Whapmagoostui
Whapmagoostui (Cree: ᐙᐱᒫᑯᔥᑐᐃ/Wâpimâkuštui, "place of the beluga") is the northernmost Cree village in Quebec, Canada, located at the mouth of the Great Whale River (French: Grande Rivière de la Baleine) on the coast of Hudson Bay in Nunavik. About 906 Cree with about 650 Inuit, living in the neighbouring village of Kuujjuarapik. The community is accessible only by air (Kuujjuarapik Airport) and, in late summer, by boat. Whapmagoostui is about 250 km (160 mi) north of the nearest Cree village, Chisasibi.
Whapmagoostui
ᐙᐱᒫᑯᔥᑐᐃ | |
|---|---|
Partial view of the village, as seen from the hills to the east | |
Whapmagoostui | |
| Coordinates: 55°17′N 077°45′W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Nord-du-Québec |
| RCM-Equivalent | Eeyou Istchee |
| Established | 1821 (HBC post) |
| Incorporated | 1978 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Cree territory |
| • Chief | Louisa Wynne |
| • Federal riding | Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou |
| • Prov. riding | Ungava |
| Area | |
| • Total | 202.49 km2 (78.18 sq mi) |
| • Land | 190.83 km2 (73.68 sq mi) |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 1,022 |
| • Density | 5.2/km2 (13/sq mi) |
| • Change (2016–21) | 0.6% |
| • Dwellings | 251 |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| Area code | 819 (929 exchange) |
| Website | www |
Although the permanent cohabitation of Inuit and Cree at the mouth of the Great Whale River goes back only 1950, the two nations were rubbing shoulders in the area for a very long time, with the Inuit close to the coast and the Cree more in the interior.