Natural Archives | Women of the Nistawoyou

Canoes on the Athabasca River

The Athabasca River is the longest in Alberta and is meaningful to Indigenous peoples as it’s one of the earliest transportation routes to travel corridors through the Rocky […]

Moose Alongside the Athabasca River

Moose hunting is an important source of sustainability among Indigenous people. In Alberta, Indigenous hunting and fishing rights are recognized in law and provincial government policy. The Government […]

Clearwater River near Fort McMurray

The Clearwater River is located in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. Chipewyan and Cree people lived in the Clearwater River area. According to Fort McMurray 468 […]

Teepee Beside the Lake in the Winter

A conical tent smokehouse for fish or meat.

Sweat Lodge at Calling Lake

The sweat lodge is an important space where Indigenous people preserve their knowledge and cultural practices, passed on for several generations.

Transportation in the North

Dog teams were the primary mode of travel during the winter season for Indigenous people, and sleds were used well into the early 1970s in the Wood Buffalo […]

The Boreal Forest in Fort McMurray

The Canadian boreal forest has rich vegetation that supports a variety of animal life. Indigenous communities have been caring for the boreal forest for thousands of years based […]

Fort McMurray residents in 1913

In 1913, the population of Fort McMurray was an estimated 55 people. The group photo shows a wide variety of ages and includes children, women and men.

Elsie Cardinal with her Oldest Child

Elsie Cardinal with her oldest son, Matthew, in 1955. The photo was taken in Waterways, which is a sub-division in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Nancy and Bill Woodward in Anzac

Nancy Woodward with her husband, Bill, at their house in Anzac.

The Houle’s Family Reunion in Vernon

Bertha Clark-Jones at the Houle’s Family Reunion hosted in Vernon, B.C., in 1992. Bertha has maintained strong family ties and spent time with them often.

Katie Sanderson picking berries

Katie Sanderson picking some berries rampant in the boreal forest.