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History
abounds at Katl'odeeche (Hay River Reserve).
Make sure you take the time to visit the whole of the
reserve, where you can sense history at different times as
you drive down towards the mouth of the river, past the new,
bustling part of the community.
The
first permanent settlement on the Hay was made in the 1890's,
when Chief Chiatlo brought a group there to settle. The Anglican
Mission followed, building a church and mission school in
the late 1890's. The Roman Catholic Church, trading posts
and RCMP swelled the community over the next years.
But long before this kind of settlement, the Dene (pronounced
"deh-neh", and meaning "people"
in the Slavey language) used the site at the mouth of the
river for summer fish camps, taking advantage of the plentiful
fish runs.
During
the winter, these people would be camped on the shores of
Buffalo Lake to the south, an area which is still traditional
hunting land.
In
the early 1970's, Chief Daniel Sonfrere began negotiations
with Canada for the establishment of a reserve, thus creating
the first reserve in the NWT.
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Much
damage had been done to the Old Village area on the east bank
during the 1963 flood, and now energies were directed into
developing a new area that would be less prone to flooding.
Thus
began the 'New Village'.
Now,
with a new supermarket store, gas bar, band office building,
school and gym, senior's complex, alcohol/drug treatment center
(see Natse'jee
K'eh Treatment Centre site), improved housing together
with a series of business ventures and a long-term economic
and development plan in place, the Katl'odeeche Reserve looks
forward to a bright future.
More information about the Dene people can be found at the
Dene
Cultural Institute web site.
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