The Indigenous peoples of Yukon are ethnic groups who, prior to European contact, occupied the former countries now collectively known as Yukon. While most First Nations in the Canadian territory are a part of the wider Dene Nation, there are Tlingit and Métis nations that blend into the wider spectrum of indigeneity across Canada. Traditionally hunter-gatherers, indigenous peoples and their associated nations retain close connections to the land, the rivers and the seasons of their respective countries or homelands. Their histories are recorded and passed down the generations through oral traditions. European contact and invasion brought many changes to the native cultures of Yukon including land loss and non-traditional governance and education. However, indigenous people in Yukon continue to foster their connections with the land in seasonal wage labour such as fishing and trapping. Today, indigenous groups aim to maintain and develop indigenous languages, traditional or culturally-appropriate forms of education, cultures, spiritualities and indigenous rights.
Population Estimates of the indigenous population of the Yukon region at the beginning of the 19th century vary greatly. Some historians estimated that about 8,000 people lived in the area. While other estimates were between 7,000 and 8,000 people.Kenneth Coates, William Robert Morrison. Land of the midnight sun: a history of the Yukon. — 2. — Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2005. — 362 p. One estimate put the number at more than 9,000 people. Another estimate showed that by the year 1830, the number of indigenous people was about 4,700.
Nations Inhabited by six principal tribes: the Gwichʼin, the Hän, the Kaska Dena, the Tagish, the Northern and Southern Tutchone, and the Tlingit (Teslin),Coates K. S. Best Left as Indians: Native-white Relations in the Yukon Territory, 1840-1973. McGill-Queen Press 1993 p2. . Accessed at Google Books 3 July 2016. there are also Métis, though unrecognized politically, and Inuvialuit, who, through the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, maintain connections to certain territories of Yukon.Map of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region
The Gwichʼin homeland encompasses the basins of the Peel River and the Porcupine River.Yukon The Canadian Encyclopaedia. Relatives of the Gwichʼin, the Hän, live at the middle reach of the Yukon River at the border with Alaska. The Northern Tutchone inhabit central Yukon in the basins of the Pelly River and Stewart River. In a basin of the Liard River in the southeast live the Kaska Dena, and, in the south, near lakes in the upper course of the Yukon River live the Tagish, who are related to the Kaska Dena. In the southwest are the Southern Tutchone and, in the river heads of the White River, is the White River First Nation, an Upper Tanana speaking peoples.Wurm S. A., Mühlhäusler P. Tryon, D. T. Trends in Linguistics in Atlas of languages of intercultural communication in the Pacific, Asia, and the Americas. Walter de Gruyter, New York, 1996 volume 13.
In the south, along the Teslin River, are continental Tlingit (Teslin), whose language, together with the Athabaskan languages, is included in the Na-Dene language family.
Language
The pre-contact peoples of Yukon spoke dialects within the Athabaskan languages, which are still spoken to this day. The Athabaskan languages themselves are a subset of the Na-Dene language family. The Cree Syllabary that was developed by the Methodist missionary, James Evans, was adapted for use in the Yukon. Missionaries of many Christian denominations wrote dictionaries, grammars and religious texts in the indigenous languages, often with the assistance of translators.Cox J. H. and Justice D. H. The Oxford Handbook of Indigenous American Literature Oxford University Press 2014 p563 , 9780199914043. Accessed at Google books 3 July 2016.
Traditions The Indigenous peoples of the Yukon have a land based oral tradition.Kammen C. and Wilson A. H. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Local History Second Edition, American Association for State and Local History, AltaMira Press 2012 p587 , 9780759120501. The people were and, in many cases, still are hunters and gatherers, skilled in following the season changes in food sources. Fishing and trapping in the valleys remain fruitful, as specific prey can be followed to higher areas.
Knowledge about many aspects of pre contact tradition such as animal behaviour, land use, subsistence, textiles, language and spirituality comes from the oral history of indigenous people and from the work of scientists such as archeologists and anthropologists.Cruikshank J. Social Life of Stories: Narrative and Knowledge in the Yukon Territory UBC Press, 2000 p48. , 9780774806497. Accessed via Google Books 3 July 2016.
European contact
Contact between the indigenous peoples of the Yukon and European fur traders began in the 1840s. The Hudson's Bay Company entered the area of the Yukon around that time.
Through the 1800s, indigenous people, such as the Hän, along the Alaska-Yukon border trapped for furs to trade for European manufactured items.Dana L. P. International handbook of research on indigenous Entrepreneurship Edward Elgar publishing 2007 p313 , 978178195264. Accessed at Google books 3 July 2016.
The Klondike Gold Rush of 1896 was a seminal moment in post contact history of the indigenous people of the Yukon. Not only did the influx of Europeans bring new diseases, missionary movements and European consumer items but also the indigenous peoples found a role as guides, packers and chandlers for prospectors.Llewellyn K. R. et al The Canadian oral history Reader McGill-Queen's Press 2015 p 185. , 9780773583634. Accessed at Google books 3 July 2016.
In 1898, the increased European population led to formalisation of governance in the formation of Yukon.
