The History

The ancestors of the Dene Indian people lived along the Mackenzie Valley in the NWT 10 000 years ago. The first Inuit people are believed to have crossed the Bering Strait about 5 000 years ago, spreading east along the Arctic coast. In 1789, Alexander Mackenzie discovered the Mackenzie River and followed it to its mouth at the Arctic Ocean.

Fur traders soon established posts in the Mackenzie River basin. Late in the next century, missions were founded in the area. The Europeans reshaped the North, bringing with them a new economy and way of life. Communities