Yukon Native Language Centre

It’s always interesting to check out the Yukon Native Language Centre.

The office within Yukon College is adminstered by the Council of Yukon First Nations.

It’s a place for courses and workshops, and features material in eight languages: Gwich’in, Hän, Kaksa, Northern Tutchone, Southern Tutchone, Tagish, Tlingit and Upper Tanana.

The centre has storybooks, classroom materials, legends, elders’ interviews and more.

Traditional food: Eating a lynx

During the recent muskrat camp outside Burwash Landing (at Lake Creek territorial campground) students got to meet trappers.

Ryan Sealy of Environment Yukon’s Trapper Education program obtained a lynx from a trapper in Pelly Crossing Yukon. Students saw how the fur is used and also the meat. It turns out lynx is edible — Sealy even calls it a “family favorite.”

The meat was cut into little cubes so that everyone would have a piece. I would describe it as tasting just like chicken if slightly chewier.

Students at ‘muskrat camp’ learn trapping

The Kluane Lake School in Destruction Bay hosts a Muskrat Camp every year, where local students spend a few days with trappers and elders.

The students visited a trapline and learned how to trap muskrat. They then were guided through scraping the hides as well as sewing and other workshops.

These kinds of land skills are increasingly being recognized and incorporated into Yukon schools.

Read more here:
http://tinyurl.com/ya2dlldj

Adäka festival: Traditional watercraft

The Akäka Arts and Culture Festival wrapped up today with a splash: Traditional canoes and kayaks were launched onto the Yukon River after more than a month of work.

Aboriginal Day 2017

This is the first year that Aboriginal Day is a statutory holiday in Yukon. This means government employees had the day off.

The celebration in Whitehorse included music, dancing, fish and bannock, and stories told around a campfire.

Yukon First Nations celebrate 20 years of self-government

A huge celebration in Whitehorse at the Kwanlin Dun Cultural centre this week. Four First Nations are marking 20 years since negotiation self-government.

Pictured here are some of the Chiefs who spoke as well as the cultural performances.