Tr'ondëk-Klondike

Definition

A cultural landscape is a defined geographical area that has been shaped by human activities over a period of time and is valued by a community for its significant cultural heritage.

Physical Features

Tr'ondëk-Klondike is centred around the Yukon River (Chu kon'dëk) corridor, which runs through the Dawson Region. This part of Northwestern Canada is characterized by vast boreal forests with gently rolling hills and valleys cut by the Yukon River’s tributaries, including the Klondike River. Approximately 170 kilometres northeast are the Blackstone Uplands, a stretch of tundra with ragged mountains and low bushes near the treeline edge of the subarctic zone.

Situated on the traditional territory of the Tr’ondek Hwech’in, the World Heritage site is composed of eight parcels of land. These include:

• Fort Reliance, the first European fur-trading post in the Yukon, built in 1874.
• Ch’ëdähdëk (Forty Mile), a traditional hunting location and Yukon’s first gold rush town.
• Ch’ëdähdëk Tth’än K’et (Dënezhu Cemetery), a burial site that reflects Indigenous cultural practices and the impacts of colonialism.
• Fort Cudahy and Fort Constantine, a trading post and North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) post established in 1893 and 1895 respectively.
• Tr'ochëk, an important fishing area known to Indigenous peoples as the “place at the mouth of river” valued for its natural resources.
• Dawson City, the major townsite and port city along the Yukon River during the Klondike Gold Rush, showcasing the rapid influx of newcomers and the resulting transformations in the area.
• Jëjik Dhä Dënezhu Kek’it (Moosehide village), a traditional gathering place for the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, where they relocated after being displaced by the newcomers during the gold rush.
• Tthe Zrąy Kek’it (Black City), a seasonal Gwich’in village located on the caribou migration route.

Seven of the properties are located along the banks of the Yukon River from Tr’ochëk to Ch’ëdähdëk. Only the Black City component is located along a section of the Blackstone River. Altogether, the eight sites cover an area of 334 hectares (3.34 km²), with an additional 54 hectares (5.38 km²) maintained as a protected buffer zone around the inland portions of the component sites.

Historical and Cultural Significance

Tr'ondëk-Klondike’s defined geographic boundaries encompass the archaeological and historic resources that document an Indigenous community's changing but continuous presence and adaptation to the European colonialism that began in the late 19th century.

Numerous indigenous populations, including the Hän-speaking Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation, have lived off the lands surrounding the Yukon River for thousands of years. However, traditional ways of life and enduring relationships with their ancestral lands were drastically impacted by the arrival of settler colonialism. In 1867, during the time of Confederation, Tr'ondëk-Klondike was part of what was known as Rupert's Land, later renamed the North-West Territories. As Canada expanded westward, tensions arose between the government and Indigenous peoples. The federal government established the North-West Mounted Police in 1873, negotiated treaties and introduced the Indian Act in 1876.

By the late 1800s, the region experienced rapidly evolving colonial occupation. The Dominion of Canada was established in 1867. In 1874, The first commercial fur trading post in the region appeared. From 1896 to 1899, The Klondike Gold Rush caused widespread social upheaval and displacement. The Anglican Church at Moosehide Village was erected in 1908. Later, the decline of gold prospecting saw Yukon’s population decrease from 30,000 people to less than 5,000 by the 1910s. During this period, Indigenous peoples from the region began relocating to new colonial towns across the Yukon. Nonetheless, the region has been mined continuously under the free-entry system (see Klondike Gold Rush).

In 1973, a delegation of 12 Yukon First Nations submitted a comprehensive land claim that the Canadian government accepted as a basis for negotiation. This led to the signing of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in Final and Self-Government Agreements between the Government of Canada and the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in in 1998.

Since the 1990s, archaeological campaigns have been carried out on several occasions. As a result, the contact between the newcomers and the Indigenous Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in produced a cultural landscape with camps, towns, mining infrastructure and commerce. In 2002, Tr'ochëk was recognized by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. Several heritage buildings located in Dawson City were also entered on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

World Heritage Site

Tr’ondëk-Klondike was inscribed as a World Heritage site with proven “outstanding universal value.” Prior to its official designation, several proposals had been made for the Klondike to receive World Heritage status as early as the 1970s. In 2004, Dawson City was added to the federal tentative list. This initiative gained momentum almost a decade later when the project was prioritized during a forum on economic development. This community-driven effort resulted in Canada's formal nomination for Klondike as a World Heritage site to UNESCO in 2017. The initial proposal focused more on the impact of the gold mining sector, including the historic goldfields, gaining local opposition. In 2018, the local committee withdrew the bid, citing UNESCO's difficulty in fully grasping the significance of the proposed site as it was presented.

By 2021, the dossier for the Tr'ondëk-Klondike site was accepted for reassessment. The process also benefited from consultations with various experts. In September 2023, Tr’ondëk-Klondike was officially added to the UNESCO World Heritage list during the proceedings of the World Heritage Committee in Saudi Arabia. This inscription makes it Yukon’s first cultural World Heritage site.

The Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in government, in partnership with Parks Canada, the Yukon government and Dawson City, led the formation of a stewardship committee following the World Heritage site designation. According to UNESCO, the cultural landscape faces protection and management challenges, including the impact of climate change and other environmental factors.

Visiting Tr'ondëk-Klondike

Today, the Tr'ondëk-Klondike is home to a diverse array of heritage assets. At the heart of Dawson City lies the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre, which offers visitors a window into the history and traditions of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in people. Moosehide Village is an accessible, traditional site with well-developed infrastructure that hosts the Moosehide Gathering, a three-day community event held in July every two years.