YK street names: ‘Reconciliation isn’t just something to talk about’

As the City of Yellowknife considers renaming its main street, Chief Fred Sangris is sharing some of the history of the Yellowknives Dene and the significance of the name Wıìlıìdeh.

Speaking at City Hall on Wednesday, Chief Sangris explained that the Yellowknives Dene have been living in the area for thousands of years.

“This is our homeland in this area because of the abundance of wildlife, fish, the rivers and the abundance of good medicines,” he said.

Sangris shared stories about Yellowknives Dene history, including some he learned from his late grandfather David olter’caulther Kamelli Sangris. He told of his grandfather hunting three moose where the post office now stands and Chief Akaitcho’s burial in a location near Dettah that is still kept a secret today.

Sangris said he has interviewed Elders about Sir John Franklin’s arrival in the Yellowknife area around 1820, where he met Chief Akaitcho. Sangris said Elders described the British naval officer as “very bossy.”

“Franklin only spent a day here. Yellowknives [Dene] have spent 8,000 years here,” he said.

The Yellowknives Dene First Nation has requested that the city rename Franklin Avenue, also known as 50 Avenue, to Wııl̀ııdeh Avenue. Yellowknife councillors have expressed support for the proposal, with a formal vote expected at a May 27 meeting.

In its briefing notes for councillors, the city uses the spelling Wiı̀liı̀deh. The Yellowknives Dene First Nation generally uses the spelling Wıı̀lıı̀deh.

Wıìlıìdeh is the traditional name of the Yellowknife River, Sangris said, and the Yellowknives Dene – whose traditional language is Wıı̀lıı̀deh Yatı – have referred to themselves as Wıìlıìdeh Dene.

“The Yellowknife River, as far as it can flow, is a well-known river,” he said. “It is a river that is alive and we’re trying to, in the future, trying to find a way to protect this river.”

Reconciliation requires action

Mayor Ben Hendriksen said renaming Franklin Avenue aligns with commitments in the city’s reconciliation action plan.

“In a moment where the world faces ever greater levels of division, this act is a chance for the City of Yellowknife and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation to demonstrate that reconciliation is built upon collaborative action,” he said.

“Reconciliation isn’t just something to talk about endlessly, plan about endlessly or debate endlessly, so that one day we can maybe do something. Reconciliation requires reflection, it requires collaboration and it requires action.”

Councillor Rob Foote agreed that renaming the street is “an important step towards reconciliation and respect for the histories and cultures of the first peoples of this land.”

“This change is more than symbolic,” he said.

“Renaming is one way we can move forward in a meaningful, inclusive way. By embracing Indigenous names and stories in our shared spaces, we take an important step toward building a community that honours the past while working together toward a more equitable future.”

Addressing concerns expressed by some residents that the city expects to pay roughly $41,000 to replace street signs to implement the name change, Hendriksen said that’s equivalent to about three days’ operation of the Aquatic Centre.

“In terms of total impact to our municipal budget, it’s important to keep things like this in context,” he said.

City manager Stephen Van Dine said the municipality plans to speak with businesses and other residents who would be impacted by the name change. He said the city has identified nine businesses and 10 other addresses that may be affected, while the majority of addresses on the street use 50 Avenue and will be unaffected.

‘Just at the surface of reconciliation’

Councillor Stacie Arden Smith said while the renaming is important, it’s “low-hanging fruit” when it comes to reconciliation. She pointed out it has been nearly 11 years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its calls to action.

“What we should really be concerning ourselves with is government policies, ensuring that Indigenous people get treated fairly in terms of employment, in terms of hiring, in terms of education, in terms of educating not only Indigenous people but ensuring that Canadians are educated, newcomers to this country are being educated, because still Indigenous people are being treated as second-class citizens,” she said.

Arden Smith said racism “has become even more profound,” pointing to some Facebook comments she saw about renaming Franklin Avenue, which she described as “disturbing to say the least.”

“It’s happening on all levels and it needs to stop. This is the meat and potatoes of reconciliation,” she said.

“So I applaud Yellowknives Dene for wanting to move forward with renaming. But I urge not only our Indigenous governments but our territorial governments, our municipal governments: we need to do better and we need to do more, because the actions that we’re doing now are going to affect the next generation and the next generation, and we’re just at the surface of reconciliation.”