https://www.denesuline.com/environmental-protection daily 0.75 2021-01-21 https://www.denesuline.com/ipcas daily 0.75 2021-02-19 https://www.denesuline.com/people daily 0.75 2021-01-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610641872572-YZCRDL88A0G3X0E6T9RE/0F7A1838.jpg People - Our youth are our greatest resource. It is our Elders’ job to ensure that our Denesųłiné culture continues through time, as it has for thousands of years. They provide training and teachings on survival on the land, how to raise strong babies, Denesųłiné laws and guiding principles, and provide information at important community meetings. Read our Denesųłiné guiding values document here. Teachings about traditional hunting, survival skills, drumming, and dancing happen at annual culture camps. The drum is respected and is key to Dene culture, and begins all ceremonies. Working for future generations is of utmost importance to the Denesųłiné, “to leave enough for the next generation to benefit.” Everything we do is for our youth. They will benefit from the work we do today, and in return they will work towards the next generation’s health and well-being, and the cycle continues. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1609875918520-BOQX5V3J87KG04FIZVIU/dene+laws.png People https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610643003472-Y7K0L1OJRZ7LUJWO7GY3/0F7A1885.jpg People - Indigenous Protected Conservation Areas are the future of environmental protection in Canada. Read more about them here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610657186061-OL70KB9VB6UY9STAN1YZ/2.png People https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610483050490-AJCG14F384GLG1X21P9G/camell%2Bportage_%2BShea%2BShirley.jpg People Camsell Portage is home to less than 20 people along the Northern shore of Lake Athabasca. There is a one-room school which also serves as the health clinic. The Church of St. Bernard was built in 1952, which has been kept in immaculate condition. It is like stepping back in time. Camsell Portage community members include Dene, Cree, and French. (Photo by: Shea Shirley) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610560586064-FV2WWL7U11VE4RBIUHDY/aerialUraniumCity.jpg People Uranium City is along the Northern shore of Lake Athabasca and is home to less than 70 people. The population was a lot larger than this from the 1950s to early 1980s when it was a busy uranium mining center. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610560640020-GGC5BXBOCZQZP29ATMO0/Fond+du+Lac.png People Fond du Lac Denesųłiné First Nation is along the Northeast shore of Lake Athabasca and is home to roughly 2,300 people. To get here, you can fly-in year round, take a boat in the summer, or brave the winter road in the heart of winter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610560671773-Y0EGXDWG4TR94CVOMQQA/Stony+Rapids.png People Stony Rapids is on the east end of Lake Athabasca and is home to under 300 people. The Athabasca Seasonal Road ends in Stony Rapids, linking the south to the north. Stony Rapids has the only hospital in the Athabasca region and a busy airport, including a float base. You can access Black Lake Denesųłiné First Nation by road from Stony Rapids. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610560710008-HDCER622ZFA8VQMZYV12/Black+Lake.png People Black Lake Denesųłiné First Nation is home to under 2,200 people. The population is fairly young, with a median age of 22. Dene language is the mother tongue of 97% of the community. This First Nation is located approximately 20 km up the road from Stony Rapids. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610560742320-3N60DQOXULWBR0ZKA4NS/Wallaston+Lake+POst.png People Wollaston Lake Post is a hamlet located on the outskirts of Hatchet Lake Denesųłiné First Nation along Wollaston Lake. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610560742696-B4HASSHEOO8SNSSGT98N/Hatchet+Lake.png People Hatchet Lake Denesųłiné First Nation is located on the shores of Wollaston Lake. Named after “Lac la Hache”, French for “Axe” lake. Hatchet Lake First Nation remains only accessible by barge, boat, snowmobile, and winter ice road. However, recently work has begun to build a seasonal road to the community. https://www.denesuline.com/caribou daily 0.75 2021-04-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1611090993368-27IHKCNI8WUUYXTSOUAP/Screen+Shot+2021-01-19+at+3.08.37+PM.png Caribou https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610650661278-4OJ35XF5Q6TG09SO9HK1/0F7A1829.jpg Caribou - As caribou are central to most aspects of the Denesųłiné culture, Elders play a crucial role in teaching the young people about hunting caribou. One example of this teaching in practice is in Black Lake. At Father Porte Memorial School, there is an annual hunting trip where Elders teach children the ins and outs of caribou hunting. As the young people learn about responsible caribou hunting, they observe traditions that have existed for millennia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610662897397-HX8U2A8QRGOVDUCY8YDH/Copy+of+differences+between+woodland+and+barren+ground+caribou+%284%29.png Caribou