Lucassie Arragutainaq

For more than thirty years Lucassie Arragutainaq, of Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, has been making diverse and unique contributions to Inuit research and environmental stewardship.

He has documented Indigenous ecological knowledge and participated in scientific studies of the changing environment of Hudson Bay. He has influenced the course of research in the region, bringing community voices and priorities to the forefront.

Mr. Arragutainaq has led major initiatives in Hudson Bay, among them the Hudson Bay Programme, the Nunavut Hudson Bay Interagency Working Group, and Voices from the Bay: Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Inuit and Cree in the Hudson Bay Bioregion, a landmark study that set a precedent for Indigenous knowledge mobilization and was recognized by the United Nations.

He has contributed his extensive and multifaceted expertise to the work of the Nunavik Marine Region Impact Review Board, the Eeyou Marine Region Impact Review Board, the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, and other organizations. His perspectives have been fundamental to coordinating research and strengthening environmental stewardship across the Hudson Bay region.

Over the decades Mr. Arragutainaq has worked tirelessly in his quiet way for the benefit of northerners and the wildlife on which they depend. Through his leadership, experience, and expert facilitation of community-driven research he has been a mentor and an inspiration to young researchers and many others who have worked with him.

Polar Knowledge Canada recognizes the outstanding merit of Lucassie Arragutainaq’s contributions to Canada by awarding him the Northern Science Award and Centenary Medal.