SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The Lutsel K'e Dene are hoping to establish a protected area - spanning the East Arm of Great Slave Lake and encompassing herds of caribou, waters full of fish and the sacred Lady of the Falls on the famous Lockhart River - by July 2012.

To do so, they need Yellowknifers to get behind them.

"We need support of the Northern community," former chief Steven Nitah said, and in exchange, the Lutsel K'e Dene promise to share their way of life with everyone who wants to learn about it.

Since 2010, Nitah has been meeting with the National Parks Board to reach an agreement of what this 33,500 sq. km protected land would look like, who would govern it and what traditional activities would be allowed on it.

They hope to call it Thaidene Nene, meaning "Land of the Ancestors."

Nitah said the goal is to reach an agreement by next summer, with the federal government supplying the legislation and the money, and the Dene supplying the land and the history.

He said they are considering creating a national park, but added that if they have to compromise their values or lifestyle in any way, they won't.

Gloria Enzoe, a Lutsel K'e resident, was one of the eight speakers at a gathering at the legislative assembly Wednesday night to rally support.

She said establishing a protected area is close to her heart.

"I was always told, when you're born into this Earth, Mother Earth, you each have your responsibility. Like our ancestors, we are watchers of the land."

The Lutsel K'e Dene have had a long and tumultuous relationship with the federal government, starting in the 1920s when the Thelon wildlife refuge was established to protect muskoxen. Between then and the 1960s, anyone caught hunting on the land could be arrested.

It wasn't until the Constitution Act of 1982 that their way of life on the land was guaranteed.

In 2000 former chief Felix Lockhart approached the federal government to renew discussions about establishing a national park, and the Akaitcho Framework Agreement was created outlining how they would negotiate an agreement.

Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley said everyone would benefit, including the Lutsel K'e Dene, the federal government and the GNWT.

"It's a conservation issue," he said. "I hope they come to an agreement"

Jake Basil, 17, who also spoke at the legislative assembly, said it all comes down to preserving their way of life for future generations.

"It's hard to explain through words," he said.

"I want my kids and their kids and their kids to be able to use the cultures, the traditions, the land."

Enzoe said that by establishing Thaidene Nene as a protected area, they can continue to emphasize the natural skills of the people, and share their knowledge with visitors.

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