Umingmaktok
Umingmaktok
Abandoned settlement in Nunavut, Canada
Umingmaktok (Inuinnaqtun: Umingmaktuuq, "he or she caught a muskox") is a now abandoned settlement located in Bathurst Inlet in the Kitikmeot of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. The community was previously known as Bay Chimo and the Inuit refer to the community as Umingmaktuuq ("like a musk ox").
The traditional language of the area was Inuinnaqtun and is written using the Latin alphabet rather than the syllabics of the Inuktitut writing system. Like Cambridge Bay, Bathurst Inlet and Kugluktuk syllabics are rarely seen and used mainly by the Government of Nunavut.
Situated at the site of a deserted Hudson's Bay Company post, the community was formed[when?] as an outpost camp by Inuit families that wanted to live a more traditional lifestyle. The area around Umingmaktuuq is said to be rich in wildlife such as the Arctic fox, fur seals, barren-ground caribou, Arctic char and muskox.
With less than two dozen residents, Umingmaktuuq was one of the smallest permanent non-military communities in Nunavut. At one time[until when?] the community had a school that provided education up to Grade 6. Later, any students were flown to Cambridge Bay and returned to the community only for the summer and Christmas.
The community had no electricity other than that provided by portable generators, and communication with the outside world was by satellite phone. The only access to the community was by chartered aircraft, and the landing strip divided Umingmaktuuq in half. On one side was the old Hudson's Bay Company buildings and the Co-op store. On the other side was the main residential area.