Nadleh Whut'en First Nation
Encyclopedia
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
government of the Dakelh
Dakelh
The Dakelh or Carrier are the indigenous people of a large portion of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada.Most Carrier call themselves Dakelh, meaning "people who go around by boat"...
people, whose territory is located in the Central Interior of British Columbia
British Columbia Interior
The British Columbia Interior or BC Interior or Interior of British Columbia, usually referred to only as the Interior, is one of the three main regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the other two being the Lower Mainland, which comprises the overlapping areas of Greater Vancouver...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, around the east end of Fraser Lake. The nation has seven reserves which Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
The Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for policies relating to Aboriginal peoples...
refer to as IR#1-9. (Reserves 5 and 6 split from Nadleh Whut'en and make up Stellat'en First Nation
Stellat'en First Nation
The Stellat'en First Nation is the band government of the Stellat'en subgroup of the Dakelh paople in the Omineca Country of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada.-Chief and Councillors:Chief Louie ReginaldCouncillor Violet Kennedy...
. Until 1990, it was referred to as the Fraser Lake Indian Band.
Nadleh Whut'en has 412 registered members, of which half live on reserve. Most of the nation's members reside in Nadleh, the main community, while others (approximately 20) live at in Lejac. Nadleh is located along the banks of the Nautley
Nautley River
Nautley River drains Fraser Lake into the Nechako River in the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada.Only 800m in length, it is the shortest river in the province and one of the shortest rivers in the world, along with Powell River, the Wannock River at Rivers Inlet, and the Little River...
(Nadleh) river, between Fraser Lake and the Nechako River
Nechako River
The Nechako River arises on the Nechako Plateau east of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia and flows north toward Fort Fraser, then east to Prince George where it enters the Fraser River...
. Lejac is located on the south side of Fraser Lake, on the site of the former Lejac Residential School
Lejac Residential School
Lejac Residential School was part of the Canadian residential school system and one of the 130 boarding schools for First Nations children that operated in Canada between 1874 and 1996. Operated by the Roman Catholic Church under contract with the government of Canada, construction was completed on...
.
The school opened in 1922, and housed children from Vancouver to Dease Lake and everywhere in between.
The Nadleh Whut'en speak a dialect of the Carrier language
Carrier language
The Carrier language is a Northern Athabaskan language. It is named after the Dakelh people, a First Nations people of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada, for whom Carrier is the usual English name. People who are referred to as Carrier speak two related languages. One,...
part of the Athapaskan language family. Carrier people refer themselves as Dakelh
Dakelh
The Dakelh or Carrier are the indigenous people of a large portion of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada.Most Carrier call themselves Dakelh, meaning "people who go around by boat"...
, which means "people who travel by water."
The nation has one elected government chief and four elected government council members. The Nadleh Whut'en practice the traditional system of balhats (potlatch
Potlatch
A potlatch is a gift-giving festival and primary economic system practiced by indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and United States. This includes Heiltsuk Nation, Haida, Nuxalk, Tlingit, Makah, Tsimshian, Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakwaka'wakw, and Coast Salish cultures...
) and have five clans, whose crests are: Bear, Frog, Caribou, Beaver and Owl.
Their traditional staple foods include salmon, moose, deer, and small game, as well as berries, all of which as still collected by most band members each year for the winter.
Facilities at the Nadleh reserve include:
- Band office
- Treaty/Lands Management office
- Forestry office
- Catholic Church
- Convenience store
- Fire hall
- Maintenance shop
- Adult Learning centre
- Health centre
- Nadleh Koh School (Aboriginal Head Start Programme)
- Outdoor hockey rink
- Community smokehouse
Facilities in Lejac (IR#4):
- Lejac Auto Body
- Rocky Mountain Log Homes
Facilities on IR#8
- Ormond Lake Cultural Camp
Interests
Pictographs can be found painted granite rocks on the north side of Fraser Lake on IR#2. The drawings depict animals, fish and birds.Beaumont Provincial Park
Beaumont Provincial Park
Beaumont Provincial Park is a provincial park located at the southeast end of Fraser Lake, between Fort Fraser and the town of Fraser Lake, British Columbia, approximately 40 km west of Vanderhoof, British Columbia.Facilities include* 49 campsites...
is located on Nadleh Whut'en's traditional territory, right next to the Nadleh village. It was the original site of Fort Fraser, a North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
trading post. The first fort was built in 1806, but burned down and was later moved onto today's Nadleh reserve.
In September 2006, archaeologists uncovered an axe head near the Nadleh River and estimated it to be over 1,000 years old. There are also the remains of a fishing weir
Fishing weir
A fishing weir, or fish weir, is an obstruction placed in tidal waters or wholly or partially across a river, which is designed to hinder the passage of fish. Traditionally they were built from wood or stones. They can be used to trap fish...
in the Nadleh river, estimated to be over 100 years old.
Each year in Lejac, Catholic churches celebrate Rose Prince
Rose Prince
Rose Prince was a Dakelh woman who has become the subject of a Catholic pilgrimage.-Biography:Rose Prince was born in Fort St. James, British Columbia, in 1915, the third of nine children belonging to Jean-Marie and Agathe Prince...
, known to the Dakelh as Rose of the Carrier. In her honour, an annual pigrimmage takes place where people from across Canada for three days to pray and celebrate their faith.
The Cheslatta Trail
Cheslatta Trail
The Cheslatta Trail is an ancient land route from the Dakelh villages of Behlk'achele and Sdughachola on Cheslatta Lake to Nadleh Village on Fraser Lake...
to Cheslatta Lake, and the Nyan Wheti
Nyan Wheti
Nyan Wheti is an ancient land route in northern British Columbia, Canada from the Dakelh villages on Fraser Lake to villages on Stuart Lake , about 50km to the north...
route to Fort St. James connect at Nadleh village.
Prominent Members
- Dr. Maggie Hodgson, nominated for the Order of Canada in 2006 by the Health Support Workers in Saskatchewan who work with Indian Residential School former students. She organized the first “Healing Our Spirit World Wide Gathering” in Edmonton, Alberta in 1992, with 3200 participants from around the world. Her efforts in community development have earned her the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, the United Nations Community Development Award, the Canadian Public Health Community Development Award, the Alberta Aboriginal Role Model Award, and the Alberta Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Commission Award of Excellence.http://www.maggiehodgson.com/Home.aspx
Affiliations
Nadleh Whut'en First Nation is affiliated with the Carrier Sekani Tribal CouncilCarrier Sekani Tribal Council
The Carrier Sekani Tribal Council is a tribal council representing eight First Nations in the Central Interior of British Columbia...
and is presently in treaty negotiations with the Federal and Provincial governments.
It is also affiliated with Carrier Sekani Family Services, an organization that focuses on physical and mental health and provides social services to its members.
External links
- Carrier Sekani Tribal Council Home
- BC Treaty Association - Carrier Sekani Tribal Council
- Stuart Nechako Region site