ABSTRACT
There exist two streams of research into culture and history in the Northwest Territories of Canada. One is rooted in Western scientific tradition and the organizing principles of the developed world. Its representatives are members of the academic community, who tend also to be in the service of the dominant culture’s government either full-time or as consultants. The other stems from the indigenous cultures, Inuit and Dene, of northern Canada, and is pursued by native cultural organizations and individuals, singly and through community heritage projects. Where is there common ground between these two approaches to documenting and interpreting the unwritten history of the Dene and Inuit peoples? Is there common ground, and is there truth as it would be defined by either or both groups of seekers?
