Vanessa Ægirsdóttir’s magical place
Meeting Bahm set her on a new personal journey, and professional path informed by his Tlingit heritage and traditional approach to trapping.
Teslin
Lest we forget
Each year we hope you take the time to remember on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, wherever we are. In the modern world and as we become more disconnected from the memories of what occurred, it becomes more important that we share the necessity of recalling what may occur …
Teslin students win national award
hàtìnas.àxh Community School won 2019 Canada’s Coolest School Trip. A photo essay shares Tlingit culture & promotes Tlingit language.
Catch the action in Teslin
With its northwest orientation, Teslin Lake is considered a sort of bird funnel, directing birds south during fall migration. Many migrating birds are attracted to the lakeshore near the mouth of 10-Mile Creek. So many that a seasonal bird banding and monitoring station—the Teslin Lake Bird Observatory—was started there in 2005.
We will remember them
It’s important to reflect each November 11th and remember those young men and women who gave their lives on behalf of their country.
Old tramways and new ziplines on Windy Arm
Conrad, on Windy Arm, is just the first of a new wave of Yukon campgrounds with eyes to the future.
A record-breaking class at the forty-third annual First Nations graduation
On May 25, students from all over the Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories gathered in Whitehorse at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, in celebration of the forty-third annual First Nations graduation.
National Aboriginal Day
It’s the longest day of the year, and what better way to appreciate this new Canadian statutory holiday than to visit local First Nations and to be part of this national celebration and enjoy live music, artist demonstrations, traditional food, ceremonies and more.
Are you ready for a good time? Love country rock?
Teslin will again be hosting an electrifying country-rock concert called Teslin Rocks Country, featuring a slate of excellent contemporary Canadian country artists. Headlining the show will be two artists from from British Columbia: Aaron Pritchett and The Washboard Union.
Lest we forget
Remembrance Day is now as much an opportunity to recognize all those men and women who have served and returned home. We owe them thanks. That’s why we wear our poppies and hold our ceremonies, to support and remember.
Celebrate National Tlingit Day with a Fun Packed Weekend in Teslin
The biannual Haa Ḵusteeyí Celebration and community gathering in Teslin this month presents a unique opportunity for Yukoners of all backgrounds to connect with the Tlingit community. “Everyone is welcome. We want everybody here. We want to share and showcase our culture to the world,” says Melaina Sheldon, community arts and events coordinator at the …
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Hitching a Ride
Growing up, Kathy Jessup was always “the yakky little sister.” In Fort Nelson, where she was raised, she’s still known as “Kathy who likes to talk.” Her family still teases her about finding a way to turn her gift for gab into a career as a professional storyteller. When her current show starts in Canada …
Stories Come to Life
Falen Johnson doesn’t hold back when it comes to Gwaandak Theatre. “I love Gwaandak,” the Six Nations writer says straight out. “It’s a place where you know you’re immediately welcomed as an Indigenous playwright.” Johnson’s play Two Indians is one of three plays featured in this year’s Indigenous Summer Play Readings by Gwaandak Theatre. The …
Living With Wildlife: Nadine Peters
Hello Everybody,We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] We live in Teslin. We took this photo with a Nikon D7100 Camera with a Nikkor AFS18-300 lens. We are sending two photos, one is …
Life Lessons Through the Lens
You can learn a lot by studying animals, just ask local photographer Minnie Clarke. Her passion for capturing northern creatures was borne on a remote trapline in Johnson’s Crossing, Yukon. Clarke has been photographing Yukon’s wilderness for 20 years, but one stunning subject in particular is the focal point of many of her studies: the …
Arts, Culture and Creation
“Artists show the world unseen,” says Tahltan First Nation artist Rhoda Merkel. “Teachers show students a better form of themselves.” Merkel, who was raised in Whitehorse but lives in Atlin, combines both talents in her newest project, the Sam Johnston Storytelling Festival, which takes place Tuesday, March 7 in Teslin. The festival is a collaboration, …
Butterflies, Ravens and Tlingit Princesses – Oh My!
