Bloody Falls

Bloody Falls, or Kugluk, on the Coppermine River in Nunavut has long been an important stopping place at a river crossing in a rich fishing area. Known traditionally as Onoagahiovik, it preserves evidence of nearly 3000 years of human use, from Paleo-Inuit and later Indigenous caribou hunters to the Kogluktogmiut of the Copper Inuit. The site is widely known for the Bloody Falls Massacre in 1771 and another deadly incident in 1913, but its deeper significance lies in its enduring role as a practical and strategic river place. Its archaeological importance was formally recognized in 1978, and in 1996 it also became a setting for Dene-Inuit reconciliation.

Nunavut · Canada