Gameti

Gameti was a seasonal hunting camp used by the Tlicho people for many years. It only became used as a more permanent settlement in the 1970s, when a community hall, store, school and airstrip was built. Because of so much water in the area fishing has always been an integral part of the Tlicho culture here. Many different strategies for fishing include nets, traps, hook and lines and fishing poles. The indigenous way of life depended on the canoe especially in during seasonal hunting for caribou and musk ox. During the spring, snares and large drift fences were made to trap the caribou as they traveled through the woods. Since Gameti is located in the traditional hunting area of the Tlicho and Sahtu Dene peoples fishing, hunting and trapping are still a large part of the economy and lifestyle.

All Tlicho people share Gameti’s story of creation. It begins with a woman and her brothers. One day a handsome man comes and the brothers tell their sister she should marry him so she does. One night she hears a terrible growling and the sound of a dog gnawing on a bone. Eventually one of the brothers shoots the dog but the man who married the woman never returns. The woman discovers she is pregnant and eventually gives birth to six puppies. She loves them but is ashamed so hides them in a sack. One day she discovers that the puppies can turn into human children when she is not around. After hiding behind a bush she goes to them as children. Three jump back in the sack and the other three stay as children. They are the original Dogrib people.

Tlicho culture remains strong. In fact, more than 98 per cent of Gameti community members speak Tlicho as their first language.