Wekweeti

Wekweètì
First Nation
Flag
Wekweètì
Coordinates: 64°11′25″N 114°10′58″W / 64.19028°N 114.18278°WCoordinates: 64°11′25″N 114°10′58″W / 64.19028°N 114.18278°W
Country	Canada
Territory	Northwest Territories
Region	North Slave Region
Monfwi	Mackenzie Delta
Census division	Region 3
Permanent community	1962
Incorporated	4 August 2005
Government
• Chief	Johnny Arrowmaker
• Senior Administrative Officer	Grace Angel
• MLA	Jackson Lafferty
Area[1]
• Land	14.67 km^2 (5.66 sq mi)
Elevation	368 m (1,207 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
• Total	141
• Density	9.6/km^2 (25/sq mi)
Time zone	Mountain (MST) (UTC−7)
• Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC−6)
Canadian Postal code	X0E 1W0
Area code(s)	867
Telephone exchange	713
- Food price index	155.0^A
Sources: Department of Municipal and Community Affairs,[2] Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre,[3] Canada Flight Supplement[4] ^A 2010 figure based on Yellowknife = 100[5]

Wekweètì (from the Dogrib language meaning "rock lakes"), officially the Tlicho Community Government of Wekweètì^[6] is a community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada.

Wekweètì is a Tłı̨chǫ (Dogrib Dene) aboriginal community and is located 195 km (121 mi) north of Yellowknife. It has no year-round road access but does have a winter ice road connection; the majority of transportation to and from the community is through the Wekweètì Airport. Wekweètì is the closest community to the Ekati Diamond Mine on the border with Nunavut. Wekweètì is part of the Tlicho Government.^[7]

History

The area is within the traditional territory of the Tłı̨chǫ (Dogrib) First Nation and was a popular hunting camp prior to permanent settlement. In the 1960s, Dene elders around Behchoko decided to return to the land and establish traditional camps in the bush. Wekweètì was established during this time, although in more recent years it too has become a modern community with essential services of its own. The community was formerly known as Snare Lake until 1 November 1998; prior to 4 August 2005 the community name used the spelling Wekweti.

Demographics

The population was 137 according to the 2011 Census an increase of 2.9% over the 2006 Census, the majority of whom were First Nations.^[1] In 2012 the Government of the Northwest Territories reported that the population was 141 with an average yearly growth rate of 0.5% from 2001.^[5]

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% 1996 146 —     1997 135 −7.5% 1998 138 +2.2% 1999 138 +0.0% 2000 142 +2.9% 2001 138 −2.8% 2002 142 +2.9% 2003 151 +6.3% 2004 139 −7.9%	Year Pop. ±% 2005 140 +0.7% 2006 142 +1.4% 2007 142 +0.0% 2008 143 +0.7% 2009 145 +1.4% 2010 145 +0.0% 2011 145 +0.0% 2012 141 −2.8%
Sources: NWT Bureau of Statistics (2001 - 2012)[5]

Services

Alexis Arrowmaker School is Wekweètì's Elementary/Junior School and was rebuilt in 1994.^[8] The school is named after Alexis Arrowmaker one of the signers of Treaty 11. The community has a store, Hozila Naedik'e General Store,^[9] a ten bed hotel/lodge, Wekweeti Hotel/Snare Lake Lodge,^[10] a Health Station, a Community Learning Centre but no RCMP detachment.^[11]

See also

• List of municipalities in the Northwest Territories

References

1. Wekweètì, CG Northwest Territories (Census subdivision)
2. "NWT Communities - Wekweeti". Government of the Northwest Territories: Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
3. "Northwest Territories Official Community Names and Pronunciation Guide". Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Yellowknife: Education, Culture and Employment, Government of the Northwest Territories. Archived from the original on 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
4. Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 15 September 2016 to 0901Z 10 November 2016
5. Wekweètì - Statistical Profile at the GNWT
6. Differences in Community Government Structures
7. Wekweètì at the Tlicho Government website
8. Alexis Arrowmaker School
9. Hozila Naedik'e General Store
10. Wekweeti Hotel/Snare Lake Lodge
11. Wekweètì Infrastructure Profile

Further reading

• Northwest Territories, and BHP Billiton Diamonds Inc. Communities and Diamonds Socio-Economic Impacts in the Communities of: Behchoko, Gameti, Whati, Wekweeti, Detah, Ndilo, Lutsel K'e, and Yellowknife : 2005 Annual Report of the Government of the Northwest Territories Under the BHP Billiton, Diavik and De Beers Socio-Economic Agreements. [Yellowknife]: Govt. of the Northwest Territories, 2006.