Sadlermiut
 A Sadlermiut man paddling on an inflated walrus skin, 1830 |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Canada | |
| Languages | |
| Undetermined | |
| Religion | |
| Possibly shamanism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Dorset culture, other Inuit, Aleuts, Yupiks |
The Sadlermiut (also called Sagdlirmiut, or Sallirmiut in modern Inuktitut spelling, from Sadlerk now Salliq, the Inuktitut name for the settlement of Coral Harbour, Nunavut) were an Inuit group living in near isolation mainly on and around Coats Island, Walrus Island, and Southampton Island in Hudson Bay. They survived into the early twentieth century and were thought by some to have been the last remnants of the Dorset culture as they had preserved a distinct culture and dialect from the mainland Inuit. Despite their culture and local traditions seeming to show combined elements of both the Dorset and Thule societies, recent genetic studies show no Dorset admixture and prove a sole Inuit ancestry leading many to conclude the cultural difference may be entirely due to their isolation from the mainland Inuit. Research published in 2015, found that the Sadlermiut were genetically Thule who had somehow acquired Dorset cultural features, like stone technology. It remains a mystery how they acquired Dorset technology without obvious genetic admixture like through intermarrying.
In 1824, HMS Griper, under Captain George Francis Lyon, anchored off Cape Pembroke on Coats Island in Hudson Bay. The whalers then discovered a band of Inuit who were said to have spoken a "strange dialect" and were called Sadlermiut.
Since then, the Sadlermiut continued to establish contact with Westerners. However, as with many North American aboriginals, the Sadlermiut were often susceptible to Western diseases. By 1896, there were only 70 of them remaining. Then, in the fall of 1902, the British trading/whaling vessel named the Active had made a stop at Cape Low, Southampton Island. It is said that some of the Sadlermiut caught a disease, possibly an influenza,typhoid, or typhus, from a sick sailor aboard the Active, which then spread to the entire community. By winter 1902-03, the entire Sadlermiut population except for a woman and 4 children had died.
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