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  • Dene First Nation youth paddle down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
    DSC_8712.JPG
  • Wet clothes dry on the last evening of the expedition that took a group of youth from the Dene First Nation into the Thelon Sanctuary in August, 2011. It is a place ruled by the biggest and smallest--the grizzly and the mosquito--and by the extremes of sub-arctic seasons. The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_8198.TIFF
  • Richard Jeo, a scientist with the Nature Conservancy paddles with Dene First Nation youth down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
    DSC_5073.JPG
  • Dene First Nation youth paddle down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
    DSC_6151.JPG
  • Dene First Nation youth paddle down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
    DSC_6165.JPG
  • Richard Jeo, a scientist with the Nature Conservancy paddles with Dene First Nation youth down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
    DSC_3359.JPG
  • Richard Jeo, a scientist with the Nature Conservancy paddles with Dene First Nation youth down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
    DSC_6622.JPG
  • Dene First Nation youth paddle down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
    DSC_4992.JPG
  • Dene First Nation youth paddle down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
    DSC_4791.JPG
  • Dene First Nation youth paddle down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
    DSC_6195.JPG
  • Richard Jeo, a scientist with the Nature Conservancy paddles with Dene First Nation youth down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
    DSC_3927.JPG
  • Dene First Nation youth paddle down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
    DSC_6542.JPG
  • Dene First Nation youth paddle down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
    DSC_8213.JPG
  • Dene First Nation youth paddle down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
    DSC_6679.JPG
  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_8472.TIF
  • Mike Palmer, left and Richard Jeo, right take out a hook as Brendan Felix Head, 14, watches  as the Dene First Nation youth  paddle on the waters of the Thelon river August, 2011.  The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections.(Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_2949.TIF
  • Dene First Nation Youth Damian Kailek, left,  and Brendan Felix Head, eat the last scraps of food on the final day of a journey  to the Upper Thelon River, where their ancestors believe is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_8230.TIFF
  • Joseph Catholique rests after carrying his canoe for 5 miles through rough terrain to avoid the rap[ids of the Thelon river. A group of Dene First Nation paddled in the Thelon Sanctuary August, 2011. It is a place ruled by the biggest and smallest--the grizzly and the mosquito--and by the extremes of sub-arctic seasons. The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of. (Photo by Ami Vitale)Dene First Nation youth paddle down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom. Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important. These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere. (Photo by Ami vitale)
    DSC_6860.TIFF
  • Richard Jeo,  relaxes before having to carry  canoes for 5 miles through rough terrain to avoid the rapids of the Thelon river. He and others paddled in the Thelon Sanctuary August, 2011. It is a place ruled by the biggest and smallest--the grizzly and the mosquito--and by the extremes of sub-arctic seasons. The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_6602.TIF
  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_8453.TIFF
  • Den First Nation youth eat dinner on the edge of  the Thelon river in August, 2011.  The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections.(Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_5888.TIF
  • Sanjayan Muttulingam, left and Tristen Jade Lockhart, 14 relax at a campsite in the Thelon, the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_4661.TIFF
  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_4162.TIFF
  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_2834.TIFF
  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_8484.TIFF
  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_4766.TIFF
  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_0783.TIFF
  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_8874.TIF
  • Dene First Nation youth paddle through the Thelon Sanctuary  in August, 2011.  The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections.(Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_5672.TIF
  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_4764.TIFF
  • Brendan Felix Head, 14, plays at a campsite in the Thelon, the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_4711.TIFF
  • Miles Catholique, 14, left and Brendan Felix Head, 14, eat at a campsite in the Thelon, the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_4663.TIFF
  • Miles Catholoque, 14, fishes on his canoe along the Thelon, the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_4597.TIFF
  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_2834.TIF
  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_0797.TIFF
  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_4816.TIFF
  • Brendan Felix Head, 14, watches birds in The Thelon, the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_3379.TIF
