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A.K. "Lex" Miller was born in northern Alberta and grew up in Edmonton. After graduating from high school, he joined the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), in order to earn money for university. He was hired by the Mackenzie River Transport Company, a division of the HBC, and worked as a checker and stenographer during the summers of 1940 to 1942. Following World War II, he returned to Edmonton to become a Chartered Accountant. Among his clients were the towns of Hay River and Fort Smith. In 1987, Miller was the spokesperson for the One Canada Party, a Conservative fringe group of the 1970s.

Jean Milne grew up in Magog, Quebec. Her father’s interest in sports meant that she learned to ski, skate, and icefish. Her mother taught her to knit, embroider, and smock at a young age and her grandmother taught her crochet and needlepoint. She later branched into a variety of related handcrafts, including macrame, tie-dyeing, batik, and resist dyeing eggs. While in Inuvik, Jean became a founding member of the NWT Crafts Council.

Jean attended school in Magog, followed by McGill University in Montreal, studying primarily botany and microbiology, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1969. After graduation, she worked for McGill in a single-employee virology laboratory at the Montreal Children's Hospital.

On the lookout for other employment, she visited Indian and Northern Affairs in Ottawa, where she met and was hired by Dick Hill for a summer project. Dick, who just happened to be in Ottawa as well, was head of the Inuvik Research Lab and Mayor of Inuvik. Moving to Inuvik in 1970, Jean worked at the Research Lab and was housed in the very basic accommodation of “Wanigan A,” located behind the Lab. Finding the project parameters unclear and herself unprepared to approach the environmental issues in the Mackenzie Delta, Jean resigned in June 1970 and went to work as a waitress at the Eskimo Inn for the rest of the summer, returning to Montreal and another hospital lab job that fall.

Jean spent her summer holiday in Inuvik in 1971 and returned to Inuvik in spring of 1972, finding work at the CN telephone exchange as a Single Side Band radio and long distance telephone operator.

Leaving again in fall 1972, Jean returned in spring 1976, and lived with Ted Curtis, often with his mother Peggy, who worked for the TEST Ski Program. Jean worked one summer in the office at NTCL, most of 1978 at the Inuvik Sewing Centre, and fall/winter 1978-79 for the Inuvik Ski Club under the auspices of the TEST ski program grooming trails and instructing students. In between, she also worked as a casual clerk for the GNWT and labourer for Otto Binder doing housing repairs. She left Inuvik (and Ted) in the fall of 1979. Jean worked as a cook for Milan Carnogursky and Carn Construction on a couple of jobs over the next year: the ferry landing project in Arctic Red River (Tsiigehtchic) (October-November 1979) and the airport runway project in Sachs Harbour (May-September 1980).

After doing some travelling, Jean finally settled in Vancouver in late 1981 and remains living there. Her partner, John Crawford, passed away May 18, 2020.

Larry Moline worked at Con Mine during the 1930s.

Frank Morrison was a prospector who lived and worked in the Great Slave Lake area. He staked claims in and around Yellowknife, Fort Resolution and Rocher River.

Captain Lewis Royal Morton was born on January 18, 1883 in the County of Morton, Ontario. He joined the Northern Transportation Company (NTCL) in 1907. He served as port skipper for the NTCL and was skipper on the "Radium King," "Radium Queen" and for the Hudson's Bay Company boat the "Mackenzie River." His service with the Northern Transportation Company was broken only by a four-year service as a Lance Corporal in the Royal Engineers during World War I. Over the years he worked for the Hudson's Bay Company, Northern Transportation Company Ltd. and the McGinnis Fish Company. He assisted in the building of many barges and boats, such as the "Porphyry," "George Askew" and "The Great Bear." He also assisted in the designs for the "Radium Gilbert" and the "Yellowknife." He traveled virtually every mile of waterway in the northwest, from the lower Peace River to the Mackenzie Delta. Captain Morton died in Surrey, British Columbia in 1980.

Mary Craig Murphy was born in [Dawson City] Yukon, in 1909/1910. She was a graduate of Toronto General Hospital School of Nursing, and in the early part of her career worked at Fort William and northern Ontario mining communities. She served as a volunteer in the Red Cross Corps in Scotland during WWII. Mary Murphy arrived in Yellowknife on November 29, 1947 to assume the position of matron nurse at the new Yellowknife Red Cross Hospital. Her duties included hospital administration as well as nursing supervision. Within the community, Mary was active in the Daughters of the Midnight Sun and the Trinity Anglican Church. She resigned from her position at the hospital in spring of 1959 and left Yellowknife on July 23, 1959. She nursed in Burlington, Ontario in the 1960s and moved to New Westminster BC to be close to her siblings in the late 1960s. Mary died in New Westminster, BC on December 20, 1969. As a memorial to her legacy in Yellowknife, the seniors care home that opened in Yellowknife in early 1970 was named the Mary Murphy Seniors Home.

The Native Communications Society of the Western Northwest Territories was incorporated on August 16, 1974. The objectives of the society were to promote and develop communications between the communities of the western Northwest Territories, train Dene, Inuit, and Metis in multi-media, and strengthen the self-image of Indigenous people in the Northwest Territories. The objectives were accomplished through the publication of the Native Press newspaper, the production and broadcasting of radio programming, the establishment of the radio station CKNM, and facilitating media training workshops.

