<![CDATA[Land of the Ancestors - Latest News]]>Thu, 14 May 2026 13:08:10 -0600Weebly<![CDATA[May Newsletter]]>Sun, 10 May 2026 13:24:13 GMThttps://www.landoftheancestors.ca/latest-news/may-newsletterPicture
We’ve had a colder winter and spring this year than is usual, but as the days get longer, the thermometer is slowly creeping upwards.
Some of the highlights of the last few months have been working with students at the Łutsël K’é Dene School and collaborating with the local Parks Canada staff on workshops about caribou hide tanning and fish scale art making. Learn more about these activities in this issue of the newsletter.
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​The newsletter also has reports from a workshop about Kaché and ice thickness monitoring, as well as updates from Thaıdene Nëné Xá Dá Yáłtı and Frontier Lodge.
Read may 2026 newsletter
]]><![CDATA[Job Opportunity: Summer Students]]>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:21:33 GMThttps://www.landoftheancestors.ca/latest-news/job-opportunity-summer-students
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The Thaıdene Nëné Department is hiring four (4) summer students to work alongside the Ni Hat’ni Dene guardians from May 18-August 7. These student positions are located in Łutsël K’é.
 
Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:
  • Monitoring water quality, fish, and other wildlife within Thaıdene Nëné.
  • Welcoming and engaging visitors to Thaıdene Nëné, Łutsël K’é, Kaché, and Ni Hat’ni Dene cabins.
  • Providing orientation, information, and interpretation to visitors about the natural and cultural history of Łutsël K’é Dene lands.
  • Administering visitor experience surveys.
  • Maintaining the cabins, cutting wood, and cleaning up garbage at Kaché.
  • Maintaining a daily log of activities and travel routes.
 
Qualifications:
  • Applicants must be 18 years of age and over.
  • Applicants must be physically fit as the position requires tasks like walking on uneven ground, lifting, and carrying.
  • Ability to work in a team environment.
  • Good communication skills (verbal and written).
  • Knowledge of the natural and cultural heritage of Łutsël K’é is an asset.
  • Experience operating boats is an asset.
  • Ability to speak and/or understand the Dënesųłıné language is an asset.
 
If you are interested in being a summer student in the Thaıdene Nëné Department, please email an updated resume and cover letter to manager@thaidenenene.ca and admin@thaidenenene.ca.
 
DEADLINE TO APPLY:       May 1, 2026
EMPLOYMENT TERM:      May 18-August 7, 2026
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Download Job Posting
]]><![CDATA[January Newsletter]]>Tue, 13 Jan 2026 15:47:03 GMThttps://www.landoftheancestors.ca/latest-news/january-newsletterPicture
Happy New Year!
We hope that you and your families had a fun, festive, and safe holiday season.

Our office was closed over the holidays, but we continued to check our fish net and distribute fish to Elders.

We started off the new year by hosting a meeting of Thaıdene Nëné Xá Dá Yáłtı, the operational management board for Thaıdene Nëné.
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Click on the button for an update about what we were up to in the fall.
Read January 2026 Newsletter
]]><![CDATA[September Newsletter]]>Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:52:27 GMThttps://www.landoftheancestors.ca/latest-news/september-newsletterPicture
In early September, Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation and Parks Canada co-hosted the second ecological monitoring and knowledge sharing camp. Community members of all ages, First Nation staff, and members of the Parks Canada team spent ten days together on the shores of Ɂedacho Tué (Artillery Lake), where the forest meets the tundra. They camped, set and pulled nets, took soil core samples, shared meals and knowledge, played hand games, hiked, serviced cameras and audio recording units, gathered wood, picked berries, deployed temperature sensors, and told and listened to stories. Gatherings like this are vital to nurturing our relations with the land, each other, and our partners, and ensuring our Dënesųłıné way of life continues long into the future.

