Latest news with #SouthernTutchone
Hamilton Spectator
24-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Housing in Burwash Landing will be integral for attracting teachers: YAEP
The Yukon government is finalizing a 30-year land lease agreement with Kluane First Nation to allow for government staff housing for teachers in Burwash Landing. The housing, which will be owned and operated by YG on Kluane First Nation settlement land, will be a duplex with two 991-square-foot, fully accessible two bedroom units according to a July 14 press release. Construction of the duplex is expected to be complete this winter. The duplex is specifically for teachers at the new community school, Kêts'ádań Kų̀, which is currently being constructed in Burwash Landing. The Southern Tutchone name of the school can be translated into English as 'house of learning.' The school is set to be operated by the First Nation School Board according to a press release from September 2024. Jason Seaton, a spokesperson for Yukon Housing Corporation, told the News via email on July 18 that the government is paying the contractor $880,800. According to the release, the construction contract went to Jag Mechanical. Seaton said staff will pay rent to live in the housing, with utilities charged separately and the responsibility of the tenant. He said currently, a two-bedroom unit in Burwash Landing is $860 a month. He said rents are reviewed annually by Yukon Housing Corporation and could be adjusted. He said a variety of factors are at play as to how many staff members will be able to live in the duplex, although he noted that it's not uncommon for living spaces to be shared among staff living as roommates or a family to move in. Seaton said the government will 'continue advancing projects to best meet the needs of Yukoners and support communities.' He said the government is committed to ensuring there is accessible housing to attract and retain staff in communities. 'The highest need for staff housing for teachers is in Dawson,' Seaton wrote. 'At times, teachers turn down offers because they can't find housing.' He added there have also been requests for Watson Lake and Ross River. Communities send in staff housing requests to YG for review, said Seaton. If no units are available for qualifying staff, those staff members are put on a waitlist for when something becomes available. Ted Hupé, the president of Yukon Association of Education Professionals, said the housing will be 'absolutely integral' in attracting education staff. Hupé said housing is in high demand in every Yukon community, with nurses, teachers, RCMP and various government officials needing housing in communities. He said he's seen schools across the territory lose out on quality teaching candidates due to no guaranteed housing in their communities. 'This new housing in Burwash is going to make a big difference for future hiring. It's going to make it easier. There's going to be some certainty, which is going to make it so much more attractive, and that's what we need in every community,' Hupé said. He said this type of project needs to be replicated in every community in the Yukon. 'When it comes to housing in the communities, for the community citizens as well as teachers, if the government does not take concrete action, all the communities are going to suffer,' Hupé said. 'You get housing. You get more breadth of choice for selection of candidates, you get more activity in the schools. It's a cycle where housing is a major component,' Hupé said. Hupé said housing is also an issue in the larger centres in the Yukon, like Whitehorse, Dawson and Watson Lake. 'There aren't enough reasonably priced homes or units available for people to come up,' he said. Hupé said this is a problem, as most teachers coming to the territory are fresh out of school with little experience, and at the bottom of the pay scale. 'When you take into account all the deductions, cost of living, student loans, perhaps, car loans, cost of rent, it is hard for new people to get into the real estate market, and if rent's high, it's hard to attract people even into Whitehorse,' Hupé said. 'We've got to do better,' Hupé said, '…we're trying to invest into the next generation, and the housing is the thing that has to happen, here and now, to make an impact into the future.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CBC
19-07-2025
- CBC
Outdoor Indigenous museum in Yukon celebrates 30 years
