About Gwaandak
Gwaandak is a living archive of Dinjii Zhuh strength, laughter, and legacy.
This space was created to honor our past, uplift our present, and inspire our future. It began with a single memory — the life of my brother, John Ross — and grew into something much larger: a home for the stories, teachings, and voices of our people.
For generations, the Dinjii Zhuh have carried knowledge through storytelling, humor, and life on the land. We have survived the harshest environments with strength, discipline, and laughter. When our people gather, we share stories that lift the spirit. When times are hard, humor carries us. When Youth need guidance, we turn to our history, our land, and our Elders.
Gwaandak continues this way of being. It’s a place where memory becomes teaching, where stories become medicine, and where the voices of our people remain alive for those yet to come.
Our Three Pillars
My Story
A personal journey rooted in family, community, and the land.
This story began with remembering my brother and expanded into a wider reflection on the strength, excellence, and achievements of our people. It reminds us that our Youth come from strength, and that their future can be brighter than the challenges they face today.
Dinjii Zhuh Games
A collection of games that shaped our ancestors.
These games taught survival, skill, balance, and courage; and they were always filled with laughter. From Akaii to Nalaiirak to Nakak Cho, each game carries teachings that connect us to the land and to each other. These teachings are for our people today, who can learn, play, and carry them forward.
Podcasts & Community Voices
A gathering place for stories from across the North.
Elders, athletes, knowledge keepers, and Youth share their experiences in their own words. These conversations honour our past, celebrate our present, and guide the next generation. Every voice adds to the living archive.
Our Purpose
Gwaandak exists to strengthen our people.
It is a place where Youth can see themselves reflected with pride.
A place where families can remember, learn, and laugh together.
A place where our history is not forgotten, but carried forward.
Rooted in the land. Guided by our ancestors. Built for our Youth.
Meet the Founder: James Ga’ahdoh Ross
James Ga’ahdoh Ross is a lifelong resident of Teetl’it Zheh (Fort McPherson, NT) and a dedicated keeper of Dinjii Zhuh stories, teachings, and traditional games. His work is rooted in the land, shaped by the Elders who guided him, and inspired by the memory of his brother, John Ross, whose life opened the doorway to this entire project.
Gwaandak is a gift from James’s family to our people, a living archive built to honour the past, uplift the present, and inspire the future. Through stories, games, and community voices, he hopes to help Youth reconnect with their identity, their land, and the deep strength carried by their ancestors.
James’s journey has not been without its challenges. He attended residential schools in Fort McPherson, Inuvik, and Yellowknife, following the painful legacy of his mother’s generation, who endured the trauma of residential school genocide. This personal history fuels his commitment to cultural preservation and education, as he works to ensure that the voices and stories of the Dinjii Zhuh people are heard and honoured. He carries a lifetime of trauma, including today’s generational struggles. Yet he continues to harvest and enjoy the land with his wife Mary, preparing their grandchildren for the future.
He trusts in the strength of our gatherings, where stories and laughter keep us connected. And he trusts in our Youth, who rise when their community stands behind them.