The people of Tu Łidlini – which means “where the river meets and the people gather” – welcome you to this place we call home, where the Pelly and Ross rivers meet. Our people gathered here for thousands of years and we still do today. Both English river names hearken back to fur trade days when newcomers replaced some of our Dena names with English ones to honour far distant Hudson’s Bay Company men. We are returning to our Dena language as quickly as possible to ensure it survives with all its vibrancy for our children and all those yet to come.
As Kaska Dena or Denek’éh – Dena means people – we are part of the larger group of Kaska Nation living in southeast Yukon and northern B.C. We often designate groups by the landscape features in their areas. Though we have community-based governments in B.C and Yukon, we consider ourselves one Kaska Nation.
Led by our Elders, we retain a strong sense of our traditional spirituality. We fish, hunt and learn from the land as our ancestors have before us. Drumming is the heartbeat of our nation, uniting people in prayer and song as we build toward a new and better future for ourselves as independent self-reliant people in control of our destiny.
As a kid, I felt peace on the land and connected to who I was as a Dene. It was learned from being with my grandparents and parents – hearing stories of how my ancestors lived before I was born, skinning out a caribou at 40 below with my ninety-year-old Grandpa Amos Dick, hunting ducks with my brother on an ancient river where my ancestors travelled, hunting grouse in spring with my uncle. The land is still teaching me to walk in a good way, to show respect to everything. Our respect for the land should mirror our respect towards one another. Soga senla – thank you.Robby Dick-Nāgódigá
Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association
1-1109 Front Street (White Pass Building)
Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A-5G4
Phone 867.667.7698
Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
