Bloody Falls Massacre

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The Massacre at Bloody Falls was an incident that took place during Samuel Hearne's exploration of the Coppermine River in 1771. Chipewyan Dene warriors led by Hearne's guide and companion Matonabbee discovered a group of local Inuit camped by rapids approximately 15 kilometres upstream from the mouth of the Coppermine. Just after midnight on July 17, the Chipewyan set upon the Inuit camp and killed approximately 20 men, women and children. Witnessing the massacre traumatized Hearne, and he was haunted by the memories until his death in 1792.

The site of the massacre is now located in Kugluk/Bloody Falls Territorial Park near Kugluktuk, Nunavut. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1978.

In 1996, Dene and Inuit representatives participated in a healing ceremony to reconcile the centuries-old grievance. [1]

[edit] References

• Samuel Hearnes' Journey from Prince of Wales Fort in Hudson's Bay to the Northern Ocean
• The Canadian Encyclopedia: Bloody Falls

[edit] External links

Youth Links - The Story of Bloody Falls Short article written by three Kugluktuk students.