  • A group from the Dene First Nation carry their canoes for 5 miles through rough terrain to avoid the rapids of the Thelon river. He and others paddled in the Thelon Sanctuary August, 2011. It is a place ruled by the biggest and smallest--the grizzly and the mosquito--and by the extremes of sub-arctic seasons. The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_6767.TIFF
  • Damian Kailek, 24, and a group from the Dene First Nation carry their canoes for 5 miles through rough terrain to avoid the rapids of the Thelon river. He and others paddled in the Thelon Sanctuary August, 2011. It is a place ruled by the biggest and smallest--the grizzly and the mosquito--and by the extremes of sub-arctic seasons. The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_6707.TIFF
  • Mike Palmer, left and Richard Jeo, right take out a hook as Brendan Felix Head, 14, watches  as the Dene First Nation youth  paddle on the waters of the Thelon river August, 2011.  The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections.(Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_2954.TIFF
  • First Nation Dene youth gather  during a spiritual gethering in Reliance after a group returns on a canoe trip from the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_8687.TIFF
  • First Nation Dene youth gather  during a spiritual gethering in Reliance after a group returns on a canoe trip from the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_8679.TIFF
  • First Nation Dene youth gather  during a spiritual gethering in Reliance after a group returns on a canoe trip from the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    DSC_8544.TIFF
  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • James Catholique looks for wildlife in The Thelon, the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Hawke Ellis Williams, 4,  falls asleep during the trip to the Upper Thelon River, where Den First Nation ancestors believe is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • A group from the Dene First Nation carry their canoes for 5 miles through rough terrain to avoid the rapids of the Thelon river. He and others paddled in the Thelon Sanctuary August, 2011. It is a place ruled by the biggest and smallest--the grizzly and the mosquito--and by the extremes of sub-arctic seasons. The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Sanjayan Muttulingam, a scientist with the Nature Conservancy, far left, relaxes by a fire to keep the mosquitoes at bay near the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Dene First Nation youth out up their tents along the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom. Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important. These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere. (Photo by Ami vitale)
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  • Steve Ellis, back, Hawke Ellis Williams, 4, middle and Dene First Nation youth Tristen Jade Lockhart, 14, paddle down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
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  • Damian Kailek, 24, far right and others from the Dene First Nation hide behind a canoe to get relief from the wind and rain as they portage their canoes, and 600 pounds of food for 5 miles through rough terrain to avoid the rapids of the Thelon river. He and others paddled in the Thelon Sanctuary August, 2011. It is a place ruled by the biggest and smallest--the grizzly and the mosquito--and by the extremes of sub-arctic seasons. The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • A group from the Dene First Nation carry their canoes for 5 miles through rough terrain to avoid the rapids of the Thelon river. He and others paddled in the Thelon Sanctuary August, 2011. It is a place ruled by the biggest and smallest--the grizzly and the mosquito--and by the extremes of sub-arctic seasons. The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Richard Jeo relaxes after carrying their canoes for 5 miles through rough terrain to avoid the rapids of the Thelon river. He and others paddled in the Thelon Sanctuary August, 2011. It is a place ruled by the biggest and smallest--the grizzly and the mosquito--and by the extremes of sub-arctic seasons. The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • First Nation Dene youth gather  during a spiritual gethering in Reliance after a group returns on a canoe trip from the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Brendan Felix Head, 14, cuts wood for a campsite as First Nation Dene youth finish their trip from the Upper Thelon River, where their ancestors believe is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Brendan Felix Head, 14, cuts wood for a campsite as First Nation Dene youth finish their trip from the Upper Thelon River, where their ancestors believe is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The small group of Dene First Nation try to dry off their soaked sleeping bags and clothes after days of rain while paddling down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
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  • Brendan Felix Head, 14, prepares to de-feather a duck in The Thelon, the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Dene youth relax at a campsite in the Thelon, the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • First Nation Dene youth beat drums near a fire during a spiritual gethering in Reliance after a group returns on a canoe trip from the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Dene First Nation youth watch the last float plane leave before they begin to their journey along the Thelon, the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • A group from the Dene First Nation carry their canoes for 5 miles through rough terrain to avoid the rapids of the Thelon river. He and others paddled in the Thelon Sanctuary August, 2011. It is a place ruled by the biggest and smallest--the grizzly and the mosquito--and by the extremes of sub-arctic seasons. The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Hawke Ellis Williams, 4, plays at a campsite in the Thelon, the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Richard Jeo,  relaxes before having to carry  canoes for 5 miles through rough terrain to avoid the rapids of the Thelon river. He and others paddled in the Thelon Sanctuary August, 2011. It is a place ruled by the biggest and smallest--the grizzly and the mosquito--and by the extremes of sub-arctic seasons. The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Dene First Nation teacher James Lockhart cooks up fresh fish during a break paddling down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
