Last winter, Avataq Cultural Institute re-launched Nunatop, a place name project that began in the 1980’s.
On July 30th 2012, a team of two archaeologists—Christian Roy and Benjamin Patenaude for the Avataq Cultural Institute—landed on Cairn Island in Richmond Gulf, about 50 kilometers south of the village of Umiujaq. They were there to complete the archaeological evaluation of the HBC trading post of Richmond Fort (HaGb-11) in operation from 1750 to 1758.
This past July, the Department of Archaeology did a week of intensive survey in Aupaluk.
During the summer of 2012 Avataq Cultural Institute conducted salvage excavations on three sites near the town of Inukjuak.
On July 17th, 2012, a team of three archaeologists—Jennifer M. Bracewell (Avataq Cultural Institute, QC), Elspeth Ready (Doctoral Candidate, Stanford University, CA), and Dr Frédéric Dessène (PhD, Universités Paris I and Rome I)—arrived at the peninsula of Aivirtuuq, about 30 kilometers SE of the village of Kangiqsujuaq.