The community of Wekweètì, Northwest Territories is set on rolling rock above the Snare River. Formally known as Snare Lake, the name was officially changed under the Tlicho agreement to Wekweètì in 2005. Wekweètì was founded in the 1960s when Tlicho elder and former chief Alexis Arrowmaker brought several families from Behchokö who wanted a more traditional lifestyle. The area in Wekweètì was traditionally Dogrib hunting territory.
All Tlicho people share Wekweètì story of creation. It begins with a woman and her brothers. One day a handsome man comes and the brothers tell their sister she should marry him so she does. One night she hears a terrible growling and the sound of a dog gnawing on a bone. Eventually one of the brothers shoots the dog but the man who married the woman never returns. The woman discovers she is pregnant and eventually gives birth to six puppies. She loves them but is ashamed so hides them in a sack. One day she discovers that the puppies can turn into human children when she is not around. After hiding behind a bush she goes to them as children. Three jump back in the sack and the other three stay as children. They are the original Dogrib people.
Tlicho culture remains strong today. Nearly 95 per cent of Wekweètì community members speak Tlicho as their first language. Located near the northern edge of the treeline, close to the Barrenlands - the area that Bathurst caribou herd passes through on its way north in spring and south in fall. Traditionally, the culture has relied heavily on caribou-hunting.
(http://www.tlicho.ca/communities/wekweeti)
Voices from Wekweeti
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