The Tłı̨chǫ (, ) people, sometimes spelled Tlicho and also known as the Dogrib, are a

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 ...

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 ...

people of the Athabaskan-speaking

ethnolinguistic group An ethnolinguistic group (or ethno-linguistic group) is a group that is unified by both a common ethnicity and language. Most ethnic groups share a first language. However, "ethnolinguistic" is often used to emphasise that language is a major bas ...

living in the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...

of Canada.

Name

The name ''Dogrib'' is an English adaptation of their own name, (or ) – “Dog-Flank People”, referring to their fabled descent from a supernatural dog-man. Like their

neighbours they called themselves often simply ("person", "human") or ("People, i.e. Dene People"). The Tłı̨chǫ's land is known as (or , or ). On the 1682 Franquelin map, Dogrib was recorded as "Alimousp oiak" (from

Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...

, "Dog-Flanks").

Communities

The Tłı̨chǫ have six communities with a majority of Tłı̨chǫ residents:

Behchokǫ̀ Behchokǫ̀ ( ɛ́ht͡ʃʰókʰõ̀or ɛ́ht͡sʰókʰõ̀ ) (from the Tłı̨chǫ meaning "Behcho's place"), officially the ''Tłı̨chǫ Community Government of Behchokǫ̀,'' is a community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territ ...

(formerly Rae-Edzo),

Whatì Whatì (; from the Dogrib language meaning "Marten Lakes"), officially the ''Tłı̨chǫ Community Government of Whatì'' is a First Nations community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Whatì is located by Lac La Ma ...

(Lac la Martre),

Gamèti 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, Canada. Gamètì, according to the Prince of Wa ...

(Rae Lakes), and Wekweètì (Snare Lake), the four communities of the Tłı̨chǫ Government, and

Dettah Dettah, sometimes spelled incorrectly as ''Detah'', is a First Nations community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Located just southeast of the capital of Yellowknife, it is a drive from that city by ice road acros ...

(T'èɂehdaà) and

Ndilǫ Ndilǫ is a First Nations community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The small Dene community is on the edge of Yellowknife on the tip of Latham Island. It had a population of approximately 321 people in 2016.

, the communities of the

Yellowknives Dene First Nation The Yellowknives Dene First Nation is a band government in the Northwest Territories. It represents the Yellowknives people, the namesake of the territorial capital Yellowknife. Its membership primarily resides in two communities: Ndilǫ, borderi ...

. The or Dogrib language belongs to the

Athabaskan languages Athabaskan ( ; also spelled ''Athabascan'', ''Athapaskan'' or ''Athapascan'', and also known as Dene) is a large branch of the Na-Dene languages, Na-Dene language family of North America, located in western North America in three areal language ...

, which are part of the

Na-Dene languages Na-Dene ( ; also Nadene, Na-Dené, Athabaskan–Eyak–Tlingit, Tlina–Dene) is a family of Native American languages that includes at least the Athabaskan languages, Eyak, and Tlingit languages. Haida was formerly included but is now genera ...

family. The dialect spoken in the communities of Dettah and Ndilǫ developed from intermarriage between

Yellowknives The Yellowknives, Yellow Knives, Copper Indians, Red Knives or T'atsaot'ine (Wíílíídeh dialect: ''Tetsǫ́t'ınę'') are indigenous peoples in Canada, indigenous peoples of Canada, one of the five main groups of the First Nations in Canada, F ...

and Tłı̨chǫ.

Treaty Process

Yellowknife B Band (Treaty No. 8 Dogrib)

In June 1899, negotiation began on

Treaty 8 Treaty 8, which concluded with the June 21, 1899, signing by representatives of the Crown and various First Nations of the Lesser Slave Lake area, is the most comprehensive of the eleven Numbered Treaties. The agreement encompassed a land m ...

