Dene Nation adds to membership
Dene Tha of Alberta adds its name to roster after resolution welcomes First Nation
Joseph Tunney
Northern News Services
Thursday, August 4, 2016
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
A new member has been added to the Dene Nation after a vote was held at the annual general assembly on July 28 in Fort Simpson.
Chairperson Deneze Nakehk'o helped moderate talks regarding the new member joining the Dene Nation. - Joseph Tunney/NNSL photo
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The Dene Tha First Nation, based in northern Alberta, will now be a member of the Northwest Territories-based organization.
"It means the Dene Nation gets stronger," said Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus. "An additional community with their own territory."
Erasmus said this new member is also a Treaty 8 member, which many of the existing members of the Dene Nation trace their roots to as well.
Despite the motion passing, it was suggested it would be better to push the decision to a later date for further discussion.
"We don't have any issues regarding the inclusion of the Dene Tha into the Dene Nation, it's just that we never had the dialogue before," said Kakisa Chief Lloyd Chicot.
However, at the end of the discussion it was concluded the Dene Tha had followed proper procedures and the movement was passed.
It was brought up that the Dene Tha had sent the Dene Nation a letter asking for its request to be added to the agenda and it had previously made itself available to the Dene Nation leaders at an earlier meeting.
According to its constitution, all the Dene Nation requires when it comes to adding new members is a resolution.
"This place here, this assembly is a good place to share a lot of those (concerns)," said chairperson Deneze Nakehk'o after the discussion.
The Dene Tha are the fourth group from outside the territory to join the nation.
Members of the Dene Nation from outside of the NWT include Sayisi Dene First Nation in Tadoule Lake, Man., the Arctic Athabaskan Council in Whitehorse and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in Fort Chipewyan, Alta.
After the meeting Erasmus, said he sees this development as positive despite the push back.
"It helps us gather our strength and move forward as a bigger collective," he said.
