Just as moves begin to return Dr John Rae’s name to British history books, his name is to disappear from two places on the maps of Canada.

Rae-Edzo and Rae Lakes, two small communities 100km north of Yellowknife, will have their names changed when government of the area is returned to the people of the Dogrib tribe.

Rae-Edzo will become Behchoko and Rae Lakes will be Gameti.

Mike Richards, of Rae-Edzo, said the legislation was currently stalled by the Canadian elections but would proceed after that.

“The community was named as Fort Rae by the old Northwest Company ‘the Bay’,” he said. “It became consolidated to Rae-Edzo in the 70s.”

There are no plans to change the name of Mount Rae (3,218m), the northernmost peak in Alberta’s Misty Range.