Summary
Between 1934 and 1937, Southern prospectors burned large tracts of land west of Wollaston Lake. Fire was a tool used to remove the thick brush and make prospecting easier for those looking to expand mining operations in Northern Saskatchewan. The caribou, who normally went through the area seasonally, avoided the burned out section of forest for several years. For the Denesuliné who lived in the area and depended on the caribou, these activities were detrimental to their way of life and food source. It was not until the 1950s that caribou resumed their normal migration pattern through the region between Wollaston and Athabasca lakes.
Implications
Resource extraction activities in Northern Saskatchewan were frequently conducted without consultation of Indigenous peoples who lived in this region - both First Nations and Metis. These groups relied on a subsistence livelihood, which was severely threatened by actions such as these. The primary group that was affected in this example, according to the provided resource, is the Denesuliné.
Date
1934-00-00