Social Sharing Every year, between 5,000 and 10,000 visitors make their way to Long Ago Peoples Place, an outdoor museum in the Yukon. Saturday marks its 30th anniversary. Inspired by the teachings of their elders, Harold Johnson and Meta Williams manage the museum and teach visitors about Southern Tutchone culture. The site is a few kilometres off of the Alaska Highway between Haines Junction and Whitehorse, on the territory of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations. The sprawling camp is a collection of traditional dwellings, traps and tools — everyday objects for their ancestors. It's also a cultural touchstone for the nearby community. "We have young First Nation kids, when they come walking outta here, you'd think they were like six feet tall or something," said Johnson. "They're pretty proud, happy to just see this because it's history, their history." Traditional lifestyle Thirty years on from the museum's opening, tours still begin around a campfire. A large chocolate-coloured dog wags its tail as it greets guests, who may also catch the exquisite smell of fresh bannock emanating from a nearby building. Williams breaks the ice with slow, precise movements as she tells the story of the wolf clan, of which she's a member. A quick glance over to Johnson and he seamlessly takes over, inviting the group to follow him into the forest that extends into the mountains. Even after all these years, he's still amazed by the ingenuity of his ancestors. "This is a summer house. That's a winter house," he said, pointing toward traditional structures that he rebuilt. "That's a caribou fence. There's a fish trap over there, a deadfall trap. So it's everything kind of in one area," he explained. He took a moment to admire the land that surrounds him before walking deeper into the bush. Keeping the culture alive An hour later, Johnson was back around the fire and he unfurled a map of the area. He said he's working with "younger kids" to keep growing the camp, and hopes this new generation is willing to keep it going. "I don't have to be the main person, I'll get the kids to do it and I'll kind of step back and just be a helper," he said. For Williams, it's not an easy decision to hand over the reins. "It's pretty hard to walk away from your life… how do you walk away from it?" she asked, with a tremor in her voice. "It's who you are. So I'm still going to answer that one. I got to figure that one out." Still, Williams knows that for the camp to succeed, it will one day have to go to someone else. "The next generation is going to be the ones that need to take it over. And I hope that they get just as passionate about the process and about the learning and add more to the experience for visitors," she said. To Williams, oral storytelling is a crucial part of that experience. "Practicing oral history is learning to listen very, very carefully and then being able to tell the story as you were told," she said. "That's a really important part of being a messenger. And then plus, to share it with the world so that we don't lose it. Because if we don't share it, people will never know and they'll never learn." Williams and Johnson recognize the work that they've done over the past 30 years, teaching and changing minds. "The non-First Nation community are very grateful because they probably were wondering, how do people live in the North? So most people that come through the camp, when they leave here, they have more respect for the First Nations people," said Johnson. It's a job worth doing, he adds, considering the history of colonization. "They really tried to kill the culture." Passing the torch Whitney Johnson-Ward also recognizes the effort her parents Johnson and Williams have put into the camp and wants to honour that work. "Growing up here, it's very important to me and just keeping alive what my parents started is important to me," she said. "How they did it, so grassroots, almost like just on their own and it's really beautiful." As she takes on more responsibility, she said she'd like to see a bigger language component at the camp, even hosting a kind of immersion camp. She also hopes to involve more family members, like nieces and nephews, with her parents serving as a guiding light. "We're just gonna be working on the next phases together. I don't know how far they think they're stepping back, because they are my mentors — and I'm gonna expect them here a lot," she said with a laugh.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A Whitehorse high school now has an Njel. That sets a precedent, vice principal says
There was a time when Njels were everywhere across the land. "These are the types of houses we would have lived in," said Harold Johnson, a Southern Tutchone knowledge keeper. "There was [sic] towns, villages, even cities." Now the traditional, full-sized dwelling stands tall once more, behind Porter Creek Secondary School in Whitehorse. It's at the centre of a camp called Ǹtsǟw Chù Kets'edän Kų̀, which means "the learning house at Wild Rhubarb Creek" — the original name of the area. It's here all students will experience first-hand the transfer of traditional knowledge. That includes stories from Elders and land-based learning like hide tanning. Hundreds attended a ceremony hosted by the school Wednesday, with speakers saying the Njel deepens and solidifies cultural connections — both at the school and the community at large. Funded by the Arctic Inspiration Prize and the Yukon government, Johnson and Meta Williams designed and built the Njel. Students helped. With the exception of a massive cedar log from Vancouver Island at the top, the house is built mostly of local spruce, the boughs of which cover the floor. "To learn like this in a traditional structure is so much more [beneficial]," Johnson said. "You're not explaining how a house looks, you're actually in it. Right off the bat, [the students] totally get it, you know? "There's no words that I can say. This house speaks for itself, basically. You just gotta see it." 