Whale Cove (May 31/06) - A Whale Cove woman who found a rare 18th century rifle while berry picking wants to know what's become of the artifact.

Sophie Igviksaq found the rifle in 2002 and said Doug Stenton, director of the heritage branch of the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, told her the gun belongs to the government and sent the RCMP to her home to pick up the artifact.

Igviksaq said the tone of some of Stenton's letters was intimidating, but that he also promised her and her husband Peter would get publicity for finding the piece.

"As soon as he got the gun we couldn't get ahold of him," Igviksaq said.

In a written response to Northern News Services, Stenton said the government and the Inuit Heritage Trust "jointly own all archaeological artifacts in Nunavut, which are held in trust for Nunavummiut." The artifacts are also not supposed to be removed from where they were found.

Stenton also confirmed the RCMP were involved in retrieving the rifle, but said there was no intention to intimidate Sophie Igviksaq.

"Although the legal phrasing used in some of the correspondence to explain the government's position could be interpreted that way," he said.

The rifle is at the CLEY head office in Iqaluit, he said.

The rifle is a muzzle-loading Wilson Brothers rifle carried by early Hudson's Bay Company traders with an ornate serpent design on the barrel.

It was manufactured around 1794. Sophie Igviksaq said she doesn't want to own the rifle but just find out what happened to it.

"I want to know where it is, I want to know who owned it. I just want to see it again," she said.

"It's history. We find that pretty cool."