Bloody Fall, Territorial waterfall in Kugluktuk, Canada.
Bloody Fall is a waterfall and rapids on the Coppermine River in Kugluk/Bloody Falls Territorial Park, Nunavut, about 15 km southwest of Kugluktuk and just above the river's mouth on the Arctic Ocean. The river drops through a rocky gorge cut into tundra, and the surrounding ground holds archaeological traces of hunting and fishing camps.
Samuel Hearne named the falls after the 1771 Bloody Falls Massacre, in which Chipewyan and Yellowknife members of his expedition's circle killed about 20 Copper Inuit. In 1913 two Copper Inuit men, Uloqsaq and Sinnisiak, murdered two priests here. The northwest bank became a National Historic Site in 1978, and in 1996 Dene and Inuit held a healing ceremony to reconcile.
Kugluk means "waterfall" in Inuinnaqtun, while the traditional campsite at the falls is called Onoagahiovik, "the place where you stay all night", a name tied to the good fishing there. Inuit still use the area as a fish camp. In 1996, Dene and Inuit met at the falls for a healing ceremony to reconcile their historical differences.
The falls lie on the Coppermine River about 15 km southwest of Kugluktuk, inside Kugluk/Bloody Falls Territorial Park; the German source gives nearly 16 km. There is no road, so access is by boat, aircraft or on foot, and the site is remote with no facilities. Plan for Arctic weather and check conditions locally before setting out.
Archaeological finds show human settlement at this location for roughly 3000 years, with traces of Pre-Dorset, Thule, First Nation, and Inuit cultures. The layers of earth tell a story of long human activity in this remote Arctic region.
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