Traditional Lands
ROCHER RIVER, NWT
Traditional Lands
Our family is originally from the Rocher River, NWT area, near the mouth of the Taltson River, which drains into Great Slave Lake in the South Slave Region, roughly 50 kilometres east of Fort Resolution.
Rocher River was a traditional community for the Tthetsënɂotı̨́né, with families living both in the community and in nearby traditional camps along the mouths of Rocher River, Taltson River, Rat River, Jean River, Stoney Point, and Stoney Island. These lands sustained our people for generations, dating back to the early 1800s.
Modern Rocher River was founded in the 1920s with the establishment of a trading post, which grew into a bustling trading centre. Many Tthetsënɂotı̨́né families moved from the camps into the community so their children could attend school, while others remained at the camps. By the 1950s, Rocher River had a Dene band, a government day school, two trading posts, a post office, and a church, with a population of about 200.
The area has always been rich in hunting and trapping resources, and some families, including ours, continue to practice these traditional harvesting skills today. This is the primary region where we source and harvest our traditional materials for our work.
By the late 1950s, a series of events began to change the community forever. A large deposit of lead-zinc ore was discovered over 100 kilometres away at Pine Point, leading to mining development and the construction of a hydro dam on the Taltson River. In the winter of 1960, the community’s only school burned down. The federal government decided not to rebuild, centralizing education in Fort Smith, Yellowknife, and Fort Resolution instead. This event set off a chain reaction that eventually removed most of the community’s residents and disrupted daily life.
Construction of the Taltson River hydro dam began in 1964, followed by production at the Pine Point Mine in 1965. The Tthetsënɂotı̨́né opposed the dam, but their concerns were ignored. Flooding of trap lines and disruption of traditional lands pushed the remaining families to leave. Homes were abandoned, and our way of life was permanently changed. As original signatories to Treaty 8 as the Yellowknives, the Tthetsënɂotı̨́né people were largely erased from historical accounts.
Displaced community members were forced to join other bands. Most were transferred to what was then called the Chipewyan Band near Fort Resolution, as well as to Lutsel K’e, N’Dilo, and Yellowknife.
Our family, along with many Tthetsënɂotı̨́né descendants, believe that these actions were part of a deliberate effort to remove people from the area following the discovery of mineral deposits at Pine Point. Today, we continue to honour our connection to these lands and maintain our traditional practices whenever possible.
DENINU KUE
Pronounced “Deneh-noo-kweh,” meaning Moose Island, is also known as Fort Resolution. The community is located at the mouth of the Slave River, on the shores of Great Slave Lake. It is the oldest documented European settlement in the Northwest Territories, dating back to 1791 when the North West Company established a trading post. Fort Resolution became a key link in the fur trade’s water route north.
Designated a National Historic Site of Canada, Fort Resolution is recognized as the oldest continuously occupied place in the Northwest Territories, with origins in the fur trade and as the principal fur trade post on Great Slave Lake. It is home to the Deninu K’ue First Nation and the Fort Resolution Métis.
Although band membership is held in Fort Resolution, the family maintains a deeper connection to Rocher River, Rat River, and Jean River, where much of their childhood was spent with parents and extended family.