Northern Tutchone
Encyclopedia
The Northern Tutchone are a First Nations
people living mainly in the central Yukon
in Canada
. The Northern Tutchone language, originally spoken by the Northern Tutchone people, is a variety
of the Tutchone language
, part of the Athabaskan language family
. "Song Keeper" Jerry Alfred
is leading a movement to keep the language alive through his music.
Northern Tutchone First Nations governments and communities include:
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
people living mainly in the central Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The Northern Tutchone language, originally spoken by the Northern Tutchone people, is a variety
Variety (linguistics)
In sociolinguistics a variety, also called a lect, is a specific form of a language or language cluster. This may include languages, dialects, accents, registers, styles or other sociolinguistic variation, as well as the standard variety itself...
of the Tutchone language
Tutchone language
Tutchone is a threatened Athabaskan language spoken in the Yukon Territory in Canada. It has two varieties that are sometimes considered separate languages, Southern Tutchone and Northern Tutchone....
, part of the Athabaskan language family
Athabaskan languages
Athabaskan or Athabascan is a large group of indigenous peoples of North America, located in two main Southern and Northern groups in western North America, and of their language family...
. "Song Keeper" Jerry Alfred
Jerry Alfred
Jerry Alfred is a Northern Tutchone musician living in Pelly Crossing, Yukon. He was named "Keeper of the Songs" at birth, an honorary title which he has made into a career, updating traditional Tutchone music by adding twentieth century Western influences.Alfred was born in the community of...
is leading a movement to keep the language alive through his music.
Northern Tutchone First Nations governments and communities include:
- First Nation of Nacho Nyak DunFirst Nation of Nacho Nyak DunThe First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun is a First Nation in the Yukon Territory in Canada. Its main population centre is in Mayo, Yukon, but many of its members live across Canada and the United States. The language originally spoken by the people of this First Nation is Northern Tutchone...
(Mayo, YukonMayo, YukonMayo is a village in the Yukon, Canada, along the Silver Trail and the Stewart River. The population was 248 in 2006. It is also the home of the First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun, whose primary language is Northern Tutchone. Nacho Nyak Dun translates into "big river people". It is serviced by Mayo...
) - Little Salmon/Carmacks First NationLittle Salmon/Carmacks First NationThe Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation is a First Nation in the central Yukon Territory in Canada. Its original population centre was Little Salmon, Yukon, but most of its citizens live in Carmacks, Yukon...
(Carmacks, YukonCarmacks, Yukon-History:The community consists of the Village of Carmacks and the Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation and was named after George Washington Carmack, who found coal near Tantalus Butte in 1893. Carmack built a trading post and traded with locals near the present site of Carmacks and also started a...
) - Selkirk First NationSelkirk First NationThe Selkirk First Nation is a First Nation in the central Yukon Territory in Canada. Its original population centre was the trading post of Selkirk, Yukon along the Yukon River, but most of its citizens now live in Pelly Crossing, Yukon where the Klondike Highway crosses the Pelly River. The...
(Pelly Crossing, YukonPelly Crossing, YukonPelly Crossing is community in the Yukon, Canada. It lies where the Klondike Highway crosses the Pelly River. Population in 2008 was 291.It is the home of the Selkirk First Nation, and home to the Northern Tutchone culture. Cultural displays and artifacts are housed in a replica of Big Jonathan House...
)