Gamètì (; formerly known as Rae Lakes until 4 August 2005), officially the ''Tłı̨chǫ Community Government of Gamètì'' is a community in the

North Slave Region The North Slave Region or ''Tłicho Region'' is one of five List of regions of the Northwest Territories, administrative regions in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is the most populous of the five regions, with a population of almost 2 ...

of the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...

, Canada. Gamètì, according to the

Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (PWNHC) (''Centre du patrimoine septentrional Prince-de-Galles'' in French) is the Government of the Northwest Territories' museum and archives. Located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, th ...

means "rabbit-net lake". 'Gah means 'rabbit', and "mi" means net, "tì" means lake, or water. It is one of the four

Tłı̨chǫ The Tłı̨chǫ (, ) people, sometimes spelled Tlicho and also known as the Dogrib, are a Dene First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group living in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Name The name ''Dogrib' ...

communities which form part of the Tlicho Government.

History

The area is within the traditional territory of the

(Dogrib)

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

and was a popular hunting camp prior to permanent settlement. In the 1960s, Dene elders around

Behchokǫ̀ Behchokǫ̀ ( ɛ́ht͡ʃʰókʰõ̀or ɛ́ht͡sʰókʰõ̀ ) (from the Tłı̨chǫ meaning "Behcho's place"), officially the ''Tłı̨chǫ Community Government of Behchokǫ̀,'' is a community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territ ...

decided to return to the land and establish traditional camps in the bush. Gamètì 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 officially known as ''Rae Lakes'' until August 4, 2005. Before 2005, the community was unincorporated, and local governance was provided by a First Nations

band government In Canada, an Indian band (), First Nation band () or simply band, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subject to the ''Indian Act'' (i.e. status Indians or First Nations). Bands are typically small groups of people: the largest in ...

Gameti First Nation The Gameti First Nation is a Tłı̨chǫ First Nations band government in the Northwest Territories. The band's main community is Gamètì, known before 2005 as Rae Lakes, where 319 of its 366 members live. In 2005, Gameti became part of the Tł ...

. Under the terms of the Tłı̨chǫ Agreement, most responsibilities of Gamètì have been transferred to a new Gamètì Community Government. However, the First Nation is still recognized by the federal government for

Indian Act The ''Indian Act'' () is a Canadian Act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and still in force with amendments, it is the primary document that defines how t ...

enrollment.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Gamètì had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. According to the 2016 Census there were 270

Indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

, of which all were

. Local languages are Dogrib (Tłı̨chǫ) some

Slavey The Slavey (also Awokanak, Slave, and South Slavey) are a First Nations in Canada, First Nations group of Indigenous peoples in Canada. They speak the Slavey language, a part of the Athabaskan languages. Part of the Dene people, their homeland ...

and English.

Services

The community, which is served by the Gamètì/Rae Lakes Airport, does not have all-weather road access, but an

ice road An ice road or ice bridge is a human-made structure that runs on a frozen water surface (a river, a lake or a sea water expanse).Masterson, D. and Løset, S., 2011, ISO 19906: Bearing capacity of ice and ice roads, Proceedings of the 21st Int ...

is sometimes built in the winter. There is a daycare in the Gamètì and the Jean Wetrade School that provides education up to grade 12, along with a community learning centre. Other services include a post office, a two-member

RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

detachment, a health centre, with one nurse and the Rae Lakes General Store.

Climate

Gamètì has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

( Dfc) with the average high throughout the year averaging below the freezing point. Due to it being below the

tree line The tree line is the edge of a habitat at which trees are capable of growing and beyond which they are not. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually low ...

it has relatively warm but short summers.

References

External links

Gamètì
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gameti Communities in the North Slave Region Tłı̨chǫ community governments in the Northwest Territories Dene communities Road-inaccessible communities of the Northwest Territories