| Whatì | |
| Native Name: | Wha Tì |
| Other Name: | Tsõtì Mïne Kö Golàa |
| Settlement Type: | First Nation |
| Pushpin Map: | Canada Northwest Territories#Canada |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Territory |
| Subdivision Name1: | Northwest Territories |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Name2: | North Slave |
| Subdivision Type3: | Constituency |
| Subdivision Name3: | Monfwi |
| Leader Title: | Chief |
| Leader Name: | Alfonz Nitsiza |
| Leader Title1: | Senior Administrative Officer |
| Leader Name1: | Lisa Nitsiza |
| Leader Title2: | MLA |
| Leader Name2: | Jackson Lafferty |
| Established Title: | North West Company trading post |
| Established Date: | 1793 |
| Established Title1: | Incorporated |
| Established Date1: | August 4, 2005 |
| Area Land Km2: | 59.95 |
| Elevation M: | 269 |
| Coordinates: | 63.1444°N -117.2728°W |
| Population As Of: | 2016 |
| Population Total: | 470 |
| Population Density Km2: | 7.8 |
| Timezone: | MST |
| Utc Offset: | −07:00 |
| Timezone Dst: | MDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −06:00 |
| Postal Code Type: | Canadian Postal code |
| Postal Code: | X0E 1P0 |
| Area Code: | 867 |
| Blank Name: | Telephone exchange |
| Blank Info: | 573 |
| Blank2 Name: | Prices |
| Blank3 Name: | - Living cost |
| Blank3 Info: | 152.5 |
| Blank4 Name: | - Food price index |
| Blank4 Info: | 145.7 |
| Footnotes: | Sources: Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre,[1] Canada Flight Supplement 2013 figure based on Edmonton = 100[2] 2015 figure based on Yellowknife = 100 |
Whatì (; from the Dogrib language meaning "Marten Lakes"), officially the Tłı̨chǫ Community Government of Whatì[3] is a First Nations community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Whatì is located by Lac La Martre, about 164km (102miles) northwest of the territorial capital of Yellowknife.
With rich and varied wildlife, the area has long been a favoured hunting ground of the Tłı̨chǫ (Dogrib Dene) Indigenous people. The North West Company established a trading post there in 1793, and many natives began settling there permanently, while they continued to hunt and fish in the area. With the establishment of a trading post at Fort Rae on Great Slave Lake in the late 19th century, most regional trading was accomplished at the Hudson's Bay Company and free traders posts there. A trading post at Lac La Martre was not again established until the 1920s.[4]
On January 1, 1996, the community officially changed its name from Lac La Martre to the Tłı̨chǫ name "Wha Ti", meaning "Marten Lake," the same meaning as the French and then on August 4, 2005[1] to the current spelling. Other traditional Tłı̨chǫ names for the settlement include Tsoti ('fouled water lake') and Mine Go Kola ('net fishing with houses').[1]
Before 2005, the community was unincorporated, and local governance was provided by a First Nations band government, Wha Ti First Nation. Under the terms of the Tłı̨chǫ Agreement, most responsibilities of Wha Ti have been transferred to a new Whatì Community Government. However, the First Nation is still recognized by the federal government for Indian Act enrollment.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Whatì had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 58.33km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[5]
The majority of the population is Indigenous of which 445 were First Nations and 10 were Métis. The main languages were Dogrib and English with a few North Slavey speakers.
While trapping, hunting, and fishing continue to be the main economic activities in this traditional community, efforts have been made to develop tourism as well. A fishing lodge was opened, and many tourists come to see the abundant wildlife, including black bears, barren-ground caribou, wolves, and eagles. The community takes special pride in the fact that no alcohol is allowed there.
Whatì is part of the Tlicho Government.[6]
Previously, Whatì was accessible from the rest of Canada by the Whatì Airport and a winter road. Construction of the Tłı̨chǫ Highway, connecting the community to the Yellowknife Highway, began in 2019 and the road was opened in November 2021.[7] [8]
Telephone service was introduced to Whati in 1982.
Whatì has a subarctic climate (Dfc) with mild to warm summers and long cold winters.