Ovayok Territorial Park facts for kids
Ovayok Territorial Park is a cool place found about 15 kilometers (9 miles) east of Cambridge Bay. This community is in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, Canada. The park is also known as Uvajuq. It used to be called Mount Pelly.
Ovayok Park is not very big, covering about 16 square kilometers (6 square miles). You can easily get there from Cambridge Bay. A gravel road leads right to the park. It's a great spot to explore the Arctic landscape and learn about its history.
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Amazing Wildlife
Ovayok Territorial Park is home to many different animals. You can often spot large muskox roaming around. These shaggy animals are very common here.
Other animals you might see include:
The park also has several lakes. Most of these lakes are full of fish like Arctic char and lake trout.
Many types of birds live in or visit the park. Some of the birds you might see are:
Ancient History and People
Ovayok Park is a special place for history. It has several archaeological sites. These are places where people lived a long time ago. You can find old tent rings and food caches. These show how ancient people survived.
Experts have also found camps and tools from the Thule and Paleo-Eskimo groups nearby. This tells us that people have been using this area for at least 1,000 years! It's like a giant outdoor museum.
The Giant Hills of Ovayok
The most famous part of the park is a huge hill called Uvayuq. It used to be known as Mount Pelly. This hill is an esker, which is a long, winding ridge of sand and gravel. It was left behind by melting glaciers. Uvayuq rises about 183 meters (600 feet) high.
Behind Uvayuq, there are two more eskers. These are called Inuuhuktu and Amaaqtuq. They are also very important to the local people.
The Legend of the Giants
The Inuit people have a special story about these three hills. They say the hills are a family of starving giants. The giants were crossing Victoria Island to find food.
Sadly, the father, Uvayuq, died first. Then his son, Inuuhuktu, also passed away. Inuuhuktu means "teenaged boy" in English. Finally, the mother, Amaaqtuq, died while carrying her baby. Amaaqtuq means "packing baby" and refers to an amauti, a special parka for carrying a child. This legend helps explain the landscape and teaches important lessons.
