Inuvik's first ever welcome sign will come down, but it's not goodbye forever

As one "welcome" sign in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, goes down, another will go up. However, the old sign won't be gone for long.

Gwich'in Tribal Council and the Nihtat Gwich'in Council now have co-ownership of the town's original sign, erected in 1992.

Kristine McLeod, deputy grand chief of Gwich'in Tribal Council, remembers being a young girl when the sign went up.

Now worn and in need of a new paint job, Kristine says it has a sentimental value.

"It's something I want to be able to preserve and share with my children," Kristine said.

"The sign represents a strong connection to the Gwich'in in terms of traditional harvesting, cultural identity and future economic prosperity."

That's why she and others with Gwich'in Tribal Council and Nihtat Gwich'in Council put in a bid to be the new owners of the sign. The town had three submissions initially, but one pulled their bid before it was discussed and voted on by town council.

Before it's put back up, the plan is to restore the sign with the help of Gwich'in artists and youth. Kristine said getting community members involved "creates a stronger connection to the community and to the culture, both Gwich'in and Inuvialuit."

Although they are looking at possibly including interpretive bulletins that will speak to the cultural significance that the Inuvialuit and Gwich'in people have to the sign, the sign itself will look pretty much the same.

"We are looking to try to preserve the sign to its original state … just prepare what is damaged," said Kelly McLeod, president of the Nihtat Gwich'in Council.

Kelly said the organizations sees it less as them owning the sign than taking care of it on behalf of the community. 

Residents didn't want sign demolished

Town council knew that there had to be an option for a resident or organisation to have a chance at owning the sign.

"It was very clear of the residents that spoke out that they didn't want the sign to just be demolished," said Mayor Natasha Kulikowski.

The town councillors voted to award it to Gwich'in Tribal Council and Nihtat Gwich'in Council after hearing about their plans.

"The Gwich'in definitely had a very comprehensive plan of what they were going to do, some historical elements and then also putting the sign back up at the other end of town which to them in their package signifies … it's the end of the Dempster before the [Inuvik to Tuk Highway] starts," said Kulikowksi.

Kristine says the Dempster Highway is mostly on Gwich'in land both in the N.W.T. and in the Yukon, and Inuvik is situated on traditional Gwich'in territory within the Gwich'in Settlement Area.

For now, the sign is by the golf course in town. The plan is to move it to a lot at the T-intersection of the Marine Bypass Road and Navy Road, which is owned by Gwich'in Tribal Council.

A new sign, designed by a firm from Nova Scotia called Fathom Studio, will replace the hand-painted mural that has welcomed visitors to the "end of the Dempster" for decades. 

Both the new and old signs will be put up in their respective locations by the end of the summer.