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Working With The Inuit, Parks Canada Resumes Franklin Wreck Research

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By NPT Staff - January 1st, 2023
An aerial view of the HMS Erebus ice camp in Nunavut in April 2022.

An aerial view of the HMS Erebus ice camp in Nunavut in April 2022/Thierry Boyer

Piliriqatigiingniq — the Inuit societal value or Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) of working together for a common cause — was put into practice by Parks Canada and Inuit in Gjoa Haven with the resumption of research on the wreck of HMS Erebus. The field work continues to provide insights into the conditions of the wreck and its surrounding environment, and further advances understanding of the evolving story of the 1845 Franklin Expedition.

This year, working in close partnership with the Nattilik Heritage Society’s Inuit Guardians from Gjoa Haven, Parks Canada’s underwater archaeologists returned to the Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site in Nunavut.

In April and May, Parks Canada’s archaeologists and Guardians from Gjoa Haven established an ice camp over the HMS Erebus site to check on its physical condition and collect new imagery and survey data. The wreck hadn’t been inspected in more than 2.5 years. The inspection was successful and the Guardians played a key role in the logistics including transport, camp set-up, wildlife monitoring and participation in archaeological activities.

Inuit Guardians and Parks Canada underwater archaeology team members remove ice from the remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) hole at the HMS Erebus site in April 2022.

Inuit Guardians and Parks Canada underwater archaeology team members remove ice from the remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) hole at the HMS Erebus site in April 2022/Aimie Néron

In September, archaeological research operations and excavation resumed at HMS Erebus based from the RV David Thompson and support barge Qiniqtirjuaq. The team completed 56 individual dives over 11 days. Archaeologists gained a further understanding of condition changes to the wreck, began excavation of what could be the Second Lieutenant’s cabin, continued the excavation of what is believed to be the Third Lieutenant’s cabin, and completed excavation of part of the Captain’s Steward’s pantry. Two hundred and seventy-five artifacts were recovered and are jointly owned by the Inuit Heritage Trust and the Government of Canada.

Fieldwork confirmed that physical changes to the wreck of HMS Erebus continue, most likely due to waves generated by wind storms. Parks Canada and site Guardians continue to monitor and study these changes, including the influence that climate change has on the site.

A showcase of previously unseen artifacts from the 2019 field season is available on Parks Canada’s website and through the @PCArchaeology social media accounts.

A lieutenant's epaulettes (ornamental shoulder piece) excavated from a furniture drawer in an officer's cabin of HMS Erebus. It was raised to the lab on the barge Qiniqtirjuaq in September 2022.

A lieutenant's epaulettes (ornamental shoulder piece) excavated from a furniture drawer in an officer's cabin of HMS Erebus. It was raised to the lab on the barge Qiniqtirjuaq in September 2022/Charles Dagneau

“Inuit oral history led to the discovery of the wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror and its legacy is being respected through the preservation of the co-owned artifacts that help tell the story of the 1845 Franklin Expedition,” Fred Pedersen, chair of the Franklin Interim Advisory Committee, said in a news release. “Inuit continue to be part of the story through collaboration and cooperation, much like the support the Guardians Program provides, ensuring the protection and presentation of the national historic site.”

Sir John Franklin set sail from England in 1845 with two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, in search of a Northwest Passage across what is now Canada's Arctic. The ships and crew were last seen by Inuit on King William Island. Their apparent disappearance, prompted 170 years of searches. In September 2014, an expedition led by Parks Canada discovered the wreck of Erebus in an area that had been identified by Inuit. Two years later the wreck of Terror was located. The site is the first collaboratively managed national historic site in Nunavut.

In 2016, the Franklin Interim Advisory Committee — composed of community members and representatives from the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, Inuit Heritage Trust, Government of Nunavut, the heritage and tourism industry and Parks Canada — was formed and advises on the management of the wrecks until an Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement is finalized between Parks Canada and the Kitikmeot Inuit Association.

The dive control console of the Deep Trekker ROV (remotely-operated vehicle) at the HMS Erebus site in April 2022.

The dive control console of the Deep Trekker ROV (remotely-operated vehicle) at the HMS Erebus site in April 2022/Aimie Néron

Since 2017, a Guardian program has been in operation at the site, involving Inuit from Gjoa Haven in the protection and monitoring of the Franklin wrecks and helping integrate Inuit knowledge into Parks Canada's operations and management of the national historic site.

The HMS Terror wasn’t visited in 2022 due to timing and logistical constraints.

Since 2018, all newly discovered artifacts from the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror are jointly owned by the Government of Canada and Inuit. In April 2019, the Government of Canada and Inuit Heritage Trust signed a Memorandum of Understanding detailing how the two organizations will work together to protect, study, conserve and share the Franklin artifacts.

A bottle filled with an unidentified food condiment that was recovered from HMS Erebus is shown in September 2022.

A bottle filled with an unidentified food condiment that was recovered from HMS Erebus is shown in September 2022/Charles Dagneau

In August 2019, Parks Canada released never-before-seen video footage of HMS Terror as part of one of the largest, most complex underwater archaeological undertakings in Canadian history. Building on the first-ever exploration of the interior of HMS Terror, Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Team, in collaboration with Inuit, recovered more than 350 artifacts from HMS Erebus.

In supporting the 2022 research season, the Government of Canada is delivering on the second year of a four-year commitment made in Budget 2021 to accelerate archaeological and conservation work at the Franklin Expedition sites.

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