Yellowknives
Encyclopedia
The Yellowknives, Yellow Knives, Copper Indians, Red Knives or T'atsaot'ine are Aboriginal peoples of Canada, one of the five main groups of the Dene
indigenous people that live in the Northwest Territories
of Canada
. The name, which is also the source for the later community of Yellowknife
, derives from the colour of the tools made from copper deposits.
and traveled, hunted, and traded as far east as Hudson's Bay where early European explorers such as Samuel Hearne
encountered them in the 1770s. The Yellwknives helped lead Hearne through the arctic tundra from Hudson's Bay to the Arctic Ocean in search of the legendary copper deposits that the Yellowknives, or 'Copper Indians', had a hand in mining and trading for tools. Later European explorers who encountered and traded with Copper Indians marked on their maps the 'Yellowknife River' which drains into Great Slave Lake from headwaters originating near the headwaters of the Coppermine River, a traditional travel corridor.
The Yellowknives and the Dogrib who also lived on the north shores of Great Slave Lake were ancestral enemies and in the 1830s it was reported that the Dogrib almost wiped out the Yellowknives, the remnants of which - although opinions vary - either scattered south of Great Slave Lake or inter-married with the Dogrib. Following the discovery of gold in the Yellowknife area, a great mix of Dogrib, Chipewyan, and remnant Yellowknife members congregated and settled in the community or within the traditional villages of Dettah or Trout Rock. With government funding, the Dene village of N'Dilo was created in the mid 1950s on the tip of Latham Island. The Yellowknives Dene First Nation was formed in the 1990s following the collapse of a territorial-wide comprehensive land claim negotiation. They currently negotiate a land claim settlement for their lands as part of the Akaitcho Land Claim Process.
Another Dene group has come forward claiming themselves as direct descendants of the historic 'Yellowknife Indian' tribes, asserting their independence from the Dogrib-Chipewyan Yellowknives Dene First Nation. They are considered a distinct people and are still seeking recognition today under Treaty 8
.
Dene
The Dene are an aboriginal group of First Nations who live in the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dené speak Northern Athabaskan languages. Dene is the common Athabaskan word for "people" . The term "Dene" has two usages...
indigenous people that live in the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
of 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...
. The name, which is also the source for the later community of Yellowknife
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Yellowknife is the capital and largest city of the Northwest Territories , Canada. It is located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, approximately south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River...
, derives from the colour of the tools made from copper deposits.
Ethnography
The historic Yellowknives lived north of the Great Slave LakeGreat Slave Lake
Great Slave Lake is the second-largest lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada , the deepest lake in North America at , and the ninth-largest lake in the world. It is long and wide. It covers an area of in the southern part of the territory. Its given volume ranges from to and up to ...
and traveled, hunted, and traded as far east as Hudson's Bay where early European explorers such as Samuel Hearne
Samuel Hearne
Samuel Hearne was a an English explorer, fur-trader, author, and naturalist. He was the first European to make an overland excursion across northern Canada to the Arctic Ocean, actually Coronation Gulf, via the Coppermine River...
encountered them in the 1770s. The Yellwknives helped lead Hearne through the arctic tundra from Hudson's Bay to the Arctic Ocean in search of the legendary copper deposits that the Yellowknives, or 'Copper Indians', had a hand in mining and trading for tools. Later European explorers who encountered and traded with Copper Indians marked on their maps the 'Yellowknife River' which drains into Great Slave Lake from headwaters originating near the headwaters of the Coppermine River, a traditional travel corridor.
The Yellowknives and the Dogrib who also lived on the north shores of Great Slave Lake were ancestral enemies and in the 1830s it was reported that the Dogrib almost wiped out the Yellowknives, the remnants of which - although opinions vary - either scattered south of Great Slave Lake or inter-married with the Dogrib. Following the discovery of gold in the Yellowknife area, a great mix of Dogrib, Chipewyan, and remnant Yellowknife members congregated and settled in the community or within the traditional villages of Dettah or Trout Rock. With government funding, the Dene village of N'Dilo was created in the mid 1950s on the tip of Latham Island. The Yellowknives Dene First Nation was formed in the 1990s following the collapse of a territorial-wide comprehensive land claim negotiation. They currently negotiate a land claim settlement for their lands as part of the Akaitcho Land Claim Process.
Another Dene group has come forward claiming themselves as direct descendants of the historic 'Yellowknife Indian' tribes, asserting their independence from the Dogrib-Chipewyan Yellowknives Dene First Nation. They are considered a distinct people and are still seeking recognition today under Treaty 8
Treaty 8
Treaty 8 was an agreement signed on June 21, 1899, between Queen Victoria and various First Nations of the Lesser Slave Lake area. The Treaty was signed just south of present-day Grouard, Alberta.-Treaty:...
.