Unlocking The Ice: Connected Arctic Histories of Natchilingmiut and The 1845 Franklin Expedition,
Nattilik Heritage Centre
Nattilik Heritage Society, Parks Canada, Inuit Heritage Trust
Inuit communities have been living in and around the Uqsuqtuuq/Gjoa Haven area on Qikiqtaq/King William Island for thousands of years. The relative comfort and safety of the cove and the natural abundance of wildlife and plants in the area for hunting and camping have made it a desirable location for recurrent seasonal migration. For the same reasons, expeditions of explorers from Europe have been coming through the area, searching for the Northwest Passage for over 500 years. The Franklin Expedition’s ships, The HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, having sunk after being abandoned in 1847, were found near Qikiqtaryuaq/Queen Maude Gulf in 2014 and 2016. The shipwrecks offer unprecedented access to the ships, equipment, personal belongings, and human stories of the expedition.
Origin Studios worked with the Nattilik Heritage Society, the staff of the Nattilik Heritage Centre, Elders, Youth, and Community, Parks Canada, Inuit Heritage Trust, museum lenders, and project partner champions to plan, design, and install Unlocking the Ice: Connected Arctic Histories of Natchilingmiut and the 1845 Franklin Expedition. This exhibition centres the stories of Natchilik ways of living through the display of belongings and storywork offered from first voices as the context into which the Franklin expedition arrives to the land, and keeps the visitor on the continuum of shared histories through to the discovery of the shipwrecks and into the current day.
Early community consultation led us to create a three-channel thematic approach. The exhibition offers visitors a braided history of Uqsuqtuuq/Gjoa Haven in the 19th century, a holistic view of the Franklin Expedition, and a shared understanding of the Inuit oral history and sonar searching that found the shipwrecks in 2014. Gallery activities and A/V story stations throughout allow visitors to engage with many voices and histories.
Details:
Nattilik Heritage Society and Parks Canada
Opened June 2025
Exhibit Space: 1,500 sq. ft.
Services:
Exhibition Planning, Community Outreach, Content Development, Interpretive Planning, Exhibition Design, Interactive Design, Graphic And Custom Illustration, Loan Management, Exhibition Installation