The textual material comprises an incomplete copy of L.T. Burwash's report entitled, "The Eskimo, Their Country and Its Resources: Economic Survey of the East Coasts of Hudson Bay and James Bay from Richmond Gulf to Rupert House, Including the Belcher and Other Adjacent Islands," Ottawa, Dept. of the Interior, 1927. (Typewritten.) The report contains a diary of the trip taken by Burwash, descriptions of Inuit life, food supplies, clothing, health, the influence of trading posts, housing conditions, and mineral and animal resources in the region. Much of the report focuses on the Inuit in the regions around Little Whale River and the Belcher Islands. Included in this report were photographs of communities along the eastern coast of Hudson Bay and James Bay and eight maps. The mounting of the photographs in this report suggests that this copy was a draft produced before its final publication.
The material dates between 1880-1971. This material includes copies of Department of Indian Affairs Annual Reports from 1880-1968; copies of treaty reports and general information about Treaty 8 and Treaty 11, copies of Royal Canadian Mounted Police patrol reports from the Mackenzie and Athabasca Districts (1919-1921); copies of relief policies; Band Rolls from the Yellowknife Agency (1959-1961), and Mackenzie District (1971), and a household survey conducted at Lac La Martre (Whatı̀) in 1959. In addition, there is a copy of an article written by Bishop Breynat called the "Blackest Blot" which appeared in the Toronto Star in the 1930s, several articles related to the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches in the Northwest Territories, and miscellaneous articles related to game laws and restrictions, land reserves and disease. The maps indicate the location of missions in the Mackenzie/Athabasca regions circa 1800s.
The textual records date primarily from 1967-1990 and relates to June Helm's work regarding the Indian Brotherhood, Caveat '73 and the Berger Commission or Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry, with some annotations dating from 1999. The records related to the Indian Brotherhood consists of material from the land use mapping project including documentation of trails, routes and animal resources. This project was undertaken by June Helm for the Indian Brotherhood. The Caveat '73 material consists of documents related to the Caveat filed by the Northwest Territories Chiefs on March 24, 1973. In addition, there are copies of June Helm's testimony at the Caveat hearings. The Berger Commission (Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry) material consists of newspaper clippings, press releases and transcripts of the hearings. The blueprints, maps and charts date from the 1960s. The two blueprints consist of versions, some with annotations, of a Synoptic Chart of Contact Events. These diagrams illustrate first contact between Aboriginal peoples and the Europeans, development of missions, highways, railways, significant government buildings and the impact of disease within the Northwest Territories, as well as other locations. The four annotated maps show the Camsell River, Marian River, Hardisty Lake and the Yellowknife and Rae (Behchokǫ̀) area. The remaining item is a hand-drawn chart.
This accession consists of one map of the Gwich'in Settlement region.