Inuvik Native Band

Inuvik - "place of man" - is located on the East Channel of the Mackenzie Delta. Conceived by the Canadian government in 1953, the town of Inuvik was intended to replace the hamlet of Aklavik in the Mackenzie Delta -a traditional meeting place for the Gwich'in which was subject to flooding and offered limited space for expansion. The Inuvik region... was selected because it provided a large and level area that sits well above flood levels, has a large supply of gravel for construction and is adjacent to a navigable waterway. The region is composed of three major physiographic regions: the Mackenzie Delta, the Caribou Hills and the Anderson Plains. Inuvik was thus founded in 1955, and has become the administrative centre for the Western Arctic. Over the last 40 years Inuvik has grown from a government centre to a communications hub, as well as the transportation, health and education centre for the region. However, Inuvik was slow to grow with many Gwich'in refusing to leave Aklavic. 1964 to 1970 was a period of adjustment as residents adapted to life in the new community. 1967 saw Inuvik achieve village status, and in 1970 it became a town with an elected mayor and council. 1979 saw the completion of the Dempster Highway --linking Inuvik to the Canadian highway system. When the federal government built Inuvik, it brought with it most of the services common to southern Canada, including a 55-bed hospital, RCMP detachment and subdivision headquarters, banks, schools, post office, CBC radio station, library, ice arena, curling rink, swimming pool, baseball fields, tennis court, playgrounds, nine-hole golf course and a liquor store. The town has three hotel/motels, each with dining lounges, and bed and breakfast accommodation. Inuvik is Canada's largest settlement north of the Arctic Circle, with an approximate population of 3,300. Forty percent of the population are non-aboriginal, 37 percent are of Inuvialuit descent, 14 percent are of Gwich'in descent and seven percent are Metis. The Inuvik Native Band represents ...Read More