On the Land photo exhibit celebrates Dene people and culture in N.W.T.

A Yellowknife photographer is launching On the Land, a multimedia photography project that celebrates Dene lifestyles and traditional places throughout the Northwest Territories.

"There are special places and sacred places. Places where food and water is sourced from. There are places that people gather and reflect and reconnect with each other. So I really wanted to show people outside of our communities, and showing them on the land," said Pat Kane.

The project aims to showcase protected areas within the territory, and "dispel the myth that 'nobody lives here,'" according to the On the Land website.

It's a partnership between Kane and Tides Canada, an environmental and cultural conservation organization.

"I really wanted to show photos that show a connection between the landscape and the people, whether that be very quiet moments of people just looking out onto the landscape or very dynamic photos of people hunting."

Kane started the project in September 2015.

"I felt very humbled to be welcomed by so many friendly and wonderful people who I now call friends. It was great to just experience and listen and to photograph their life."

Part of the project's proceeds will be donated back to the communities Kane visited to help fund programs for youth and cultural preservation efforts.  

Although his hometown is in Ontario, Kane, a long-time N.W.T. resident, says this is his way of saying thank you to the people who have made the territory feel like home.

The exhibit launches Monday and will be displayed until Jan. 30 at the Legislative Assembly.