The event’s honoured figure, Sam Johnston, is a venerated elder within the Teslin Community. He has been a politician, athlete and former chief of the Teslin Tlingit Council, as well as a celebrated community figure. “The goal of this day is to share some stories with (Johnston), make him feel special and thank him for …
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Getting Ready for Fall and Winter Birding
We’re getting ready for winter and so are the birds. They’re chirping and feeding everywhere and the sky is alive with flocks of all kinds. It’s so busy one of Yukon’s most avid birders, Tracey Allard, says fall can seem like spring for a few weeks. “There are so many sparrows and warblers and you’ll …
Only woodfire for this ethical bean
The best cup of coffee I’ve ever had was at the table of Philippe and Leandra Brient in the log-hewn home they built themselves. Outside the back window was a view of Atlin Mountain rising majestically from a valley of boreal forest. The Brients own and operate Atlin Mountain Coffee Roasters. They spent the morning …
Summer Birding: It’s All About the Kids
In summer, birding is all about the kids. Or, chicks. After the spring blitz of migration and mating, many birds are rearing offspring and staying closer to their nests. It’s a time when many Yukoners stop birding. “Our forests are usually more silent and less colourful as males no longer have to advertise for mates or rivals,” …
Pritchett Rocks Country
Having a ringside seat at an Aaron Pritchett concert might just get you one of his trademark cowboy hats simply for being there. “When I get excited about having a great show, I tend to throw them out into the crowd to give them a little memento,” the country crooner says. “I’ve been through hundreds …
A Big Night in a Small Town
The Teslin Arena is going to be rocking on June 25. Canadian country acts Aaron Pritchett, Cory Marquardt and Roger Gabriel are coming to town to put on a country music show. It benefit the Teslin Minor Hockey Association and the Teslin Recreation Society. About 450 people live in Teslin. This is the biggest event …
5 Must-See Pieces at Nuit Blanche
Back for a third year, the annual Whitehorse Nuit Blanche all-night arts festival brings together national and local artists for an unforgettable solstice weekend. Fancy yourself a night owl? Get ready for 12 hours of engaging and artsy fun as you wander downtown to see exhibits take over Whitehorse. You’d rather go to bed early …
Telling stories
Sharon Shorty and I first met back in 2005 when I worked at the Yukon College Library with her awesome husband, Derek Yap. Sharon was born and raised in Whitehorse and is a member of the Teslin Tlingit First Nation. She is a storyteller, beader, regalia maker, wife, playwright, mom, and actor. But what I …
The Green Rush
Right on schedule, my sprout craving has arisen from where it lay quietly dormant since the fall, nestled snug beneath the desire for stews and roasted root vegetables. The herbs I’ve kept in the house are responding to the same cues, with tiny pale green leaves emerging from the nodes of their twiggy stems. I’m …
Happiness is a Warm Bird
It’s a season of traditions, and for thousands of Canadians this means taking part in the annual Christmas Bird Count. Called the “longest-running science project in the world” by the Audubon Society, this annual winter event — the 115th — can be fun, and it also has a purpose. This year the Yukon Bird Club …
Mountain elephants and buffalo eyes
It was the Christmas season in 2005 in Whitehorse and my two great-grandsons, Dakota and his younger brother Garrison, were visiting us during their Vancouver school break. Because my late partner, John, and I had a trip planned to travel down the Alaska Highway in the New Year, the boys didn’t have to take the …
Getting Around the Yukon: Teslin in a Day
Last month Teslin Tlingit Council hosted a huge Ha Kus Teyea celebration with thousands visiting Teslin. In the months leading up to it, I invited many Yukoners to go. When told that it was at The Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre, many told me they have never been there. Only two hours from Whitehorse, it’s worth …
Part of the Land, Part of the Water
During early land claim negotiations, respected Teslin elder Virginia Smarch once said of her Tlingit community, “that is who we are: part of the land, part of the water.” This uplifting statement is echoed in the events, feasts, performances and workshops planned for this year’s bi-annual Hà Kus Teyea celebration, hosted by Teslin Tlingit Council …
Morse of the North: First Nation poet featured at Poetry Festival
“Fool that I was, for many years, I tried to reject any notion of an artistic life,” says poet Garry Thomas Morse. “For me, a poet is not just someone who pens pretty lines or teaches theory or hangs out with poets. You can blame my Native background for my shamanistic viewpoint [but] for me, …
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There’s a party goin’ on!
Here’s a taste of how Yukon communities, from B to W, will be celebrating Canada Day on July 1: Beaver Creek festivities will kick off with a parade, then volleyball, children’s games and a community barbecue at the RCMP. Carcross festivities will include a community barbecue, as well as a petting zoo and horseback rides …
Artrepreneur: A Rich Ore Body Opens Underground
On Aug. 22, three shows will be opening at Arts Underground: the Arts in the Park Season Exhibition, a historical show of Yukon erotica and a solo show in the main gallery. The soloist is Teslin painter Jean Taylor who will present The Many Faces of the Aces, a show of acrylic paintings studying Teslin’s …
Sharing the Tlingit culture
TESLIN Many years ago, when another winter was survived and summer allowed for easier travel, the Inland and Coastal Tlingit people would gather. Members of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation would walk from the Atlin area to the shore of Teslin Lake and make camp, while a fire would be lit to alert those …
It’s Cheechako’s first winter
This is a column for Cheechakos. Sourdough, you know this stuff. …February, March & April are your reward for November, December & January…
Yukon ‘Duck’ Fishing
It was chilly morning at the far south end of Teslin Lake that mid-August morning, a reminder that it was going to be an early fall. There were a few of them that year; waterfowl were starting to gather in larger groups as they prepared for the annual migration. I had been fishing the area …
Growing a festival, grows the community
Teslin Concert in the Park is a three-day event, July 9 to 11. Last year, it was a one-day event. Two years ago, one evening. “I think a three-day vision is what it will be all about,” says Nataschaa Chatterton, the event co-ordinator. “The vision is bringing people together in all avenues – organizing and …
Honest Talk Cafe
How can one person transform herself into many people? How can one location turn into several without changing a thing? Go and see Café Daughter and you’ll find out. Somehow, this one-woman show, based on a true story of an ethnically mixed young girl growing up in Saskatchewan, manages to pull it off. Dawson City had the …
Going Slightly Batty
My wariness of bats – I won’t say abject terror, that’s far too strong – dates back to the Eisenhower era. I can even trace it to a particular evening in 1952 (the year of the green Pontiac Pathfinder), when a bat suddenly swooped through the living room of our rented cottage in Quebec. I …
Library Views
My first exposure to the Yukon came last December, when I arrived in Dawson City for a stint as writer-in-residence at Berton House. Like many previous visitors, I fell in love with the place, so when I was invited to return to take part in Live Words, the 2012 Yukon Writers’ Festival, I jumped at the …
