The North West Company Tadoule Lake

The North West Company Inc. is proud of the active role we play within the communities we serve, striving to make a positive, progressive difference. Our contributions within the community of Sayisi Dene First Nation, MB, are a testament to our commitment. Located 250 km west of Churchill, Sayisi Dene First nation (Tadoule Lake) is home to about 325 residents (as per Statistics Canada's 106 Census). “Sayisi Dene” translates from Chipewyan as “People of the East”, which refers to their homeland east of Manitoba.The Sayisi Dene people were also known as the Duck Lake Band, which anthropologists refer to as the Edthen-eldili-dene (“Caribou eaters”). The Duck Lake Band used to live on lands stretching from the shores of the Hudson Bay in the north, cutting through northern Manitoba, to end in the southern parts of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Today, the residents of Tadoule Lake speak Sayisi, Dene and English as they continue their caribou-hunting based lifestyle, using knowledge passed on from Elders through generations of oral tradition. This knowledge is vital for the community, which can only be accessed by dogsled, snowmobile during the winter and by air throughout the year. The nearest connecting airport is Thompson, 332 km to the south.