The Aklavik First Nation is a Gwich'in

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

band government In Canada, an Indian band or band (french: bande indienne, link=no), sometimes referred to as a First Nation band (french: bande de la Première Nation, link=no) or simply a First Nation, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subjec ...

in the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

. The band is located in

Aklavik Aklavik (Inuvialuktun: ''Akłarvik'') (from the Inuvialuktun meaning '' barrenground grizzly place'') is a hamlet located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Until 1961, with a population over 1,500, the community served ...

, a mixed community of First Nations,

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...

, and non-Indigenous people. The Aklavik First Nation, also known as the Edhiitat Gwich'in Council, is one of the thirteen members of the

Gwich'in Tribal Council The Gwichʼin Tribal Council is a First Nations organization representing the Gwichʼin people of northern Canada, owning approximately 23,884 square kilometres of land in Yukon and the Northwest Territories. It was created in 1992 with the final ...

Origin

People of the Gwich'in culture believe that man and

caribou Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

were once one and the same. When they separated, a small part of their hearts remained with each other, and were therefore connected eternally. After separating, the Gwich'in and the caribou entered an agreement in which the land would sustain the caribou and the caribou would sustain the people and the people would protect the land. Oral traditions say that they have been living in harmony for millennia. It is conventionally believed that they have been living in the area for around 20,000 years

Language

The Aklavik First Nation, along with all people of Gwich'in culture, traditionally spoke Dinjii Zhu’ Ginjik. An

Athapaskan Athabaskan (also spelled ''Athabascan'', ''Athapaskan'' or ''Athapascan'', and also known as Dene) is a large family of indigenous languages of North America, located in western North America in three areal language groups: Northern, Pacific C ...

language, Dinjii Zhu’ Ginjik is one of the most endangered languages in Canada. As of 2006, only 20 people reportedly spoke it in their homes and 275 people were able to speak it, the majority of these people being elders.

Geography

The Aklavik First Nation is based in the town of

, located in the sparsely populated province of the

in Northern Canada. The Aklavik Settlement is a Gwich'in reservation located east of the town, but lacks year-round road access. 90% of the transportation is air-based, making the cost of transportation too high for most people to live on the settlement. According to the Government of Canada, there are currently only 5 people registered as living on reservation land. The surrounding forest and nearby Great Plains are home to the

Porcupine caribou The Porcupine caribou ''(Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus'') is a herd or ecotype of barren-ground caribou, the subspecies of the reindeer or caribou found in Alaska, United States, and Yukon and the Northwest Territories, Canada. A recent revisio ...

herd, a herd of caribou named after the

Porcupine River The Porcupine River (''Ch’ôonjik'' in Gwich’in) is a tributary of the Yukon River in Canada and the United States. It rises in the Ogilvie Mountains north of Dawson City, Yukon, Canada. From there it flows north through the community of ...

consisting of 169,000 animals.

Environmental Issues

The Great Plains of the

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR or Arctic Refuge) is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States on traditional Gwich'in lands. It consists of in the Alaska North Slope region. It is the largest national wildlife ...

, the breeding ground for the Porcupine caribou herd, is known to the Gwich'in people as ''Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit'', or "The Sacred Place Where Life Begins". However, deposits of oil have been found on the land. The proposed drilling and accompanying development could have a negative effect to the Gwich'in way of life.

Economy

The Aklavik First Nation receives annuity payments ranging from $300k-$600k from the

Canadian Government The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-in-C ...

. Below is the amount of money received in the fiscal years of 2001-2006.

Hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

and

Trapping Animal trapping, or simply trapping or gin, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, the fur trade, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management. History Neolithic ...

makes up the largest portion of their economy. However, local retail, transportation, arts and crafts, tourism and mineral and gas extraction all contribute significantly to the economy. Caribou in particular remain the biggest source of food, clothing and tools. Moose, Whitefish and Bowhead whales also make up a large part of their diet.

Society

Traditionally in Aklavik First Nation Society, men would be responsible for fishing, hunting and participating in battles. Women were responsible for gathering plants, crafting goods and moving camps when the land had been exhausted. Face painting and decorating one's clothing with beads, feathers and fringes was common.

Governance

Each First Nation that is recognized by Canada has the option to be governed under the

Indian Act The ''Indian Act'' (, long name ''An Act to amend and consolidate the laws respecting Indians'') is a Canadian act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and still ...

Election System, the

Election Act, or a custom system. The Aklavik First Nation chose a Custom Electoral System. The current Chief of the Aklavik First Nation is Danny Greenland. The current Councillor is Kathy Greenland.

History

The Aklavik First Nation is one of the many bands of Gwich'in People. Gwich'in is both a

cultural Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human Society, societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, and habits of the ...

and

linguistic Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

distinction. Today the town of

is a mixed community, but this was not always the case. The people of the Aklavik First Nation commonly interacted with their more northern

Eskimo Eskimo () is an exonym used to refer to two closely related Indigenous peoples: the Inuit (including the Alaska Native Iñupiat, the Greenlandic Inuit, and the Canadian Inuit) and the Yupik peoples, Yupik (or Siberian Yupik, Yuit) of eastern Si ...

, or Inuit, historical neighbors. Although the two tribes often fought, there was also plenty of trading of goods and ideas. The Aklavik people adopted many Inuit inventions, such as the Eskimo hood and mittens and the

sled A sled, skid, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle that slides across a surface, usually of ice or snow. It is built with either a smooth underside or a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners ...

. The Aklavik way of life has always revolved around the Porcupine caribou herd. The herd supplied food, clothing and tools to the people, but also was a symbol of culture and religion. Massive celebrations would occur on a seasonal basis with feasts, wrestling games, singing and dancing. The people lived a

nomadic A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...

lifestyle until the 1860s, when the

fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...

encouraged the growth of

forts A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

trading posts A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically the location of the trading post would allow people from one geographic area to tr ...

and settlements. However, the people's connection to the caribou is as strong as ever. The town will wait in anticipation for the Porcupine caribou herd to migrate toward them, and grow anxious if the herd is late.

References

First Nations in the Northwest Territories {{NorthwestTerritories-stub