It was born of hope little more than a decade ago, yet Nunavut remains plagued by chronic problems: poor education, a lack of housing, and widespread alcoholism. The result has been a surge in crime that the territory can't contain.
Portraits of a young territory
From the sky, Nunavut's 25 hamlets are but specks of contrast on a desolate canvas of ice, snow and Pre-Cambrian shield. On the ground, it is a place of custom and conflict, artistry and youth.
"I'll kick in more doors in a year than a lot of guys do in a career," Constable Shane Pottie, 22.
At the Baffin Correctional Centre, Nunavut's sole men's prison, inmates live in quarters so crammed the gymnasium is used as a dormitory.
A chronic housing shortage has forced many Nunavummiut to sleep on couches and floors. It's an overcrowding crisis that has boiled over into domestic violence.
The hamlet of 1,365 is home to the greatest concentration of carvers and print makers in the country.
"I grew up very mean to my family," says Leo Nangmalik, once one of the territory's biggest drug dealers.
A Christian men's group offers release for a community struggling with mental health problems and spiritual pain.