Indigenous land claims In a step towards Aboriginal title, the Yukon Indian Advancement Association was formed in the late 1960s. In 1970, the Yukon Native Brotherhood was founded, commencing a land claims movement.Alia V. Un/Covering the North: News, Media, and Aboriginal People UBC Press 2011 p125. Accessed at Google books 3 July 2016.Ray A. J. Aboriginal rights claims and the making and remaking of History McGill-Queen's Press 2016. . Accessed at Google books 3 July 2016. In 1973, the Together Today for Our Children Tomorrow petition was presented by Elijah Smith to the prime minister Pierre Trudeau.History of Yukon First Nations People Yukon First Nations Travel Adventures website. Accessed 3 July 2016.
In 1990, the Yukon Final Umbrella Agreement was completed.Agreements with First Nations Government of YukonUmbrella Final Agreement Council of Yukon First Nations
Twenty-first century At the 2016 Canadian census, there were 8,195 indigenous people. Of those people who gave a response indicating that they were of one indigenous group, 6,685 were First Nations, 1,015 were Métis and 230 were Inuit. A further 160 gave multiple indigenous responses with another 105 indicating some other indigenous background. In the 2012 Youth identities, localities, and visual material Culture, K. Eglinton said only twelve percent were fluent in the language of their nation.Eglinton K. Youth identities, localities, and visual material Culture Springer Science & Business Media, 2012 p58 , 9789400748576. Accessed at Google books 3 July 2016. Fourteen First Nations represented eight language groups.Nuttall M. Encyclopaedia of the Arctic Routledge 2012 p. 2222 . Accessed at Google books 3 July 2016. In 1991, an ongoing program for preservation of these languages was begun in Voices of the Talking Circle, the proceedings of the Yukon Aboriginal Language Services which emphasised that the people are the proper stewards of their languages and maintaining a critical mass of fluent speakers is essential.Castallano M. B. et al (ed.) Aboriginal education: fulfilling the Promise UBC Press 2013 p 41. Accessed at Google books 3 July 2016.
First Nations
This is a list of the fourteen First Nations of indigenous people of Yukon.Find out about Yukon First Nations Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) lists the Aishihik and Champagne as separate First Nations in addition to the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations.
Carcross/Tagish First Nation Champagne and Aishihik First Nations First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun Kluane First Nation Kwanlin Dün First Nation Liard First Nation Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation Ross River Dena Council Selkirk First Nation Ta’an Kwäch’än Council Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Teslin Tlingit Council Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation White River First Nation
Of these, all but Liard River First Nation, Ross River Dena Council, and White River First Nation have signed Final Agreements and are now self-governing.
In addition the Government of Yukon and INAC list the following groups as having a presence in Yukon.,
Gwich'in Tribal Council Tetlit Gwich’in Council Inuvialuit (an Inuit group whose land claims extend into YukonConcluding and Implementing Land Claim and Self-Government Agreements) Acho Dene Koe First Nation Kaska Dena Council Taku River Tlingit First Nation Tahltan Central Council
Languages According to Yukon Government the following indigenous languages are spoken in the territory. However, unlike the other two territories in Northern Canada, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, there are no Canadian indigenous languages that have official status.Your Linguistic Rights at the Office of the Language Commissioner of Nunavut
Gwichʼin language Hän language Kaska language Northern Tutchone language Southern Tutchone language Tagish language Upper Tanana language Tlingit language
Settlements First Nations peoples live throughout Yukon. Some places that are primarily First Nations include:
Aishihik Beaver Creek Burwash Landing Carcross Shäwshe (Dalton Post) Fort Selkirk Haines Junction Mayo Old Crow Pelly Crossing Ross River Teslin Upper Liard Watson Lake
Indigenous land There has never been an indigenous reserve in the Yukon, of the 14 nations in the Yukon, 11 are self-governed nation, below is a list of indigenous land.
Name as used byIndigenous and Northern Affairs CanadaFirst Nation(s)Ethnic/nationalgroupTribalcouncilTreatyAreaPopulationNotes ha acre 2016 2011 %difference Carcross 4 Carcross/Tagish Tlingit / Tagish — 35 53 -34.0% Listed by Statistics Canada as self-government Haines Junction Aishihik / Champagne and Aishihik Southern Tutchone Southern Tutchone Tribal Council Lake Laberge 1 Ta'an Kwach'an Southern Tutchone Southern Tutchone Tribal Council 25 20 25.0% Listed by Statistics Canada as self-government Mayo 6 First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun Northern Tutchone — Mcquesten 3 First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun Northern Tutchone — Moosehide Creek 2 Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in Hän — 0 0 Listed by Statistics Canada as self-government Moosehide Creek 2b Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in Hän — Nisutlin 14 Teslin Tlingit Council Tlingit — Nisutlin Bay 15 Teslin Tlingit Council Tlingit — Selkirk 7 Selkirk Northern Tutchone — Teslin Post 13 Teslin Tlingit Council Tlingit — 139 138 0.7% Listed by Statistics Canada as self-government Whitehorse 8 Kwanlin Dun First Nation Tlingit / Tagish / Southern Tutchone Southern Tutchone Tribal Council
Indigenous settlements Places listed as indigenous settlements include: