Gwichyaa Gwichin (alternate spelling: Gwich'yaa Gwichin or Kutchakutchin, translation: "those who dwell on the Flats") are a Gwich'in people who live in the

Yukon Flats The Yukon Flats are a vast area of wetlands, forest, bog, and low-lying ground centered on the confluence of the Yukon River, Porcupine River, and Chandalar River in the central portion of the U.S. state of Alaska. The Yukon Flats are bordered in ...

area of

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, USA. This includes the

Fort Yukon Fort Yukon (''Gwichyaa Zheh'' in Gwich'in language, Gwich'in) is a city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska, straddling the Arctic Circle. The population, predominantly Gwich'in Alaska ...

(originally "Gwicyaa Zhee"; translation: "house on the

Flats Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Apartment, known as a flat in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), a two-dimens ...

") area on both banks of the

Yukon River The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. From its source in British Columbia, it flows through Canada's territory of Yukon (itself named after the river). The lower half of the river continues westward through the U.S ...

from Birch Creek to

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 ...

;" the Senati area of the middle Yukon River, the namesake of

Sahneuti Sahneuti (also spelled Shahnyaati, Sahnyateh, Sanytyi, Senati, Sinate), died c.1900 was a Gwichyaa Gwichʼin chief and a fur trader. After the establishment of the Hudson's Bay Company trading post at Fort Yukon in 1847, Alexander Hunter Murray ap ...

, Gwich'in chief and fur trader; and

Venetie Venetie ( ;Corey Goldberg," ''New York Times'', May 9, 1997. ''Vįįhtąįį'' in Gwich’in), is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska. At the 2010 census, the population was 166, down from 202 in 2000. It inc ...

Etymology

The Gwichyaa Gwichin have been known by many other names, including: Eert-kai-lee (1892), Fort Indians, Ik-kil-lin (1892), Itohali (11th Census, Alaska, 1893), It-kagh-lie, It-ka-lyariiin (1877), I't-ka-lyi, Itkpe'lit (1876), Itkpeleit, Itku'dlln, Koo-cha-koo-chin (1866), Kot-a-Kutchin (1874), Kotch-a-Kutchins (1869), Kouehca Kouttohin (1891), KutchaaKuttchin (1865), Kutcha-kutchl (1851), Kutch a Kutchin (1862), Kutchia-Kuttehin (1876), Kutsha-Kutahi (1854), Lowland people (1869), Na-Kotchpo-tsohig-Kouttchin (1891), O-til'-tin (1887), Toukon Louchioux Indians, Yukon Flats Kutchin (1936).

History

The Gwichyaa Gwichin are the easternmost of the Gwichin groups. In addition to the Kutchakutchin, there were four other main Kutchin groups in the upper Yukon-Porcupine regions: the Han (Hän Hwëch'in) (erroneously as ''Hankutchin'' grouped as an Kutchin group, upper Yukon), the Natsikutchin (

Chandalar River The Chandalar River (''T'eedriinjik'' in Gwich'in) is a tributary of the Yukon River in the U.S. state of Alaska. Its French name was "Gens de Large" or "nomadic people" which when written in English from its local pronunciation evolved into ...

drainage), the Tranjikutchin ( Black River), and the Ventakutchin ( Crow River area). Two bands of the main tribe are extinct, the Tatsakutchin of

Rampart, Alaska Rampart ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 24 at the 2010 census, down from 45 in 2000. History Novelist Rex Beach (1877-1949) moved to Rampart in 1900, during the Kl ...

and Tennuthkutchin of Birch Creek. In 1827,

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

Chief Factor,

Peter Warren Dease Peter Warren Dease (1 January 1788 – 17 January 1863) was a Canadian fur trader and Arctic explorer. Biography Early life Peter Warren Dease was born at Fort Mackinac on 1 January 1788, the fourth son of Dr. John Dease, an Irish loyali ...

gathered information from the Gwichyaa Gwichin. They told him that no other tribe but themselves frequent the Peel River and that they come upstream in barges every year as far as

Arctic Red River The Arctic Red River is a tributary to the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories, Canada. In 1993 the river was designated as part of the Canadian Heritage Rivers System. It was also the name of a community on the Mackenzie where the riv ...

for trade. In 1928,

Mooney Mooney is a family name which is probably predominantly derived from the Irish Ó Maonaigh, pronounced Om-weeneey. It can also be spelled Moony, Moonie, Mainey, Meaney and Meeney depending on the dialectic pronunciation that was anglicised. Or ...

estimated the 1740 population to be 500.

Culture

Jones Jones or Joneses may refer to: People and fictional characters *Jones (surname), a common Welsh and English surname * List of people with surname Jones, including fictional characters ** Justice Jones (disambiguation) ** Judge Jones (disambiguati ...

described the Kutchakutchin as being split into three clans: Tchitcheah (Chitsa), Tengeratsey (Tangesatsa), and Natsahi (Natesa). At one time, a man was required to marry outside his caste, but eventually the custom fell into disuse. Other former customs included

polygamy Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

, and burning their dead. Hodge described the Kutchakutchin as being partially nomadic. Their traditional livelihood was based on hunting and trapping. After the introduction of the trading post, the Gwichyaa became traders as well. Their standard of value was the Nakieik, a string of beads . A string's value was equivalent to one or more beaver skins. The dwellings were made of deerskins pieced together over curved poles in the shape of inverted teacups. Men cooked while women performed other tasks. Because they lacked pottery, the Gwichyaa's used other materials such as wood, matting, horns, or bark. Wooden troughs functioned as dishes while horns functioned as drinking pieces. Kettles were obtained from the Hankutchin. Present-day Gwichyaa Gwichin rely on hunting (bear, caribou, moose, waterfowl) and fishing (salmon, whitefish) for subsistence. They make an income from trapping and selling handicrafts.

Recognition

On 4 April 1975 Canada Post issued 'Dance of the Kutcha-Kutchin' in the Indians of Canada, Indians of the Subarctic series. The stamp was designed by Georges Beaupré based on a drawing by

Alexander Hunter Murray Alexander Hunter Murray (1818 or 1819 – 20 April 1874) was a Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company ...

(1851) in Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The 8¢ stamps are perforated 13.5 and were printed by Canadian Bank Note Company, Limited.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gwichyaa Gwich'in Alaskan Athabaskans Athabaskan peoples