The Native Communications Society (NCS) superseded the communication unit of the Indian Brotherhood of the Northwest Territories (IB-NWT). The communication unit was managed by Brian Thompson who was hired as a consultant by IB-NWT president James Wah-shee. The IB-NWT’s communications unit created the Native Press in 1971 as a newspaper dedicated to examining issues related to the western Northwest Territories from an Indigenous perspective. It superseded the publication of the Brotherhood Report that had been published by the IB-NWT in 1969. Owing to its perceived political affiliation with the IB-NWT, the Brotherhood Report’s name was changed to Native Press in 1971. The newspaper evolved into a bi-monthly publication covering political and land developments, community news, legends, and human-interest stores in the western Northwest Territories. In February 1990, the Secretary of State cut core funding to the NCS and ended the Native Communications Program in Canada. To become more competitive and increase its revenue stream, beginning in June 1990, the Native Press became a weekly newspaper. NCS board of directors approved the sale of Native Press to DM Communications Limited – a company owned by NCS - in the fall of 1990. Hoping to attract new funding and increase its audience, DM Communications changed the newspaper’s name from Native Press to The Press Independent in November 1990. The Press Independent ran into financial difficulties in December 1992 when the Secretary of State again cut funding to the NCS. In March 1993, staff of The Press Independent proposed a buyout to the NCS board but it was not approved. The Press Independent announced on March 19, 1993 an Agreement in Principle was in place to transfer ownership of the paper to Vi Beck of Type Unlimited. The archives of the Native Press, which included over 200,000 photographs and a full set of newspapers, was kept by the NCS. To protect the name Native Press, Dorothy Chocolate and Lee Selleck registered the name with the Government of the Northwest Territories. On April 28, 1993 The Press Independent became The Northern Star, which ceased publication in 1994. The Native Press returned briefly in fall 1996 as a renewed effort between NCS and the Dene Nation.

The idea for the Native Communications Society of the Western Northwest Territories was conceived in February 1974. The IB-NWT communications unit was notified by the Secretary of State of its ineligibility for funding due to its status as a branch of a political organization. The IB-NWT brought together members from the Committee for Original People’s Entitlement, Tree of Peace, and the Metis Association of the N.W.T. to form the NCS. In August 1974 an interim board of directors was selected and the first NCS Annual General Assembly was held in Fort Providence in May 1976. In 1982, Dene Nation formed the Dehcho Gonde Communications Society. At a Dene Nation Assembly in Fort Simpson, a proposal was put forth to merge NCS and Dehcho Gonde Communications Society. At the NCS’s Annual General Assembly in October 1982 the merger was not approved. In 1983, the NCS announced that the amalgamation was unfeasible as the Dehcho Gonde Communications Society was a political entity and risked losing its federal funding.

The Native Communications Society’s early administrative structure from 1975-1982 was composed of a six-member board of directors, an executive and assistant director, and one delegate from a list of 32 communities in the western Northwest Territories. The NCS had three production departments consisting of a video department, newspaper (Native Press), and a radio department. Owing to financial limitations, Native Press remained the sole fully operational department from 1975-1982. In preparation for its radio department, the NCS began a three-year training program for its radio broadcasters in 1982. By December 1985, construction began on the radio studio and in January 1986 the radio station broadcasted to 12 communities from Yellowknife at 101.9 FM. The official opening of the NCS radio station CKNM-FM took place during the NCS General Assembly in late 1986. In 1990, the NCS moved into the new NWT Communications Centre with a television and radio studio. The newspaper department closed with the sale of The Press Independent to Vi Beck of Type Unlimited in April 1993. The newspaper department briefly returned in 1996 but was subsequently shut down. The NCS continues to operate today and manages NCS Productions Ltd. and CKLB Radio.

Since 1975, the executive directors and CEOs of the Native Communications Society have included Mike Canadian, Raymond Yakeleya, Margaret Cook, Cheeko Desjarlais, Nancy Austin, Barry Ward, Bren Kolson, Dorothy Cumming, J.C. Catholique, Marine Devine, Barry Zellen, Les Carpenter, and Rob Ouellette.

A former Native Press staffer, Roy Dahl printed a few issues in 2009. Roy Dahl with his son Zach Dahl acquired the name and business license in 2017 and began to print monthly issues of the Native Press.

