in 1894
Early European contact The area was known as
Markland in
Greenlandic Norse and its inhabitants were known as the
Skræling though there is considerable debate as to whether contact was made with
Thule culture or
Dorset culture. The Inuit and their ancestors had thus been using the coastal areas of south Labrador, at least on a seasonal basis, well before first contact with Europeans. These findings confirm the continued presence of Inuit, living year-round in the areas south of Hamilton Inlet, from the early to mid-16th century until at least the late 19th century. The earliest recorded contact between
Inuit and post-Nordic Europeans occurred in 1501, when the Anglo-Azorean expedition visited Labrador and took three Inuit to England. These Inuit were presented to
Henry VII of England by
Sebastian Cabot and were described as "clothed in beastes skinnes, who eat raw flesh". The finding of historic
Roman Catholic documents detailing Inuit-Europeans with Iberian names may indicate some unions occurred between these early visitors and the Indigenous people. In 1586, the first written evidence of Inuit settlements in the area was recorded, when a crew of explorers led by John Davies were attacked by Inuit living on the outer islands near Sandwich Bay. In 1659, Jacques Fremin described
Cape St. Charles as an Inuit community.
Louis Fornel named the area from Alexis Bay to
Hamilton Inlet the "Coste des
Eskimaux" in 1743 and claimed there were Inuit living around St. Michael's Bay ("Baye des Meniques"), Hawke Bay, Martin Bay and Hamilton Inlet. By 1750 Inuit no longer occupied the Côte-Nord, In 1764,
Jens Haven arrived at
Quirpon, Newfoundland and to
Chateau Bay. He was a missionary from the
Moravian Church. Haven learned the
Inuit language and explained to them that the Colony of Newfoundland wished to enter a peaceful relationship with them. Haven had previously worked in
Greenland which is where he learned the
Greenlandic language (which is a similar language to the
Inuttitut language spoken by Labradorian Inuit). The Moravian Church set up missionary posts in northern Labrador since the British hoped to colonize the south. They restricted access by Europeans to territory between Cape Chidley and Cape Harrison which created a cultural divide between the Inuit of the north and the Inuit of the south. Scholars currently disagree about whether the treaty was signed by Inuit permanently resident in the south or northern Inuit who travelled to the south on a temporary basis. This treaty later formed the basis of the NCC's first unsuccessful application for the NunatuKavut claimlands. In its claim, the NCC stated the treaty was signed by southern Inuit, based on the meetings which took place in Chateau Bay between Palliser and Inuit families at the time.
1800s: Intermarriage between Inuit and Europeans In 1810, an Englishman named William Phippard married an Inuk woman named "Sarah" and they had a son. Inuit did not use surnames until the time of colonization, and in southern Labrador over time many received European first names and surnames through intermarriage with Europeans. However, some Inuit first names were anglicized such as "Paulo", "Kippenhuck", "Shuglo", "Tuccolk", "Elishoc", "Alliswack", "Penneyhook", "Maggo", and "Mucko" and used as surnames. "Kippenhuck" and "Toomashie" are some of the only remaining Inuit surnames (excluding names of people that have moved to NunatuKavut from other places) still in use today. Of marriages recorded between 1773 and 1891 in southern and central Labrador, it was shown that 152 married people were Inuit, 27 were European, 14 were mixed and 1 was
Mi'kmaq while the ethnic origin of 26 people could not be identified. Before Canadian Confederation, most Inuit lived in small settlements of a few families in isolated harbours and on islands off the coast of Labrador. During the 1950s and 1960s many communities across the province were resettled to larger population centres as part of a provincial government-sponsored program. The
collapse of the Atlantic northwest cod fishery also had a huge impact on central and southern Labrador like it had on the province as a whole and many people left the province to find work elsewhere. These groups were largely unrepresented until the 1980s, when the Labrador Métis Association (LMA) was established to represent the Southern Inuit and Labrador Métis. Shortly after, the Labrador Métis Association submitted its first land claim. This was rejected in 1991. The issue came up as a result of a decision by the provincial government in 1996 to call for proposals for the development of a quality sports fishing camp on the Eagle River in Labrador.
Corner Brook based KGY Group (a non-aboriginal application) was selected over a Labrador company. The Labrador Metis Association claimed Eagle River as a traditional salmon fishing area. For about nine days in 1996, hundreds of residents from
Cartwright and nearby communities in the
Sandwich Bay area kept a supply vessel and helicopter from delivering materials to the construction site. A joint
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and
Coast Guard operation arrested at least 47 residents involved in the protests and charged most of them with mischief. In June 1999,
the Crown entered a stay of proceedings on all charges laid against members of the Labrador Metis Nation during the Eagle River protests. In 2010, Labrador Métis began calling themselves the Southern Inuit of NunatuKavut following a membership renewal process that required all members to submit proof of Inuit ancestry. The organization changed its name to the NunatuKavut Community Council after the historic name of the Southern Inuit, the NunatuKavummiut.) have a similar Inuit and European heritage as the people of NunatuKavut. In 2019, the NunatuKavut Community Council signed a memorandum of understanding with the Canadian Government. This recognized them as an
Indigenous collective, but did not in itself grant any Indigenous rights or land claims. Both Innu and Inuit have criticized the Federal Government for its recognition of NCC.
Flag In 2016, the NunatuKavut Community Council unveiled a proposal for its flag. The flag was designed by Barry Pardy of
Cartwright. According to NunatuKavut the flag The flag features an
ulu with a
qulliq on the blade. A traditional
dog team with the
dog sled carrying a Inuk and a seal is on the handle. The three main colours, green, blue, and white, represent the waters, lands, and sky along with snow and ice.
Communities •
Black Tickle-Domino •
Cartwright •
Charlottetown •
Lodge Bay •
Mary's Harbour •
Norman's Bay •
Paradise River •
Pinsent's Arm •
Port Hope Simpson •
St. Lewis •
William's Harbour ==Organization==