On the Shoulders of Giants

The devastation inflicted upon the First Nations of the Americas by the incursion of the Western world is one of the great tragedies of history. The plight suffered is long and varied, extending into today as native culture and language erodes while alcohol and drug abuse continues to be a major problem. Generation upon generation have been relegated to the fringes of society by central governments paying to keep them there with no means or direction to improve their lot in life.
This relegation happens all over the Western Hemisphere, but in Teslin, in the Yukon Territory of Canada, the Tlingit Nation has begun to retake its destiny. They have a self-governance agreement with the Yukon and with Canada that redirects power back to their clan system of government. The clans, Raven Children, Frog, Wolf, Beaver, and Eagle stand in representative Totem Poles in watch outside the magnificent Tlingit Heritage Centre just beyond Teslin.
The centre comprises the past, present, and future of the people. Visitors receive a museum style history lesson on the traditional lands, way of life, and plight of the Tlingit. There are examples of classic works of art as well as contemporary pieces by artists reintroduced to the skills by their elders. In a boathouse, fiberglass canoes, a nod to modern ways, sit painted, in stunning Tlingit artistry, awaiting their next ceremonial use.
Though fiberglass, a modern necessity, is the way of the future, traditional dugout canoes provide a path for that future. Two years ago, Tlingit Master Carver Wayne Price took 19 tribal youth with drug and alcohol problems to a remote Yukon River island with nothing but carving tools and a very large log. Over the next ten weeks, with no modern conveniences or chemical crutches and with no way off the island other than traditional knowhow, the youth learned how to and carved a 30-foot dugout canoe out of a 13,000 pound red cedar log and carved a path for their own future development.
The Tlingit Heritage Centre is but a drop of restitute water for a culture that once lived off of the vast Northwest waterways, but it is a significant step. With no way to undo history’s gross injustices, there is no way to go but forward. These First Nation people are taking the steps to preserve their past, address and solve their present issues while building a better future that is tied to a proud heritage.