Fort Babine,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...
(Wit'at) is a small native reserve community, located at the northern tip of
Babine Lake
Babine Lake ( ) or Na-taw-bun-kut ("Long Lake") is the longest natural lake in British Columbia, Canada.
Babine Lake is located northeast of the town of Burns Lake in central British Columbia, some west northwest of the city of Prince George. ...
, approximately 100 km north of
Smithers. It is accessible by an all-weather gravel logging road. There are approximately 60 year-round residents. The community comprises five
Indian reserves
In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty,
that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band."
Ind ...
in the area, Babine Indian Reserve No. 16, Babine Indian Reserve No. 6, Casdeded Indian Reserve No. 8, No-Cut Indian Reserve No. 5, and Alphonse Tommy Indian Reserve No. 7.
Rainbow Alley Provincial Park
Rainbow Alley Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the ...
is located just north of Fort Babine, between the north end of Babine Lake and the south end of
Nilkitkwa Lake.
BC Names/GeoBC entry "Rainbow Alley Park (provincial park)
/ref>
Traditional name
Fort Babine's traditional Babine
{{Infobox ethnic group
, group=Nadot'en
, image=
, image_caption=
, poptime=
, popplace={{Flag, Canada ({{Flag, British Columbia)
, langs=English, Babine-Witsuwit'en
, rels=Christianity, Animism
, related= Wet'suwet'en, Dakelh
In its broader sen ...
name is "Wit'at," which is an abbreviated form of "Wit'ane Keh," "place of making dry fish." The name "Babine" comes from a French word for "pendulous lips" and refers to the fact that the native female inhabitants first encountered by Europeans had the practice of placing wooden labrets
A labret is a form of body piercing. Taken literally, it is any type of adornment that is attached to the lip (labrum). However, the term usually refers to a piercing that is below the bottom lip, above the chin. It is sometimes referred to as a ...
in their lips to enlarge them.
History
Archaeological evidence indicates that there is a long history of human habitation in the Fort Babine area. When the first Europeans arrived, there was at least a summer village in this location—and there may possibly have been full-time occupants. The first Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...
post was established further down the lake in 1822. Fort Kilmaurs, also known as Fort Babine and later Old Fort, was eventually closed and the H.B.C. moved to the northern tip of the lake to establish a new Fort Babine. This happened in the 1840s. The H.B.C. store closed in the 1970s, but the native community remained. A direct road link to the community was finally established in the 1980s, as well as the supply of electricity. Regular telephone service finally came to Fort Babine in the spring of 2006.
Socio-economic conditions
The people of Fort Babine are employed in several resource-based sectors. Silviculture and forestry offer seasonal employment, as does the nearby Babine Salmon Project. Year-round employment is available at the Fort Babine Fish Hatchery. Several community members are also employed by the Lake Babine Nation Lake Babine Nation (also Nataotin, Nat'oot'en Nation) is a Babine band government, historically located on the banks of Babine Lake in central British Columbia, Canada. Its main community has been in Woyenne, near Burns Lake, since many of the nati ...
in various capacities. Nevertheless, unemployment or underemployment, as in many reserve communities, remains a concern.
References
{{Columbia Department
Hudson's Bay Company forts
Babine
Omineca Country