CBC Indigenous top newsmakers of 2016

Here are the top five stories of 2016, as chosen by editors at CBC Indigenous.

Teen faces 15 charges after string of break-ins in Yukon

RCMP say the 15-year-old boy faces theft, mischief and assault charges.

Local man comes to rescue after the City of Yellowknife kills Christmas tree pick up

by Mitch Wiles

With the City of Yellowknife not offering curbside pick up for Christmas trees this year, a local man, originally from Congo, has stepped up to help out.

Deline man charged with 2nd degree murder in death of 65-year-old woman

Police have charged a 31-year-old man with murder, following the death of a woman last Friday in Deline.

Nunavut artists Tanya Tagaq, Mathew Nuqingaq named to Order of Canada

by Angela Hill

Governor General David Johnston announced a total of 100 new appointments to the Order of Canada today, including two prominent artists from Nunavut.

Yellowknife to skate and dance into the new year with Multiplex festivities

The City of Yellowknife is inviting people to skate, flip and dance their way into Canada’s 150th anniversary year, with a New Year’s Eve celebration at the Multiplex and fireworks on Frame Lake.

Alaskan volcano erupts again, prompting aviation alert

The Alaska Volcano Observatory says the Bogoslof volcano sent an ash plume about 6,000 metres in the air by early Friday morning.

Yellowknife, N.W.T., in 360°: tourist captures all angles of capital city

by Mitch Wiles

With 360° cameras not yet for sale on Yellowknife, N.W.T. store shelves, Stephen Lee, turned some heads when he captured his trip to the community with his all-encompassing camera.

Canada's 150th party kicks off in Yukon with music and fireworks

by Dave Croft

Yukon's year-long celebration to mark 150 years since Confederation begins with a bang in Whitehorse on New Year's Eve.

Smudging in public schools: Reconciliation or religious act?

by Martha Troian

The question of whether smudging - burning a small amount of usually sage, cedar bough or sweetgrass - should be allowed in public schools is one that arose in Canada in 2016, even becoming the subject of a B.C. court case.

$12K in 4 months: Gjoa Haven teens celebrate Christmas hamper success

by Priscilla Hwang

Young people in Gjoa Haven, Nunavut diligently raised $12,000 over the past four months and were able to purchase food hampers for almost every household in the community.

Frustrated by housing shortage, NWT couple builds their own home

by Jimmy Thomson

Fort Providence has an estimated two year wait list for public housing in the community. Fed up, Joe and Elsie Lacorne decided to invest in building their own home slowly, over years.

Yukoners feeling bite of high fish prices

by Philippe Morin

Food prices are rising in Canada but increases are not equal across the board. One sector that's especially feeling the pinch is seafood, and vendors in Yukon say they're feeling it.

More visitors flocking to Yukon Wildlife Preserve

by Meagan Deuling

Last year, there were about 25,000 visits to the preserve. This year, the number is closer to 27,000 — more than double what it was just five or six years ago.

Lenny Burger, replacement for Yellowknife's much-mourned KFC, opens at last

by Ollie Williams

Almost 18 months after the closure of Yellowknife’s KFC prompted an outpouring of territorial grief, its replacement finally opens its doors.

Yellowknife designates committee seat for Indigenous representative

The city of Yellowknife says it’s making an effort to consult with Indigenous groups by designating a seat for a Yellowknives Dene First Nation member on a committee that's redeveloping the area around Frame Lake.

TerraX turns gaze to area near Con Mine

Terra X Minerals has been exploring gold deposits near Giant Mine. It's now planning to drill up to 50 holes between Kam Lake and Great Slave Lake this winter.

NWT Sahtu youth help write book celebrating Dene heroes

by Curtis Mandeville

A book celebrating Dene heroes and written by Sahtu youth is slated to be released next month.

Arrest on Iqaluit sea ice after gunpoint robbery

A 18-year-old man was arrested on the sea ice along Iqaluit's waterfront Thursday morning, after allegedly robbing a restaurant delivery driver at gunpoint then fleeing from police on foot.

Youth and elders team up to make Northern films

by Priscilla Hwang

Youth across the North are getting a taste of what it's like working in media as a part of an empowerment program called Reel Youth.

Kid at heart: Yukon man spends retirement building toys for family and friends

by Mike Rudyk

Ron Wilson used to plow the highways, and operate heavy duty equipment for 35 years. Now he builds the machines he used to drive, but at a smaller scale. He builds what he calls "big boy toys," scale replicas out of wood.

Irish Inuktitut teacher crossing borders with language lessons

by Angela Hill

The 83-year-old Mick Mallon has been teaching Inuktitut for decades. 'This is fun, I do it for free. It's my roadshow and the more I do it, the more I learn,' he said.

NWT wolf hunting incentive brings in 20 wolves

by Jimmy Thomson

A dead wolf, brought to an Environment and Natural Resources office, is worth $200 in the NWT. Skinned, it can be worth as much as $800. One clear goal of the program is to encourage trapping, while another - protecting caribou - is not well studied.

Yukon 'fat bike' tours open up new winter market

by Nancy Thomson

Skookum Backcountry Adventures operator James Minifie is offering a new way to see Yukon's backcountry in winter — on a multi-day, all-terrain bike tour. 'There's not really a lot like it, even around the world,' he says.

Alaska village renews push for road through wildlife refuge

by Dan Joling

The community of King Cove, near the tip of the Alaska Peninsula, for decades has sought a road through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, an internationally recognized haven for migratory waterfowl.

