Why Barbeau Peak for the Arctic Jubilee Expedition?

Although not conducting scientific research, the features described in the last post are central to the educational and outreach aspects of the expedition. By facilitating the virtual connection of two cultures via our interactive distance learning platform and online discussion boards, a broad sense of global citizenship will be fostered. This will enable members of both communities to find out about each other’s cultural and natural environment, whilst learning about sustainability, cultural identity and climate change. Further relevance of this region to the expedition includes; the remote location of Barbeau Peak in the commonwealth, the day of the first ascent (British) which coincides with HM Queen Elisabeth II Diamond Jubilee, and the renaming of the Queen Elisabeth islands by Canada in 1952 in celebration of the coronation of HM Queen Elisabeth II.

The Importance of Quttinirpaaq National Park

In addition to its cultural significance, the region bears a high profile role in the ongoing debate surrounding anthropological climate change. The natural wonders of Quttinirpaaq National Park include spectacular geological and biological features, such as highly adapted creatures found nowhere else on the planet and a wide variety of rock types representing numerous paleontological time periods. The area has seen recent attention from the scientific community in an attempt to understand how the local environment is changing, which could determine global patterns of climatic change in the Arctic. A lot of this work was conducted in accordance with the International Polar Year in 2008.

What is the significance of the name Barbeau?

In 1969, Barbeau Peak was named in honour of Dr. Marius Barbeau, a Canadian anthropologist who was internationally recognised for his work on various indigenous cultures of North America, including the Inuit. This is testament to the regions surprisingly rich anthropological and archaeological history. The Innu and Inuit peoples which inhabit Ellesmere Island today are suggested to be direct descendants of early migrants who can be traced back to Siberia over 4000 years ago. It is this cultural legacy that documents the human occupancy of the area, which is closely associated with the deep reliance that remote Arctic communities hold with the environment.

Barbeau Peak

Barbeau Peak is a mountain located in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. Situated within the boundaries of Quttinirpaaq National Park on Ellesmere Island, it is the highest mountain in the region of Nunavut and Eastern North America. The first ascent was made by Geoffrey Hattersley-Smith, a British geologist and glaciologist on the 5th June 1967. Ellesmere is known to the Inuit as ‘Quttinirpaaq’ and when translated it means “top of the world”, an apt name considering its location; only 800km from the geographic North Pole and approximately 100km from the North-west coast of Greenland. Ellesmere Island and Barbeau Peak bring a new meaning to the term remote.

Welcome

Welcome to the official blog for The Arctic Jubilee Expedition. We thank you for your interest in the project and visiting us. Please watch this space to keep yourself up to date with all of the goings on related to The Arctic Jubilee Expedition.