Behchokǫ̀ ᐯᐊᑋᐟᗱᒼᑯ Rae-Edzo | |
|---|---|
Tłı̨chǫ Community Government | |
 Behchokǫ̀ on Great Slave Lake | |
| Motto: Strong like two people | |
  Behchokǫ̀  Behchokǫ̀ | |
| Coordinates:62°48′09″N116°02′47″W / 62.80250°N 116.04639°W /62.80250; -116.04639 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Territory | Northwest Territories |
| Region | North Slave |
| Constituency | Monfwi |
| Tlicho Community Government | 4 August 2005[1] |
| Government | |
| • Chief | Clifford Daniels[2] |
| • Senior Administrative Officer | Pushp Seth[2] |
| • MLA forMonfwi | Jane Weyallon Armstrong |
| Area | |
| • Land | 75.17 km2 (29.02 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 179 m (587 ft) |
| Population (2016)[3] | |
• Total | 1,874 |
| • Density | 249/km2 (640/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| Canadian Postal code | X0E 0Y0 |
| Area code | 867 |
| Telephone exchange | 292, 371, 392 |
| - Living cost | 127.5A |
| - Food price index | 143.9B |
| Sources: Department of Municipal and Community Affairs,[2] Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre,[4] Canada Flight Supplement[5] ^A 2013 figure based onEdmonton = 100[6] ^B 2015 figure based onYellowknife = 100[6] Elevation at the airport[5] | |
Behchokǫ̀ ([bɛ́ht͡ʃʰókʰõ̀] or [bɛ́ht͡sʰókʰõ̀];English:/ˌbɛtʃoʊˈkoʊ/[7]) (from theTłı̨chǫ meaning "Behcho's place"), officially theTłı̨chǫ Community Government of Behchokǫ̀,[8] is a community in theNorth Slave Region of theNorthwest Territories, Canada. Behchokǫ̀ is located on theYellowknife Highway (Great Slave Highway), on the northwest tip ofGreat Slave Lake, approximately 110 km (68 mi) northwest ofYellowknife.[9]
ExplorerSamuel Hearne was the first European to encounter Dogrib-speaking people while crossing the lands north of Great Slave Lake in 1772. Later, in 1789, traderAlexander Mackenzie traveled by canoe very close to their territory while trading with theYellowknives, anotherFirst Nations peoples, along the north arm of the big lake.
The first trading post in this region was at the entrance ofYellowknife Bay, established in 1789 by theNorth West Company, a post known asOld Fort Providence. It was established for the benefit of both the Yellowknives and Dogrib Dene but it was not a significant trading centre and closed in 1823. Dogrib Dene were then required to enter into trade with Hudson's Bay Company posts on the south side of Great Slave Lake atFort Resolution at the mouth of theSlave River. Historically, the Dogrib and the Yellowknives Dene have quarrelled. By the 1830s, Edzo, the Dogrib leader andAkaitcho, the Yellowknives leader, made peace. Afterwards, the Dogribs returned to their traditional hunting grounds.[10]
Fort Rae was first established on a prominent peninsula on the north shore of the north arm of Great Slave Lake in 1852 as a wintering provision post for theHudson's Bay Company. It was named for Scotsman explorerJohn Rae, who was among the explorers looking for remains of SirJohn Franklin's expedition in theArctic. It became an important trading post for the Dogrib Dene. In the early 20th century, free traders penetrated a monopoly previously held by the HBC. Ed Nagle and Jack Hislop opened a new trading post at the very northern tip of the north arm where Marian Lake connects to Great Slave Lake. As this location was much closer to many of the Dene families living on the land, it became the area of choice for trade. The HBC abandoned the old Fort Rae and set up a post next to Hislop and Nagle.[11]
As the community grew alongside increased services such as a mission-run hospital and church, the government viewed the topography of Fort Rae as unsuitable for expansion. In the 1950s there was concern about runoff from animal and human wastes contaminating sources of drinking water, and the government proposed constructing a new settlement on more favourable terrain. The community became known as Edzo and was located on the west side of the Frank Channel opposite Fort Rae a 24 km (15 mi) drive away.[9] Most of the Dene families refused to move from their community so that Rae (62°49′43″N116°03′08″W / 62.82861°N 116.05222°W /62.82861; -116.05222 (Rae)) and Edzo (62°46′30″N116°02′26″W / 62.77500°N 116.04056°W /62.77500; -116.04056 (Edzo)) (Rae-Edzo) became two separate communities although administered together.[12]
The nameRae-Edzo was changed 4 August 2005 to Behchokǫ̀. The biggest names in Tłı̨chǫ history are Edzo, Bruneau, and Monfwi. All men were Dogrib chiefs at important periods in their cultural history; Edzo signed the peace pact with the Yellowknives Dene in the 1820s, Jimmy Bruneau was a long-standing chief in the 20th century, and Monfwi signedTreaty 11 with the Canadian Government in 1921 and created the Tłı̨chǫ annual assembly in 1932.
