The Birch Narrows Dene Nation app is now available

Birch Narrows Dene Nation, also called Birch Narrows First Nation, is a Denesųłiné (Dene) Nation in the boreal forest of northern Saskatchewan. Its vision describes the people as the Denesuline of the Eghes t' oni 'a (Clear Lake) Region. The Nation's reserves are:

• Churchill Lake 193A
• Turnor Lake 193B
• Turnor Lake 194

The Nation's ancestors signed Treaty 10 at Île-à-la-Crosse on August 28, 1906, when Raphael Bedshi-Dekkge signed as Chief of the Clear Lake Band. In 1966, the people of Clear Lake moved to Turnor Lake. In 1972, the Peter Pond Band divided into the Turnor Lake (Birch Narrows) and Buffalo River First Nations, and in 1990 the Turnor Lake Band took the name Birch Narrows Dene Nation.

Members value health, self-reliance, education and culture. English is now the language most people speak, and work to keep the Denesųłiné language alive matters a great deal, because few people speak it today. Tourism is an important part of the local economy, and the band runs a fly-in fishing camp for visiting anglers and hunters. A community nursing program offers home care, primary and prenatal care, a school program and health education.

The Nation is led by a chief and four councillors, elected every four years under a custom electoral system. It is a member of the Meadow Lake Tribal Council.