Hän people

The Han or hands, actually Han Huch'inn ( " people living by the river " ) are an American Indian people in northwestern Canada ( Yukon ) and Alaska. Your original, heavily forested area of ​​settlement stretched mainly along the Yukon River.

Their language belongs to the northern group of Athabaskan languages ​​and is closely related to the Kutchin. She is threatened with extinction. It is estimated that only about 15 ( mostly elderly ) people speak this language, although there are some efforts to teach younger people.

Originally founded her life mainly on the salmon fishery. In summer, the Han gathered on the Yukon to catch the fish in the winter, they split into smaller family groups to hunt game such as caribou, moose, bears, porcupines and beavers. Due to the boundary between the then Russian Alaska and Canada their settlement area was divided, in the train of the Klondike Gold Rush, the late 19th century it was overrun by whites, resulting in their way of life changed comprehensively.

At the time of first contact with the whites lived is estimated that about 1000 Han. Today they are in the United States and Canada together 300. Most of them live in Dawson ( Canada ) as well as in the town of Eagle ( Alaska).