RCMP remove radio tower from sacred Dene site near Nahanni Butte
Restoration of the site not complete, says Chief Peter Marcellais
The RCMP has removed a radio tower from a sacred Dene mountain top site near Nahanni Butte, N.W.T.
The tower and its concrete base were removed last month, but the chief who raised the issue last spring says restoration of the site is not complete.
Known as the Sacred Vent Hole of Tthenáágó, the site is part of the Dene legend of the Great Spirit saving the Dene from the scourge of giant beavers that once roamed the region. The legend, handed down through many generations, says the Great Spirit used his walking stick to poke a hole in the top of the mountain to scare the beavers out. He then chased them down to the Mackenzie River, shot three and cooked them.
"The fat from the beavers are still smoldering to this day! He left the hides on the mountain for all to see at a place called Bear Rock, near Tulita," Nahanni Butte Chief Peter Marcellais said in an email to CBC.
"We would like to restore the mountain to its original state as this is where our legend began."
Years ago, the RCMP covered the hole to use as a base for a radio tower, one of several installed on the mountain by government agencies without the permission of the Dene.
At a meeting of Dehcho leaders last May in Colville Lake, Marcellais said that with the concrete base of the towers plugging the vent, the mountain can't breathe.
Last week, the RCMP took Nahanni Butte elder Leon Konisenta and band manager Mark Pocklington to the site to inspect the work.
In his report on the inspection, Pocklington said they were generally happy with the RCMP's work, but said a lot of work still has to be done before the sacred site is fully restored.
Some vent holes are still covered with bases for wire cables; a cabin the territorial government built remains on the site; and there's concrete rubble and two other antennas that still need to be removed.
Marcellais said none of the agencies consulted with his people years ago before installing the building and equipment on the mountain. He says the territorial government cabin hasn't been used in years.
"What's the use of having a cabin there?" he said. "We're going to have to straighten it out with ENR [the Department of Environment and Natural Resources]."
Marcellais says he advised the territorial government of the remaining work in an email this week. He proposed sending a small helicopter-supported crew of local workers to finish the job of clearing the hole of loose rock and removing trash that's spread around the mountain top by the wind.