The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (PWNHC) (''Centre du patrimoine septentrional Prince-de-Galles'' in French) is the

Government of the Northwest Territories The Politics of Northwest Territories involves not only the governance of the Northwest Territories but also the social, economic and political issues specific to the territory. This includes matters relating to local governance and governance by ...

' museum and archives. Located in

Yellowknife Yellowknife (; Dogrib: ) is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near 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, the PWNHC acquires and manages objects and archival materials that represent the cultures and history of the Northwest Territories (NWT), plays a primary role in documenting and providing information about the cultures and history of the NWT, and provides a professional museum, archives and cultural resource management services to partner organizations.

History

A group of history-minded Yellowknifers first envisioned a museum for the Northwest Territories in the early 1950s and after several years of planning, and three years of construction, the 'Museum of the North' opened in July 1963 in downtown Yellowknife. It was operated by volunteers with the Yellowknife Museum Society until 1970 when care of its artifacts was transferred to the Government of the Northwest Territories. Planning for a larger institution began due to concern over the loss of northern artifacts and

collections Collection or Collections may refer to: * Cash collection, the function of an accounts receivable department * Collection (church), money donated by the congregation during a church service * Collection agency, agency to collect cash * Collection ...

, and the need to provide museum services and support throughout the Northwest Territories under a government mandate. In 1972, a program calling for the development of museum services in the NWT received official approval from the Government of the Northwest Territories. Construction started in 1975. On April 3, 1979, His Royal Highness,

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

, officiated at the opening of the facility that bears his name. The PWNHC holds in trust for the public a large collection of objects that represent the peoples and

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

s of the NWT, and produces exhibitions that tell stories about the land, people and history of the NWT. However, the PWNHC is "more than a museum". In addition to its exhibits, collections and conservation programs, the PWNHC houses the NWT Archives, provides technical, logistic and financial support to individuals and organizations involved in cultural activities and the arts, and authorizes archaeological studies in the NWT.

Images

File:Prince of Wales Museum Yellowknife Northwest Territories Canada 01.jpg, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre File:Prince of Wales Museum Yellowknife Northwest Territories Canada 02.jpg, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre File:Prince of Wales Museum Yellowknife Northwest Territories Canada 04.jpg, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre File:Prince of Wales Museum Yellowknife Northwest Territories Canada 05.jpg, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre File:Prince of Wales Museum Yellowknife Northwest Territories Canada 09A.jpg, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre File:Prince of Wales Museum Yellowknife Northwest Territories Canada 10A.jpg, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre File:Prince of Wales Museum Yellowknife Northwest Territories Canada 11.jpg, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre File:Prince of Wales Museum Yellowknife Northwest Territories Canada 15A.jpg, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre

Authority

The mandate for the PWNHC’s activities derives from the Northwest Territories Archives Act, the Northwest Territories Historical Resources Act, and the Northwest Territories Archaeological Sites Regulations.

Affiliations

The Museum is affiliated with: NWT Archives

NWT Archives Council NWT can mean: * New World Telecommunications, an Asian telecommunications company * The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, Jehovah's Witnesses' translation of the Bible * Net Worth Tax or Net Wealth Tax, a levy based on the aggregate ...

CMA,

CHIN The chin is the forward pointed part of the anterior mandible ( mental region) below the lower lip. A fully developed human skull has a chin of between 0.7 cm and 1.1 cm. Evolution The presence of a well-developed chin is considered to be one ...

, and

Virtual Museum of Canada The Digital Museums Canada (DMC; , ''MNC'') is a funding program in Canada "dedicated to online projects by the museum and heritage community," helping organizations to build digital capacity. Administered by the Canadian Museum of History (CMH) ...

References

External links