that he was the son of Amundsen. Konona said that their father Ikuallaq was left out on the ice to die after his birth, as his European ancestry made him illegitimate to the Inuit, threatening their community. His Inuit grandparents saved him. In 2012, Y-DNA analysis, with the families' permission, showed that Ikuallaq (and his sons) was not a match to the direct male line of Amundsen.[7] Not all descendants claiming European ancestry have been tested for a match to Amundsen, nor has there been a comparison of Ikuallaq's DNA to that of other European members of Amundsen's crew.[7]

Permanent European-style settlement at Gjoa Haven started in 1927 with a Hudson's Bay Company trading outpost.[8] In 1941 Henry Larsen reached the post from the west. The settlement has attracted the traditionally nomadic Inuit people as they have adapted a more settled lifestyle.

In 1961, the town's population was 110. By 2001, the population was 960 according to the Census, as the Inuit have moved from their traditional camps to be close to the healthcare and educational facilities available at Gjoa Haven. At the 2016 census, the population was 1,324, an increase of 3.5% from the 2011 census.[3] The Population Centre of Gjoa Haven showed 1,197 people living in 0.78 km² (0.30 sq mi), a decrease of 1.4% from 2011.[4]

Gjoa Haven has expanded to such an extent that a newer subdivision has been developed near the airport at 68°37′56″N 095°52′04″W.

The community is served by the Gjoa Haven Airport and by annual supply sealift. The area is home to CAM-B, a North Warning System site.

Nattilik Heritage Centre, September 2019

• Nattilik Heritage Centre - a museum and heritage centre, opened on 17 October 2013, with a collection of handmade harpoons, snow goggles and snow knives purchased by Amundsen and repatriated to Canada and to the community from where they first came, after years on display at the Museum of Cultural History, Oslo. There is local art available for purchasing.[9]
• Northwest Passage Territorial Park, shows the history of the exploration of the Northwest Passage as it relates to the area

Two churches are located in the hamlet:

• Immaculate Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church
• Old Gjoa Haven Church

Gjoa Haven has a tundra climate (ET) with short but cool summers and long cold winters.

Sunset over the horizon, March 2016

Qikiqtaq Co-Op, April 2015

Boat harbour, September 2019

Most employment in Gjoa Haven is with government services; there are a few commercial employers:

• CAP Enterprises Limited - construction and heavy equipment
• Northern Store - retail store
• The Inns North Amundsen Hotel - 16 rooms in a two-storey structure built in 1995
• Qikiqtaq Co-op Limited - retail store
• Gjoa Haven Community Airport Radio Station - operating from Gjoa Haven Airport

Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site

Inuit guardians from Gjoa Haven on MS Ocean Endeavour as part of the trial visitor experience to the Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site, 2019

The discovery of HMS Terror and HMS Erebus shipwrecks from the Franklin's lost expedition is expected to bring increased tourism to Gjoa Haven, the nearest community to the Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site.[12][13] Public access to the site is not allowed. To protect the site, Inuit people from Gjoa Haven are employed as guardians, camping near the wreck sites to monitor access to the sites.[14][15] The Nattilik Heritage Centre will be expanded to create a visitor centre for the historic site.[16][17]

Gjoa Haven has three schools:

• Quqshuun Ilihakvik Elementary School
• Qiqirtaq Ilihakvik High School
• Nunavut Arctic College

Art work in Qiqirtaq Ilihakvik High School, April 2015

Square dancing is very popular in Gjoa Haven with many teams competing in annual showdowns (square dance tournaments).[18][19] Inuit people learned square dancing from the Scottish and American whalers active in the area in the mid 1800s. It is generally accompanied by accordion (or concertina) and fiddles and has its roots in round dances from Great Britain rather than Western American square dance. A single dance can take from 40 minutes to over an hour.[20]

• Leona Aglukkaq, politician, first Inuk to be appointed to the Cabinet of Canada.
• Tony Akoak, territorial politician
• Michael Angottitauruq, territorial politician
• Uriash Puqiqnak, soapstone carver and territorial politician
• Simon Tookoome, author

• List of municipalities in Nunavut

• Huntford, R. (2003). Scott and Amundsen: The last place on earth. London: Abacus., ISBN 0-349-11395-5

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gjoa Haven.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Gjoa Haven.

• Official website of the Hamlet of Gjoa Haven
• Aerial photos of Gjoa Haven
• Gjoa Haven, Government of Nunavut
• About Gjoa Haven, Inuit Art/Eskimo Art