Black Lake ( chp, Tazen Tuwé) is a

Denesuline The Chipewyan ( , also called ''Denésoliné'' or ''Dënesųłı̨né'' or ''Dënë Sųłınë́'', meaning "the original/real people") are a Dene Indigenous Canadian people of the Athabaskan language family, whose ancestors are identified ...

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

band government In Canada, an Indian band or band (french: bande indienne, link=no), sometimes referred to as a First Nation band (french: bande de la Première Nation, link=no) or simply a First Nation, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subjec ...

in the

boreal forest Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, ...

of northern

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, Canada. It is located on the northwest shore of Black Lake where the Fond du Lac River leaves the lake to flow to

Lake Athabasca Lake Athabasca (; French: ''lac Athabasca''; from Woods Cree: , "herethere are plants one after another") is located in the north-west corner of Saskatchewan and the north-east corner of Alberta between 58° and 60° N in Canada. The lake ...

. It is the main administrative headquarters of the Black Lake Denesuline Nation

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

with a land base of over . Formerly, the Black Lake band used the name "

Stony Rapids Stony Rapids ( chp, Deschaghe, translation=settlement on the other side of the Rapids) is a northern hamlet in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located south of the border to the Northwest Territories, the community is astride the Fond du L ...

", which is now the name of a separate community northwest and downstream on the Fond du Lac River, not on reserve land.

Black Lake Dene Nation

Black Lake Dene Nation is a band government with territory at three locations: Chicken 224, Chicken 225 and Chicken 226. *Chicken 224 is . It includes the village of Black Lake (population 1.070 in 2011) and extends from Black Lake up to the border of the village of Stony Rapids and includes territory on both sides of the Fond du Lac River. *Chicken 225 is (population 0 in 2011) on the north side of Stony Lake on the Fond du Lac River *Chicken 226 is on the eastern end of Black Lake Black Lake First Nation had a total registered membership of 2,044 with 1,592 members residing on-reserve and 452 members residing at locations off-reserve in September, 2013. It is a member of the

Prince Albert Grand Council The Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) is a Tribal Council representing the band governments of twelve First Nations in the province of Saskatchewan. Its head offices are located in the city of Prince Albert. The Tribal Council was created in 197 ...

Demographics

The 2011 census reported 1,040 residents of Black Lake chose

Dene The Dene people () are an Aboriginal peoples in Canada, indigenous group of First Nations in Canada, First Nations who inhabit the northern Boreal forest of Canada, boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languag ...

as their mother tongue in 2011. All but 5 residents spoke English.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Black lake is accessible via road year round following the completion of secondary Highway 905 (Previously a seasonal road). Black lake is also accessible from the community of Stony Rapids (which is accessible by air) by road. The community is served by air by

Black Lake Water Aerodrome Black Lake Water Aerodrome is located east north-east of the community of Black Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada and on Black Lake. The aerodrome is operated by Camp Greyling, a fishing lodge in the Stony Rapids area. See also *List of airpor ...

, and by Stony Rapids Airport.

Health care

The Athabasca Health Facility completed in 2003 at the cost of $12.7 million provides health care services to the Athabasca region. The hospital, located on reserve land (Chicken 224) adjacent to the northern hamlet of Stony Rapids, is part of th
Athabasca Health Authority

Education

Father Porte Memorial School offers

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

to 12 and has an enrolment of 460 students.

References

{{authority control Dene communities Unincorporated communities in Saskatchewan