Umingmaktok, Nunavut

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Umingmaktuuq - looking towards the Co-op store

The community of Umingmaktok ("he or she caught a Musk Ox") is located in Bathurst Inlet in the Kitikmeot Region of Canada's Nunavut Territory. The community was previously known as Bay Chimo and the Inuit refer to the community as Umingmaktuuq ("like a musk ox").

Umingmaktuuq - the other half of the community

The traditional language of the area was Inuinnaqtun and is written using the Latin alphabet rather than the syllabics of the Inuktitut writing system. Like Cambridge Bay, Bathurst Inlet and Kugluktuk syllabics are rarely seen and used mainly by the Government of Nunavut.

Situated at the site of a deserted Hudson's Bay Company post, the community was formed as an outpost camp by Inuit families that wanted to live a more traditional lifestyle. The area around Umingmaktuuq is said to be rich in wildlife such as the Arctic Fox, Fur Seals, Barren-ground Caribou, Arctic char and musk ox.

As of the 1996 Census of Canada there were 51 people living in Umingmaktuuq, all but one of whom were Inuit. By the time of the 2001 census the population had dropped to 5. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that some families have returned to the community.

With less than two dozen residents, Umingmaktuuq is one of the smallest permanent non-military communities in Nunavut. At one time the community had a school that provided education up to Grade 6. Today, any students are flown to Cambridge Bay and return to the community only for the summer and Christmas.

The community has no electricity other than that provided by portable generators, and communication with the outside world is by satellite phone. The only access to the community is by chartered aircraft, and the landing strip divides Umingmaktuuq in half. On one side is the old Hudson's Bay Company buildings and the Co-op store. On the other side is the main residential area.