Sayisi Dene First Nation HISTORY
The people of Tadoule Lake are Chipewyan and are traditionally referred to as Sayisi Dene or the “People of the east”. In 1956, the people were relocated from their homeland Little Duck Lake to the outskirts of Churchill, Manitoba. The transition from a traditional lifestyle to an urban environment proved to be misguided and caused devastation with the lives and loss of life due to alcohol. We moved back to our territory in 1973 and established Tadoule Lake, Manitoba. We filed our Relocation Claim with Canada in 1999.
In 2010 Manitoba apologized and made an offer of 13,000 acres and 2013 Canada made a four part offer which comprises of:
- Converting the 13,000 acres to reserve;
- An apology
- A Comprehensive Community Plan;
- Financial Compensation.
The Comprehensive Community Plan drove the development of the Trust. The purpose of the Trust is to support the implementation of the Trust. Based on the knowledge of the community and the CCP engagement sessions, the Core Values were identified and established. Capacity Building, Transparency, Accountability and Future Generations are the utmost priority. Today, the Sayisi Dene people are moving forward with a positive outlook for the future generations.