Canada has a new toonie, and it celebrates Inuit culture

The Royal Canadian Mint unveiled a peculiar two-dollar circulation coin Tuesday celebrating Inuit Nunangat — a portion that encompasses the Inuit homeland successful Canada.

The motorboat of the new toonie marks the archetypal of its benignant for Canada’s circulation coins and was designed by 4 Inuit artists, each representing 1 of the four regions of Inuit Nunangat: Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.

The Inuit homeland covers astir 40 per cent of Canada’s full onshore wide and implicit 70 per cent of its coastline.

On the coin, Inuit unity is symbolized done the 4 artists’ associated practice of the communicative of Nuliajuk, the tone of the sea, and an ulu (knife) representing each of their homes wrong the Inuit homeland.

“Nuliajuk’s communicative is 1 of the astir important successful Inuit culture, and we are excited that she volition present beryllium honoured successful Canadian currency, the mode we person honoured her successful our hearts and imaginations since clip immemorial,” Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, said successful a Tuesday media release.

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The interior halfway of the coin features an representation of Nuliajuk wearing a parka, and clockwise from Nuliajuk are a walrus, 2 beluga whales, a seal and an arctic char. The inscription “Inuit Nunangat” appears connected the left. The coin’s obverse features the effigy of King Charles III.

The coin volition statesman circulating connected Tuesday.

“Walking the way of reconciliation includes honouring the affluent taste contributions of Indigenous Peoples,” Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland said successful a media release.

“Inuit person called the North location for clip immemorial, and it is fitting that the toonie—whose iconic polar carnivore has agelong spotlighted the Arctic—will present stock the vibrant Inuit civilization and chiseled ways of beingness successful Inuit Nunangat with each Canadians.”