Established | 1979 |
---|---|
Location | 4750 48th Street Yellowknife, Northwest Territories X1A 2L9 [1] |
Type | Northern Heritage Centre |
Director | Sarah Carr-Locke |
Website | http://www.pwnhc.ca/ |
The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (PWNHC) (Centre du patrimoine septentrional Prince-de-Galles in French) is the Government of the Northwest Territories' museum and archives. Located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, the PWNHC acquires and manages objects and archival materials that represent the cultures and history of the Northwest Territories (NWT), plays a primary role in documenting and providing information about the cultures and history of the NWT, and provides a professional museum, archives and cultural resource management services to partner organizations.
A group of history-minded Yellowknifers first envisioned a museum for the Northwest Territories in the early 1950s and after several years of planning, and three years of construction, the 'Museum of the North' opened in July 1963 in downtown Yellowknife. It was operated by volunteers with the Yellowknife Museum Society until 1970 when care of its artifacts was transferred to the Government of the Northwest Territories.
Planning for a larger institution began due to concern over the loss of northern artifacts and collections, and the need to provide museum services and support throughout the Northwest Territories under a government mandate. In 1972, a program calling for the development of museum services in the NWT received official approval from the Government of the Northwest Territories. Construction started in 1975. On April 3, 1979, [2] His Royal Highness, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, officiated at the opening of the facility that bears his name.
The PWNHC holds in trust for the public a large collection of objects that represent the peoples and cultures of the NWT, and produces exhibitions that tell stories about the land, people and history of the NWT. However, the PWNHC is "more than a museum". In addition to its exhibits, collections and conservation programs, the PWNHC houses the NWT Archives, provides technical, logistic and financial support to individuals and organizations involved in cultural activities and the arts, and authorizes archaeological studies in the NWT.
The mandate for the PWNHC’s activities derives from the Northwest Territories Archives Act, the Northwest Territories Historical Resources Act, and the Northwest Territories Archaeological Sites Regulations.
The Museum is affiliated with:NWT Archives NWT Archives Council CMA, CHIN, and Virtual Museum of Canada.
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately 1,144,000 km2 (442,000 sq mi) and a 2016 census population of 41,790, it is the second-largest and the most populous of the three territories in Northern Canada. Its estimated population as of 2023 is 45,668. Yellowknife is the capital, most populous community, and only city in the territory; its population was 19,569 as of the 2016 census. It became the territorial capital in 1967, following recommendations by the Carrothers Commission.
Yellowknife is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about 400 km (250 mi) south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River.
The Tłı̨chǫ people, sometimes spelled Tlicho and also known as the Dogrib, are a Dene First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group living in the Northwest Territories of Canada.
The Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, or Legislative Council of the Northwest Territories, is the legislature and the seat of government of Northwest Territories in Canada. It is a unicameral elected body that creates and amends law in the Northwest Territories. Permanently located in Yellowknife since 1993, the assembly was founded in 1870 and became active in 1872 with the first appointments from the Government of Canada.
Fort Resolution is a hamlet in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is situated at the mouth of the Slave River, on the shores of Great Slave Lake, and at the end of the Fort Resolution Highway. It is the headquarters of the Deninu Kųę́ First Nation, whose Chief is Louis Balsillie.
The history of Northwest Territories capital cities begins with the purchase of the Territories by Canada from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1869, and includes a varied and often difficult evolution. Northwest Territories is unique amongst the other provinces and territories of Canada in that it has had seven capital cities in its history. The territory has changed the seat of government for numerous reasons, including civil conflict, development of infrastructure, and a history of significant revisions to its territorial boundaries.
Dettah, sometimes spelled incorrectly as Detah, is a First Nations community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Located just southeast of the capital of Yellowknife, it is a 6.5 km (4.0 mi) drive from that city by ice road across the north arm of Great Slave Lake in winter or a 27 km (17 mi) drive via the Ingraham Trail, year-round. The name T'é?ehdaá means 'Burnt Point' in the Wíílíídeh dialect and was simplified to Dettah when non-indigenous people couldnʼt pronounce it. The place was a common fishing spot for the Tetsǫ́tʼine (Yellowknives) people and is home to nearly 200 indigenous people.
