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The Polar Bear: Mystical Urus maritimus evolved 25,000 year ago during the last Ice Age. The Inuit people called the polar bear "Nanuk". Its hollow-haired fur is pure white at birth, and often yellows as the bear ages. Surprisingly, the predator's skin is black. Churchill is "The Polar Bear Capital of the World", located near the largest polar bear denning area on the globe. |
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The Hudson Bay: Named for Henry Hudson, the first European explorer to sail into its waters in 1610, the Bay is a shallow inland sea encompassing 520,000 square miles. Churchill, founded in 1688, is perched on a peninsula where the Churchill Regional Health Authority looks eastward across an ever-changing seascape. The unpredictable Bay undergoes startling shifts from millpond stillness to tempestuous waves and crashing surf, frozen pressure ridges and stately ice floes. |
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The Inukshuk: "Inukshuk" means "something resembling a person" in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit people. Inukshuit are constructed from stacks of rocks in the rough shape of a human being. Scattered across the eastern Arctic, these sentinels warn of danger, and mark campsites, caches of meat, caribou crossings, coastal bearings and trails for nomadic travellers. |
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The Aurora: Shimmering curtains of coloured light dance hundreds of kilometers above the earth when particles from the sun collide with nitrogen and oxygen and become luminous. Inuit legend recounts the aurora borealis as a joyful sign from the Great Spirit welcoming a dead child's soul. Northern Lights pulsate to the late-night Churchill sky, streaming and arcing in vivid hues of white, green, yellow and red. |
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The Medicine Wheel: This ancient aboriginal circle symbolizes the equality of the four races of the human family; harmony among the four elements of earth, air, fire and water; and the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual journey necessary for a balanced and healthy life. The Medicine Wheel, so synonymous with healing, wisdom and safety, has special significance for Churchill, which has stood at a cross-cultural crossroads for centuries. |
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The Trees: The stunted, one-sided trees that form such a distinctive part of the Churchill landscape are notable for their distinct crown forms. Predominately located in the forest-tundra region, the conifers are buffeted by prevailing Arctic winter winds. Abrasion from swirling snow and ice crystals strips them of their branches on the windward side. |
