posted
not Eureka. I'll comment more on Gris Fjord tomorrow. Gonna hit the hay for the eve.
From: Vancouver, BC, Canada | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
Alert it is! Northernmost permanent settlement n the world!
Ibby, I've never been to Grise Fjord, actually; I just know of it from studies.
It was founded in the 1950s as a forced relocation of Inuit in order to have a settlement on Ellesmere during the Cold War, to strengthen Canada's claim to the island (and to the far north in general). Bureaucrats in Ottawa decided it was a good idea, assuming all arctic habitat was alike and interchangeable, so they asked an Inuit band to move there, promising fresh hunting opportunities and resources to get going - and passage back if they didn't like it. Both promises came up short.
Ellesmere had none of the land or sea resources the Inuit were used to, and there was virtually nothing to support the population, in far harsher conditions than they expected or knew how to deal with. Ottawa decided the Inuit were just refusing to adapt and got too accustomed to the provided resources, so they cut them off - while also requiring those who did want to move back to where they were had to reimburse the government for their travel expenses. With nothing profitable to hunt/sell, little to eat, the community was stuck there and virtually starving or at least malnourished. It took decades to adapt, at a cost of many lives. At times, Ottawa only lived up to its assistance promise once a nearby American cold war air base learned of the Inuit plight.
From: Vancouver, BC, Canada | Registered: Dec 2003
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