Itsanitaq Museum

One of the world's finest Inuit art collections, assembled since 1944

The Itsanitaq Museum (formerly the Eskimo Museum) holds one of the finest collections of Inuit art and artefacts in the world, assembled continuously since 1944. The collection spans Pre-Dorset carvings from 1700 BC through to contemporary works, covering tools, clothing, ceremonial objects, and carvings in ivory, bone, and soapstone. This is serious material, thoughtfully displayed — not a souvenir shop but a genuine museum with scholarly depth.

The museum is run by the Roman Catholic Diocese and admission is by donation. It stands in the centre of Churchill on La Vérendrye Avenue and can easily be combined with a walk to the town waterfront.

things to do museum
A story
The museum's collection was started in 1944 by Roman Catholic missionaries who recognised that the traditional carving traditions of the Arctic peoples were at risk of disappearing as southern Canadian culture spread north. Many of the oldest pieces — from Pre-Dorset cultures dating to 1700 BC — were purchased directly from Inuit hunters for nominal sums and would be irreplaceable today.