About Us

The Selkirk First Nation Government and its Northern Tutchone Citizens are based in the rural community of Pelly Crossing, situated between Whitehorse and Dawson City. The community maintains a deep connection to the land, with daily practices and governance that reflect our cultural values and history. Selkirk First Nation works towards initiatives that promote our traditional lifestyle, community well-being, and the revitalization of the Northern Tutchone language while upholding our traditional laws.

Long ago, the people of the Selkirk First Nation were known as Huchá Hudän, which means “People of the Flat Country”. This was because of the landscape in Fort Selkirk, where we historically resided, which is flat on both sides of the river. We also have people who came from upriver traditionally referred to as Tséʼ Kįn Nukne Hudän meaning “Beaver House Along the River People”. These names reflect how our heritage is deeply connected to the land. Although the modern world has made its footprint in our lives, we still rely heavily on the land for survival.

Our population fluctuates throughout the year with an average of 750 citizens, most of whom reside in Pelly, but many residing in Whitehorse, across Canada, and internationally. We continue to live a partially subsistence lifestyle leaning on the traditional ways of our culture as passed down from our Elders. Our land consists of our Traditional Territory which is crucial to upholding our cultural ways. Guided by our traditional laws, we practice deep respect for the land and its resources.

Selkirk First Nation is part of the Northern Tutchone language and cultural grouping and are closely connected with our neighbours who also have Athabaskan roots: the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun in Mayo, and the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation in Carmacks. Combined, the three Northern Tutchone First Nations are associated through a collaborative organization known as the Northern Tutchone Tribal Council. Together, this organization deals with matters and issues that affect all three First Nations, and we host events to nurture the cultural practices of our Northern Tutchone Citizens.

There are also historic and familial ties with the Southern Tutchone people to the southwest with whom a common language and similar culture are shared.

In the early days, the Huchá Hudän lived a semi-nomadic life, establishing seasonal camps in summer and winter. We had a trading relationship with the Coastal Tlingit and would meet annually to trade during summer fish camps at the future site of Fort Selkirk, which would later be developed into a trading post by the Hudson’s Bay Company. After the fur-trading fort was built, the Huchá Hudän settled in Fort Selkirk on a more permanent basis, continuing to trap, fish, hunt, and gather year-round in culturally significant areas.

Fort Selkirk remained vibrant as a cultural hub and trading post until the early 1950’s when the construction of the Klondike Highway changed everything. Riverboat traffic ceased along the Yukon and Pelly River, and with this significant change, many residents relocated to Minto Landing, a site along the newly constructed Klondike Highway. Eventually, our people moved to Pelly Crossing, where we continue to thrive today.

The Big Jonathan Heritage Centre is situated in Pelly Crossing along the Klondike highway. It is a replica to the original building in Fort Selkirk which belonged to our Chief of the time, Big Jonathan. It now serves as a cultural learning centre about Fort Selkirk with educational displays with a focus on the transition that happened when the Selkirk people moved to Pelly Crossing. Beautiful handicrafts are also on display showing the strength and talent of our people and our late Elders. All pieces are made locally including beaded clothing, birch bark baskets, baby birch bedding, and tools.

While our people and Dän K’i (our way of life) have faced significant changes over time, our traditions remain a vital foundation for our culture and guide us in creating the healthy community we envision.

Traditional Laws are a set of rules to follow to keep a community healthy and safe. Traditional Law is part of Dän Ki – our way, which was the system of survival for thousands of years. To understand Dän Ki you must know about Doòli. There is Doòli for animals and plants to show them respect. Personal Doòli is about how people should behave properly towards each other in everyday life. In day-to-day life, everyone followed Doòli as best they could. Making a mistake or being careless and breaking Doòli could cause an illness or injury to the person who broke Doòli, or it could affect someone else. It might also bring hard times to the community.

Doòli is an endless process of learning to live in balance and harmony with everything in this world and the spiritual one beyond. Traditional Laws are not just between a person and the creator but also require the cooperation and advice of other people. When a “law” was broken it was up to the whole community to correct this problem. The Northern Tutchone people’s society was based on the concept of the group – emphasis was not placed on the individual but the community as a whole.

The Northern Tutchone people have a unique way of social organization, which is known as the clan system. There are two clans: Wolf and Crow. The clan system is matrilineal, which means it is based on the mother and a child always belongs to its mother’s clan. Whatever clan a person was born into, this is the clan that they will remain with for life. The clans represent who we are, our connection to other families, and our connection to our environment.

The Northern Tutchone people’s society was based on the concept of the group – emphasis was not placed on the individual but the community as a whole. Elders are, and continue to be, the threads of our community, holding us together. Their roles are an extensive list of responsibilities that assist in the safekeeping of our traditional cultural ways.

Our traditional language is Northern Tutchone, which is rooted in the Athapaskan dialect and remains a vital part of our culture and identity. As Selkirk people, we are grounded in our traditional laws, known as

Dän K’i

meaning ‘Our Way of life’. The four guiding principles of Dän K’i are:

Respect (Nałats’íntr’a)  Caring (Łek’áts’ete)  Sharing (Łeyâts’eli), and  Teaching (Hats’adän). 

These guiding values have shaped our community for generations, fostering harmony with one another and the environment.

Northern Tutchone is also shared with the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun in Mayo, the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation in Carmacks, and a small population in Beaver Creek. Our people take great pride in their language, just as they do in all aspects of their culture. Elders continue to speak it fluently, while younger generations are actively learning. 

Selkirk First Nation is committed to revitalizing the Northern Tutchone language through an established Language Program in the Heritage Branch. This initiative focuses on reclaiming and incorporating the language throughout the community, as well as researching and expanding the Northern Tutchone dictionary. Dedicated citizens, including fluent speakers, Language staff and students, are working diligently to keep our Northern Tutchone language vibrant in today’s world.

Numerous publications have been written in or translated into Northern Tutchone, along with a dictionary, with more publications planned for the future. Currently, four popular children’s books by Robert Munsch are being translated. The language department is also developing a Northern Tutchone app to help those interested improve their Northern Tutchone language skills.

Today, the community maintains a deep connection to the land. Many families have established fish camps where they gather to set salmon fishing nets, process the catch, and dry the fish. These camps serve as gathering places during the summer fishing season and transition into hunting camps in the fall. Families regularly visit these sites to strengthen their bond with the land.

Under the Final Agreement, the First Nation now manages 4,739.68 square kilometers of Settlement Lands. The First Nation is dedicated to promoting a healthier lifestyle for future generations and fostering a robust economy rooted in its abundant natural resources.

Members of the public are welcome to access Settlement Land, provided they avoid significant disturbances (such as cutting or clearing) and refrain from using the land for commercial purposes. This means you can:

• Walk your dog or ride your horse
• Hike or camp
• Ride your ATV or drive your vehicle on existing trails or roads that were in place before the Final Agreements were signed, as long as you stay on the established paths.

If you discover any artifacts while on Settlement Land, please do not touch or move them; instead, report your findings to the Selkirk First Nation Heritage Program by calling (867) 537-3331 ext. 606 or the Lands Administration Assistant at ext. 602.

If you wish to hunt, trap, or fish on Selkirk First Nation Settlement Land, you must contact the Lands department and obtain written permission from the Selkirk First Nation government.