The ancestors of the Black Lake Denesuline Nation (Stony Rapids Band) signed an adhesion to Treaty 8 in July 1899 under Chief Maurice Piche (also known as Moberley) at Fond du Lac. In 1949 Maurice’s band split (officially) into the Fond du Lac and Black Lake Bands. The Black Lake Denesuline Nation has three reserves on the east and west sides of Black Lake about 170 km southeast of Uranium City, the most populated being Chicken 224. Following treaty, the Denesuline continued to hunt, fish, and trap as they always had, spending extended periods in the Northwest Territories. The Denesuline bands are in the process of a claim against the federal government for deterioration of harvesting rights in the Northwest Territories. Economic development for this band includes hunting, fishing and trapping as well as commercial fishing, sawmill, mining, and tourism. Community infrastructure includes air service, all-weather road, radio and television communication, a school and teacherage, day care, band office, church, health clinic, band store, gas station, hotel, fire hall, and other community maintenance facilities. The band’s 32,219.7 hectares of reserve land is home to 1,351 of the 1,683 registered members.
Christian Thompson