UQSUQTUUQ/GJOA HAVEN - Visitors to Gjoa Haven will now have both an Inuit and European perspective on the Northwest Passage, which will aid in understanding the history of the area, Mayor Joanni Sallerina said.

"I think having the Inuit background on the signs will really help promote a better understanding of Inuit culture and history," he said.

Signs along Gjoa Haven's Northwest Passage trail were upgraded last September to help reflect the history of the passage in an Inuit context, said Becky Torretti, regional co-ordinator with Nunavut Parks and Special Places.

The signs provide information about the Nattilik Inuit both before and during the time Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen stopped in the Gjoa Haven area while journeying through the Northwest Passage.

Amundsen visited the area from 1903 to 1905 before continuing on to become the first explorer to successfully navigate the Northwest Passage.

"It was upgrading and bringing in more of the Inuit story," Torretti said. "Originally it was based mainly on the explorer's version of what had gone on with the Northwest Passage, but the story on the new trail signage kind of explores the Northwest Passage through three converging story lines."

Torretti said the story lines reflect Amundsen's scientific research and journey, the history of the Inuit living in the area during that time and the relationship that developed between Amundsen, his crew and the Inuit.

The project began in 2005 and involved local elders, the parks and special places division of Nunavut's Department of Environment, Grade 12 students from Qiqartaq Ilihakvik, the hamlet and museums in both Canada and Norway, Torretti said.

"This was a collaborative effort between the Department of Environment and the community of Gjoa Haven," she said.

The trail begins at the Heritage Centre and continues to a cairn dedicated to Amundsen on the shoreline.

"(It) leads visitors on a journey through the community that features stories of local elders and excerpts from Norwegian Roald Amundsen's diaries," she said.

A brochure for those who take self-guided walking tours also goes along with the signage, Torretti said.

Torretti said Amundsen represents a link created between Norway and Gjoa Haven that still exists today.

"The community feels a real connection to Norway through this explorer so it's pretty neat," she said. "People in the community really were the contributors to the project."

Torretti added that flagpoles and two benches are also scheduled to be installed along the route.

Sallerina said he believes the new signs should boost the number of visitors to Gjoa Haven.

"I think it will attract more tourists," he said.