Alexis Arrowmaker School is named for the late Alexis Arrowmaker, former Chief of Rae and Grand Chief of Treaty 11.  The community began in the 1960s when the respected elder brought several families to live here to preserve their traditional lifestyles and values.  Mr. Arrowmaker asked for this school to be built and it was completed in 1994.

Alexis Arrowmaker 19? - 2006?

A message from Chief Arrowmaker to his people on the importance of education and schooling (This message was given in St. Michael's Church in Behchoko on Sunday, October 20, 1978 and broadcast on CBC radio)

Chief A.Arrowmaker's message to his people.

(This message was given on C.B.C. radio and in St Michael's Church on Sunday, October 20th 1974)

Today I am speaking to you not because I think I am a better man than you but because I want you to think about something very important, your CHILDREN. Here we are in Church and we pray and we think about being better people, how we could get along good, and how we could work together and love one another. We also think about our children. We want to teach them what is right and what is true.

We love our children and we want them to be good people.

We talk a lot about the children. They are very important to us. One day they will take our place and they will be the people of Rae. What kind of People.

Let us think about it:

Now I am going to talk about the Children and the School. Some children are not going to school. I am not talking about those who are sick and I am not talking about those who are helping their parents, but I am talking about those who are playing all day and sometimes all night on the streets, and those we see in the stores and coffee shop. When we talk about those children, I hear some parents say: "What's the use to send kids to school, the more they know the more they get in trouble with the police adn the less they listen to their folks".

But if we think a bit, we know that is not true.

This school is not the other schools. You remember when your children were going to school to Fort Resolution and Fort Smith. They were gone for the whole year and sometimes for two, three, four years and sometimes longer. Then to send the children to school was a hard decision to take.

This is the reason why Old Chief Jimmy Bruneau asked for a school in Rae, many years ago, more than forty years ago and finally he won his case and the school was built.

Our Chief Bruneau asked for a school because he knew in his mind that it would be very important for the future generations to learn as much as possible.

Some parents are afraid that by sending their children to school, they will not know how to live in this country. But if you go to school and see what is taught you'll see that your children learn the Indian way of Life as well as the White way of life and this is good because they will need both in order to have a good life, find jobs, do some hunting and trapping.

Now people talking about the Residence. "How come the Residence is not open yet". This is true; there are no children in the Residence. As you know last year and the year before, there were lots of talks about the Residence, there were complains too about the Dorm Parents about clothes and food. And there were complains about parents taking their children home about a week or two after school started. And when people talk like that, it is no good. So this year we decided to wait and take our time and meet with the parents in Yellowknife, Lac Lamartre and Rae Lakes and listen to what they have to say and make sure that there is no misunderstanding so that we can do a good job. That is what you want for your children.

These are many problems. The solution is not easy to find, but only if people work together, we will find a solution. Only when the parents want the best for their children, the School will be running good.

This is why I am speaking to you today.