Alaska Highway

Km 1791 - Kluane River

Kluane Country

Welcome to Kluane Country, a vast wilderness region of towering mountains, massive glaciers and clean, cold waters. Kluane is home to Canada's highest mountains and a rich variety of wildlife. Communities here are small but provide all essential services for travellers. Enjoy your stay and when you are near communities, tune into CKYN Visitor Radio, 96.1 FM.

Welcome to Asi Keyi*

For countless generations the land and the water in the valley before you have provided their gifts of fish, birds, and big game to the people of the Kluane First Nation. It was a time idealized as natural with the harmonious co-existence of humankind and nature.

In the spring of the year at the quickening of life's yearly cycle our ancestors could see and hear the return of geese, ducks, and swans. After a summer of harvesting, drying, and storing the food that is common to the Luan Man (Lake of Big Fish - Kluane Lake) area, the Southern Tutchone "dan" (pronounced dun, meaning people) would travel in late summer through Shar Ndu Chu (Long Bear Creek - Duke River) down to Cheghar Man (Fat Whitefish Lake - Tincup Lake) and Gyu Chu (King Salmon Creek - Tincup Creek) gathering and storing berries along the way. These mountain waterways provided passage for salmon returning from the ocean to spawn. At Gyu Chu salmon were caught, dried, and stored for winter. With the fall season fast approaching, the people would return to this region before you, to The Ku (Chum Salmon Place - Salmon Patch) where chum salmon were harvested.

In the short summer season the vast northern forest came alive to the sound of song birds and the piercing call of sea gulls, hawks, and eagles. The woods provided shelter for the silent passage of moose, caribou, bear, and other animals.

In sheltered mountain valleys, small community settlements were built along important waterways. These settlements were the winter refuge of our nomadic ancestors. They usually consisted of several log structures to house extended families over the cold winter months. These locations were near abundant sources of large game, fish, and waterfowl staging areas. Such were the times before the old gave way to the new.

The wide and sweeping changes of the use of the natural resources have caused the Kluane First Nation to become a modern technologically advanced society. At the same time, the people continue to use this land for the necessities of food, water and shelter.

We now work together to preserve our culture and heritage, and to ensure that our resources and environment remain in the pristine state our ancestors entrusted us with. We welcome you and wish you a safe passage through our traditional land.

Kluane First Nation, 1993

* My Grandfather's Land

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