Backgrounder -Kluane First Nation Final And Self-Government Agreements

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Backgrounder
Kluane First Nation
Final And Self-Government Agreements

The Kluane First Nation

The Kluane First Nation (KFN) administrative centre is situated in the community of Burwash Landing located along the Alaska Highway approximately 284 kilometres west of Whitehorse.

The Kluane First Nation people are of Athapascan ancestry and belong to a linguistic group known as the Southern Tuchone. The Southern Tuchone people occupy the south-west corner of the Yukon, roughly bounded to the west by the coastal mountains and to the east by the Selwyn Mountains. Because of their proximity to the coast, they had trading relationships with coastal First Nations. Particularly in the southern part of their traditional use area, the Southern Tuchone people acted as a go-between, trading with both the coastal and inland people.

At the heart of their traditional territory is Kluane Lake or? ù'àn Män? in the Southern Tutchone language, which means ?lake with many fish? or ?big whitefish lake?. The main Kluane First Nation village is now located on the site of a traditional summer camp on the western shore of Kluane Lake.

The Kluane people have inhabited the "Lù'àna"area for many generations, adapting their way of life to the seasonal patterns of caribou, moose, sheep and fish upon which they depended for subsistence.

There are approximately 200 Kluane First Nation members, most of whom live in Burwash Landing and other Yukon communities.

The 1903 discovery of gold in what is now Kluane National Park and Park Reserve, and the construction of the Alaska Highway in 1942, brought significant changes to the traditional lifestyle of the Kluane people. Today, the Kluane First Nation is active in documenting and reviving their language, culture and traditions.

A Brief History of Claims Negotiations in the Yukon

In 1902, Chief Jim Boss recognized the impact that the Yukon Gold Rush was having on his people. Chief Boss wrote to the Superintendent General of Indian Affairs seeking recognition and protection of his people's land and culture.

In 1973, Chief Elijah Smith presented ?Together Today for Our Children Tomorrow? to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau on behalf of Yukon First Nations. This document called for the recognition of aboriginal rights in the face of development, and the settlement of outstanding land claim issues in the Yukon. This claim by Yukon First Nations was accepted by the federal government for negotiation.

In 1980, the Yukon Native Brotherhood and the Yukon Association of Non-Status Indians amalgamated and created the Council for Yukon Indians (CYI) to represent all Yukon First Nations for the purpose of negotiating land claims.

In May 1993, the Government of Canada, the Government of the Yukon and the Council for Yukon Indians signed the Yukon Umbrella Final Agreement (UFA). The UFA established a framework which would be used by each of the Yukon First Nations, including Kluane First Nation, to conclude their respective final land claim settlement.

A History of the Kluane First Nation Negotiations

In 1994, the Kluane First Nation entered Land Claim and Self Government negotiations with the federal and territorial governments.

On March 31, 2002, Kluane First Nation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Canada and the territorial government acknowledging that the negotiation of the Kluane First Nation Final and Self-Government Agreements was substantially complete.

On April 11, 2003, negotiators for the parties initialled KFN's Final and Self-Government Agreements and recommended the agreements to their principals for ratification.

The Kluane people ratified the Kluane First Nation agreements in a vote held in August 2003.

On October 18, 2003, a signing ceremony was held in Burwash Landing, Yukon. The Kluane First Nation Final and Self-Government Agreements were signed by representatives of the Kluane First Nation, the Government of theYukon and the Government of Canada.

The Final and Self-Government agreements are to be brought into effect in February 2004.

Kluane First Nation Final and Self-Government Agreements: Looking Ahead

The Kluane First Nation Final and Self-Government Agreements will benefit the Kluane First Nation by:

increasing opportunities for the Kluane First Nation to make its own decisions and govern in a manner consistent with its cultural values and vision for the future;

strengthening the Kluane First Nation's self governing authority in areas such as education, training, language, culture, health and social services, thus enabling the Kluane First Nation to deliver its own programs and services;

providing the Kluane First Nation with jurisdiction over its Settlement Lands and by providing for the participation in the management of Crown lands and parks within its traditional territory; and

providing management regimes to protect land, waters and wildlife, as well as opportunities to benefit from the resources of its traditional lands.

The Kluane Final and Self-Government Agreements will provide economic benefits by:

providing access to resources and funding so the Kluane First Nation can actively engage in economic opportunities that will enhance the way of life for its citizens;

clarifying land, resources and governance rights, which in turn will provide legal certainty for the Kluane First Nation, and for governments, businesses and individuals; and

providing a more certain environment for investors which will encourage partnerships and new development.

The Kluane Final and Self-Government Agreements will enhance environmental and resource management by:

guaranteeing the Kluane First Nation a role in managing its heritage resources and parks in its traditional territory; and

increasing Kluane First Nation's role in the management and harvest of wildlife within its traditional territory, as well as clarifying the rights other Yukoners have to hunt, fish and trap in the Kluane First Nation Traditional Territory.

The KFN Final and Self-Government Agreements will strengthen intergovernmental relations by:

establishing a foundation for a new modern relationship among the Kluane First Nation, the Government of Yukon and the Government of Canada through unique self-government arrangements; and

increasing Kluane First Nation input into public government decision making through bodies such as the Dän Keyi Renewable Resources Council and the Kluane National Park Management Board.