Whispers from the Past

Evidence in the park points to thousands of years of human occupation. Roughly thirty sites, especially in the coastal sector and along the banks of the Koroc River, have been identified. Some of these sites contain fragments of metachert, a sharp-edged stone that was highly valued during Nunavik’s prehistory. Naturally present at Ramah Bay in Labrador, metachert has been discovered at many locations around the coast of Ungava Bay, suggesting that the valley of the Koroc River was once used to transport the stone west.

Compared with its west coast, permanent camps were slow to appear on the east coast of Ungava Bay, possibly due to the rugged terrain and the considerable tidal range. Following the establishment of the earliest trading posts towards the end of the 18th century, the semi-nomadic Inuit of the area settled on the George River in 1962 at Akilasakallak Cove, forming the village Kangiqsualujjuaq.

Passed on orally from generation to generation, local myths and legends offer an insightful glimpse into the past. Some stories recount the actions of mythical characters, such as Torngak – the malicious spirit of the Torngat Mountains, who were intent on making trouble for the Inuit. Other stories make reference to a giant polar bear named Nanuklurk, who was known to cause the ice along the Labrador coast to break apart.