Sahtu Region Explained

Official Name:Sahtu Region
Settlement Type:Administrative region
Image Map1:NWT Locator Sahtu.svg
Mapsize1:200
Map Caption1:Location within the Northwest Territories
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Territory
Subdivision Name1:Northwest Territories
Subdivision Type2:Territorial riding
Subdivision Name2:Sahtu
Subdivision Type3:Settlement area
Subdivision Name3:Sahtu
Government Footnotes:[1]
Seat Type:Regional office
Seat:Norman Wells
Leader Title1:Administrator
Leader Title2:Councillors
Leader Title4:Organized hamlets
Established Title:Established
Population Total:2554
Population As Of:2016
Timezone:MST
Utc Offset1:−07:00
Timezone1 Dst:DST
Utc Offset1 Dst:−06:00

The Sahtu Region is an administrative region in Canada's Northwest Territories. Coterminous with the settlement region described in the 1993 Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement, of the Sahtu is collectively owned by its Indigenous Sahtu (Dene) and Métis inhabitants. Although the region's population is predominantly First Nations, a significant non-Indigenous presence exists in Norman Wells, the regional office,[2] established in 1920 to serve the only producing oilfield in the Canadian Territories. Considered to be of vital strategic importance during World War II in the event of a Japanese invasion of Alaska, the region's petroleum resources were exploited by the United States Army with the Canol Project, but the pipeline never became necessary and ultimately operated for less than one year.Since the abandonment of the Canol project, development within the region has been more limited than in the rest of the territory. Although plans have long existed for pipelines and highways to parallel the Mackenzie River through the Sahtu en route to the Arctic Ocean, the landmark Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry recommended that a moratorium be placed on construction until local Indigenous land claims could be settled. To this day, no all-weather roads connect the Sahtu with the rest of Canada, and the contiguous North American pipeline network finds its northernmost terminus at Norman Wells, which was connected to Zama City, Alberta in 1984. Ground transportation is seasonally provided by a network of winter and ice roads, while the abandoned Canol route now forms part of the Trans Canada Trail system.[3]

Etymology

Sahtú is the Dene name of Great Bear Lake, the largest lake entirely in Canada, which is entirely contained within the Sahtu Region. The name is also used by the area's First Nations inhabitants to describe themselves and their language, the Sahtú Dene people (historically known as the North Slavey or Hareskins).[4] It has been further adopted by the Sahtu Dene Council and the Sahtu Secretariat, both Indigenous institutions which share administrative responsibilities with the Government of the Northwest Territories within the region.

Communities

The Sahtu Region consists of five communities, with no permanent population recorded outside their boundaries. Norman Wells, the regional capital, was founded in the early 20th century in order to exploit local oil deposits and has a majority non-Indigenous population. The other communities of the Sahtu are predominantly First Nations.

Communities of the Sahtu Region
CommunityDemographics (2021)
Name[5] Type[6] Census[7] Indigenous population profile[8]
Officialclass=unsortableTraditionalTotal% changeFirst NationsMétisInuitOther
Colville LakeK'áhbamı̨́túéSettlement Corporation110105000
Délı̨nęDélı̨neCharter Community573495101045
Fort Good HopeRádeyı̨lı̨kóéCharter Community507435151040
Norman WellsTłegǫ́htı̨Town6731758020375
TulitaTulı́t’aHamlet396320401030

External links

65.2811°N -126.8314°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About Municipal and Community Affairs. Government of the Northwest Territories. en. 2019-06-17.
  2. https://www.maca.gov.nt.ca/en/sahtu-region Sahtu Region
  3. Book: The Sahtu Atlas . Communities Of The Sahtu . https://www.srrb.nt.ca/people-and-places/sahtu-atlas/99-sahtu-atlas/the-sahtu/179-communities-of-the-sahtu . 2024 . 978-0-9737630-0-3 . Sahtu Settlement Region, Northwest Territories . 5 September 2024 . Sahtú Renewable Resources Board.
  4. Book: The Sahtu Atlas . An Ancient Heritage . https://www.srrb.nt.ca/people-and-places/sahtu-atlas/99-sahtu-atlas/the-sahtu/166-an-ancient-heritage . 2024 . 978-0-9737630-0-3 . Sahtu Settlement Region, Northwest Territories . 5 September 2024 . Sahtú Renewable Resources Board.
  5. Web site: Northwest Territories Official Community Names and Pronunciation Guide . . Education, Culture and Employment, Government of the Northwest Territories . Yellowknife . https://web.archive.org/web/20160113110003/http://www.pwnhc.ca/cultural-places/geographic-names/community-names/ . 2016-01-13 . live . 2016-01-13.
  6. Web site: Differences in Community Government Structures. Maca.gov.nt.ca. 18 December 2014.
  7. Web site: Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2021 and 2016 censuses – 100% data . . 5 September 2024 . 5 September 2024.
  8. Web site: Indigenous Population Profile, 2021 Census of Population . 16 June 2023 . 5 September 2024 . Statistics Canada.