https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610662859216-WDHXJ4CXCNVDRXAUXXQ7/Copy+of+differences+between+woodland+and+barren+ground+caribou+%283%29.png Caribou https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610481824802-EYDE2BOBAFRSU7U03J2K/image-asset.png Caribou https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610482164421-JVT8FGNT2EBWO2393JHS/Fig+5 Caribou https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610482047750-CJC8N2PVSHY0L56SIITO/Fig+3 Caribou https://www.denesuline.com/home daily 1.0 2021-01-19 https://www.denesuline.com/land daily 0.75 2021-01-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1608314805359-QX1F32USRSJHD6RQGQE4/IMG_5753.JPG Land - The Land is a Cultural Necessity To us, this land (the Athabasca Denesųłiné territory) is referred to as “Nuhenéné.” We are truly fortunate that we continue living our culture by accessing our traditional territory. Nuhenéné must be protected, the Denesųłiné cannot exist without land, water, and air. The Denesųłiné have a strong connection to the land, a connection so strong that makes us inseparable. The land, which includes everything, (i.e. the plants, animals, rocks, medicines, spirits, air, etc.) has provided for our ancestors and continues to support us to this day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1608314902447-VJP85UHWZCYOVLIYIB0P/Photo+2018-04-09%2C+10+11+37.jpg Land - The Land & Our Language Not only do the people and land have a distinct and deep connection, but so do the Denesųłiné language and land. The language is very descriptive and a valuable resource for culture preservation. Our language uniquely and accurately describes aspects of the land that can only be fully understood through that lens. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1608313532241-5OM3R8A7EPISGUOGJYC6/redfox.JPG Land https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1608312948567-U5ECT5UMYALGACX0QFMB/Flowering+labrador+tea.JPG Land https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1608313771473-OHF8NWMW9XKE0LYG7XJN/IMG_1650.JPG Land https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1608325793846-3ACDEO7H6MKS443UEUFE/0F7A0134.JPG Land https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610648623526-WZF5R2K14A40DTYZY7YD/0F7A2403.JPG Land - Oh, the Boreal Shield In Saskatchewan, the boreal forest starts unfolding just north of Prince Albert. This transitional zone of trees grow in sandy soil that eventually gives way to the rocky terrain of the boreal shield. The mineral rich stone of the shield is ancient bedrock that remains unchanged from the formation of the planet. To the people who believe Saskatchewan is flat, this part of the province is a wonderful surprise. The ancient rocky terrain combined with the many lakes and the vast treed landscape is a jaw-dropping ecological gem. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610146294649-P58KSPUNAMBYAIAFHY78/stony+lake+at+sunset.jpg Land - A Land of Lakes Lake Athabasca is Canada’s 8th largest lake with its 2,000 km of shoreline and an area covering almost 8,000 km2. It is just south of the northern Saskatchewan border and crosses west into Alberta. Camsell Portage, Uranium City, Fond du Lac, and Stony Rapids are along its shore. Wollaston, Cree, Hatchet, Stony (pictured), Tazin, and Scott are all other large lakes in northern Saskatchewan. Legend has it that before Black Lake Denesųłiné First Nation was settled on the shores of Black Lake, large creatures inhabited the waters. It is said that these large creatures can still sometimes be seen on hot summer days. Black Lake has healthy pickerel and trout populations that sustain the community year round. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610649565385-FWZWWPZY634NMNZ6RYXR/CPAWS+Athabasca+5.jpg Land - Elizabeth & Hunt Falls The Elizabeth Falls leave Black Lake on the Fond du Lac River before Woodcock. Elders often speak about the Sacred nature of Elizabeth Falls; that they should be left undisturbed. Respect must always be shown when visiting this beautiful area. Families often gather here in the summer for picnic lunches and swimming. Though remote, Hunt Falls are large, stunning, and experienced by few. The waterfall is on the Grease River that enters Lake Athabasca, near Stony Rapids. The water drops for 35 meters over 3 kilometers of rocky terrain and lead to a 60 meter wide fall. To get here, you have to travel by float plane. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f933dbf88ee8520bcf5bc53/1610145862464-FGM2M8ZDT2931S6X1ZM6/Sand%2Bdunes.jpg Land - Athabasca Sand Dunes One feature unique to this region is the remote Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Wilderness Park. These vast sand hills are the largest in Canada at 1,925 km2 and are located on the south shore of Lake Athabasca. Some dunes reach 30 meters tall! The sand dunes are home to more than 300 plant species, 42 of which are rare, and 10 others that are found nowhere else in the world! Local hunters and Elders from Fond du Lac Denesųłiné First Nation say that there is a human-like spirit found within the areas of the dunes. Sometimes when walking in the MacFarlane River area, smoke or fog will come out of nowhere.