[c] The NunatuKavummiut span 24 communities across NunatuKavut, forming a majority in many of those, and most still partake in traditional livelihoods such as hunting, fishing, trapping, and berry collecting.
[12] The region claimed by the NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC) encompasses southern Labrador from the Grand River (Newfoundland name: Churchill River), south to Lodge Bay and west to the extent of the official border between Quebec and Labrador, although the NunatuKavummiut's proposed land use is much more extensive.
[13][page needed] The NCC (formerly the Labrador Métis Nation) signed a memorandum of understanding with the federal government in 2019, though this does not grant Indigenous rights in itself.
[18] Nunatuĸavut or NunatuKavut means "Our Ancient Land" in the traditional Inuttitut dialect of central and southern Labrador.
Ultimately, the name of the community was changed, in 2010, to Southern Inuit of NunatuKavut or NunatuKavummiut to avoid confusion and better reflect the identity of its members.
[f] The Southern Inuit often traded with European merchants, fishers and fur traders, with items from Italy, England, France and elsewhere discovered at archeological sites.
[6][7] Between 1830 and 1870, the number of permanent British settlers slowly increased (most working for the Hudson’s Bay Company or fur and fish traders), creating new generations of mixed Inuit-Europeans.
Along the southern coast, these newly emerging Inuit-Europeans, who would become known as the Labrador Métis, developed their own distinct culture, with genealogies that have been traced back to the time of the earliest British arrivals.
They practised a mix of Christian and Inuit religious traditions, albeit less formally than those under the remit of the Moravian Church.
[37] Lambert De Boilieu documented similar encounters with south-central "Esquimaux" communities, in which he detailed their lengthy breastfeeding, their hunting traditions, and their spiritual and religious beliefs.
[44] Despite this, they retained a consistent culture throughout the 19th and early 20th century, until Newfoundland and Labrador joined the Canadian Confederation in March 31, 1949.
[45][8] Moreover, they were never completely divided from the northern Inuit, as communities on the north and south coasts were often related and still retain these family connections today.
[8][7][46] Subsequently, during the 1960s, these groups were encouraged by the provincial government's resettlement policy to move to population hubs such as Cartwright, Mary's Harbour, and Port Hope Simpson, thus leaving their traditional homes behind and disrupting their practices.
[7][47][i] NCC figures from 2007 suggest that almost all NunatuKavummiut have retained traditional practices such as hunting, fishing, collecting wood, and harvesting today; and almost two-thirds still trap.
[18][49] The NunatuKavummiut community has continued to be affected by developments in the NunatuKavut area, and as a result the NCC has campaigned about local issues which may impact the livelihoods of its members.
[52][7][53] In 2023, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey apologized to survivors of residential schools at an event in Cartwright.
[63][18] In 2010, following a membership renewal process that required all members to submit proof of Inuit ancestry, the LMN renamed itself to the NunatuKavut Community Council.
[4][22][64] The NCC says this change was made to better reflect its Inuit heritage and to avoid confusion with First Nation-European groups also called Métis.
[4][22][38] In 2019, NCC president Todd Russell signed a memorandum of understanding with then Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister, Carolyn Bennett.