Land is Home: Healing the Narrative of “Indigenous Homelessness” in Yellowknife

Abstract

“Indigenous Homelessness” in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, stemmed from a settler colonial legacy, where processes of urbanization and housing policies have disrupted the connection between people and the land. This thesis develops a series of related design interventions, arguing that ‘home’ and ‘land’ are inseparable and analogous spatial concepts. It illustrates the tangible geographical significance of “home” within the Dene people. The thesis reframes decolonization within the framework of pattern language, presenting it as a transformative process rooted in the land. While dismantling colonial structures within architectural discourse, patterns foster a perspective that views home as open to reimagination and land as expansive. The tapestry of patterns includes healing, meeting, making, pausing, harvesting, and retreating. In rebuilding the notion of “home” through specific lived experiences and traditional practices, the thesis ultimately points to a movement of resurgence rooted in the idea of land not as property but as a healing ground.