, which covered in the Northwest Territory. It was an agreement between the Canadian Government and the Dene groups in the area in question; in return for their willingness to share their land with non-Natives, the Dene would receive medical and educational assistance, as well as treaty payments. The Canadian Government and the various Dene groups, including

and Tłı̨chǫ under chief Drygeese with headmen Benaiyah and Sek'eglinan, signed the treaty in 1900 at

Fort Resolution Fort Resolution (''Denı́nu Kų́ę́'' (pronounced "deh-nih-noo-kwenh") "moose island place") is a hamlet in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is situated at the mouth of the Slave River, on the shores ...

(called by the Tłı̨chǫ ''Įndàà''). After the signing, the group that signed the treaty was called the ''"Yellowknife B Band"'' (Helm, 7: 1994). At that point in history, Treaty No.8 was the largest land settlement the Canadian Government had ever made (PWNHC, Historical).

Dog Rib Rae Band (Treaty No. 11 Dogrib)

Twenty years after Treaty No. 8 was signed, oil was discovered in the Mackenzie River Valley. Upon the discovery, the Canadian Government proposed another treaty that would clear the way for miners and development of the area. The treaty was greatly debated, as the Natives did not want to lose their right to hunt, fish, gather, and trap in the area. They also opposed being "confined to

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." ...

s." Many Dene felt that Treaty No. 8 was not honored by the Canadian Government, and some were afraid that this treaty would turn out similarly. Nevertheless, Treaty No. 11 was signed by the Tłı̨chǫ trading chief Monfwi in the summer of 1921. The Tłı̨chǫ groups that signed this treaty were then known as the ''"Dog Rib Rae Band"'' (Helm, 7: 1994), constituting the majority of the Tłı̨chǫ population. Both Treaty No. 8 and Treaty No. 11 overlap in several of their boundaries, and continue to cause conflict between the two separate treaty bands (nowadays two First Nations). Not all members of the Dene and Tłı̨chǫ communities agreed with or signed these treaties. In the fall of 1992, the Tłı̨chǫ submitted their own regional claim to the Canadian government. Negotiations were scheduled to begin in 1994 between the ''Yellowknife B Band (Treaty No. 8 Dogrib)'' and the ''Dog Rib Rae Band (Treaty No. 11 Dogrib)'', but the Yellowknife B Band refused to enter into negotiations. This complicated matters, as both treaty groups had land boundaries that overlapped each other. Self-governance seemed to be the issue between the two groups, as both wanted to have their say in the agreement. This halted the negotiations in 1994 while the Canadian government explored the boundary and self-government issue. A new mandate in April 1997 allowed negotiation of a "joint land claims and self-government agreement with the Dogrib Treaty 11 Council" (Treaty No. 11 Dogrib). In 1999, the Agreement-in-Principle was available for Dogrib approval and was accepted on January 7, 2000. Ninety-three percent of the Dog Rib Rae Band (Treaty No. 11 Dogrib) turned out to vote with over 84% voting for the agreement. After several community discussions and revisions, in March 2003 the Chief Negotiators initialed the agreement.

Tłı̨chǫ First Nations

Yellowknives Dene First Nation (formerly Yellowknife B Band)

The Yellowknife B Band (Treaty No. 8 Dogrib) formed the

in 1991 following the collapse of this territorial-wide comprehensive land claim negotiation. They currently negotiate a land claim settlement for their lands as part of the Akaitcho Land Claim Process by the

Akaitcho Territory Government The Akaitcho Territory Government is a First Nations organization representing the Dene people of the Northwest Territories, Canada.Chipewyan The Chipewyan ( , also called ''Denésoliné'' or ''Dënesųłı̨né'' or ''Dënë Sųłınë́'', meaning "the original/real people") are a Dene group of Indigenous Canadian people belonging to the Athabaskan language family, whose ancest ...

