The Dene Cultural Conference was funded by the GNWT Department of Culture and Communications, and organized by the Community and Social Development staff of the Dene Nation Executive. The Community and Social Development program aimed to strengthen and promote Dene culture and traditional relationships to help address social problems in NWT communities, and the conference was intended to help set up a separate organization for this purpose that could access funds unavailable to political organizations like the Dene Nation. Conference steering committee members included: Paulette Barclay, John Bekale, Debbie DeLancey, Cindy Gilday, Ethel Lamothe, Rene Lamothe, Ernie Lennie, and Fibbie Tatti. Other contributors included Sara Jerome, Stephen Kakfwi, Ethel Liske, and Mary Wilson.

The Dene Cultural conference developed several resolutions to help shape the new institute, including directing that it pursue research, curriculum development, and involve young people. Work areas identified were: language, spiritual development, bush skills, legends, traditional spirituality, crafts, collection and storage of information and artifacts, place names, drum dance, hand games, gatherings, traditional medicine, ceremonies, responsibilities and relationships, foods, rules about animals, laws about the land, “and any other that may arise.” (11)

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This document is available in the NWT Archives in the Cynthia Chambers Collection: http://www.nwtarchives.ca/finding_aid.asp?Accession_Number=N-2007-014

Item N-2007-014: 1-7

DeLancey, Debbie. Report on the Dene Cultural Conference. Snowdrift (Lutsel K’e), Dene Cultural Conference, 1986.