White River First Nation
The White River First Nation is one of the Canadian First Nations in the Yukon , most of whose members live in Beaver Creek near the Alaskan border . Linguistically and geographically they belong to the Northern Athapasques , but each speak two related - but different - Northern Athapaskan languages.
This is due to the decision of the Canadian government in the 1950s, which, for administrative reasons, forced two bands that were already related to the local groups through traditional marriages, but culturally very different bands to form the White River Indian Band ; the Scottie Creek Band of the Upper Tanana , who once inhabited the so-called Scottie Creek area in what is now northern Alaska and in the Canadian Yukon Territory around Whitehorse and Beaver Creek , as well as a band of the Northern Tutchone living to the east .
Between 1961 and 1991 the current White River Indian Band was again forced to relocate to Burwash Landing on Kluane Lake , a traditional summer camp of the Lù'àn Män Ku Dän ("Kluane Lake People"), the so-called Burwash Band of the Southern Tutchone . The three bands have now officially merged to form the Kluane Band (later: Kluane Tribal Brotherhood and finally Kluane Tribal Council ). In 1990/1991 the Kluane Tribal Council split into two separate independent First Nations: the Kluane First Nation in Burwash Landing and the White River First Nation, whose members returned to Beaver Creek and Whitehorse.
Due to this compulsory settlement of various bands, today's tribe members speak Upper Tanana (or Tabesna), the White River dialect of Northern Tutchone (Dän kʼí) and some of the Kluane dialect of Southern Tutchone (Dän kʼè).
While most of the other tribes in the Yukon came to a treaty with the federal government and with that of the Territory, negotiations with the White River First Nation failed in 2005.
In November 2009 , the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development counted exactly 137 recognized Indians in the White River First Nation , of whom only three lived on the reservation. The tribe itself gives the number of its members as 220. Their traditional territory covers around 13,000 km² between the west end of Kluane Lake and the Alaska border.
history
Early history
The earliest livelihoods were the caribou herds , but also moose , sheep and marmots , hares and Alaska piping hares . There were also birds and fish, especially salmon . The harsh climate required a semi-nomadic life, with families gathering in spring and summer camps to fish, but also in the short fall to hunt.
They lived in shelters made of twigs, branches and hides. The clothing was also adapted to the climate.
Shamans excelled as healers and were responsible for making contact with spiritual powers. They also helped to find hunting prey.
Volcanic eruptions in the White River area and the late prehistoric period (approx. 100–1750)
The region of the White River First Nation is characterized by severe volcanism. Two of the largest volcanic eruptions occurred in the White River area around AD 100 and AD 800. The second catastrophe with enormous ash showers, which probably almost brought life in the region to extinction, was followed by the phase called Late Prehistoric .
For the first time copper was processed, a material that was widely traded from the White River area. It was made into tools such as awls and arrowheads, but also into jewelry. In this phase bows and arrows were used, which can be traced back to the Eskimos .
Through middlemen, the groups on the White River got obsidian , which came from the St. Elias Mountains . Red and gold agates and white chalcedony came from the Carmacks area and from Mount Nansen further west.
Klondike Gold Rush, Alaska Highway, Land Claims and Self-Government
During the Klondike gold rush from 1896, over 100,000 whites came to the region. In 1901 the Indians made up just over 10% of the Yukon population.
With the construction of the Alaska Highway from 1942, the Upper Tanana and Northern Tutchone, which were later merged to form the White River band , were relocated from Snag and Scottie Creek to Beaver Creek. In 1961, the government moved the White River Indians east to Burwash Landing , along with the Kluane Indian Band .
In 1973 the tribal struggle for their territories began with a program by Elijah Smith called Together Today for our Children Tomorrow , which he presented to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau . Dave Joe was the chief negotiator of the Yukon Indians , later the Council of Yukon First Nations . Nine of the eleven member tribes of the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) have now signed contracts on land claims and self-government. 1989 put Bessie John (1923-2000) through that her tribe could participate in contract negotiations with the territory. It was also she who edited an Upper Tanana-Scottie Dialect Glossary while teaching at Yukon College in Whitehorse and at Beaver Creek Upper Tanana from 1989 to 1993 .
It wasn't until 1991 that the White River group moved to Beaver Creek and left the forced community. It does not have a regular reserve, only lands set-aside , i.e. land that has not been used for other purposes.
Current situation
In the meantime there is a cross-border Tanana Chief Conference which, in addition to cultural and social tasks, tries to negotiate with the government, for example to protect the caribou .
In 2007 the tribe tried to enforce the establishment of a reserve of the kind only available south of the 60th parallel after the negotiations for the recognition of their land rights failed in 2005. But there was no reaction from the responsible authorities.
In 2008, the remote village of Beaver Creek was equipped with a secure water supply.
There is no treaty with Canada or the Territory, so there is no self-government. Nevertheless, the tribe insists that any land use must be discussed with them, i.e. that there is an obligation to consult. This is all the more serious as the Alaska Highway Pipeline Project continues, and TransCanada is exploring traditional oil and gas fields . Although the Yukon Placer and the Yukon Quartz Mining Act of 2002 prohibited prospecting against the will of the Indians, in 2009 the government tried to enforce that there should be no consultation requirement for gas and oil production.
literature
- Catharine McClellan, "Tutchone," in: Handbook of North American Indians, Vol. 6, Subarctic, Ed. June Helm, Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution 1981, 493-505.
See also
- First Nations history
- List of Indian tribes recognized in Canada
- List of North American Indian tribes
Web links
- White River First Nation website
- White River First Nation website, June 3, 2008 ( June 3, 2008 memento on the Internet Archive )
- Tribute to Bessie John, Yukon Native Language Center, June 2000
Remarks
- ↑ Designed by Allen + Maurer Architects Ltd. , in Penticton , British Columbia, who also built the Tr'ondek Haw'in First Nation Cultural Center .
- ↑ White River First Nation ( Memento of the original from December 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Yukon Community Profiles , archive.org, July 26, 2006.
- ^ KD West, JD Donaldson: Evidence for winter eruption of the White River Ash (eastern lobe), Yukon Territory, Canada . Abstract, 2000 ( Memento of April 8, 2009 in the Internet Archive ).
- ↑ Ensuring safe drinking water in a small Yukon community using a multi-barrier approach (PDF; 440 kB)
