Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation
The Little Salmon / Carmacks First Nation is one of the First Nations in the Yukon. Most of them live in Carmacks. They belong to the Athabascan language family, more precisely the Northern Tutchone.
For the Little Salmon / Carmacks First Nation, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development counted exactly 597 recognized Indians in December 2009. The trunk itself is the number of its members to 630.
History
Early History
Earliest livelihoods were the caribou herds, but also elk, sheep and marmots, hares and pikas Alaska. Then there were birds and fish, especially salmon. You create a nearly 4000 km long way over the Yukon River back. Again, live grizzly bears, wolves, coyotes and bobcats.
The harsh climate required a semi-nomadic life, where families in spring and summer camps for fishing came together, but also in the short autumn to hunt. The early groups lived in shelters made of twigs, branches and skins. The clothing was adapted to the climate.
The relations with neighboring groups, they strengthened through regular trade contacts and joint celebrations, as well as by ties of blood. Also, their view of the world and their relationship was similar to their surroundings. Shamans did himself as a healer and were responsible for contacting with spiritual powers. They also helped in locating prey.
During less favorable times of the year attracted little family associations, with some variations followed their respective hiking cycle each year, through the entire traditional territory.
The fur trade came shortly after 1800 by the Tlingit to the neighbors in the southern Yukon, so the local commerce for the first time tied to global trade. Thus, some European goods, such as guns, metal goods, axes, knives, but also tobacco, tea, sugar and flour were also among the groups, which later became the Little Salmon / Carmacks First Nation formed.
Klondike Gold Rush
Is George Carmack, named after the Carmacks, found in 1893 at Tantalus Butte coal ( locally called Coal Mine Hill ), near the modern village of Carmacks. He began to reduce coal on the south bank of the Yukon River and established a trading post. Carmack discovered along with Skookum Jim and Tagish Charlie Gold in 1896, which triggered the Klondike gold rush.
As this 1897, but especially 1898 broke over the sparsely populated region, some 100,000 people flocked to the gold fields. Most of them came from the Pacific Ocean over the only two passes. At Lake Lindeman or Lake Bennett they built rafts and boats to overcome the 800 km to Dawson. Entry in May 1898 drove around 7,000 boats down the Yukon on the territory of the tribe over.
In Carmacks soon lived white families who tolerated the presence of Indians in the vicinity of the village less and less. Thus, 1,905 inhabitants complained about Camping within the village boundaries, whereupon the competent Indian Ministry ( Department of Indian Affairs ) in the following year certain a reservation, which was, however, established only in 1926 ( Carmacks no 10). Little Salmon was not until 1956 that a reserve ( Little Salmon River no 10). The Indians were so badly kept away from the English-speaking culture that was still in 1932 found that, at best, two of the seniors from the Carmacks Group understood more than the simplest English. 1950 belonged to by the people of the Anglican Carmacks 133, only 3 of the Catholic Church.
Alaska Highway, assimilation
1942 began the construction of the Alaska Highway. The population of Whitehorse jumped from 700 to 25,000 in 1953 was the place the territorial capital, sparking Dawson from. In 1968, the Robert Campbell Highway, the Carmacks to Watson Lake on the Alaska Highway Association.
In Carmacks opened the Anglican Church a school that was attended only by Indian children, called a Residential School. By 1940, worked there a teacher named Brownlee. Some students from Carmacks went to school in Carcross, with a catchment area of about Whitehorse enough to the north to Old Crow.
Land claims and self-government
The daily Cho Hudän Interpretive Centre, a mix of tourist information, museum and archive opened in 1996.
In 1998, the First Nation after long negotiations a contract with the territory and the federal government in Ottawa, which regulated the rights to their traditional territory.
Current Situation
In the census of 2006 called the 325 425 inhabitants of Carmacks Aboriginal identity, so were members of the "Native American ".
Since 2007, Yukon Energy is building a power line from Carmacks to Stewart Crossing, the Pelly Crossing has already been reached. A branch to the Minto mine is in operation since November 2008, the sequel to Stewart Crossing end of 2010 was still under construction.
In the last election to the Chief January 13, 2009 won Eddie Skookum, who had signed the treaty of 1998, by 128 votes narrowly to George Skookum with 123 votes.