Baker Lake, Inuit settlement in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada.
Baker Lake is located at the mouth of the Thelon River near the geographical center of Canada, making it the only inland Inuit community in Nunavut. The settlement sits along coastal areas where tundra landscape meets waterways.
The Hudson's Bay Company established a trading post in 1916, followed by Anglican missionaries in 1927 and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1930. These institutions shaped the community's development over more than a century.
The Jessie Oonark Arts and Crafts Centre is a working studio where local artists create wall hangings, prints, and stone sculptures using techniques passed down through generations. You can watch the creative process and see how these crafts remain central to daily life in the community.
Access to the settlement is primarily by air through Baker Lake Airport, with regular flights connecting to other regional communities. Infrastructure is adapted to subarctic conditions, so visitors should prepare for limited services and extreme weather.
The settlement is home to eleven distinct Inuit groups who maintain their traditions while adapting to modern life in this subarctic environment. This diversity shows in daily social structures and local practices.
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