Kitikmeot Heritage Society

May Hakongak Community Library and Cultural Centre

Exhibits

Students looking at Copper Inuit artifact display. (Kim Crockatt/KHS)

The May Hakongak Community Library and Cultural Centre was opened in May 2002 in Kiilinik High School. The centre boasts an fully integrated school/public library, cultural centre, museum, art gallery and archives. One of the first of its kind in the country, the centre allows for the integration of traditional knowledge and modern knowledge. The centre also provides a meaningful way in which elders and other community members can become a part of the formal education system.

The Cultural centre has several museum style displays interpreting different aspects of Copper Inuit history and material culture. The displays are based on traditional knowledge recorded by the Kitikmeot Heritage Society, and early twentieth century artifacts from the Canadian Museum of Civilization and Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Explore the two examples below.

Elders Display

The Elders Display, sponsored by the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, profiles
the lives of Cambridge Bay Elders.
(Funded by the Department of Culture, Language, Elders & Youth)

Elders story interactive display.
(Kim Crockatt/KHS)

Caribou drive diorama. (Kim Crockatt/KHS)

Caribou Drive Diorama

The Caribou Drive Diorama, sponsored by Tahera Diamond Corporation, is flanked by photograph displays provided through funding from the Millennium Partnership Program, Government of Canada.

Angulalik and his family. Perry River. 1959.
(S.J. Bailey/National Archives of Canada/PA-175729)

Angulalik Kitikmeot Fur Trader

This is a web-based exhibit that tells the story of the fur trade in the Kitikmeot, with special attention to the renowned Inuk fur trader Stephen Angulalik.
(Funded by Virtual Museums of Canada and the Hudson’s Bay Foundation)

See our booklet,
"Stephen Angulalik: Kitikmeot Fur Trader" here in PDF format (907k)