Black Lake () is a Denesuline

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

band government In Canada, an Indian band (), First Nation band () or simply band, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subject to the ''Indian Act'' (i.e. status Indians or First Nations). Bands are typically small groups of people: the largest in ...

in the

boreal forest Taiga or tayga ( ; , ), also known as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by pinophyta, coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga, or boreal forest, is the world's largest land biome. I ...

of northern

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

, 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 in the north-west corner of Saskatchewan and the north-east corner of Alberta between 58° and 60° N in Canada. The lake is ...

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

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined 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." ...

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

Stony Rapids Stony Rapids (; ) is a northern hamlet in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located south of the border with the Northwest Territories, along the Fond du Lac River. This river connects the community to Fond-du-Lac, Uranium City and Cams ...

", 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 1 ...

Demographics

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

Dene The Dene people () are an Indigenous group of First Nations who inhabit the northern boreal, subarctic and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languages and it is the common Athabaskan word for "people". The term ...

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, and by

Stony Rapids Airport Stony Rapids Airport is located adjacent to Stony Rapids, Saskatchewan, Canada. On June 25, 2006, the airport was used to evacuate residents from northern Saskatchewan when Stony Rapids and other nearby communities were threatened by forest ...

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 cen ...

to 12 and has an enrolment of 460 students.

References

{{authority control Dene communities Unincorporated communities in Saskatchewan First Nations governments in Saskatchewan