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  • First Nation Dene youth gather  during a spiritual gethering in Reliance after a group returns on a canoe trip from the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The small group of Dene First Nation try to dry off their soaked sleeping bags and clothes after days of rain while paddling down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
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  • Scientist Richard Jeo looks for a camp in the Thelon Sanctuary  in August, 2011.  The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections.(Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Richard Jeo, a scientist with the Nature Conservancy, front, and Dr. Sanjayan Muttulingam paddle  and fish with Dene First Nation youth down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
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  • Dene First Nation teacher James Lockhart cooks up fresh fish during a break paddling down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
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  • Brendan Felix Head, 14, cuts wood for a campsite as First Nation Dene youth finish their trip from the Upper Thelon River, where their ancestors believe is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Ducks swim in the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
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  • Dene First Nation Youth take a break from canoing on their trip to the Upper Thelon River, where their ancestors believe is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections. In July and August, 2011 a group of youth paddled to their ancestral hunting ground and spiritual abode.  this next generation of young leaders will be the ones who will need to speak for the Thelon the loudest. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Scientist Richard Jeo looks for a camp in the Thelon Sanctuary  in August, 2011.  The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of.  For the Akaitcho Dene, the Upper Thelon River is "the place where God began."  Sparsely populated, today few make it into the Thelon. Distances are simply too far, modern vehicles too expensive and unreliable. For the Dene youth, faced with the pressures of a western world, the ties that bind the people and their way of life to the land are even more tenuous. Every impending mine, road, and dam construction threatens to sever these connections.(Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Dene First Nation youth Shonto Catholique, 21, back and Amber Lynn Powder, 20 paddle down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
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  • Steve Ellis, back, Hawke Ellis Williams, 4, middle and Dene First Nation youth Tristen Jade Lockhart, 14, paddle down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
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  • Dene First Nation youth cut up trout caught along the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
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  • A group from the Dene First Nation take a break on a small island in the Thelon river August, 2011. It is a place ruled by the biggest and smallest--the grizzly and the mosquito--and by the extremes of sub-arctic seasons. The Thelon is the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, which almost no one has heard of. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Amber Lynn Powder, 20 fishes on the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
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  • Joseph Catholique looks for wildlife at a campsite as Dene First Nation youth made a trip along the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
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  • Tristen Jade Lockhart, 14, fishes  as the Dene First Nation youth paddle down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
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  • The small group of Dene First Nation try to dry off their soaked sleeping bags and clothes after days of rain while paddling down the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
    DSC_6272.TIF
  • Ducks swim in the Thelon river In the middle of the largest and most remote game sanctuary in North America, in the Northwest Territories, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its fate now hangs in the balance, protected on paper, but with little management, no money, and no voice for the Dene, its most ardent advocate for protection, while mining (for diamonds, gold, and uranium) threats, buoyed by recent prices, loom.  Dene youth have rarely been deep into the Thelon, yet the caribou is still their life blood, reverentially important.  These Dene are amongst the last hunter/gatherers in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Photo by Ami vitale)
    DSC_4893.TIFF
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