Inuvialuit Settlement Region Inuvialuit Nunangit Sannaiqtuaq (Inuinnaqtun)
Region
Inuvik, the largest community in the region
ISR in Yukon and NWT
Country	Canada
Territories	Northwest Territories Yukon
Inuvialuit Final Agreement	1984
Sub-regions	List Beaufort Sea Mackenzie River delta Yukon coast Northwest portion ofNorthwest Territories WesternArctic Archipelago
Government
• Type	Board of Directors
• Chair & CEO	Duane Ningaqsiq Smith[1]
Area [2]
• Total	435,000 km2 (168,000 sq mi)
• Land	90,650 km2 (35,000 sq mi)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2021)[3][4]
• Total	5,420
• Density	0.0598/km2 (0.155/sq mi)
Languages
• Indigenous (Inuit languages)	Inuvialuktun[5][a] (Sallirmiutun,Uummarmiutun,Kangiryuarmiutun)
• Settler	English
Time zone	UTC−07:00 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00 (MDT)
Website	Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
The Northwest Territories area of the ISR is onMST (UTC−07:00) /MDT (UTC−06:00) butHerschel Island,Yukon is onMST all year.

TheInuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR;Inuinnaqtun:Inuvialuit Nunangit Sannaiqtuaq – INS;French:Région désignée des Inuvialuit – RDI), located in Canada's westernArctic, was designated in 1984 in the Inuvialuit Final Agreement by theGovernment of Canada for theInuvialuit.^[7] It spans 435,000 km (270,000 mi), including 90,650 km² (35,000 sq mi) of land and 12,980 km² (5,010 sq mi) of subsurfacemineral rights.^[2] The ISR is mainly North of thetree line, and includes several sub-regions: theBeaufort Sea, theMackenzie River delta, the northern portion ofYukon ("Yukon North Slope",Herschel Island), and the northwest portion of theNorthwest Territories.^[8] The ISR includes bothCrown Lands and Inuvialuit Private Lands. Most of the ISR is represented byNunakput, theterritorialelectoral district, meaning "our land" inInuvialuktun.^[9]

The ISR is one of the fourInuit regions of Canada, collectively known asInuit Nunangat,^[10] represented by theInuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK). The other regions areNunatsiavut inLabrador,Nunavik in northernQuebec, and the territory ofNunavut.^[11] The ISR is the homeland of the Inuvialuit. TheInuvialuit Regional Corporation, established in 1986 as the receiver of the lands and financial compensation of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, is controlled by the Inuvialuit population and is responsible for ISR operations.^[12] From 1996 until 2016,Nellie Cournoyea, formerPremier of the Northwest Territories, was the Chair and CEO of the Board. She had been elected nine times before declining to run again.^[13] In 2016, Duane Ningaqsiq Smith, was elected to replace her, was re-elected in 2019, and acclaimed in 2022.^[1]

The Inuvialuit Settlement Region Database contains descriptions of thousands of publications and research projects about the ISR. It is maintained by the Joint Secretariat—Inuvialuit Renewable Resource Committees^[14] and the Arctic Science and Technology Information System. Funding comes fromShell Canada andMGM Energy.^[15]

There are six communities in the ISR,Aklavik,Inuvik,Paulatuk,Sachs Harbour,Tuktoyaktuk, andUlukhaktok and all are in theNorthwest Territories.^[16][17] There are no Inuvialuit communities in the Yukon North Slope and it is estimated that the number of Inuvialuit living along the coast, as far east as theBaillie Islands, dropped from a high of 2,500 people to around 250 between 1850 and 1905. The drop in population is attributed to epidemics, such assmallpox,measles, andscarlet fever, caused by the arrival ofwhalers andfur traders.^[18]

These six communities, along withFort McPherson andTsiigehtchic, form the territorialInuvik Region and, including Region 1 Unorganized, areRegion 1, afederal census division.^[19][20]

In the2021 Canadian census, the ISR population was 5,420 people, and change of-1.4% from the 2016 population of 5,495 people.^[3][4] In 2021, 3,145 (58%) people were Inuvialuit, that being the largest group in all six communities and a majority in five.^[3][4]

Inuvik, located on the East Channel of the Mackenzie Delta, approximately 100 km (62 mi) from theArctic Ocean, is the region's administrative centre, home to the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. The only other inland community,Aklavik, is located on the Peel Channel.