New year, new culinary dawn for the North?

by Ollie Williams

How do you find local food to match northern Canada’s stunning sights? Restaurants and tour operators search for new ways to showcase the North on tourists’ plates.

Late freeze up, ice unpredictability affecting Nunavut hunters

by Angela Hill

'Even when the ice starts to form in the fall, you cannot easily predict what it will be like in the spring when people go out and travel over the ice,' said Christian Haas, Canada Research Chair in Arctic Sea Ice Geophysics at York University

Lloyd Thrasher facing string of charges in Yellowknife

Lloyd Thrasher is charged with break and enter after a downtown home in Yellowknife was broken into. He's also facing charges of uttering threats, obstruction and breach of probation.

Yellowknife Salvation Army raises nearly $37K in kettle campaign

Despite falling short of its goal, the Salvation Army in Yellowknife is calling its 2016 kettle campaign a success.

Man arrested after back-to-back armed robberies

Police have arrested an 18-year-old man after two armed robberies took place in Yellowknife over the holidays.

1st degree murder conviction pursued against Watson Lake man

Alfred Thomas Chief appeared in Yukon Territorial Court on Wednesday for a bail hearing. He was charged with murder after 87-year-old Olson Wolftail was found dead inside a Watson Lake home last week.

From honour roll to rehab: Behchoko woman takes back her life

by Mitch Wiles

A young woman from Behchoko, N.W.T. is speaking out about her struggles with drugs and alcohol, sexual abuse, and the decade she admittedly wasted being high and angry at the world. She hopes her story will encourage youth in the North to make wiser and healthier life choices than she did.

North meets East in new album that pairs throat singing with Celtic fiddle

by Allison Devereaux

With ties to the East and the North, Kathleen Ivaluarjuk Merritt's debut album features traditional throat singing and Celtic-inspired fiddle.

Nunavut students make traditional kayaks for the first time

by Priscilla Hwang

There are concerns that the craft of traditional qajaq making may die off if it isn’t passed on to younger generations.

A growing business: Yukon retiree's northern greenhouses a hot seller

by Cheryl Kawaja

After refining a prototype, Bob Sharp and his son started building greenhouse kits this year, for sale. They're specially designed for a cold climate. 'We had anticipated we might sell a dozen of them, we ended up selling 40.'

Festive fight to keep Tuktoyaktuk's ice road open in its final season

by Ollie Williams

Contractors spent Christmas Day working to reopen Tuktoyaktuk's ice road after ocean overflow - a problem the forthcoming all-weather highway should solve.

Fort McMurray, El Nino top Canada's top weather stories for 2016

Environment Canada released its top 10 weather stories for 2016 and the year was a wild one, mostly due to El Nino.

Author Joseph Boyden defends Indigenous heritage after investigation

by Nicole Thompson

A celebrated Canadian author who writes about First Nations heritage and culture is defending himself on Twitter after his ancestry was questioned.

Reporter's Notebook Kim Wheeler on covering the story of Standing Rock

by Kim Wheeler

One of biggest stories of 2016 happened on a small strip of land where both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people came together to fight a big oil company. Indigenous journalists from both CBC Indigenous and CBC Radio’s Unreserved travelled down in two separate trips.

No foul play suspected in Cambridge Bay death, say police

RCMP in Cambridge Bay are investigating after a woman was found dead in the community Friday morning.

Warm weather, low snow levels impact NWT trapping season

by Mackenzie Scott

Warmer temperatures and low snow levels are making it hard for trappers in the Delta to reach their traplines.

Boxing Day sales boom for Yellowknife businesses

Yellowknife shoppers made their way out to stores across the city Monday in a bid to save money on a Boxing Day bargain.

Police investigate 'suspicious death' in Deline, one person in custody

A police investigation is ongoing after RCMP found a deceased person in Deline residence, late Friday night.

First-ever girl on an all-boys hockey team: Nunavut girl in pink beats the norm

by Priscilla Hwang

Ruby Ningeocheak is the first-ever girl to be on an all-boys hockey team in Coral Harbour, Nunavut.

Local eggstravaganza: Gameti, N.W.T. chickens just won't quit

by Mitch Wiles

A community government initiative in Gameti, N.W.T. is producing enough chicken eggs to feed most of the village's roughly 300 residents, and handing them out for free.

Ahead of surgery, man finally opens giant bottle of wine from 1995 Tuktoyaktuk concert

by Priscilla Hwang

David Connelly went in for open heart surgery this month in Edmonton, but not before tasting from his metre-high bottle of wine - given to him for helping organize the 1995 Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., Molson ice beach party.

Yukon RCMP dealt with community tragedies and triumphs in 2016

by Dave Croft

Yukon RCMP superintendent Brian Jones says police had a busy year that included activities ranging from investigating horrific murders to guarding Will and Kate during their royal visit.

Police lay murder charge following death of elderly man in Watson Lake, Yukon

Yukon RCMP have charged a 31-year-old man from Watson Lake with murder, following the death of an elderly man on Friday.

'It's their backyard': Inuit voice essential in Arctic climate studies, scientists say

by Nicole Mortillaro

Incorporating the Inuit voice into the study of climate change isn't optional; it is essential, scientists believe.

Photos Your North: Best reader photos for week of Dec. 19

A dogsledding Santa? A 3-year-old musher? Take a look at those unique Northern sights - and a whole lot more - in this special holiday edition of your best photos from across the territories and Nunavik.