Łutselk'e

Łutselkʼe ("place of the Łutsel", the cisco,[6] a type of small fish), also spelt Łutsel Kʼe, is a "designated authority"[7] in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is located on the south shore near the eastern end of Great Slave Lake and until 1 July 1992, it was known as Snowdrift, as the community lies near the mouth of the Snowdrift River.[8]

Łutselkʼe Łutsel Kʼe; Snowdrift (pre-1992)
First Nation - Designated Authority of Łutselkʼe
Łutselkʼe on Great Slave Lake
Łutselkʼe Show map of Northwest Territories Łutselkʼe Show map of Canada
Coordinates: 62°24′19″N 110°44′19″W
Country	Canada
Territory	Northwest Territories
Region	North Slave
Territorial electoral district	Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh
Census division	Region 5
Government
• Chief	Darryl Marlowe
• Senior Administrative Officer	Hanna Catholique
• MLA	Tom Beaulieu
Area [1]
• Land	43.18 km^2 (16.67 sq mi)
Elevation	168 m (551 ft)
Population  (2016)[1]
• Total	303
• Density	7.0/km^2 (18/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Canadian Postal code	X
Area code(s)	867
Telephone exchange	370
- Living cost	167.5^A
- Food price index	184.0^B
Sources: Department of Municipal and Community Affairs,[2] Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre,[3] Canada Flight Supplement[4] ^A 2013 figure based on Edmonton = 100[5] ^B 2012 figure based on Yellowknife = 100[5]

History

Łutselkʼe is a First Nation community and the area was traditionally occupied by the Chipewyan Dene In 1925 the Hudson's Bay Company opened a post followed by the Roman Catholic Church. A school opened in 1960.[9] There is a proposal ongoing for Thaidene Nene National Park Reserve, with an area of 14,000 km² (5,400 sq mi), which has the support of the community.[10]

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1996 326 —     1997 327 +0.3% 1998 335 +2.4% 1999 352 +5.1% 2000 355 +0.9% 2001 359 +1.1% 2002 391 +8.9% 2003 399 +2.0% 2004 392 −1.8% 2005 357 −8.9% 2006 333 −6.7%	Year Pop. ±% 2007 330 −0.9% 2008 328 −0.6% 2009 316 −3.7% 2010 310 −1.9% 2011 306 −1.3% 2012 312 +2.0% 2013 307 −1.6% 2014 314 +2.3% 2015 308 −1.9% 2016 316 +2.6% 2017 330 +4.4%
Sources: NWT Bureau of Statistics (2001 - 2017)[11]

Population is 303 according to the 2016 Census a decrease of 2.7% over the 2011 Census.[1] In the 2016 Census the majority of the population, 270 people, were First Nations, 10 people were Métis and 10 were Inuit.[12] The main languages in the community are Denesuline and English. In 2017 the Government of the Northwest Territories reported that the population was 330 with an average yearly growth rate of 0.0% from 2007.[11]

In 2016, 115 people said they spoke an Indigenous languages as their mother tongue. Of these 115 people, 105 spoke Dene (Chipewyan or Denesuline), 5 spoke Dogrib or Tłı̨chǫ and 5 spoke North Slavey or Hare. Another 5 people gave a Chinese language as their mother tongue. A total of 295 knew English and another 5 knew both English and French.[13]

Services

There is a two-person Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment and health centre with two nurses in the community. There is a single grocery store, the Lutselk'e Co-op, a post office and nine lodges or outfitters in the area. Education in the community is provided by the Lutsel K'e Dene School, which offers a comprehensive K-12 program. Additionally, there is also a community learning centre run by Aurora College.[14][15]

Although not accessible by road there is an airport, Lutselk'e Airport, with scheduled services from Yellowknife and an annual sealift is provided by the territorial government's ships from Hay River in the summer. Lutselk'e Water Aerodrome is available in the summer months when the lake is clear of ice.

First Nations

Łutsel Kʼe is represented by the Łutsël K'é Dene First Nation and are part of the Akaitcho Territory Government.[16]

References

1. Lutselk'e, Settlement [Census subdivision], Northwest Territories and Region 5, Region [Census division], Northwest Territories
2. "NWT Communities - Łutselk'e". Government of the Northwest Territories: Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
3. "Northwest Territories Official Community Names and Pronunciation Guide". Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Yellowknife: Education, Culture and Employment, Government of the Northwest Territories. Archived from the original on 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
4. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
5. Łutselkʼe - Statistical Profile at the GNWT
6. Łutselk’e
7. Differences in Community Government Structure
8. "Snowdrift River". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
9. Łutselk’e
10. Proposed Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve
11. Population Estimates By Community from the GNWT
12. 2016 Aboriginal Population Profile
13. 2016 Language Profile
14. Infrastructure
15. Northwestel
16. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

• "Snowdrift River". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2010-08-22.

Further reading

• Barnes, F.Q. Snowdrift Map-Area, District of Mackenzie, Northwest Territories (Preliminary Report). Geological Survey of Canada paper, 51-6. Ottawa, Ont: GSC, 1951.
• Bielawski, E. The Desecration of Nánúlá Kúé Impact of Taltson Hydroelectric Development on Dene Sonline. [s.l.]: Łutsel Kʼe Dene First Nation, 1993.
• Canada, and M. M. Dillom Limited. Final Report Environmental Assessment Studies, Northern Canada Power Commission Facilities at Snowdrift, Repulse Bay and Grise Fiord, Northwest Territories. Edmonton, Alta: Environment Canada, 1978.
• Chambers, Cynthia Maude. Damaged and Needing Help Violence and Abuse in Aboriginal Families in Yellowknife and Lutsel K'e. [S.l.]: Lutra Associates, 1993.
• Northwest Territories, and BHP Billiton Diamonds Inc. Communities and Diamonds Socio-Economic Impacts in the Communities of: Behchoko, Gameti, Whati, Wekweeti, Detah, Ndilo, Lutsel K'e, and Yellowknife : 2005 Annual Report of the Government of the Northwest Territories Under the BHP Billiton, Diavik and De Beers Socio-Economic Agreements. [Yellowknife]: Govt. of the Northwest Territories, 2006.
• Parlee, Brenda, Evelyn Marlowe, Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation. Traditional Knowledge on Community Health Community-Based Monitoring. Yellowknife: West Kitikmeot/Slave Study Society, 1998.
• Shinpo, Mitsuru, and Cyntha Struthers. A Preliminary Report Prepared for the Snowdrift Indian Band. Waterloo, Ont: St. Jerome's College, University of Waterloo, 1990.
• Weitzner, Viviane. Dealing Full Force Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation's Experience Negotiating with Mining Companies. Ottawa, Ont: North-South Institute, 2006.

External links