Land of The Ancestors by Pat Kane

Thaidene Nëné means Land of the Ancestors in Dënesųłıné. It is the homeland of the Łutsël K'é Dene First Nation.

Thaidene Nëné is an Indigenous protected area that spans 6.5 million acres (26,376 square kilometers) at the transition between boreal forest and tundra, including the east arm of Tu Nedhé (Great Slave Lake), the deepest freshwater lake in North America. It also provides habitat for sas cho (grizzly bears), nunı (wolves), denı́e (moose), and yutthéjëré (muskox), and the critical wintering ground of Ɂetthën (caribou).

The area was designated by the Łutsël K'é Dene First Nation in 2019 as an Indigenous Protected Area using Dene Law.

Within the Thaidene Nëné Indigenous Protected Area, Parks Canada designated an area of 14,305 km2 as a national park reserve (NPR) under the National Parks Act. The Government of the Northwest Territories established the first territorial protected area in the NWT, measuring 8,906 km2, by regulation under the Territorial Protected Areas Act. The 3,165-square kilometer wildlife conservation area (WCA) was designated by regulation under the NWT Wildlife Act.

It is the first and largest co-managed IPA in Northern Canada.

I have been working with the community of Łutsël K'é and the stakeholders of Thaidene Nëné since 2015 to document the creation and management of the IPA.

Above text from landoftheancestors.ca

A view of Pethei peninsula, at ...dene Nen National Park Reserve.

A view of Pethei peninsula, at the western edge of Thaidene Nen National Park Reserve.

Fish and moose hides are hung t...hing like gloves or moccassins.

Fish and moose hides are hung to dry inside of a teepee. Each summer, residents of Łutsel K’e organize a moose hide tanning camp — a series of informal workshops and collaborations between elders, adults and youth to relearn the traditional practice of tanning hides to make clothing like gloves or moccassins.

James Marlowe, a local outfitte...t and conservation of the park.

James Marlowe, a local outfitter and Thaidene Nene advisory member, pulls a trout from his fish net near Lutsel K'e. Marlowe has been involved in negotiations for several years and sees the park as a good opportunity for Lutsel K'e businesses, the Ni Hat'ni Dene program, local tourism and the overall management and conservation of the park.

J.C. Catholique, a social worke...e as people," he says.

J.C. Catholique, a social worker, cultural coordinator and resepcted elder from Łutselkʼe steers a boat toward Fort Reliance. "Our family name was given to us by the priests that thought it sounded like 'catholic' in our language. My name is John but it was originally Gabriel, one day a priest just said my name was John and that's what we went with. These names mean nothing to us. It's more important that we know who we are as people," he says.

Iris Catholique takes aim at a ...n the shoreline near Moose Bay.

Iris Catholique takes aim at a muskox on the shoreline near Moose Bay.

Eggs from a trout are stuffed i...né Yatıé.

Eggs from a trout are stuffed in tripe so that it can be cooked over a campfire on Etthen Island. Fish is an important part of the food and culture in Łutsël K’é, which means place of small fish in Dëne Sųłıné Yatıé.

Friends and family gather at Etthen Island.

Celebrations and dancing after ...Nene Indigenous Protected Area.

Celebrations and dancing after the signing of Thaidene Nene Indigenous Protected Area.

Tommy Lafferty, J.C. Catholique...inside the cabin at Timber Bay.

Tommy Lafferty, J.C. Catholique and Denecho Catholique inside the cabin at Timber Bay.

Iris Catholique makes drymeat -...oor of the cabin at Timber Bay.

Iris Catholique makes drymeat - a type of jerky - from muskox brisket on the floor of the cabin at Timber Bay.

The Catholic Church of the Holy...igenous people to settle there.

The Catholic Church of the Holy Family is an iconic structure in Lutsel K'e and is one of the reasons the community exists. Traditionally, people lived in small settlements around Thaidene Nene and the East Arm of Great Slave Lake. In the late 1920's, The Hudson's Bay Company opened a trading post and thereafter, the church, and encouraged the indigenous people to settle there.

The edge of the treeline at Timber Bay, Northwest Territories.

J.C. Catholique strips the bran...les for a teepee at Timber Bay.

J.C. Catholique strips the branches from a tree to make poles for a teepee at Timber Bay.

Reuben Fatt rests in the snow a...old settlement near Timber Bay.

Reuben Fatt rests in the snow at an old settlement near Timber Bay.

Victoria (Vicki) Sanderson, elder in Lutsel K'e, NWT.

A wall tent at Catholique Point in Łutsel Kʼe.

A raven flies around the streets of Łutsel Kʼe.

Pat Lockhart on his snowmobile in Łutsel Kʼe.

Boaters make their way across C...;eacute; National Park Reserve.

Boaters make their way across Christie Bay near Łutsel K’e, Northwest Territories, the entry way to Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve.

Ron Desjarlais tosses a whitefi... Christie Bay, near Łutsel Kʼe.

Ron Desjarlais tosses a whitefish into a bucket while checking fish nets in Christie Bay, near Łutsel Kʼe.

Girls drive through the roads of Łutsel Kʼe on a four-wheeler.

James Lockhart’s gran...he window toward Christie Bay.

James Lockhart’s granddaughter looks out the window toward Christie Bay.

A drum dance at the official si...Nene Indigenous Protected Area.

A drum dance at the official signing of Thaidene Nene Indigenous Protected Area.

Jasmine and her twin girls. Can get full names if needed.

James Lockhart.

An unkindness of ravens seek sh... as storm clouds form overhead.

An unkindness of ravens seek shelter on an abandoned building at the Lutsel K'e shoreline as storm clouds form overhead.

The Church of the Holy Family, ...nizable building in Łutsel Kʼe.

The Church of the Holy Family, the largest and most recognizable building in Łutsel Kʼe.

Kids play on the swings in Łutsel Kʼe.

Terri Enzoe, an elder and leade...Narrows, Northwest Territories.

Terri Enzoe, an elder and leader of the Łutsel Kʼe Dene First Nation and founding member of the Ni Hat’ni Dene Guardioans, at Talthelei Narrows, Northwest Territories.

Children play on a trampoline i...ts and treaty rights protected.

Children play on a trampoline in the community of Lutsel K'e, Northwest Terriories. Community leaders worked for decades to establish Thaidene Nene National Park Reserve as an opportunity for future generations to have employment and to also keep their traditional pursuits and treaty rights protected.

The sunset lights up a patch of fireweed in Łutsel K’e.

Pat Kane

Also by Pat Kane —

The Globe and Mail: Wildfire Fighters

Alone, Together

Place of Spirits - The Narwhal

The Last Trappers - National Geographic

Here Is Where We Shall Stay

No Place to Grow Old - The Globe and Mail

Pandemic Plan - The New York Times