Norman Wells is a town located in the Sahtu Region, Northwest Territories, Canada. The town, which hosts the Sahtu Regional office, is situated on the north side of the Mackenzie River and provides a view down the valley of the Franklin and Richardson mountains.
Behchokǫ̀, officially the Tłı̨chǫ Community Government of Behchokǫ̀, is a community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Behchokǫ̀ is located on the Yellowknife Highway, on the northwest tip of Great Slave Lake, approximately 110 km (68 mi) northwest of Yellowknife.
Gamètì, officially the Tłı̨chǫ Community Government of Gamètì is a community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Gamètì, according to the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre means "rabbit-net lake". 'Gah means 'rabbit', and "mi" means net, "tì" means lake, or water. It is one of the four Tłı̨chǫ communities which form part of the Tlicho Government.
John Graham McNiven was a mine engineer, mine operator and politician from the Northwest Territories, Canada.
The history of the Northwest Territories covers the period from thousands of years ago to the present day. Prior to European colonization, the lands that encompass present-day Northwest Territories were inhabited for millennia by several First Nations. European explorers and fur traders began to explore the region since the late-16th century. By the 17th century, the British laid claim to both the North-Western Territory and Rupert's Land; and granted the Hudson's Bay Company a commercial fur trade monopoly over the latter region.
Old Fort Providence, located near the mouth of Yellowknife Bay, Northwest Territories, Canada, was one of the first fur trading outposts on Great Slave Lake. Peter Pond of the North West Company first proposed trading with the Dene around Great Slave Lake in 1786. In 1789, Alexander Mackenzie initiated a period of trade with the Yellowknives and Tłı̨chǫ Dene and instructed his assistant, Laurent Leroux, to start a trading post in this area. The post was not a major centre for fur trading and was used primarily as a supply centre for other, more important trading posts or expeditions. It served, for example, as a base of supply for Sir John Franklin's Coppermine expedition towards the Arctic Ocean in 1820. It was located within a productive fishery used for generations by the Dene around Yellowknife Bay and helped supply meat and fish for traders at Great Slave Lake. The Hudson's Bay Company took over the post in 1821 after the demise of the North West Company, but the settlement was in decline and it closed in 1823. The buildings have long since decayed but the ruins were excavated in 1969-1971.
The North Slave Region or Tłicho Region is one of five administrative regions in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is the most populous of the five regions, with a population of almost 23,000. According to Municipal and Community Affairs the region consists of eight communities with the regional office situated in Yellowknife and a sub-office in Behchokǫ̀. With the exception of Yellowknife, the communities are predominantly First Nations.
The Yellowknife Education District No. 1map 1 is the public school board in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The district, then called Yellowknife School District No. 1, was created 1 October 1939 by Charles Camsell who was Commissioner of the Northwest Territories.
The Northern Arts and Cultural Centre is located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. It is the only performing arts centre in the NWT.
The Charter Community of Délı̨nę is located in the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, on the western shore of Great Bear Lake and is 544 km (338 mi) northwest of Yellowknife. Délı̨nę means "where the waters flow", a reference to the headwaters of the Great Bear River, Sahtúdé. It is the only settlement on the shores of Great Bear Lake as Fort Confidence was last used in the 1800s and Port Radium closed in 1982.
This timeline of Yellowknife history summarises key events in the history of Yellowknife, a city in the Northwest Territories, Canada.
Henry Busse was an amateur photographer, who, while working at the Eldorado Mine, in remote Port Radium, took photos of high enough quality he was encouraged to become a professional photographer. He was the first professional photographer in the Northwest Territories. In 1961 the Northern News Service reported he had been named as one of Canada's 50 most important photographers.