Groswater Bay

This article is about the bay. For the Proto-Inuit culture, see Groswater Culture.

Groswater Bay (Inuttitut: Kangerliorsoak),^[1] also known by other names, is a bay in south central Labrador, Canada.^[2] Its Hamilton Inlet and Melville Lake extensions stretch 140 km (87 mi) inland.

Groswater Bay
Kangerliorsoak (Innu)
A map of the Lake Melville/Hamilton Inlet/Groswater Bay system, showing Hamilton Inlet as inclusive of L. Melville and Groswater Bay as "Eskimo Bay"
Groswater Bay Location in Labrador
Location	South central Labrador, at the entrance of Hamilton Inlet
Coordinates	54°20′00″N 57°39′57″W
Basin countries	Canada

Names

Groswater Bay's name is a compound formed from French gros ("fat; thick; coarse, rough") and English water, reflecting the long history of using the area for fishing.^[3] It has also been known as Ivucktoke or Aviktok (Inuttitut: Aivitok); Eskimo or Esquimaux Bay (French: Baie des Esquimaux, "Bay of the Eskimos"); and St Louis Bay (French: Baie-St Louis). These names are also sometimes extended to Hamilton Inlet and even Lake Melville.^[4]

Fauna

Many birds nest here, including common eiders.^[5]

Legacy

The Groswater culture of Paleo-Eskimos is named after Groswater Bay.