Editing Whatì (section)

==History==
With rich and varied wildlife, the area has long been a favoured hunting ground of the [[Tłı̨chǫ]] (Dogrib [[Dene]]) [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|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 [[Behchokǫ̀|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.<ref>''Free Traders in Northland Start Again'', The Edmonton Bulletin, May 6, 1922</ref>

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<ref name="pwhc"/> to the current spelling. Other traditional Tłı̨chǫ names for the settlement include Tsoti{{Pronunciation needed|date=February 2024}} ('fouled water lake') and Mine Go Kola{{Pronunciation needed|date=February 2024}} ('net fishing with houses').<ref name="pwhc"/>

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.