Gjoa Haven

8-16=25

Today we visited the hamlet of Gjoa Haven.

This little town of about 1,500 came about because of another explorer searching for the Northwest Passage. The Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, was destined to have move success than the Franklin Expedition. He was the first to successfully navigate the Northwest Passage in his ship, the Gjoa. Later he would be the first to reach the South Pole as well.

However, before accomplishing either feat, he spent two years in Gjoa Haven studying the magnetic North Pole which at the time was close to Gjoa Haven. The nearby Netsilik Inuit (Nattilik) people came to the town to trade. When it was time for Amundsen to travel on and finish navigating the Northwest Passage, the Nattilik stayed. However, the name of the town stuck--Gjoa Haven (a haven for the ship Gjoa).

The Nattilik Heritage Center remembers both Amundsen, as well as the ill-fated Franklin Expedition, such as the ship's bell from the Erebus.

However, it's main focus is to showcase the culture and art of the Nattilik people.

Outside of the heritage center, women offered food samples and demonstrated some of the crafts and furs.

We also enjoyed a demonstration of Inuit throat singing and drum dancing.

We enjoyed wandering around the town as well and seeing the mix of traditional and modern living.