NiJq-28 Cemetery
This Thule site is a cemetery on a low boulder field hill and only an incomplete human cranium was observed. The site had been disturbed since most of the coffins were empty and none completelycovered by slabs.
The Tunrit placed their dead in rock structures, while the Netsilingmiut "laid out", or exposed, theirs to the elements, sometimes ringing the body with cobbles.
Taloyoak community memebers have spoken out strongly against the removal or disturbance of human remains.
Respect Human Remains and Graves
In March Inuit Heritage Trust travelled back to taloyoak to ask the Elders about human remains and gravesites. This is what the elders had to say.
When the elders were young they were told that when they saw grave rocks (in a large oval shape that indicated a grave) or bones lying on the land, they were not to touch or distrub them. If there was a rock-surrounded grave, and some human bones were outside of it, you were supposed to put them back into the rock surrounded grave.
The stroy of my Great Grandfather's burial
My name is Angmaluq. My great grandpa, my dad’s grandfather, his name was Qaquqtiniq, his name was Alaingaq too and he was my namesake too. Because my names are Qaquqtiniq and Alaungaq too. Because I’ve got same name as my dad’s grandpa, his stepmother’s father-in-law. Pujataq, my dad’s father, he had a bad temper, because he was never happy when he came home from hunting, people named and called him anuttuq (not smiling, looks mad). Because he never smiled at his wife when he came home they called him by that name but that was not his name.
This is what my grandma told me and, the people don’t know this because they never heard this from my grandmother and she would tell me these stories when I was a child…
He was a very bad person, he was not the only bad person but he never hid what he did in those days. He died near Gjoa-Haven and since he had always hunted in Naluk during the time when the caribou are crossing Netsilik River he wanted to be buried there. His son Agunik brought him by walking. He would drag him across the ice, drop him off, walk back home and get up the next day and walk back to the body and continue walking towards Netsilik to go bury his body. He was doing this for so many days till he reached Netsilik and that is where he buried him. This was when they still had igloos but it the sun would come out and stay bright for the day for a long time.
He brought him here; someone else would of left him. He was probably heavy too. Because Agunik listened to his father he lived for a long time.
That is how I know the story of my great grandfather.
Site Field Notes
This site is a cemetery on a low boulder field hill and consists of limestone slabs cists built around boulders. An imcomplete human cranium, or skull was observed in a crack between one stone box and a boulder but most of the coffins were empty. None of the coffins were completely covered by slabs.
Site Description
Historic Association: unknown
Representativeness: Thule
Type/Function: cemetery
Rarity: rare
Integrity: disturbed
Preservation: only one skull observed
Artifact and feature density: high feature
density
Human Remains and Burials: present