Puvirnituq
Puvirnituq (Inuktitut: ᐳᕕᕐᓂᑐᖅ) is a northern village (Inuit community) in Nunavik, on the Povungnituk River near its mouth on Hudson Bay in northern Quebec, Canada. Its population was 2,129 as of the 2021 Canadian census.[4]
Puvirnituq
ᐳᕕᕐᓂᑐᖅ | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Puvirnituq | |
| Coordinates: 60°02′N 077°17′W[1][2] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Nord-du-Québec Nunavik |
| Equivalent territory (TE) | Kativik |
| Constituted | September 2, 1989 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Levi Amarualik |
| • Federal riding | Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou |
| • Provincial riding | Ungava |
| Area | |
| • Total | 111.44 km2 (43.03 sq mi) |
| • Land | 81.61 km2 (31.51 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[4] | |
| • Total | 2,129 |
| • Density | 26.1/km2 (68/sq mi) |
| • Change (2016–21) |  19.7% |
| • Dwellings | 697 |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| Postal code(s) | |
| Area code | 819 |
| Website | www |
Of all other northern villages in Nunavik (VN), only Puvirnituq has no Inuit reserved land (TI) of the same name associated with it.
The name means "putrifed" and is said to have arisen after an epidemic killed off most of the area's residents to the point that there were not enough people to bury the dead, which allowed the exposed bodies to decompose and gave off a putrid smell.[5]
Puvirnituq is the aviation hub of the Hudson Bay coast. Puvirnituq Airport handles scheduled flights to and from all other Hudson Bay coastal communities in Quebec, Montreal, and Ottawa. It is not accessible by road.
The police services in Puvirnituq are provided by the Nunavik Police Service.[6]
History
In 1921, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) established a trading post in the village, known as Povungnituk and often shortened to Pov. This attracted the settlement of Inuit living in the region. In 1951, the HBC opened a general store. The closure of HBC stores in other nearby villages led to an influx of Inuit to Puvirnituq.
A Catholic mission was founded in 1956, which encouraged the residents to form the Carvers Association of Povungnituk two years later. It later became the Co-operative Association of Povungnituk and was instrumental in assisting, developing, and marketing Inuit art. Its success inspired other Inuit communities to form similar cooperatives, most of which now make up the Federation of Co-operatives of Northern Quebec. Leah Nuvalinga Qumaluk was among the artists who worked at the cooperative.[7]
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Puvirnituq had a population of 2,129 living in 547 of its 697 total private dwellings, a change of 19.7% from its 2016 population of 1,779. With a land area of 81.61 km2 (31.51 sq mi), it had a population density of 26.1/km2 (67.6/sq mi) in 2021.[4]
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| Source: Statistics Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Education
The Kativik School Board operates three schools in Puvirnituq. Ikaarvik Primary School for K-3, Iguarsivik Primary-Secondary School for grades 4 through Secondary 5,[8] and the Adult Education Centre.[9]
Notable people
Inuit throat singer and activist Shina Novalinga (born 1998), an Inuk social media personality gained fame for posting videos throat singing with her mother on TikTok and Instagram. As of August 2022, she has over 4 million TikTok followers and over 2 million Instagram followers. Other people from Puvirnituq include Mary Pudlat (1923–2001), a visual artist.[10]
Gallery
Hospital
Northern Store
View of Puvirnituq River
Street view in winter
The village near the North bank of Puvirnituq River
Cemetery of Puvirnituq
References
- "Puvirnituq". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- "Reference number 291472 in Banque de noms de lieux du Québec". toponymie.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.
- "Geographic code 99120 in the official Répertoire des municipalités". www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation.
- "Puvirnituq, Village nordique (VN) Quebec [Census subdivision] Census Profile". 2021 Census. Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022.
- "putrefied". Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- KRPF. "General Information". Home. Archived from the original on 2017-08-27. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
- Jules Heller; Nancy G. Heller (19 December 2013). North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-63882-5.
- "Our Schools Archived 2017-09-15 at the Wayback Machine." Kativik School Board. Retrieved on September 23, 2017.
- "Puvirnituq - Adult Education". Kativik. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
- Heller, Jules; Heller, Nancy G. (1995). North American women artists of the twentieth century : a biographical dictionary. Internet Archive. New York : Garland. ISBN 978-0-8240-6049-7.
External links
