The land

Salluit

There is disagreement among Elders about the origin of the word SALLUIT. This is one history I was told. Before anyone lived in Salluit, certain hunters confirmed that there was a lot of game in the area. But when some other hunters went to the same place, they found nothing. The word Salluit is derived from this contradiction.

The community is surrounded by mountains, which obstruct the view. The municipality has a limited amount of land, and the houses are crammed together. The water in the streams is delicious and very cold. The Inuit population numbers about 600 or 700.

The tides are very high and bring in seafood – mussels, clams and seaweed. The Sallumiut know the sea well; they understand the movement of currents and tides by observing the moon. For example, during a full moon, when the moon appears later and later, there are lots of marine currents. Hunters in the area are equally aware of the dangers presented by currents, winds and mountains. Sometimes there are avalanches; in certain places, one cannot fire a gun without dislodging huge sheets of snow from the sides of the mountains. Many Inuit have perished in avalanches.

All the Sallumiut, the Elders and the younger people, speak Inuktitut. Salluit is the fifth largest community in Nunavik.

by Taamusi Qumaq (1992)