About the Nunavut Tartan
Nunavut has no official tartan, and it is worth saying so plainly. When the territory was created on 1 April 1999, its leaders chose to express Nunavut's identity through Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit — Inuit traditional knowledge — and through Inuit symbols such as the inuksuk on the territorial flag, rather than through a Scottish sett.
The designs that exist are therefore commemorative and unofficial, made by admirers to mark the founding of the territory. Worn in that spirit — as a tribute to the North rather than as an official emblem — a Nunavut tartan is a way for Canadians and northern visitors to honour the youngest territory.
Nunavut Tartan Pattern and Colours
This collection draws on the colours of the far North: the blue-grey of sea ice and open water, the white of snow, the slate of rock and the pale gold of a sun that hangs low over the land for much of the year.
Sea Ice Blue
Deep Water
Low Sun Gold
Snow White
Nunavut Heritage
Nunavut means our land in Inuktitut, one of the territory's official languages. Created on 1 April 1999 out of the eastern Northwest Territories, it covers about a fifth of Canada's land mass — the mainland tundra, Baffin, Ellesmere and the whole Arctic archipelago — with a population of only some tens of thousands, the great majority of them Inuit.
Its capital is Iqaluit on Baffin Island. The creation of Nunavut followed decades of negotiation and remains one of the most significant land claim settlements anywhere in the world, giving Inuit a territory governed from within their own homeland. Its symbols — the inuksuk, the qulliq lamp, the languages of its people — are the emblems that Nunavummiut themselves have chosen.
Who Is This Collection For?
This collection is made for those with a northern connection, Nunavut residents and former residents, visitors and workers in the Arctic, and Canadians who wish to mark the founding of the territory in a respectful way.
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✓ Northern and Arctic connections
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✓ Nunavut residents and former residents
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✓ Canadian heritage collections
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✓ Commemorative and gift wear
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✓ Northern travel keepsakes
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✓ Ice blue and snow white style
How to Wear Nunavut Tartan
A Nunavut commemorative tartan works well across caps, shirts, hoodies, scarves, ties, jackets, blankets and keepsake gifts. Its cool northern palette is quiet and easy to pair for everyday wear and for gifts marking time spent in the North.