Our History | KatlodeecheLandLaw

Kátł’odeeche First Nation: About Us

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Kátł’odeeche First Nation: Who We Are

The Kátł’odeeche First Nation (KFN) is a Slavey Dene Community located in the Southern part of the Northwest Territories at the mouth of the Great Slave Lake. Kátł’odeeche First Nation (KFN) is the formal term for the Kátł’odeeche got’ine which translates in English as “people of the willow grass river delta” the Slavey are a sub-group of the Dene People. The Kátł’odeeche reserve covers an area of 52 square miles and claims a band membership of 600 people living on and off reserve. It is one of 39 First Nations that belong to Treaty 8 Territory.

Kátł’odeeche First Nation History:

Kátł’odeeche got’ine have occupied the area around Hay River and Buffalo Lake for at least 1,800 years. The abundance of fish stocks, harvesting and opportunities to trade in the Great Slave Lake area and around the mouth of the Hay River called the Kátł’odeeche got’ine back every summer and in the winter months the families would head to Buffalo Lake where winter hunting and trapping where bountiful. Based on oral history supported by written record, the Kátł’odeeche got’ine historical land use followed a seasonal round that allowed them to live in harmony.

Kátł’odeeche First Nation Today and Moving Forward:

Today, we look back on a proud history that we owe in great part to our ancestors and to the community leaders who have changed the way we see ourselves as a community and in the larger world. Since the 70’s, it has healed many wounds and built a viable economic base for itself and for its children. Development continues on many fronts, and the Dene continue to find answers to today’s problems that are both innovative and consistent with their traditions.