About us
“Discover Fort Nelson, where history unfolds and echoes of valor resonate through time’s embrace.”
Our People
The rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands are the lifeblood of FNFN territory. We have been and will always be river people. Every one of our ancestral village sites is located on a critical river, lake, or tributary. The rivers were once our highways. Our people would travel the rivers by boat most of the year, by dog team, and later Ski-Doo’s in the winter. Lakes throughout the territory would provide enough fish to feed our families all year.The Fort Nelson First Nation (FNFN) Water Strategy has been developed with support from the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia in order to ensure proper functioning and ecological integrity of aquatic ecosystems in FNFN territory.
Our land
We, the Fort Nelson First Nation, are People of the Land, we have lived in denendeh (Dene land) since time immemorial. Today, we are a diverse community with a rich cultural heritage that is tied to denendeh and all our relations in the territory. FNFN Dene families are closely related to the Dene of southern Northwest Territories and northwest Alberta and trace their roots back to historic villages throughout the territory: Łidli Ku (Nelson Forks), Tłigoh-ché (François), Tłu Tue (Fish lake or Maxhamish Lake), Dídah Tthe (Pretty Hill), Medzih Deh (Deer River), Nádo Deh Kue (Snake River), Goh Cho Kué (Kotcho), Fontas, Kahntah and Moose Lake. FNFN Cree families trace their roots to villages in the Peace and Athabasca River basins, coming to the territory in the 1800’s to Old Fort Nelson to trade furs and purchase goods at the Hudson Bay post on the Fort Nelson River.
Our Culture
The Snake River crossing cabin site is an off-grid, safe, and accessible site built and used by the FNFN for on-land activities, including harvesting and hunting camps, a Land Guardian base camp, and culture and language camps for FNFN members and Chalo students. The cabin is also available by reservation for individual members and families to spend some time on the land doing cultural activities on their own. The original 16’x20’ wheelchair accessible cabin was built in 2013 and designed to house elders and families comfortably and safely throughout the year. It is equipped with low rise bed frames, wood stove and wood, table and chairs, and two outhouses. In addition to the cabin, the site is equipped with tent platforms to hold 2 large wall tents complete with woodstoves.
Our History
The Fort Nelson First Nation (FNFN) Water Strategy has been developed with support from the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia in order to ensure the proper functioning and ecological integrity of aquatic ecosystems in FNFN territory. Grounded in extensive community input, the FNFN Water Strategy articulates our vision for water use and management in FNFN territory, prioritizing traditional use and treaty rights alongside ecological integrity. The primary risk to the achievement of this vision is the intensity and density of industrial development in our territory, particularly in the natural gas and forestry sectors, but with climate change as another increasingly important factor.