The mission statement of the Native Women's Association of the NWT was as follows: To provide training and education programs for native women in the Western Arctic, so we can function more effectively in areas that affect our lives economically, socially, educationally, emotionally, culturally and politically. Management of the Association is a partnership between the Board and Headquarters staff. There are members on the Board representing six regions in the Western Arctic. Staff activities are managed through an Executive Director who reports to the President of the Association. In keeping with the practice of healthy leadership, Board members, staff and delegates of the Association are required to abide by a Sobriety Clause. The Native Women's Association was responsible for the delivery of two main programs: a Training Institute recognized by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment of the Government of the Northwest Territories, and the Victim Services Program. The Training Institute offered a program from August to May in Yellowknife. This included adult basic education, literacy training, life skills training, leadership training and practical assistance. The community-based Yellowknife Victim Services Program used a pool of trained volunteers to offer support, assistance, information and referral service to victims. The program was managed by a full time coordinator. Volunteers would accompany victims to the hospital, explain the workings of the criminal justice system and assist victims in court. The Native Women's Association of the NWT and the Status of Women Council collaborated for several years to ensure that women had input into the development of a new constitution for the NWT. In 1994, this included a women's constitutional conference. In 1995, a report entitled A global and Western NWT Perspective on Guaranteed Representation Based on Gender Equality was produced.

The photographs were taken by Alexander Neish, born 1936 in London, England. After arriving in Montreal in 1957, Mr. Neish gained employment as a counter hand at the Hudson's Bay Company store. He was initially placed at the Fort Simpson Hudson's Bay Company post. In May 1958 he was reassigned to the store in the new settlement of East 3 (moved from Aklavik), which would later be christened Inuvik.

John D. Nicholson was born in Provincetown, Massachusetts in 1863. In 1885, he joined the North West Mounted Police and was stationed in Regina. Following his initial training, he was sent to Edmonton. As a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Officer, he was stationed in a number of locations including Battleford and Fort McLeod. In 1916, his station with the RCMP was taken over by the newly formed Alberta Provincial Police, whom he served with until his retirement in 1927. In 1929, his attention was directed toward the mineral surveying and prospecting industry in northern Canada and he accepted the position of Field Manager with the Mineral Belt Locators Syndicate. Following the discovery of pitchblende in the Great Bear Lake area in 1931, John Nicholson organized the Camsell River Mineral Syndicate. Using a large fishing boat and barge, he transported goods to and from prospecting camps and occasionally sold his services for information concerning possible discoveries. In 1934 W.G. "Bill" Stewart took a half interest in another barge and joined Nicholson in his transport and prospecting endeavors. He continued to work in the Great Bear Lake region until the discovery of gold near the Yellowknife River attracted him to Yellowknife. With the onset of World War II in 1939, John Nicholson rejoined the RCMP.

Marjorie Osborne Nicol was born January 25, 1923 in Dayton Ohio to Herbert Osborne and Elsie Barker. She trained in 1944 as a Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP). The program was cancelled shortly after getting her wings, and she joined the US Marine Corps Women’s reserve from 1945-1946. She received a BA in English in 1949 and a Masters in English Education in 1962. Married to Jason Nicol in 1948, they had five children, but he died suddenly in 1965. After travels with her family over two years in 1967 she moved to British Columbia with her five children, living first in Nelson and later in Vancouver. She taught English as a Second Language until her retirement in the 1980s. Upon retirement she became active in the peace movement. Marjorie died in Vancouver on July 27 1999.

William Charles Noble was born on May 1, 1941 to William T. Noble (1913-1989) and Lucy R. Noble (1913-2005). After completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto, he undertook doctoral studies at the University of Calgary (then the University of Alberta at Calgary), which had established its Department of Archaeology in 1964. He obtained his PhD in 1968.

Noble conducted archaeological research in the Northwest Territories with the support of the National Museum of Man and McMaster University for four consecutive seasons (1966, 1967, 1968, 1969) and acquired the nickname ‘Barren Lands Bill’.

In 1971 he became an assistant professor in McMaster University’s Department of Anthropology (then the Department of Sociology and Anthropology), where he founded the Archaeology section. He conducted research and published studies on sites and First Nations cultures in Ontario. He was married twice, first to Jean MacLeod Slater and then to Jacqueline E. M. Crerar (Noble), and had two children, Gordon William Noble and Elizabeth M. Noble. He retired and became Professor Emeritus at McMaster University in 1996, and died on April 26, 2009.

Nap Norbert was born in Tsiigehtchic (Arctic Red River) on January 29, 1917. His parents were Manual and Caroline Norbert. Nap had two sisters, Agnes and Mary Anne, and one brother Harry. Nap's mother, Caroline married Louis Cardinal after Manual Norbert died. Caroline and Louis had four children, Sonny, Billy, Alma and Rose Cardinal. Nap's stepfather, Louis Cardinal had six children with his first wife Catherine Firth: Agnes (Cardinal) Blake of Fort McPherson, Ethel Cardinal, Violet (Cardinal) Jerome of Inuvik, Rudolph, Alice Margaret and adopted son John. Nap attended school in Fort Providence for approximately five years, returning home to Tsiigehtchic in 1929. He married Mary Norman in 1940 and they had seven children: Henry, Caroline, Bertha, Agnes, Archie, Lucy and Annie Rose. After Mary Norbert died, Nap married Annie (Moses) Niditchie of Tsiigehtchic in 1952. Annie and Nap had three children: James, Lawrence and Dennis. Nap Norbert spent approximately 15 years working on boats operating on the Mackenzie River. During this period, he spent some time working on the "Pelican Rapids", a Hudson's Bay Company boat. During the winter, Nap earned a living as a hunter and trapper. Nap Norbert passed away in 200[3?].