Traditional Knowledge of Wekweeti

The area around Wekweètì was a common boat and sled route as the Tłı̨chǫ travelled towards the nearby barren lands every fall in search of migrating caribou. Wekweètì came to be seen as a perfect location for those who wanted to live a life more closely associated with the land and caribou. Johnny Simpson  was the first Elder to build a house at Wekweètì, around 1960. Soon after, ten more houses were built and today there are approximately 30 households living in this still traditional community. Wekweètì means ‘His rock lake’ (Snare Lake).

The smallest of the Tłı̨chǫ communities, Wekweètì has a population of 130. The Alexis Arrowmaker School is located in Wekweètì. Wekweètì is accessible by scheduled flights to and from Yellowknife or by a winter ice road. It is the Bathurst caribou herd that traditionally passes through this area on its way north to calving grounds in the spring and then to the south as the winter approaches.