Tlicho Government (formerly Dog Rib Rae Band)

The Tlicho Agreement

The act of signing the agreement began the ratification process for the Tlicho Agreement. On Thursday, August 4, 2005, the Tlicho Agreement went into full effect, "The first official day of the Tlicho Government and the Tlicho community governments" (Tlicho Effective Date). On August 25, 2003, they signed a

land claims A land claim is "the pursuit of recognized territorial ownership by a group or individual". The phrase is usually only used with respect to disputed or unresolved land claims. Some types of land claims include aboriginal land claims, Antarctic l ...

agreement, also called Tłı̨chǫ, as the

Tłı̨chǫ Government The Tłı̨chǫ Government, or Tłı̨chǫ Ndekʼàowo (also rendered Tlicho Government and Tlicho Ndekʼaowo), is a First Nations organization representing the Tłı̨chǫ Nation, Dene people of the Northwest Territories, Canada, and covering mu ...

, with the

Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...

. The agreement will cede a area between

Great Bear Lake Great Bear Lake (; ) in the boreal forest of Canada is the largest List of lakes of Canada, lake entirely in Canada (Lake Superior and Lake Huron are larger but straddle the Canada–United States border, Canada–US border), the fourth-larges ...

and

Great Slave Lake Great Slave Lake is the second-largest lake in the Northwest Territories, Canada (after Great Bear Lake), List of lakes by depth, the deepest lake in North America at , and the List of lakes by area, tenth-largest lake in the world by area. It ...

in the NWT to Tłı̨chǫ ownership. The territory includes the communities of

, Wekweètì and

along with

Diavik Diamond Mine The Diavik Diamond Mine is a diamond mine in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, about northeast of Yellowknife. Description Diavik Diamond Mine is an industrial complex set in a remote, subarctic landscape. It consi ...

and

Ekati Diamond Mine The Ekati Diamond Mine, often simply called Ekati, is Canada's first surface and underground diamond mine and is owned by Burgundy Diamond Mines. It is located north-east of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and about south of the Arctic ...

. The four Tłı̨chǫ bands,

Dog Rib Rae First Nation The Dog Rib Rae First Nation is a Tłı̨chǫ (formerly known as Dogrib) First Nations band government in the Northwest Territories. The band's main community is Behchokǫ̀, known before 2005 as Rae-Edzo, where 2,396 of its 3,292 members live. By ...

Wha Ti First Nation The Wha Ti First Nation is a Tłı̨chǫ First Nations band government in the Northwest Territories. The band's main community is Whatì, known before 1996 as Lac La Martre and before 2005 as Wha Ti, where 635 of its 681 members live. In 2005, W ...

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 ...

and

Dechi Laot'i First Nations The Dechi Laot'i First Nations is a Tłı̨chǫ First Nations band government in the Northwest Territories. The band's main community is Wekweètì, known before 2005 as Snare Lake, where 173 of its 193 members live. In 2005, Dechi Laot'i became ...

, as well as their umbrella Dogrib Treaty 11 Council, ceased to exist on August 4, 2005, and have been succeeded by the Tlicho Government. The Tłı̨chǫ have their own legislative bodies in the area's four communities, of which the chiefs must be Tłı̨chǫ, though anyone may run for councillor and vote. The legislatures will have, among other authorities, the power to collect taxes, levy resource royalties, which currently go to the federal government, and control hunting, fishing and industrial development. The Tłı̨chǫ would also receive payments of $152 million over 15 years and annual payments of approximately $3.5 million. The federal government retains control of

criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and Well-being, welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal l ...

, as it does across Canada, and the NWT controls services such as health care and education in partnership with the Tłı̨chǫ Nation through the Tłı̨chǫ Community Services Agency. The land-claims process took twenty years to conclude. A similar process with the

Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...

in the NWT brought about the creation of the new territory of

Nunavut Nunavut is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' and the Nunavut Land Claims Agr ...

. Though Tłı̨chǫnèk'e is not a separate territory, the extent of its powers has invited comparisons both with the birth of Nunavut and with the creation of the NWT government in 1967.