Read more about the ecological monitoring and knowledge sharing camp in the September newsletter. There is also a profile of Parks Canada summer student, Robin Catholique, and an update on a research project called, “Nuwé yáti t’á thaıdene nëné bek’e dárı́dı háɂą́” / “Protecting our ancestral homelands with our words.”
Read September Newsletter
]]><![CDATA[Ecological Monitoring and Knowledge Sharing Camp: Excerpts from the Camp Journal]]>Wed, 17 Sep 2025 21:28:30 GMThttps://www.landoftheancestors.ca/latest-news/ecological-monitoring-and-knowledge-sharing-camp-excerpts-from-the-camp-journalAn ecological monitoring and knowledge sharing camp was held at Ɂedacho Tł’ázı̨ (Timber Bay) on Ɂedacho Tué (Artillery Lake) from September 2-11, 2025. Co-hosted by the Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation and Parks Canada, the camp had 50 participants included LKDFN members of all ages, Ni Hat’ni Dene Guardians, Parks Canada staff, and staff from the following LKDFN departments: Thaıdene Nëné; Wildlife, Lands and Environment; Wellness; and Language and Culture. This is the second year in a row that the camp has happened.
 
Mársı cho to the participants and staff for documenting the camp with photos, videos, and words. Here are some excerpts from the “camp journal” with photos by Hanna Gahdële, Rubin Fatt, Laura Michel, Rosie Gahdële, Iris Catholique, and Sophie Deschamps:
September 2
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Participants started arriving to the camp at Ɂedacho Tł’ázı̨ (Timber Bay) today. The guardians and camp workers have been here for a couple of days getting tents set up and cutting and chopping firewood.

​September 3
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It’s a rainy day on Artillery Lake. Everyone is settled in. Most people are taking it easy today, waiting for the rain to pass. A small crew of people are servicing the remote cameras and audio recorders (swapping out batteries and memory cards).
 
We’re hoping to set a fish net later.

We had the opening ceremonies this evening after all of the participants arrived. We drummed, prayed, and made offerings to the water. Everyone especially liked watching the youngest drummer in camp, 15-month-old Suzé.
September 4
We’re enjoying our time at Timber Bay. We set and pulled fish nets today.
 
We gathered information about the fish that we harvested. We measured them and weighed them. We examined their organs and removed their ear bones. Ear bones, or otoliths, can tell us how old a fish is. As we worked, Elders and knowledge keepers shared their observations and knowledge.

September 5
What an amazing day! The highlight for me (Hanna) was going out on the helicopter and walking on the tundra. Such a stunning landscape. The vastness of it makes you feel small and insignificant. I’m in awe of the hunters that know how to navigate these lands and all the people that have lived and travelled in this area since the beginning of time.
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I saw an old hunting blind and wondered how old it was and thought about the people that would have used it over many, many years.

September 6
We pulled and sampled more fish. It’s great to see camp participants of different ages help with sampling. It’s especially good training for the children and youth who are here.
September 8
There was frost on the dwarf birch when we woke up today. It sparkled in the sunlight.
 
This morning, the guardians and I (Laura) went out with the permafrost team from Parks Canada to take samples. The guardians used drills similar to ice augers to gather soil core samples.
When we got back to camp, there were visitors from home who were spending the day on site. We appreciated the goodies they brought us.
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Camp participants looked at and analyzed the core samples together. Further analysis of the samples will be done after the camp.
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September 9
The “berry monitors” are hard at work today. Now to wait out 24 hours of forecasted rain and start to pack up camp.

September 10
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Today was cool, foggy, and smoky. The berry pickers were busy filling their bags and buckets. Some of the camp members deployed the water temperature sensors, while others reviewed photographs from the wildlife cameras. It’s wonderful to be able to see the land and animals in all the seasons.
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I (Laura) am grateful for the boat ride we took surrounded by the breathtaking fall colours that never cease to amaze. I feel incredibly blessed to be here.
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We had our closing ceremonies today. We expressed our gratitude to everyone who helped to make the camp possible and also to the land for taking care of us.

September 11
The first planes picked up camp participants today.
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I (Rosie) found two eagle feathers on the beach before leaving Timber Bay. Máhsı cho for this time on the land.

September 12
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Today, the guardians finished taking down the camp and cleaning up.

As camp participants travelled back to town, we asked about their experiences. Both youth and Elders enjoyed the camp. Having a helicopter on site to conduct the ecological monitoring made the field work all the more exciting. Many of the traditional land users and harvesters only see the area in winter, so being able to travel by boat and helicopter on Ɂedacho Tué made it possible to see more traditional areas like K’ıchı̨́ı̨ Nué (Crystal Island) and Dzén Kı́n (Rat Lodge), as well as burial sites. Our people have a rich history here.
 
Plans are already in the works for the 2026 Ecological Monitoring and Knowledge Sharing Camp at Ɂedacho Tł’ázı̨!
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