Siglit facts for kids
The Sallirmiut are a group of Inuit people who live in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in northern Canada. They are part of a larger group called the Inuvialuit, who are the Inuit people of western Canada.
The Inuvialuit identity is a modern idea that brings together the Sallirmiut with two other distinct Inuit groups: the Ummarmiut and the Kangiryurmiut. This unity was important during the process of creating the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. This agreement was about land claims, which means deciding who owns and controls certain lands. A group called the Committee For Original People's Entitlement encouraged these three Inuit groups to work together. They realized that by uniting, they would have more power to fight for their land rights.
Language of the Sallirmiut
The Sallirmiut speak a language called Siglitun. This language is a special dialect of Inuvialuktun. Sadly, Siglitun is now very rare and is considered severely endangered, meaning very few people still speak it.
In the Siglitun language, the name "Sallirmiut" means "the people located farthest along the coastline." This name describes where they traditionally lived, which was around the Mackenzie River Delta. The Sallirmiut were the first Inuit group to live in this area before Europeans arrived.
Traditional Sallirmiut Groups
When Europeans first came to the region, the Sallirmiut likely lived in five main community groups. Each group was known for living in a specific area or for using a particular resource.
Sallirmiut Community Names
- Qikitaryungmiut: These people lived near and were named after Qikiqtariak, which means "Big Island." This island is also known as Herschel Island.
- Kuukpangmiut: Their name comes from Kuukpak, meaning "Big River," which refers to the mighty Mackenzie River.
- Kitigaryumiut: This group was named after a large settlement called Kitigaryuit. The exact meaning of this name has been lost over time.
- Nuvugarmiut: They were named after Nuvurak, a village located at Atkinson Point on the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula.
- Avvarmiut: This group was named after their village, Avak.
Europeans often called the Sallirmiut by names like Siglit or Tchiglit. It's thought that these names were a misunderstanding of the word "salliq," which means "Coastal People" in their language.
