Gamètì (; formerly known as Rae Lakes until 4 August 2005), officially the ''Tłı̨chǫ Community Government of Gamètì'' is a community in the North Slave Region of the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

, Canada. Gamètì, according to the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre means "rabbit-net lake". 'Gamè' means 'rabbit', and 'tì' means lake, or water. It is one of the four Tłı̨chǫ communities which form part of the Tlicho Government.

History

The area is within the traditional territory of the Tłı̨chǫ (Dogrib) First Nations and was a popular hunting camp prior to permanent settlement. In the 1960s, Dene elders around Behchokǫ̀ decided to return to the land and establish traditional camps in the bush. Gamètì was established during this time, although in more recent years it too has become a modern community with essential services of its own. The community was officially known as ''Rae Lakes'' until August 4, 2005. Before 2005, the community was unincorporated, and local governance was provided by a First Nations

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 ...

Gameti First Nation The Gameti First Nation is a Tłı̨chǫ First Nations band government in the Northwest Territories. The band's main community is Gamètì, known before 2005 as Rae Lakes, where 319 of its 366 members live. In 2005, Gameti became part of the Tł ...

. Under the terms of the Tłı̨chǫ Agreement, most responsibilities of Gamètì have been transferred to a new Gamètì Community Government. However, the First Nation is still recognized by the federal government for

Indian Act The ''Indian Act'' (, long name ''An Act to amend and consolidate the laws respecting Indians'') is a Canadian act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and still ...

enrollment.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultu ...

, Gamètì had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. According to the 2016 Census there were 270

Indigenous people 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 ...

, of which all were First Nations. Local languages are Dogrib (Tłı̨chǫ) some Slavey and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

Services

The community, which is served by the Gamètì/Rae Lakes Airport, does not have all-weather road access, but an ice road is sometimes built in the winter. There is a daycare in the Gamètì and the Jean Wetrade School that provides education up to grade 12, along with a community learning centre. Other services include a post office, a two-member

RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...

detachment, a health centre, with one nurse and the Rae Lakes General Store.

Climate

Gamètì has a

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, g ...

( Dfc) with the average high throughout the year averaging below the freezing point. Due to it being below the

tree line The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snow ...

it has relatively warm but short summers.

References

External links

Gamètì
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gameti Communities in the North Slave Region Tłı̨chǫ community governments in the Northwest Territories Dene communities Road-inaccessible communities of the Northwest Territories