Our History
NunatuKavut Inuit have lived on our homelands, in what is mainly in Southern and Central Labrador, since time immemorial. Over the centuries, encounters with European colonizers on Inuit lands and waters was intermittent and involved both trade and conflict.
Colonizers relied on our ancestors for skills and knowledge critical to their survival, yet encroached on our land and communities, which our ancestors vehemently resisted.
Early Presence
Archaeological evidence proves that NunatuKavut Inuit have lived in Southern and Central Labrador for countless generations. Throughout our territory and as far south as the Quebec North Shore, sites like hunting camps, dwellings, and tools show established communities and not temporary or seasonal visitors. These findings, combined with oral histories passed down through generations, affirm our deep and enduring connection to this land, long before European contact.
First Contact
Our ancestors first encountered European whalers and explorers in the 1500s. These early meetings were marked by both cooperation and conflict. Basque, French, and English ships relied on Inuit knowledge to survive, yet also sought to exploit our lands and resources. Through trade, negotiation, and resistance, NunatuKavut Inuit maintained our presence and identity along these coasts.
The British-Inuit Treaty of 1765
In August 1765, a Peace and Friendship Treaty was entered into between British officials and the Inuit of southern Labrador at Chateau Bay. This historic agreement formally acknowledged that Inuit were the rightful and established inhabitants of the lands and waters of what we now call NunatuKavut.
Far from a surrender, the treaty reaffirmed Inuit ownership and governance over our territory. It was part of a broader British strategy to promote peace and trade – but it also respected our autonomy, identity, and longstanding relationship with the land. The Inuit signatories were not passive participants; our ancestors came to the table as leaders, negotiating in the interest of their people and their future.
The 1765 Treaty was formally entered into the colonial record by the British Lords of Trade in 1769. It stands today as a foundational document in our shared legal and historical record, and as an early affirmation of the rights we continue to assert.
To explore the full history and significance of the British-Inuit Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1765, download our commissioned research report using the link below.
Era of Colonization
Unlike our cousins to the north, we experienced a different kind of colonization. While settlers depended on our skills and knowledge to survive here, they also encroached on our lands, disrupted our communities, and worked to erase our traditions and ways of life – reshaping us to fit their world instead of respecting our own.
We were not confined to reserves or relocated en masse, but our way of life was systematically targeted. Place names were replaced, language was eroded, and missionaries sought to convert and control. Epidemics like the Spanish Flu devastated communities, and residential schools worked to sever our children from their culture. Despite these attempts, our identity endured quietly in homes, on the land, and in our stories.
Cultural Revitalization
Today, we are reclaiming and revitalizing what was taken. The NunatuKavut Community Council leads initiatives in language, traditional knowledge, cultural practices, and youth engagement to ensure that our heritage is not only remembered but continuously lived. Grounded in our ancestors’ resilience, the strength of our people drives us forward toward self-governance and recognition.