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Local Art

Basket Annie Sanikiluaq carvers are known worldwide for their distinctive carvings made from argillite, the dark stone found on the Belcher Islands.

The community is also known for its beautiful baskets made from lyme grass.

Our Environment

The terrain is composed of many rocky cliffs that tower 50 to 155 meters above sea level. Many of these cliffs are nesting grounds for eider ducks, whose feathers (eiderdown) are collected from nests and made into duvets and outer-wear.

Welcome to the
Municipality of Sanikiluaq

Located in the heart of Hudson Bay in the Belcher Islands, Sanikiluaq is an Inuit community of 850 residents. It is the southernmost community in Nunavut, about 150 kilometres off the west coast of Nunavik, Quebec. The Islands are distinctly arctic where notrees grow.

The Inuit have inhabited the Belchers Islands for centuries. The Thule and Dorset cultures occupied the Islands as evidenced by many sites. The Islands first came to the attention of outsiders after Henry Hudson spotted them in 1610.

Then about 1840s, Thomas Wiegand, a servant of the Hudson's Bay Company, led an exploration party from Fort George (Chisasibi), Quebec to the Belchers. Robert Flaherty and his crew, some 75 years later were the first Qallunaat (people with brushy eyebrows) to winter on the Islands.