21-609: The Charter Community of Délı̨nę (North Slavey: [tʼe˥lĩnɛ̃] ) is located in the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories , Canada, on the western shore of Great Bear Lake and is 544 km (338 mi) northwest of Yellowknife . Délı̨nę means "where the waters flow", a reference to the headwaters of the Great Bear River , Sahtúdé. It is the only settlement on the shores of Great Bear Lake as Fort Confidence
42-529: A subarctic climate ( Köppen climate classification : Dfc ), with mild summers and severely cold winters. Precipitation is very low, but is somewhat higher in the summer than at other times of the year. Sahtu Region The Sahtu Region is an administrative region in Canada's Northwest Territories . Coterminous with the settlement region described in the 1993 Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement , 41,437 km (15,999 sq mi) of
63-634: A modern-era trading post of the HBC was not established until later in the 19th century. It was constructed at one of the most productive Dene fisheries in the Mackenzie River drainage basin and was for the benefit of the Dene people who lived in near isolation along the shores of Great Bear Lake. The area became prominent when pitchblende was discovered at the Eldorado Mine , some 250 km (160 mi) away, on
84-425: A population of 573 living in 190 of its 226 total private dwellings, a change of 7.5% from its 2016 population of 533 . With a land area of 79.39 km (30.65 sq mi), it had a population density of 7.2/km (18.7/sq mi) in 2021. In the 2016 Census, there were 495 Indigenous people made up of 485 First Nations , Sahtu Dene people speaking North Slavey and 10 Métis people . Délı̨nę has
105-576: Is a Treaty within the meaning of ss. 25 and 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 . Through it, much of the Indian Act no longer applies to Délı̨nę's First Nations citizens. Merging a First Nations band government and a municipal government into a single authority, its structure is unique in the Northwest Territories. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Déline had
126-583: Is a council that represents the Sahtu people of the Northwest Territories , Canada . The council signed a comprehensive land claim agreement in 1993 with the Government of Canada , the Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement , for the seven Dene and Métis communities in the Sahtu Region . It is the first such agreement to include three Métis members ( Tulita , Fort Good Hope and Norman Wells ) in
147-516: The Mackenzie River through the Sahtu en route to the Arctic Ocean , the landmark Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry recommended that a moratorium be placed on construction until local Indigenous land claims could be settled. To this day, no all-weather roads connect the Sahtu with the rest of Canada, and the contiguous North American pipeline network finds its northernmost terminus at Norman Wells, which
168-532: The 1993 Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement, Délı̨nę subsequently negotiated a self-government agreement with the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Government of Canada. The Final Self-Government Agreement was ratified by a majority vote of Délı̨nę's membership in March 2014. The Final Self-Government Agreement was signed by its leadership, by the Government of the Northwest Territories and by
189-922: The Government of Canada in February 2015, enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in March 2015, and enacted by the Parliament of Canada in June 2015 through Bill C-63. On September 1, 2016, the Délı̨nę Got'ı̨nę Government entered existence, legally assuming all of the responsibilities formerly held by the Délı̨nę First Nation, the Délı̨nę Land Corporation, and the Charter Community of Délı̨nę. The Final Self-Government Agreement
210-519: The Sahtu is collectively owned by its Indigenous Sahtu ( Dene ) and Métis inhabitants. Although the region's population is predominantly First Nations , a significant non-Indigenous presence exists in Norman Wells , the regional office, established in 1920 to serve the only producing oilfield in the Canadian Territories. Considered to be of vital strategic importance during World War II in
231-658: The Sahtú Dene people (historically known as the North Slavey or Hareskins). It has been further adopted by the Sahtu Dene Council and the Sahtu Secretariat, both Indigenous institutions which share administrative responsibilities with the Government of the Northwest Territories within the region. The Sahtu Region consists of five communities, with no permanent population recorded outside their boundaries. Norman Wells,
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#1733085023858252-510: The community's fresh water intake as well as a major fishing area, contained approximately 30,000 L (6,600 imp gal; 7,900 US gal) of heating fuel and was one of 70 truck loads intended to resupply the community. The fuel was removed from the truck by 2 am, 8 March. John Franklin's 1825–1827 outpost was excavated by the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in 1987. The excavation uncovered beads, rings, and buttons indicating
273-524: The eastern shore, at Port Radium . During World War II , the Canadian Government took over the mine and began to produce uranium for the then-secret American nuclear bomb project . Uranium product was transported from Port Radium by barge across Great Bear Lake where a portage network was established along the Bear River, across the bay from Fort Franklin, where many of the Dene men found work. As
294-600: The event of a Japanese invasion of Alaska, the region's petroleum resources were exploited by the United States Army with the Canol Project , but the pipeline never became necessary and ultimately operated for less than one year. Since the abandonment of the Canol project, development within the region has been more limited than in the rest of the territory. Although plans have long existed for pipelines and highways to parallel
315-610: The extent of trade between the Dene and Europeans. The site is protected by the Northwest Territories Archaeological Sites Regulations. In 1996, the site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada . Délı̨nę is represented by the Délı̨nę First Nation and belongs to the Sahtu Dene Council . Through the council, they completed negotiations with the Government of Canada for a comprehensive land claim settlement in 1993. Pursuant to
336-422: The largest National Historic Site of Canada , was designated in 1997 and is jointly administered by Parks Canada and the Délı̨nę First Nation. On March 5, 2016, a tank truck fell partway through the ice road just a few days after the government had increased the allowed maximum weight limit to 40,000 kg (88,000 lb) on the road. The truck which was 3 km (1.9 mi) outside of Délı̨nę, and close to
357-458: The modern-day town promotes itself as one of the birthplaces of the sport of ice hockey . The HBC returned and established a post called Fort Norman a short distance west, and across the lake narrows, from John Franklin's original post, between 1863 and 1869, and then relocated Fort Norman to its current location at the confluence of the Mackenzie and Bear Rivers (now Tulita ). Fort Franklin as
378-473: The regional capital, was founded in the early 20th century in order to exploit local oil deposits and has a majority non-Indigenous population. The other communities of the Sahtu are predominantly First Nations . Download coordinates as: 65°16′52″N 126°49′53″W / 65.28111°N 126.83139°W / 65.28111; -126.83139 ( Sahtu Region centred on Norman Wells ) Sahtu Dene Council The Sahtu Dene Council
399-514: The risks associated with radioactive materials were not well communicated, it is believed that many of the Dene were exposed to dangerous amounts of radiation, which Déline residents believe resulted in the development of cancer and led to premature deaths. The name of Fort Franklin was changed on 1 June 1993 to Délı̨nę, which means "where the waters flow", a reference to the headwaters of the Great Bear River, Sahtúdé. Nearby Saoyú-ʔehdacho ,
420-626: Was connected to Zama City , Alberta in 1984. Ground transportation is seasonally provided by a network of winter and ice roads , while the abandoned Canol route now forms part of the Trans Canada Trail system. Sahtú is the Dene name of Great Bear Lake , the largest lake entirely in Canada , which is entirely contained within the Sahtu Region. The name is also used by the area's First Nations inhabitants to describe themselves and their language,
441-679: Was last used in the 1800s and Port Radium closed in 1982. According to early records, a trading post was established in this general area as early as 1799 by the North West Company , but it did not last very many years. In 1825, Peter Warren Dease of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) erected an outpost here as the staging area and winter quarters for Sir John Franklin 's second Arctic expedition of 1825–1827. It became known as Fort Franklin. Sir John Franklin's diary records that his men played ice sports very similar to what we now call hockey. As such,
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