As caribou mysteriously vanish from the NWT, Dene researchers hunt for answers across the frozen tundra

An Indigenous-led research program called Ekwǫ̀ Nàxoèhdee K’è uses a mix of traditional Dene tracking techniques and Western research methods to study the herd, their habitat, predators and industrial disturbances. “Since we can’t hunt the caribou any more, the monitoring is a way to get back on the land and to spend time on the land,” says Tyanna Steinwand, a researcher with the Tłı̨chǫ First Nation government.