Before 2005 the community was unincorporated, and most local governance was provided by a First Nationsband government,Dog Rib Rae First Nation. Under the terms of the Tłı̨chǫ Agreement, most responsibilities of Dog Rib Rae have been transferred to the Behchokǫ̀ Community Government. However, the First Nation is still recognized by the federal government forIndian Act enrollment.
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| Sources: NWT Bureau of Statistics (2001 2017)[22] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Behchokò had a population of1,746 living in460 of its541 total private dwellings, a change of-6.8% from its 2016 population of1,874. With a land area of 74.96 km2 (28.94 sq mi), it had a population density of23.3/km2 (60.3/sq mi) in 2021.[21]
According to the 2016 Census theIndigenous population was made up of 1,695First Nations and 50Métis people.[3] One of the four Tłı̨chǫ communities, it is the largest Dene community in Canada.[23] Behchokǫ̀ was the site of the signing of the Tłı̨chǫ land claim agreement that brought about theTlicho Government.[24]
| Panethnic group | 2021[25] | 2016[26] | 2011[27] | 2006[28] | 2001[29] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Indigenous | 1,615 | 93.35% | 1,755 | 94.1% | 1,800 | 94.24% | 1,770 | 93.9% | 1,450 | 93.85% |
| European[a] | 75 | 4.34% | 85 | 4.56% | 100 | 5.24% | 105 | 5.57% | 95 | 6.15% |
| South Asian | 20 | 1.16% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.53% | 0 | 0% |
| African | 10 | 0.58% | 10 | 0.54% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.65% |
| East Asian[b] | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.54% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.53% | 0 | 0% |
| Southeast Asian[c] | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Middle Eastern[d] | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Latin American | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Other/multiracial[e] | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.52% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Total responses | 1,730 | 99.08% | 1,865 | 99.52% | 1,910 | 99.17% | 1,885 | 99.52% | 1,545 | 99.55% |
| Total population | 1,746 | 100% | 1,874 | 100% | 1,926 | 100% | 1,894 | 100% | 1,552 | 100% |
| Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses | ||||||||||
The main street within Behchokǫ̀ isDonda Tili, which connects to the Yellowknife Highway and then to either Yellowknife or south toFort Providence and southern Canada. Threeice roads are available during winter to connect toGamètì,Wekweètì andWhatì to the north and west.[30]
The closest major public airport isYellowknife Airport via an hour drive east. NearbyRae/Edzo Airport is a private airport.
There is no hospital in town; the nearest is Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife and only basic health services are provided by Mary Adele Bishop Health Centre. The local dental clinic is private and there is a Mental Health and Addictions Services centre.
Behchokǫ̀ has been facing a long term and chronic housing crisis due to multiple issues: insufficient funding for affordable units, disrepair of existing housing stock and inability of many living in public housing to pay rent.[36]
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Media related toBehchoko at Wikimedia Commons
