Tahltan

The Tahltan (also Nahanni ) is a north - athapaskisches First Nation of northern British Columbia ( Canada ) lives at Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake and Iskut the. In December 2008, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development identified 1,668 people as members of the Tahltan.

History

1824 explored Samuel Black of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC ), the region to take advantage of the differences between the north-western Indian tribes trade for the fur trade. Between 1832 and 1838, probably infected Tlingit dragged the first time a smallpox.

1834 came John McLeod from Fort Halkett on the Liard River and discovered the Dease Lake. Although he reached on the trade paths of the Indians the Stikine River, but not, he managed to establish trade contacts with them. 1838 established the fur trader Robert Campbell, an employee of the HBC trading post on the shores of Lake House Dease Lake. He succeeded in 1838 contacts with the Tahltan take. The lake in turn was named in 1834 after Chief Factor Peter Warren Dease. The trading station played a role in the local fur trade, but Campbell and his group had to retreat initially to Fort Halkett. It was not until 1839, the British agreed with the Russian traders against surrender of 2,000 otter pelts per year and the obligation to make provision beforehand Russian traders on an agreement that the HBC opened the region. In 1840 they renamed the fort on Wrangell Iceland in Fort Stikine, and built another on the Taku River.

However, in order they came into conflict with the Tlingit, who saw disturbed their trade. They forced the British to restrict their trade on the coast and negotiated even with the Tahltan with which they used intense. The now arriving metal goods supplanted the traditional tool materials bone, antler and obsidian. The Tahltan took over elements of the dominant culture Tlingit. 1847-1849 met the Tahltan, whose number was estimated at 1,000 to 1,500, a new smallpox epidemic that probably only 300-325 of them survived. Several fishing locations had to be abandoned, and the cultural leaders had fallen victim to the disaster.

1861 dissolved gold discoveries on the Stikine, the Choquette and Carpenter made ​​, the gold rush of Cassiar from. Captain William Moore brought in next year, the prospectors of Wrangel into the hinterland. Although most in the face of low gold deposits withdrew again in the fall, Governor James Douglas took over affects the control of the newly established Stikine region.

When the Western Union or Collins Overland Telegraph Company wanted to build a telegraph line to connect over North America Asia with Europe, took place in 1866 cartographic activities. Therefore, the Telegraph Creek got its name. The company was, however, canceled, when in 1867 the first submarine cable in the Atlantic had been successfully laid.

In 1873 came new gold discoveries on Thibert Creek, not far from the Dease Lake, by Thibert and McCullough. This was followed in 1874 finds the Cassiar Gold Rush. The gold rush ended in Glenora, where John C. Calbraith of the HBC opened a shop for their needs, and they went overland to Dease Lake. Captain Moore received permission to build a road along the old trading path. The Tahltan suffered from new diseases, such as measles, came to clashes with the gold diggers. The number of Tahltan continued to decline, and eventually they decided to try and live in a place that no longer klanweise separately. At the same time the trade tore off with the Tlingit, whose monopoly collapsed.

With the Klondike gold rush, thousands of gold seekers to the north, alone in winter 1897 to 1898 camped 3000-3500 of them in Glenora. Telegraph Creek, which connected the navigation on the Stikine to the north, in 1897 connected to Atlin. The steam boat Lady of the Lake wrong on the Dease Lake.

The Tahltan hired themselves out as carriers and exchanged furs for food. The previously tried to strong demarcation Tahltan or their women married white men more often. In addition, in 1896 the first missionaries arrived with Bishop Ridley of the Anglican Diocese of Caledonia to the Tahltan. He sent F.M.T. 1897 Reverent Palgrave, who established a first mission station in Tahltan Village. Palgrave, who remained until 1901, made ​​on extensive records of the language of the 225 remaining Tahltan. His successor was T.P.W. Thorman, who built a mission house and a still existing church. He baptized 50 Tahltan, but had to due to lack of funds left the place in 1903.

However, he was replaced by the Presbyterian Dr. F. Inglis in the same year. He came to Telegraph Creek and built a primary school ( elementary school ). 1910 Thorman came back, and he taught, along with his son Fred 15 children until 1912.

1910 applied the Tahltan with a Declaration of the Tahltan Tribe against the feared conversion of reserve land in Crown land. The signatories were chief Nanok and 80 tribesmen. The ethnologist James Teit was co-founder of Friends of the Indians and acted on behalf of the Allied Tribes of British Columbia. In the Thor Mans, another generation long operated a mission, which was closed in 1952 complained.

1931 Road Commission proposed the construction of the Pacific Highway Yukon ago, the Washington and Alaska should connect with each other, and was scheduled for a 1939 asphalt surface. The main thoroughfare is still the British Columbia Highway 37, but also the ship traffic on the Stikine in 1972 put an end to. The road construction brought new settlers to the north and one forced the Tahltan in Telegraph Creek to live. Their children had to attend the local schools, traditional techniques have been increasingly marginalized, such as fish traps and weirs through networks.

Language

Tahltan is a poorly documented north - Athabaskan language. Some linguists consider Tahlgan as a language with three divergent but mutually intelligible dialects ( Mithun 1999). The figures below amount to Poser (2003):

Other linguists consider them as different languages.

Consonants

The 45 consonants of the Tahltan:

Phonological processes

• Flattening the vowels
• Consonant harmony
• Nasalization of vowels
• Loosening of the vowels