Indigenous Haines Junction: Champagne and Aishihik Territory, Nations and Community

About Haines Junction

Haines Junction had 688 residents in the 2021 census, on about 34 square kilometres of land. The village sits at Kilometre 1,632 of the Alaska Highway, where the Haines Highway turns south toward Haines, Alaska. Kluane National Park and Reserve rises directly to the west. The village lies at the interior end of the Chilkat Pass, long important for trade between the coast and the interior. Haines Junction is a major administrative centre for the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations. CAFN keeps its headquarters here, with a second office in Whitehorse. Parks Canada runs the Haines Junction Visitor Centre for Kluane each summer. Many CAFN citizens live in the village for access to services.

Haines Junction history

Southern Tutchone people have used this area for about 2,000 years, according to Wikipedia's village history. It served as a place for seasonal hunting and fishing camps. The original place name was Dakwakada, meaning high cache in Southern Tutchone. The Canadian Encyclopedia notes that Southern Tutchone-speaking First Nations have lived in the wider Kluane region since the last Ice Age. Historic CAFN communities included Champagne, Aishihik and Klukshu. The modern village began in 1942 and 1943, during construction of the Alaska Highway. In 1943, the Haines Highway was built to connect the Alaska Highway with Haines, Alaska. The junction of the two roads gave the village its name. Also in 1943, a game sanctuary was created in the mountains to the west. It became a national park reserve in 1976. Land claim agreements in 1993 and 2003 later confirmed First Nations' harvesting rights and a role in park co-management. The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations were among the first four First Nations to sign a land claims agreement. Today they govern themselves, with Traditional Territories in the Yukon and northern British Columbia.

Treaty and territory

Haines Junction lies in the Traditional Territory of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, a self-governing Southern Tutchone First Nation headquartered in the village.

Nearby: Kathleen Lake · Champagne · Klukshu · Kluane Lake · Whitehorse · Haines, Alaska

Indigenous Haines Junction today

Haines Junction is the centre of Champagne and Aishihik First Nations government. CAFN describes itself as a self-governing First Nation. Its governance includes a Chief and Council, a General Assembly, the Äshäw Senate of Elders and a Youth Council. Community halls at Takhini, Champagne and Klukshu serve citizens across the territory. The Dá Kų Cultural Centre in Haines Junction is CAFN's hub for language and culture. Southern Tutchone, the Nation's language, is classified as endangered. CAFN also runs a Community Health and Well-being Fund. Youth programs have included a First Hunt Camp. CAFN also publishes regular news on community events and citizen services, and it runs elections for its government. In Kluane National Park and Reserve, CAFN shares management with Parks Canada. Three First Nations recognize the park as their traditional territory: Champagne and Aishihik, Kluane and White River. CAFN is also pursuing further claims in northwestern British Columbia, where part of its territory lies.

Life in Haines Junction

Haines Junction is the gateway to Kluane National Park and Reserve. The park covers 21,980 square kilometres and holds Mount Logan, Canada's highest peak at 5,959 metres. It also has the world's largest concentration of ice fields and glaciers, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia. Kluane forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site shared with parks in British Columbia and Alaska. Visitors come for hiking, camping, flightseeing, mountaineering and rafting. Kathleen Lake offers paddling, camping and picnic spots. The King's Throne trail is one of the park's most popular accessible day hikes. Anglers fish the park from June to August, and winter brings skiing and other snow sports. The Haines Junction Visitor Centre opens daily from mid-May to late September.

Haines Junction seasons and weather

Haines Junction has a subarctic climate with mild summers and long, cold, snowy winters. Around 160 centimetres of snow fall in an average year. The village has recorded −48.5°C at its coldest and 32.1°C at its warmest. Winter here calls for serious layers, while summer hiking days can warm up quickly.

More on the region: Indigenous Yukon · all of Canada.

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Haines Junction questions