Compiled and edited by Tom Andrews, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre
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The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (PWNHC), part of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Government of the Northwest Territories, is responsible for managing and protecting the archaeological resources of the NWT. Representing a continuous human occupation stretching back over 7000 years, archaeological sites are fragile and non-renewable and are protected from disturbance by legislation, regulation, and policy in the NWT. There are currently about 5400 archaeological sites recorded in the NWT, though this number represents only a small fraction of the actual number of existing sites, as large areas remained unexplored for archaeological resources.  A large part of our work at the PWNHC involves reviewing land use and development permit applications and we currently review, on average, 300 permits per year, providing advice to 11 land management authorities. We also participate in several environmental assessment hearings annually and, as I write (January 2006), the hearings for the massive Mackenzie Gas Project are just beginning. 

Twelve archaeological research permits were issued to 7 archaeologists for work in the NWT in 2004.   Two of these permits (2005-966, 2005-977) were cancelled at the request of the permit holder and no work was conducted under their authority. Of the 10 permits remaining, 8 were for projects related to resource development impact assessment.   Oil and gas development in the Mackenzie Delta, along the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline route, and in the Sahtu region, along with ongoing diamond exploration in the region north and east of Yellowknife continue to be dominant factors in driving archaeological research in the NWT.