Hunting, fishing and trapping are the major economic activities ofPaulatuk, inAmundsen Gulf'sDarnley Bay, andSachs Harbour, the only permanent settlement onBanks Island.

Tuktoyaktuk, formerly known as "Port Brabant",^[22] is set on Kugmallit Bay, near theMackenzie River Delta. It has the only deepwater port in the ISR.

Ulukhaktok, formerly known as "Holman", is located on the west coast ofVictoria Island. Printmaking has taken over as the primary source of income in recent years.

Kitigaaryuit is a former Inuvialuit settlement. It was the traditional territory of theKitigaaryungmiut. The site, which is situated near the junction of theMackenzie River's East Channel andKugmallit Bay, encompasses the villages of Kitigaaryuk and Tchenerark, which are located on a small island, and the adjacent village of Kuugaatchiaq, located on the mainland to the west of the island.^[23][24]

Herschel Island, which is uninhabited, is part of the ISR although inYukon and was traditionally occupied and used by the Inuvialuit.^[25] The island is an important part ofInuvialuit culture and the people sill visit the island to hunt and fish.^[25] At one timeHerschel Island was inhabited byPaleo-Eskimo groups followed byThule people, and finally the Inuvialuit, but in the latter half of the 20th century the population had migrated to government communities in the NWT.^[25]

Tarium Niryutait, is amarine protected area (MPA) located in the coastal areas of theYukon andNorthwest Territories in Canada. It is located within the ISR and was the firstArctic MPA established in Canada. The MPA was established with the goal of protectingbeluga whales and the biodiversity of other bird and fish species and their habitats.^[26]

English is spoken in the entire region. Additionally,Sallirmiutun (formerly Siglitun) is spoken by theSiglit in Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour and Tuktoyaktuk.Uummarmiutun is spoken by theUummarmiut in Inuvik and Aklavik.Kangiryuarmiutun (Inuinnaqtun^[27]) is spoken by theKangiryuarmiut in Ulukhaktok and nowhere else in the Northwest Territories.^[28] Together they are grouped underInuvialuktun.^[5]

ISR is dominated bysubarctic climate in the south andtundra climate in the north.

The Inuvialuit Renewable Resource Conservation and Management Plan sets the strategy for fish and wildlife management and conservation.^[8] Integrated management planning of the region's marine and coastal areas is described in the Beaufort Sea Integrated Management Planning Initiative.^[8] Wildlife includesArctic char,Arctic fox,beluga whale,bearded seal,bowhead whale,caribou,moose,muskox,polar bear,ringed seal, andwhitefish.^[43]

Migratory bird management within the ISR is handled by policies, principles, and regulations described in the Conservation of Migratory Birds in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region report.^[44]

There are several protected parks and bird sanctuaries in the ISR. There are five parks:Aulavik National Park,Qikiqtaruk Territorial Park (Herschel Island),Ivvavik National Park,Pingo Canadian Landmark, andTuktut Nogait National Park. There are also fivemigratory bird sanctuaries in the region:Anderson River Delta Migratory Bird Sanctuary,Banks Island No. 1 and Banks Island No. 2 Bird Sanctuary,Cape Parry Migratory Bird Sanctuary, andKendall Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary^[45]

The area is rich in non-renewablehydrocarbon resources.^[43] There are proven commercial quantities ofnatural gas,nickel,petroleum, andzinc.^[43]

The ISR's Inuvialuit Private Lands are divided into those where the Inuvialuit own surface and subsurface minerals, or those lands with only surface rights.^[46]

• Map
• Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
• Yukon ISR Lands

• Inuvialuit Settlement Region
• Inuvik

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