Sachs Harbour

Sachs Harbour, NWT, incorporated as a hamlet in 1986, population 112 (2011c), 122 (2006c). The origins of Sachs Harbour go back to 1929 when several Inuit families moved to this site on the southwest shore of BANKS ISLAND to trap. The Hamlet of Sachs Harbour is named after a ship, the Mary Sachs, which was part of the CANADIAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION of 1913. The traditional name for the community in Inuktituk is Ikaahuk, which means "where you go across to."

Sachs Harbour is located in a part of Banks Island where muskoxen, caribou and other large game, including polar bears, are still relatively common. As a result, residents still maintain a very traditional lifestyle based on hunting and, to a lesser extent, trapping. In recent years oil and gas exploration in the BEAUFORT SEA has also provided work for residents of Sachs Harbour.