"Land base is seen as essential for the long-term survival and betterment of our nation. The absence of a land and resource base is the source of poverty which exists amongst our people today. Total control of our own land and resources will generate economic development to create employment... The Kelly Lake community is located within Treaty 8 territory. It is time that negotiations proceed. This community is ready to pave the way for other communities similar to ours to follow." - Chief Calliou
Kelly Lake itself is located 1.6 kilometers inside the B.C. border, 56 kilometers south of Dawson Creek and 40 kilometers west of Beaverlodge, Alberta. Kelly Lake is circular in shape, and is about two kilometers wide and is fed by many underground streams.
The Rocky Mountains are to the west and south of Kelly Lake, the As'in'i'wa'chi Niy'yaw Tribe stems from the Cree term the 'Rocky Mountain Cree'. The Kelly Lake trapping , seasonal hunting and family traditional and culturally significant areas follow the tributaries where the Fraser meets the Athabasca River to the north, where the Peace meets Smoky (Peace Point), east to where the Peace meets the Mackenzie River (Williston Lake). These tributaries served as a trading corridor with other tribes such as the Sekani, Ktunaxa and Shuswap tribes.
The hunting, trapping and Indian Family Settlements are shown in pdf form within KLCN traditional sensitive use areas within this website. The traditional territory of the KLCN extends into parts of Northeast B.C. and Alberta some 40,000km2 which include territory in Jasper National Park. Our people were expatriated when Jasper, Alberta became a national park in the 1900s. The KLCN history of trading and migrating was highly documented by the railway, fur trading companies and other Indian tribes that traded with our ancestors.