Bear Rock

Bear Rock, known in Dene as Kweteniɂaá, rises at the mouth of the Great Bear River from Tulita in the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories. More than a striking geologic formation, it has long held cultural importance for Dene communities as a place of prayer and reflection and as the setting of a tradition in which the culture hero Yamoria, Yamozah, or Zhamba Dezha stretched the skins of giant beavers after killing them. Formed from sedimentary rocks laid down roughly 422.9 to 385.3 million years ago, it is a notable karst landmark with caves, sinkholes, and marine fossils. A major landslide in May 2019 altered its north slope and buried several cave entrances.

Northwest Territories · Canada