Fond du Lac Dene Nation ( chp, Gánį Kóé) is a

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 ...

First Nation Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

located 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, ...

area 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. The main settlement is Fond-du-Lac, situated on the east side of

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 a remote fly-in community. The population in 2011 was 874, mainly of Dene and

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

descent. 705 residents selected Dene as their mother tongue in 2011. Fond du Lac is a geographic name meaning "far end of the lake" in the French language (literally it translates as "bottom of the lake").

History

Founded as a community over 150 years ago, by

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 ...

in pursuit of furs, fishing, hunting and trapping the community has seen little changes. Many in the community can trace their ancestral roots to the early 19th century. "Living off the land" is still a way of life in Fond-du-Lac. Many of the residents are descendants of the Maurice's Band who signed an adhesion to

Treaty 8 Treaty 8, which concluded with the June 21, 1899 signing by representatives of the Crown and various First Nations of the Lesser Slave Lake area, is the most comprehensive of the one of eleven Numbered Treaties. The agreement encompassed a la ...

in 1899. The Maurice's Band (Chief Maurice Piche's Band) split in 1949 forming the Fond-du-Lac Band and the Black Lake Band.

Reserves

Fond du Lac Dene Nation is a

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 ...

with 6 territories around the eastern area of Lake Athabasca. *Fond du Lac 227 is on the north shore of Lake Athabasca and contains the village of Fond du Lac. *Fond du Lac 228 is across the lake from the village. *Fond du Lac 229 is west of the village on the north shore of the lake. Population 0 in 2011. *Fond du Lac 231 is borders the

Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park The Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park was created to protect the Athabasca sand dunes, a unique boreal shield ecosystem located in the far-north Northern Saskatchewan Administration District. The Athabasca sand dunes are the most northerly ...

on the McFarlane River. Population 0 in 2011. *Fond du Lac 232 is on the Otherside River east of Fond du Lac 231. Population 0 in 2011. *Fond du Lac 233 is on the south side of the lake surrounding Fond du Lac 228. Population 0 in 2011. Fond du Lac had a total registered membership of 1,895 with 1,066 members residing on-reserve and 829 members residing at locations off-reserve in September 2013. The Fond du Lac First Nation 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

Economy

The main enterprise today in Fond du Lac is working in the mineral and other resource extraction business. Others follow a tradition of fishing, hunting, and trapping as well as providing guide services to the many fishing camps in the area.

Transportation

There are minimal roads within the community and no year-round roads to the community. It is only accessible by air (through the

Fond-du-Lac Airport Fond-du-Lac Airport is located north of Fond-du-Lac, Saskatchewan, Canada. Accidents The West Wind Aviation Flight 280, an ATR-42 aircraft crashed with 22 passengers and three crew members on board at Fond-du-Lac, approximately 1 k ...

), inland water transport and snowmobile. Common transportation for community members includes driving large trucks and ATVs better known as four wheelers. In the winter there is a seasonal ice road with access to

Uranium City Uranium City is a northern settlement in Saskatchewan, Canada. Located on the northern shores of Lake Athabasca near the border of the Northwest Territories, it is above sea level. The settlement is northwest of Prince Albert, northeast of E ...

and

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 ...

(with the latter community in turn connected to the rest of the province via another ice road). The community greatly relies on aircraft and barges for supplies and services. In the winter the occasional truck will venture in on the ice road with supplies.

Climate

Fond-du-Lac has a typical northern Saskatchewan

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Dfc'') with long, frigid winters and short, mild to warm summers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fond-Du-Lac, Saskatchewan First Nations in Saskatchewan Unincorporated communities in Saskatchewan Hudson's Bay Company trading posts Dene communities Road-inaccessible communities of Saskatchewan Lake Athabasca