Old Crow, Yukon

Old Crow is a place in the Yukon below the mouth of Old Crow River in the Porcupine River. 215 of the 253 inhabitants belonged in 2006 to the First Nation of the Vuntut Gwitchin.

The place is only a winter road, accessible by boat or by plane ( Old Crow Airport ).

History

Early History

The Vuntut Gwichin lived from the beginning of the caribou in the region, which now gather in the Porcupine herd. They lived originally at Fort Yukon, Johnson House and LaPierre House ( on the eastern border of the Yukon ) to Whitestone Village and at other places.

The Gwich'in are probably for more than 10,000 years ago in present-day area. Although there may be even older tracks, but they are controversial. The so-called Northern Archaic people are the first inhabitants that can be assigned to a narrow cultural space. They appeared around 4500 BC To 2200 BC were changing the tools that Arctic cultures of small tools (micro blades ) came out on top, or it was an immigration instead, possibly from Inuit.

First Europeans, trading post, Inuit

Alexander Mackenzie was probably 1789, the first Europeans who met Gwich'in. At that time they were divided into nine tribes. Mackenzie put them in the name of " Quarrellers ".

The most northern trading post Fort Good Hope at the mouth of the Bluefish River in the Mackenzie River. Counter blue and white beads, to metal objects, exchanged Gwichin especially beaver and mink. With 20,000 Bisamfellen and 2000 mink provided the Gwich'in and the Hare, who continued to live in the south to 1823 three-quarters or one-third of the total return of the territory. The northernmost extension depended on the meat supply of the Gwich'in. These were probably not rely on the British and the French, because they acted through intermediaries with the Russians in Alaska.

1826 Inuit apparently led by a kind of punitive expedition. At around sixty canoes that were occupied by eight to nine men, there were more than five hundred men. Without the guns of the fur traders, the Gwich'in have they can hardly keep from direct access to the fort and its rich warehouses. They defended their monopoly by force of arms, and held it until 1850, when they were decimated by epidemics.

When the caribou moved north, the Inuit cut the Gwich'in on the giant flock. This, in turn, asked for more guns in the fort, but it was not enough, so that the Indians were suffering from hunger. For fear of the Inuit of the head of the Fort Hare and " Loucheux " the fort struck in the summer of 1827 before, further away from the " Esquimeaux " too embarrassed.

Missionaries, contacts the Vuntut Gwichin to Alaska

1862 appeared Archdeacon Robert McDonald as the first missionary. He was a priest since 1853, and translated the Bible, hymn and prayer books in the local Takudh. He married July Kuttuq in 1876. To date, the chiefs are also the priests, such as David Salmon of Chalkyitsik or Trimble Gilbert of Arctic Village. In the 1860s, missionary Robert McDonald ( 1829-1913 ) at the Gwitchin.

1867, when the border was drawn to Alaska, the Vuntut Gwichin moved into the Canadian Rampart House, a trading post on the border.

In the 1870s, died chief Deetru ' K'avihdik, whose name is slightly changed " Old Crow " ( Old Crow ) is called.

First camp in Old Crow

John Tizya was probably the first who built a camp on the site of the present Old Crow in 1904. In 1911, the first fur trading post. 1912 attracted three families of Rampart House to Old Crow, other Vuntut - Gwitch'in families followed. 1918 Reverend Toddy suggested the construction of a mission building since Tizya held religious services in his home. In the village there were now two trading posts, gradually attracted the Vuntut of Rampart House to Old Crow, they were followed in the course of the 1920s, the church, the school and the police ( 1929).

1926 originated in Old Crow, the first church. Archdeacon A. C. McCullum was ordained here. The building was used until 1959 as a church, but still exists today. 1935 was the St Luke's Mission House, an Anglican mission station. Today's St Luke 's Anglican Church replaced in 1959 the first church building. Ellen Bruce, who was ordained here in 1987, was the second Native American woman, the priestess was in Canada, the first in the north. She received the Order of Canada.

1943, the 18-year chief Chief Moses leading the British Empire Medal, among other things, because he had collected for orphaned children of the bomb attacks on England. In 1964 it was built in honor of the Peter Moses Building, which served for two decades as a community hall. In the early 1980s created a Community Hall.

National Park, land rights

In 1995, the Vuntut National Park was established, which serves to protect the Porcupine herd. He is managed by Parks Canada and the Vuntut Gwitchin. At the same time keeps the Vuntut Development Corporation in the local airline Air North 49% of the shares. It combines Old Crow with Vancouver ( South Terminal ).

1998 saw the administration building of the Vuntut Gwitchin, the Sarah Abel Chitze Building. The namesake had died on 14 August 1998 at the age of 102 years, and had been a spokeswoman for the tribe. At Edith Josie recalls the eponymous house. She was from 1963 emerged with columns about the region, such as the Daily News Miner in Fairbanks or Whitehorse Star. She was originally from Eagle in Alaska, but was pulled with her parents in 1940 to Old Crow. She received the 1967 Canadian Centennial Award, 1995 the Order of Canada, the National Aboriginal Achievement Award in 2000 and died on 31 January 2010 at the age of 88 years in Old Crow.

In June 2009, the Vuntut Gwitchin belonged to 511 people.