Pangnirtung

Pangnirtung sits on Pangnirtung Fjord on Baffin Island with mountains rising more than a thousand metres directly behind, and it is known for two things. The Uqqurmiut Centre runs a tapestry studio where weavers translate drawings by local Inuit artists into large woven works, a practice begun in 1970 and now represented in collections and public buildings around the world, alongside a printmaking shop producing an annual print collection. The other is access: the hamlet is the southern gateway to Auyuittuq National Park, and the Akshayuk Pass route into it starts from here across the fjord ice or by boat.

History

The Inuit and their Paleo-Eskimo predecessors have lived in the area for thousands of years, perhaps up to 4000. The Hudson's Bay Company opened a trading post here in 1921 and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police a permanent office two years later, the first government teacher arrived in 1956 and the first administrative office in 1962, and since the government set up a weaving studio in 1970 Inuit weavers have made tapestries for an international market, alongside lithographs and prints from local drawings (Wikipedia, Pangnirtung).

What's there

• The tapestry studio - weavers working Inuit drawings into large woven pieces.
• The print shop - an annual collection of Inuit prints produced locally.
• The fjord walls - mountains rising over a thousand metres behind the hamlet.
• The Auyuittuq gateway - the start of the Akshayuk Pass route.

When to go

July to September for boat access and hiking; March to May for travel over fjord ice by snowmobile. Flights are weather-dependent year-round and cancellations are routine.

What to expect

Flights cancel frequently for weather and being stuck for days is normal. Costs are very high. Park travel requires registration, polar bear precautions and often an outfitter.

Nearby

Auyuittuq National Park lies north; Iqaluit is south by air.

Key facts