Learn about the ways caribou sustained a way of life and with that taken away, how people’s survival became impossible. Though the Sayisi Dene also harvested fish, other animals, and many plants and roots, it was the caribou that sustained the Dene. Visitors have the opportunity to taste dried caribou, arctic char, fresh baked bannock with locally sourced jams, along with tea.

Everything the Sayisi Dene people wore came from the land and was hand-made with the people’s own skill and artistry. Hides, furs, and decorative elements, such as quills, seeds, fur, shells, and natural dyes all came from the land. Wearing decorated clothes and accessories communicated power and position. Historically, twisted moose and caribou hair to decorate clothing is an old Athabaskan art form predating European contact. Florence gives you a hands-on creative learning experience, where you hear the back stories and learn the art and skill of caribou hair tufting.