We steward, protect, and share Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in culture and heritage resources.
Anything and everything you do, the way you live is your heritage. I walk it, that’s who I am.
The past
After signing the Final Agreement in 1998, Heritage was a small component of a large Social Programs department with the pressing social and educational needs expected of a new and emerging government.
With direction and responsibilities outlined in Chapter 13 of the Final Agreement, the Cultural and Education department was formed. It had a staff of 2: a Director and a Community Education Liaison co-coordinator. Like all Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in departments, the Cultural and Education department was governed by elected Chief and Council and the Elders Council. The department grew dramatically and went through various phases, missions, and incarnations over the next 4 years and eventually the department became known simply as the Heritage Department.
The present
The Heritage team are currently oversee:
- The UNESCO World Heritage Site Inscription.
- The stewardship of Nun Go Ga, our baby mammoth.
- Forty Mile Preservation in partnership with Yukon Government.
- Heritage Library
- Cultural Camps for Youth and Elders
- Hän Language revitalization
- Dänojà’ Zho Programming
The future
In 2022 Council passed a resolution to create a purpose-built heritage facility to meet the department’s needs. Planning is currently underway for new complex to be built next to the Chief Steve Taylor Administration building on Front Street.
The new TH Heritage Complex will be a house of living culture for our citizens, and community. This public space will help reclaim our endangered Hän language, relearn traditional craft and repatriate our heritage. It will be a space for archive and records preservation, cultural and language programming, the exchange of traditional knowledge and the development of culturally appropriate histories.
Our legacy will be a living Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in heritage.
We pledge:
- To be a motivated team of Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in heritage professionals with the capacity to effectively manage and deliver our heritage resource programs.
- To put together a comprehensive record of Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in heritage.
- To ensure heritage resources are not lost and are protected for today and tomorrow.
- To have our heritage recognized, supported, and respected by everyone.
Documents, Applications and Forms
