The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations (CAFN) is a

First Nation Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

band government in

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

, Canada. Historically its original population centres were

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

(home of the ''Kwächä̀l kwächʼǟn'' - "Champagne people/band") and Aishihik (home of the ''Äshèyi kwächʼǟn'' - ″Aishihik people/band″), with bands active in both coastal and interior areas. Most of its citizens have moved to Haines Junction to take advantage of services offered there, such as schools. The First Nation government has its main administrative offices there. Other settlements used included

Klukshu This is a list of communities in Yukon. Municipalities Unincorporated communities These areas lie within the Unorganized Yukon, which covers 99.8% of the territory's land mass. Hamlets Statistics Canada recognizes two census subdivisi ...

. Many also live in

Whitehorse Whitehorse () is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas ...

where the First Nation government has offices. The language originally spoken by the Champagne and Aishihik people was

Southern Tutchone The Southern Tutchone are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group living mainly in the southern Yukon in Canada. The Southern Tutchone language, traditionally spoken by the Southern Tutchone people, is a variet ...

. The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations was one of the first four First Nations to sign a

land claims A land claim is defined as "the pursuit of recognized territorial ownership by a group or individual". The phrase is usually only used with respect to disputed or unresolved land claims. Some types of land claims include aboriginal land claims, A ...

agreement in 1992. The First Nation is also pursuing a land claim in its traditional territory in the northwestern corner of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

History

In 1999, the mummified remains of a man were found by a group of hunters in a glacier in

Tatshenshini-Alsek Park Tatshenshini-Alsek Park or Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Wilderness Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada . It was established in 1993 after an intensive campaign by Canadian and American conservation organizations to halt mining e ...

, Canada. Radiocarbon dating of artifacts found with the body placed its age at between 300 and 550 years. Researchers contacted Champagne and Aishihik First Nations about the find before making any announcement. Their representatives visited the site and named the body as ''

Kwäday Dän Ts'ìnchi Kwäday Dän Tsʼìnchi (), or Canadian Ice Man, is a naturally mummified body found in Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada, by a group of hunters in 1999. Kwäday Dän Tsʼìnchi means "Long Ago Person Found" in Southern ...

'', "Long Ago Man Found" in their language of Southern Tutchone. DNA and other scientific testing was done with the agreement of the First Nations representatives. In 2007, mitochondrial DNA testing of 241 area volunteers of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations revealed 17 living persons who are related to Kwäday Dän Ts'ìnchi through their direct maternal line.Pringle, Heather. "The Messenger", ''Canadian Geographic Magazine'', Dec 2008, p. 73 Among them were Sheila Clark and Pearl Callaghan, two of seven sisters. Clark said of the findings, "It was extremely moving. I couldn't believe it." Fifteen of the 17 related individuals identify as Wolf clan, suggesting the man may also have belonged to the Wolf clan. In the

matrilineal Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their matriline – their mother's lineage – and which can involve the inheritance ...

kinship system, children are considered born into their mother's clan and descent is figured by the mother's line. The individuals were split roughly in half between those who lived in coastal areas and those who lived inland, reflecting historic territories of bands.Judith Lavoie, Canwest News Service, "Iceman's DNA Linked To Coastal Aboriginals (Canada)"
''Leader Post'', 26 April 2008, accessed 5 October 2014 As arranged by the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, after the tests they had the remains of the man cremated and buried with ceremony near where they were found in Tatshenshini-Alsek Park.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by Statistics Canada, Champagne Landing 10 had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

References

External links

Champagne and Aishihik First Nations web siteChampagne and Aishihik First Nation profile
Government of Canada's Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development * {{authority control First Nations in Yukon First Nations governments in Yukon Southern Tutchone