Alédzé Tsáá is named after the dreamer Alédzé who camped here often and who is also buried in this area. Alédzé Tsáá flows into Hanás̱ Saahgéʔ (the Doig River) and this location has been an important camp along the Tsááʔ çhé ne dane travel corridor.
During the fur trade era, Tsááʔ çhé ne dane used to travel by foot, horse, raft and with dog teams. The late Tommy Attachie has shared that this was the spot where the Tsááʔ çhé ne dane would stop and build a raft to transport their furs back to the Hanás̱ Saahgéʔ area.
Alédzé Tsáá is one of the places that Tsááʔ çhé ne dane took refuge at when the 1918 influenza hit Fort St. John and the surrounding area. At the time of the flu epidemic, DRFN members spread out over the territory and were able to self-quarantine as well as also hunt and trap to sustain themselves and provide for their families.
Listen to the late DRFN Elder Tommy Attachie talking about the Dreamer Alédzé, 2005
Tommy Attachie talks about the Dreamer Alédzé, who is buried at Alédzé Tsáá, and the ways that Dane-zaa Dreamers have predicted the future. He also talks about travelling and camping in the area, and surviving a flu epidemic centred around Fort St. John by returning to places like Alédzé Tsáá. Alédzé Tsáá, 2005.
Learn more about this special place including the stories and songs associated with it by visiting our Dane Wajich educational website here.