Notable Tłı̨chǫ persons

Dahti Tsetso Dahti Tsetso is a Tłı̨chǫ Dene environmentalist from Canada. She serves as deputy director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative and was former director of lands and resources for Dehcho First Nations. Early life and education Tsetso was ...

Dehcho First Nations The Dehcho First Nations is a tribal council representing the Dene (South Slavey) and Métis people of the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is made up of ten First Nations bands and two Métis Locals. Membership The Deh Ch ...

environmentalist and educator *

Richard Van Camp Richard Van Camp (born September 8, 1971) is a Dogrib Tłı̨chǫ writer of the Dene nation from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada.

, writer, author of ''

The Lesser Blessed The Lesser Blessed may refer to: * The Lesser Blessed (novel), a 1996 novel by Richard Van Camp * The Lesser Blessed (film), a 2012 Canadian film, based on the novel {{DEFAULTSORT:Lesser Blessed, The ...

'' * Ouri Scott, Architect, Advocate, Principal * Bear Lake Chief (Kʼaàwidaà, "highest trader", also known as Francis Yambi, or Eyambi,ʼEyirape, 1852-1913), was perhaps the most well known of the Tłı̨chǫ trading chiefs, in 1872, he married Emma Kowea (b. 1854) at Fort Norman (Tiłihtʼa, Tiłihtʼa Kǫ,

Tulita Tulita, which in Slavey means "where the rivers or waters meet", is a hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime betwee ...

), and together they raised nine children, member of the Sahtigotʼin ( "Great Bear Lake People") regional group he rose to become a prominent trading chief for Tłı̨chǫ groups trading at both Old Fort Rae (Nıhshı̀ Kʼe, Ninhsin Kon) and Fort Norman, is buried on an island on Lac Ste. Croix, north of the community of Gamètı (Rae Lakes) * Chief Edzo, great Tłı̨chǫ ("people's trader", i.e. trading chief), participated in a famous peace treaty at Mesa Lake in 1825 (or 1829) with the great Yellowknife trading chief, Akaitcho, ending the long period of hostility and warfare between the Yellowknives and Tłı̨chǫ * Dzemi (Ekawi Dzimi, called by Frank Russel: Jimmie), Tłı̨chǫ (trading chief) at Old Fort Rae, head of the donek'awi at Old Fort Rae, (leader) of the Dechi Laotʼi ("Edge of the Woods People") * Ewainghan (called by Frank Russel: Rabesca), Tłı̨chǫ (trading chief) at Old Fort Rae, (leader) of the Etʼaa gotʼį ("People Next to Another People") * Drygeese (also known as ''Dry Geese''), Tłı̨chǫ (trading chief) at

(Įndàà, Deninoo Kue), signed as spokesman of the Tłı̨chǫ and Yellowknives, later known as Yellowknife B Band, Treaty 8 in 1900 at Fort Resolution * Beniah, Tłı̨chǫ (trading chief) at Fort Resolution * Little Crapeau, Tłı̨chǫ (trading chief) at Fort Resolution * Chief Castor, Tłı̨chǫ (trading chief) at Fort Resolution * Chief Monfwi, ( "Small Mouth", May 21, 1866 1936),Monfwi
Tłı̨chǫ (trading chief), became ("leader") of the Dechı̨ Laotʼı̨ ("Edge of the Woods People"), was appointed by the Tłı̨chǫ leadership to represent all Tłı̨chǫ groups, signed Treaty 11 in 1921 for the Tłı̨chǫ groups, later known as Dog Rib Rae Band * The artist James Wedzin is a member of this nation from Behchokǫ̀, Northwest Territories. * The novel ''White Bird Black Bird'', by Val Wake, a CBC Northern Service reporter based in Yellowknife from 1969 to 1973, tells the story of Dogrib input into the formation of the NWT Indian Brotherhood. A lot of the action is set in what was then called Rae.

Notes

External links

Tlicho home page

Lessons From the Land: The Idaa Trail
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tlicho Indigenous peoples of the Subarctic First Nations in the Northwest Territories