Utkuhiksalik facts for kids

Utkuhiksalik (also known as Utkuhiksalingmiutitut or Gjoa Haven dialect) is a special way of speaking the Inuit language. It is a sub-dialect of Natsilingmiutut, which is part of the Inuvialuktun language spoken in Western Canada.

This language was once spoken in the Utkuhiksalik area of Nunavut, near Chantrey Inlet. Today, mostly elders speak it in places like Uqsuqtuuq (Gjoa Haven) and Qamani'tuaq (Baker Lake) in mainland Canada. It is usually written using Inuktitut syllabics.

The people who spoke Utkuhiksalik are called the Utkuhiksalingmiut. Their name means "the people of the place where there is soapstone." They lived between Chantrey Inlet and Franklin Lake. They made their cooking pots (called utkuhik or utkusik) from the soapstone found in their area. This is how they got their name.

Utkuhiksalik is very similar to other Natsilik sub-dialects. However, the Utkuhiksalingmiut people were historically different from the Natsilingmiut. Even today, there are small differences in words and sounds between Utkuhiksalik and Natsilik.

How Utkuhiksalik is Different

Utkuhiksalik is closely related to Natsilik. Here are some examples of how a few words are different in the two sub-dialects:

• Utkuhiksalik says ařgaq for 'hand'. Natsilik proper says ažgak.
• Utkuhiksalik says aqiřgiq for 'ptarmigan' (a type of bird). Natsilik proper says aqigžeq.
• Utkuhiksalik says ipřit for 'you'. Natsilik proper says ižvit.

Famous Researchers and Utkuhiksalik

Some important researchers studied the Utkuhiksalik language and the people who spoke it.

Franz Boas

Franz Boas was a famous anthropologist. He studied different cultures and languages. In 1888, he wrote about the Ukusiksalirmiut (another name for Utkuhiksalingmiut) as one of the "Central Eskimo" tribes.

Boas noted that these people lived near the Back River estuary. He believed they had lived in this area for a long time. He also mentioned that their main food was fish, which they caught a lot of in the Back River. They also hunted musk ox.

Knud Rasmussen

Knud Rasmussen was a Danish explorer. He traveled across the Canadian Arctic, often using a dogsled. During his Fifth Thule Expedition, he met Jessie Oonark when she was a teenager. This was the first time many Utkuhikhalingmiut people met a white person.

Years later, in the 1980s, Jessie Oonark's story of meeting Rasmussen was recorded. She spoke in Utkuhiksalik, and her interview was shared on CBC radio.

Talented Inuit Artists

Many well-known Inuit artists were fluent speakers of Utkuhiksalik. These include Jessie Oonark, Luke Anguhadluk, and Marion Tuu'luuq. Jessie Oonark was born in 1906 and passed away in 1985.

Their artwork, and the art of their children, often shows different parts of the Utkuhikhalingmiut culture. This helps keep their traditions alive.

Utkuhiksalik Dictionary

A full dictionary of the Utkuhiksalik language was published in 2015. This was a very important step to help keep the sub-dialect from being lost. Jean Briggs, an expert on Inuit languages, helped to create this dictionary.

See also

• Ukkusiksalik National Park