God's Lake Narrows is a community located in northeastern

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

in Canada. The community is located on the shores of

Gods Lake Gods Lake is a lake in northeastern Manitoba in Canada. The lake covers an area of with a net (water surface) area of , making it the 7th largest lake in the province. It lies north of Island Lake at an elevation of , approximately east of ...

, which is the seventh largest lake in the province. God's Lake has a maximum depth of 75 metres. Located 550 km northeast of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, the community is accessible by air, boat, and b
winter roads
(see map)

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Gods Lake Narrows had a population of 141 living in 57 of its 69 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 89. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Website

The community is the subject of an interactive documentary, ''

God's Lake Narrows God's Lake Narrows is a community located in northeastern Manitoba in Canada. The community is located on the shores of Gods Lake, which is the seventh largest lake in the province. God's Lake has a maximum depth of 75 metres. Located 550&n ...

'', by artist and filmmaker Kevin Lee Burton, who was born in the community, co-created by NFB producer Alicia Smith. ''God's Lake Narrows'' utilizes photos of the community by Scott Benesiinaabandan, a Manitoba-based Anishinabe artist. Benesiinaabandan's photos had originally been displayed in a Winnipeg gallery. Christine Fellows did sound design for the project, which was produced in Winnipeg by the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

. The website consists of 26 slides which alternate between photographs and text. Viewers can navigate the website by clicking on arrows embedded on each page. In May 2012, ''God's Lake Narrows'' received the

Webby Award The Webby Awards (colloquially referred to as the Webbys) are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over three thousand industry experts a ...

for best use of photography. It was also nominated for individual episode in the online film and video category. The website project grew out of Burton and Caroline Monnet's installation piece RESERVE(d) which was shown in Winnipeg at the Shaman Urban Gallery in 2010. The installation included sound, film, photography, and archival images of Burton's grandmother. It was designed to create an intimate community that mirrored a "reserve reality." Alicia Smith, a producer at the National Film Board, was one of the guests invited to the installation at the gallery. She worked together with Burton to write and create the online version after her experience. The website builds Indigenous guest protocol into its structure. It follows the principle of hospitality, the Cree miyo-wîcêhtowin, "the principle of getting along well with others, good relations, expanding the circle," and hospitality, "the act or practice of being hospitable; the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, with liberality and goodwill". The God's Lake Narrows website begins by allowing viewers to see the exterior of the homes; it then invites them inside. However, before viewers are allowed inside of the homes and lives of these Indigenous families, they must learn about their community.

References

External links

''God’s Lake Narrows''
at the

*Welcome to God's Lake Narrow

*Screen Sovereignty: Understanding God's Lake Narrows as an Indigenous-Controlled Space

* {{MBDivision22 Designated places in Manitoba Northern communities in Manitoba Unincorporated communities in Northern Region, Manitoba