First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun
The Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation of is a Canadian First Nations in the Yukon. The name goes back to Na Cho Nyak ( Big River ), which was referred to the Stewart River.
Most members of the tribe live in Mayo. They belong to the Athabascan language family, more precisely to the Northern Tutchone. The Nacho Nyak Dun have not only Tutchone ancestors but are related, in part, with the Gwich'in and the Dene. However, they are more strongly associated with the Northern Tutchone from Selkirk to Pelly Crossing and Little Salmon / Carmacks First Nation to Carmacks. With them, the three groups the Northern Tutchone Tribal Council, which occurs in common affairs.
In December 2009 474 people were recognized as members of the First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun on the basis of the Indian Act. The trunk itself indicates the number of its members to 602. Her two reserves Mayo 6 and 3 McQuesten include approximately 114 hectares. The traditional territory covers 162,456 km ², of which 131,599 to the Yukon and 30 857 belong to the Northwest Territories.
History
Early History
In the early history Nacho Nyak Dun were the hunters, collectors and trappers. The tribe consisted of two Moietys, which were called " Crow " and " Wolf". Earliest livelihoods were the caribou herds, but also elk, sheep and marmots, hares, and pikas Alaska. Then there were birds and fish, especially salmon. 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.
Clothing and dwellings were adapted to the climate and the nomadic way of life. Accordingly, they lived in shelters made of twigs, branches and skins. Shamans were considered healers and made contact with spiritual powers. They also helped in finding game animals.
Gold and silver discoveries
In the 1880s, the first gold discoveries were made in the region of Mayo, and followed up with silver. Mayo was supplied to the 1950s of boats, which were detached from the road via the Klondike Highway and the Silver Trail. The Silver Trail Association Mayo with Stewart Crossing.
1915 was Reverend Julius Kendi, an Indian, to the Fraser Falls, where there are many members of the tribe met for the drying of fish caught. Kendi was an Anglican catechist from the Peel River district. He convinced her that it was better to build our own village 3 km below Mayo, which had been created since 1903, on the opposite bank of the Stewart River. Albert Tom was for 55 years chief in the village thus created, which was simply called The Old Village. This relocation was done, as noted, to the satisfaction of the people in Mayo and the Indians, who had to leave the place, " with the exception of, perhaps, a few squaws ".
Overall, the Anglican Church reached together with the local police force, a period of relatively stable segregation from around 1905, which lasted until 1942. It was hard to imagine without the development of stereotypical images of the American Indian and the notions of " savagery " and general inferiority in the white society of the corridor between Dawson, Mayo and Whitehorse. The Indians were removed from the harmful influence of perceived whites, on the other hand they occupied no economically exploitable land, especially for prospectors, as Indian Agent John Hawksley noted. This distance from the settlement centers took place in all major towns. In 1947 defended themselves in Mayo white parents against the visit of the local school by Indian children. The hospital refused to treat the Indians and let them instead provide in a tent behind the building. 1932 belonged to the community of Mayo 168 White parish of St. Mary, 43 Natives St. Mark.
In the 50s tried Catholic missionaries to Teslin and Ross River, but also to win Mayo trailer. In 1950 there were 80 residents Anglicans and Catholics 11 in place. The Anglican Indian communities were mostly cared for by catechists, as in the case of Old Village by John Martin, who came from McPerson in the Northwest Territories. He requested the ordination in 1932, but refused to accept this. Therefore, he turned to Archbishop Isaac Stringer ( Rupert's Land ), who held but also trained him for theological enough. Martin was never a priest and died, apparently regarded highly, on 8 March 1937.
Road construction, land claims and self-government
1973-1984 negotiated the northern Tutchone and governments in Whitehorse and Ottawa in vain to land claims and the hanging thereon rights, as well as the forms of self- government ( self-government ). Only in 1993 there was a breakthrough and consequently to a contract. The trunk is accordingly owners and legislators for an area of 1,830 square miles, and he gets distributed over 15 years, $ 14,554,654. Chief ( chief) is Simon Mervyn senior.
Current Situation
Together with the Tr'ondek Hwech'in First Nation, they entered into an agreement with Yukon Energy to supply power via the Mayo Dawson Dawson Powerline.
In May 2008, the tribe concluded by Alexco Resource Corp.. a preliminary agreement on its silver mines in the Keno Hill Silver District, near the Mayo Lake. There, in the space around Keno and Elsa, Alexco has around 40 silver mines.
The no longer standing in use language to be revitalized, the oral tradition collected by interviewing the elders. Also, places like Old Village, where 117 participants gathered for the annual celebration in June 2009, or Lansing Post, which are for the history of the tribe of importance restored.
There are also efforts to ecologically and culturally valuable plans and areas, such as the Peel Watershed Land Use Planning process, the Ddhaw Ghro Habitat Protection area or the Devil 's Elbow Habitat Protection Area. To this end a five -year plan was adopted in 2004.