NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Dehcho Region

Tags: vegetation, traditional knowledge, wildlife, culture, topography, climate, water

Project Description: The purpose of this study is to obtain traditional knowledge from Hay River Metis aboriginal residents focussing on individuals aged 45 years or older. The information will be used for planning, and incorporated into the Developer’s assessment Report (DAR) as required by the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board’s (MVEIRB) Environmental Assessment Process. Interviews will be utilized to collect the traditional knowledge and will include 8-12 Metis individuals. Elders and individuals with extensive knowledge of the South Great Slave region are preferred for this study. A brief description of the project will be given, followed by a series of questions. Each interview (approx. 1 hr. 45 min.) will be conducted by the research analyst with the assistance of a Community Representative. The Community Representative's functions will be to identify interview candidates, coordinate times, translate where necessary and review interview notes. The Community Representative will be recommended by the Hay River Metis Council. Interviews will be held in a mutually agreed upon location rented from the Metis. Questions included in the survey will explore participants knowledge of: terrain, climate, vegetation (berry picking areas), wildlife (hunting and trapping), water (fishing), significant sites (culturally important sites) and traditional use. Participants representative of the entire community, from different families with different experiences, will be chosen in order to avoid biased results. Compensation of $100.00 will be provided to each interview participant. Danny Beck will be employed as a Community Representative for the study, and will be paid $250.00 per day for his expertise. Information obtained from the interviews will be summarized into a final report for the Metis community and will be the property of the Metis community for future use and community research. The study will be conducted at Hay River