The community of Teslin ''(/'tɛs.lɪn/ TESS-lin)'' ( Tlingit: ''Desleen'') includes the Village of Teslin in

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

, Canada. Teslin is situated at historical Mile 804 on the Alaska Highway along Teslin Lake. The

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 ...

established a small trading post at Teslin in 1903 (i.e. Teslin Post). Teslin is home to the Teslin Inland Tlingit

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

. The name Teslin came from a Tlingit word "Teslintoo." Teslin has one of the largest Native populations in Yukon. Much of the community's livelihood revolves around traditional hunting, trapping and fishing.

Demographics

;Village of Teslin In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Teslin 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. ;Teslin Post 13 In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

, Teslin Post 13 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.

Arts and culture

Teslin is made up of two moieties; Wolf and Crow. Under the moiety of Wolf there are two clans; Eagle (Dakhl'awedi') and Wolf (Yanyedi). The Crow moiety have three clans; Raven's Children (Kukhhittan or Crow), Frog (Ishkitan) and Split tail Beaver (Deshitan). Under their matrilineal kinship system, children are considered born into the mother's clan, and descent is traced through her line. George Johnston (trapper) (1884–1972), trapper and photographer, founder of "Teslin Taxi." He captured the life of the inland Tlingit people of Teslin and Atlin in numerous photos taken between 1910 and 1940. Johnston also brought the first car to Teslin; it was a 1928 Chevrolet. He built a road for his "Teslin taxi" since the Alaska Highway had not been built yet. In winter, he put chains on the car, painted it white, and drove it on frozen Teslin Lake. The '28 Chevy has been restored and is now on permanent display at the George Johnston Museum in Teslin."George Johnston"
George Johnston Museum

Government

In 1995 the Teslin Inland Tlingit negotiated and signed a land claims agreement with the federal government, under which they re-established their own government and became self-sustaining.Governance
/ref> The Teslin Inland Tlingit now enact their own legal and political framework for government-to-government relations with Canada and the Yukon. The

Teslin Tlingit Council The Teslin Tlingit Council (TTC) is a First Nations in Canada, First Nation band government in the central Yukon in Canada, located in Teslin, Yukon along the Alaska Highway and Teslin Lake. The language originally spoken by the Teslin Tlingit or De ...

have the right to make their own laws and regulations. There are many different departments within Teslin Tlingit Council (TTC), for example: Finance, Lands and Resources, Health and Social. The people have developed the Teslin Tlingit Council Clan System Government, which combines traditional Tlingit Clan culture with contemporary organizational and management principles. The five clans (Eagle, Crow, Frog, Wolf, and Beaver) each appoint five members to the 25-member General Council, and have recognized Elders (persons 58 years and older) on the Elders Council.

Geography

Climate

Teslin has a dry-summer

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: ''Dsc/Dfc''). Summer days are mild along with cool nights. Winters are cold and snowy, with annual snowfall averaging . Teslin is one of the warmest communities in the Yukon, with a yearly average of .

Gallery

Notable people

* Marian Horne (born 1943), politician ( Yukon Party), elected in 2006 as MLA, Minister of Justice and Minister responsible for Women's Directorate in the Yukon Legislative AssemblyMarian C. Horne, "Yukon's Self Governing First Nations"
''Canadian Parliamentary Review'', Vol 33 no 2, 2010, accessed 5 October 2014 * Sam Johnston (Yukon politician), Tlingit elder and former politician, former chancellor of Yukon College, and member of the Order of Yukon

References

External links

* {{Authority control Hudson's Bay Company trading posts Villages in Yukon