Cambridge Bay (Sep 22/03) - When members of the Kitikmeot Heritage Society finish their project next year, they will have mapped the entire region with traditional place names according to the elders from those areas.

"Last year we completed work from Cambridge Bay and started Pelly Bay," said Kim Crockett, President of the Kitikmeot Heritage Society.

The region is comprised of Kugluktuk, Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven, Taloyoak (Spence Bay), and Kugaaruk (Pelly Bay).

"This year we are completing the Pelly Bay area and will be travelling to Gjoa Haven.

"We have to reaffirm everything with the elders and make sure the spelling is correct and we have all the information recorded as accurately as possible."

The department of Culture Language Elders and Youth provided $87,000 for the project.

A five-volume atlas and Web site are in the works, along with a CD Rom for educational purposes.

"We want a really comprehensive detailed atlas of traditional place names and the stories that are associated with them for the whole region," said Crockett.

Lots of research

The team has gleaned information from current maps, and is doing place name interviews with elders.

Researcher Darren Keith, 36, said it has been rewarding beyond his wildest dreams to be part of a project like this.

"The next phase," he said during a break in interviews with elders, "is to make sure we have all the meanings and stories."

Some of the place names in the Kitikmeot have "extended stories or legends connected to them," he said.

When elders disagree about a place name or a story, the researchers defer to the elder from the region.

Project co-ordinators estimate it will take two more years to finish mapping the Kitikmeot and find a publisher for the five-volume atlas.