Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation
Encyclopedia
The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in is a First Nations
located in the central Yukon
, Canada
. Its main population centre is Dawson City, Yukon
.
Many of today’s Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, or people of the river, are descendants of the Hän-speaking
people who have lived along the Yukon River
for thousands of years. They traveled extensively throughout their traditional territory harvesting salmon
from the Yukon River and caribou
from the Fortymile and Porcupine Herds. Moose
, small game, and a variety of plants and berries provided additional food sources. Other raw materials needed to make tools, clothing and shelter were procured from this diverse and rich environment. The Hän
traded with neighboring First Nations people and maintained interrelations through family connections and frequent gatherings.
In the mid-19th century, Europe
an fur traders and missionaries
established a presence in the territory. Contact with the newcomers presented new challenges and opportunities for the Hän. Trade increased and new goods and economic practices were introduced. The Hän used a combination of traditional and newly introduced skills, goods and materials to maintain their survival and assist the newcomers.
In the 1880s gold was discovered in the Ch’ëdäh Dëk, or Fortymile River
, area – a site used by the Hän as a caribou interception point and grayling
fishing spot. In 1896 more gold was discovered near Tr'ochëk
, at the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike River
s. The Klondike River hosted abundant salmon stocks and the Hän had an encampment at Tr'ochëk that was used seasonally for hundreds of years. The ensuing rush brought thousands of people to Tr'ochëk and surrounding areas.
Recognizing the influences that the newcomers would have on his people, Hän leader Chief Isaac, worked with the Government of Canada
and the Anglican Church
to move his people from Tr'ochëk to Moosehide – 5 km (3.1 mi) downriver at 64°05′40"N 139°26′12"W. Chief Isaac was respected among his own people and newcomers alike. While he welcomed the stampeders, "he never failed to remind them that they prospered at the expense of the original inhabitants by driving away their game and taking over their land." Chief Isaac envisioned the impact that new lifestyles would have on Hän traditional culture. In response he entrusted many songs and dances to First Nations people living in Alaska
.
During the years following the Klondike Gold Rush
, the Hän worked to find a balance between their traditional lifestyle and the ways of the newcomers.
Yukon First Nations set the Land Claims process in motion during the 1970s. Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in began negotiating their individual Land Claim in 1991. The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Final Agreement was signed on July 16, 1998 and came into effect on September 15, 1998.
The government is growing and evolving to support citizens in ensuring a strong and healthy future while maintaining connections to traditional knowledge and the land. Promoting the Hän language, learning traditional skills from the Elders, and investing in youth have all strengthened Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in development. This respect for their heritage and dedication to the future is reflected in a variety of ways. The biennial Moosehide Gatherings, the establishment of Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre, the designation of Tr’ochëk National Historic site, and the return of the traditional songs, which were once entrusted to Alaskan First Nations
people, all reflect Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in investment in their future and pride in their rich heritage.
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
located in the central Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Its main population centre is Dawson City, Yukon
Dawson City, Yukon
The Town of the City of Dawson or Dawson City is a town in the Yukon, Canada.The population was 1,327 at the 2006 census. The area draws some 60,000 visitors each year...
.
Many of today’s Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, or people of the river, are descendants of the Hän-speaking
Hän language
The Hän language is a Native American endangered language spoken in only two places: Eagle, Alaska and Dawson City, Yukon. There are only a few fluent speakers left , all of them elderly....
people who have lived along the Yukon River
Yukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...
for thousands of years. They traveled extensively throughout their traditional territory harvesting salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
from the Yukon River and caribou
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
from the Fortymile and Porcupine Herds. Moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
, small game, and a variety of plants and berries provided additional food sources. Other raw materials needed to make tools, clothing and shelter were procured from this diverse and rich environment. The Hän
Han (North American people)
The Han are a Northern Athabascan people who speak the Hän language. Only a handful of fluent speakers remain. Their traditional land centered around a heavily forested area around the Yukon River straddling what is now the Alaska-Yukon Territory border...
traded with neighboring First Nations people and maintained interrelations through family connections and frequent gatherings.
In the mid-19th century, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an fur traders and missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
established a presence in the territory. Contact with the newcomers presented new challenges and opportunities for the Hän. Trade increased and new goods and economic practices were introduced. The Hän used a combination of traditional and newly introduced skills, goods and materials to maintain their survival and assist the newcomers.
In the 1880s gold was discovered in the Ch’ëdäh Dëk, or Fortymile River
Fortymile River
The Fortymile River is a river in Alaska and the Yukon. Prior to the Klondike Gold Rush, there was considerable mining activity along this tributary of the Yukon River. In the 1970s, there was an asbestos mine at Clinton Creek in the Yukon. When gold was discovered on the Fortymille River in 1886,...
, area – a site used by the Hän as a caribou interception point and grayling
Grayling (genus)
Thymallus is a genus of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes; it is the only genus of subfamily Thymallinae. The type species is T. thymallus, the grayling. The genus's five distinct species are generically called graylings, but without qualification this also refers...
fishing spot. In 1896 more gold was discovered near Tr'ochëk
Tr'ochëk
Tr'ochëk is the site of a traditional Han fishing camp at the confluence of the Klondike River and Yukon River. The site is owned and managed by the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation, and is operated by the First Nation's Department of Heritage....
, at the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike River
Klondike River
The Klondike River is a tributary of the Yukon River in Canada that gave its name to the Klondike Gold Rush. The Klondike River has its source in the Ogilvie Mountains and flows into the Yukon River at Dawson City....
s. The Klondike River hosted abundant salmon stocks and the Hän had an encampment at Tr'ochëk that was used seasonally for hundreds of years. The ensuing rush brought thousands of people to Tr'ochëk and surrounding areas.
Recognizing the influences that the newcomers would have on his people, Hän leader Chief Isaac, worked with the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
and the Anglican Church
Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
to move his people from Tr'ochëk to Moosehide – 5 km (3.1 mi) downriver at 64°05′40"N 139°26′12"W. Chief Isaac was respected among his own people and newcomers alike. While he welcomed the stampeders, "he never failed to remind them that they prospered at the expense of the original inhabitants by driving away their game and taking over their land." Chief Isaac envisioned the impact that new lifestyles would have on Hän traditional culture. In response he entrusted many songs and dances to First Nations people living in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
During the years following the Klondike Gold Rush
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
, the Hän worked to find a balance between their traditional lifestyle and the ways of the newcomers.
Yukon First Nations set the Land Claims process in motion during the 1970s. Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in began negotiating their individual Land Claim in 1991. The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Final Agreement was signed on July 16, 1998 and came into effect on September 15, 1998.
The government is growing and evolving to support citizens in ensuring a strong and healthy future while maintaining connections to traditional knowledge and the land. Promoting the Hän language, learning traditional skills from the Elders, and investing in youth have all strengthened Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in development. This respect for their heritage and dedication to the future is reflected in a variety of ways. The biennial Moosehide Gatherings, the establishment of Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre, the designation of Tr’ochëk National Historic site, and the return of the traditional songs, which were once entrusted to Alaskan First Nations
Alaska Natives
Alaska Natives are the indigenous peoples of Alaska. They include: Aleut, Inuit, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Eyak, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures.-History:In 1912 the Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded...
people, all reflect Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in investment in their future and pride in their rich heritage.