'If you live here, you need to learn about living here' Vice-principal Nicole Cross said the urban traditional camp sets a high bar, and at a school where at least 40 per cent of youth are First Nations. "I think what this means for the school is the ability to be able to truly incorporate cultural learning on a scale that isn't precedented really," she said. "We want to make sure we're honouring that knowledge and that culture." The Njel provides a space for cultural teachings and ceremony while making place-based learning accessible to everyone. "Where are students going to learn about it if not on the land, where it comes from?" she said. "This is a traditional building of this land. "If you live here, you need to learn about living here." As for what instruction will look like, Cross said to start — teachings about the Njel. "What is its meaning, why is it here, how was it built, and its traditional uses," she said. "Then any kind of learning. It's the space itself that is part of the magic. It's a living thing in itself." Cross hopes students from other schools can experience the Njel too, and that elders come by on a regular basis. "It's a bit of a scaffolded situation," she said, noting students continue to work on the building and take part in a nearby hide camp, which is on this week. "When I say the students are driving it, they're driving it."
CBC
23-02-2025
- General
- CBC
'We need it back in our community': Yukon First Nation starts language immersion program
Some Kwanlin Dün First Nation citizens are learning to speak Southern Tutchone for the first time. They are participating in a new Southern Tutchone Language Revitalization Program facilitated by Kwanlin Dün First Nation in partnership with the Yukon Native Language Centre and Simon Fraser University. The program is meant to encourage citizens to speak and share Southern Tutchone with their community. "I've always wanted to take language but I thought I was too old for it," said Ron Thompson, one of the students in the program. "I have nieces and nephews and if they actually see that it's changed me and the positive outlook on all of it, they will hopefully one day say, 'I want to be like Uncle Ron.'" Chief Sean Smith says the community has lost many of its Southern Tutchone speakers, and this program is a way of bringing the language back. "We did have more speakers 20 plus years ago, but now we've lost a number of our Elders that were fluently speaking, which creates concerns," Smith said. "Using the immersion method of instruction to really promote that and use our language is really great, but it also encourages an understanding of that First Nation worldview." The program includes nine university courses taught by instructors at the Yukon Native Language Centre. It started in January with a four week immersion course, where students were immersed in the language for up to six hours a day. Now, students are also learning to read and write in Southern Tutchone. The program also includes two on-the-land camps where students will participate in cultural activities while speaking in Southern Tutchone. Students hope to become teachers Kiana Blake is just 19 years old. She says she is participating in the program so she can teach her language to others in the community, like her her family and friends. "It's just a way our community can connect together, same with my family and friends," Blake said. "I'm proud to be where I'm from, and how I'm able to hold conversations now and speak my ancestors' language." Blake is not only speaking the language outside of the classroom, she is also sharing it on social media. Over the past few weeks, she has been posting videos to TikTok where she shares the words she's learned in Southern Tutchone. "I have a lot of fun making them and being able to put that out there in the world," Blake said. Students in the course will receive a Certificate of Language Proficiency from Simon Fraser University when they complete the program in June. Many of the students in the program have already put their names forward to teach future courses through the Yukon Native Language Centre after they complete the program. Alisha Malcolm says her grandmother used to speak to her in Southern Tutchone, but she lost the language when she was only five-years-old. Now, after losing her grandmother, she's relearning the language again in her forties. "I think her, my aunties, my uncles, the ones who have all passed away, they would be very proud of me, I say. And right now I can feel it in my body that they're with me and it makes me happy." Malcolm says she hopes she will be able to speak Southern Tutchone with her daughter, who is learning the language at daycare. She plans to teach the language to her own children and others one day.
