Government of Canada and Ta'an Kwäch'än Council and citizens commemorate the national historic significance of T'äw Tà'är National Historic Site

T'äw Tà'är (Winter Crossing) is a cultural landscape that speaks to the traditional ways of the Ta'an Kwäch'än

WHITEHORSE, YT, Aug. 14, 2023 /CNW/ - T'äw Tà'är, also known as Winter Crossing, has long been an important meeting place on the Teslin River in what is now the Yukon. At the intersection of many traditional travel routes, this cultural landscape represents the interconnected web of seasonal food, family, travel, and trade for the Ta'an Kwäch'än. T'äw Tà'är was chosen by the Ta'an Kwäch'än to represent the broader landscape that connects to their traditional way of life. 

Left image: Ta’an Kwäch’än Council’s Implementation Officer, Anne-Marie Miller (left), lifts the Ta’an flag to reveal the plaque with Elder Betsy Jackson (middle) and the Dän K'e language specialist who translated the plaque text, Elder Nakhela Hazel Bunbury (right). Right image: Ta’an Kwäch’än Elder Betsy Jackson helped make the plaque for T’äw Tà’är a reality, carrying on the work of her mother, Elder Frances Woolsey, who was instrumental is nominating T’äw Tà’är as a national historic site. (CNW Group/Parks Canada)

On August 10, 2023, the Government of Canada commemorated the national historic significance of T'äw Tà'är at a special ceremony with Ta'an Kwäch'än Council to unveil the plaque that will be placed at the site on the Teslin River. The ceremony was held at Ta'an Kwäch'än Council's Fish Camp at Tàa'an Mǟn (Lake Laberge).

T'äw Tà'är National Historic Site pays tribute to the past and continued relationship between the Ta'an Kwäch'än and their homelands. The importance of the broader landscape not only connects to seasonal harvests of animals, plants, and fish, but also the creation of good relations with neighbouring Northern Tutchone, Tagish, Tlingit and Kaska peoples through marriages, travel, and trade.

Parks Canada is committed to working collaboratively with Indigenous peoples and honouring their contributions to our shared history, culture, and future. Collaborating with numerous Indigenous groups across Canada, Parks Canada and Indigenous peoples are partners in conserving natural and cultural heritage and sharing the stories of these treasured places.

The Government of Canada, through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, recognizes significant people, places, and events that shaped our country as one way of helping Canadians and youth connect with their past. The designation process under Parks Canada's National Program of Historical Commemoration is largely driven by public nominations. To date, more than 2,200 designations have been made nationwide. To nominate a person, place or historic event in your community, please visit the Parks Canada website for more information: https://parks.canada.ca/culture/designation/proposer-nominate.

Quotes

"This permanent marker will be placed at the heart of one of our ancestor's core gathering hubs that sits at the confluence of the Teslin River and Open Creek (Hutamya Chu). This area remains a cultural landscape rich with history of those who hunted, trapped, and fished in T'äw Tà'är or Winter Crossing. It was a place where many of our relatives lived, harvested, and homesteaded while sharing the diversity of surrounding cultures and languages. Only remnants of the original village exist today, but T'äw Tà'är remains an influential link to who we are as a Nation, and it is a heritage site and sacred burial ground the Ta'an Kwäch'än Council continue to preserve as best we can. This commemoration by the Government of Canada today to place a historical marker at this site represents a huge milestone for our First Nation as we continue to prioritize the preservation of our traditional territory's vast land and water systems. We want to thank the Government of Canada and the Historic Sites and Monuments Board for this recognition for all Canadians to share."

Chief Amanda Leas,
Ta'an Kwäch'än Council

"This commemoration demonstrates the importance of the Government of Canada's continued collaboration with Indigenous peoples to define significant moments in Canada's story. Commemorating the national historic significance of T'äw Tà'är displays a cultural landscape that reflects the history and the connection of the Ta'an Kwäch'än with their cherished and treasured traditional way of life. A story of significance to share with Canadians to foster better understanding of Canada's history."

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

Quick Facts

• The name T'äw Tà'är means "grayling run up" in Dän K'è (the Southern Tutchone language) and refers to the run of Arctic grayling fish that would take place each spring when the site was used as a fishing camp.
• Autumn was a busy time at the camp with people passing through on their way to hunt moose, bighorn sheep or caribou in the mountains, or to fish for trout, pike and whitefish in the rivers and lakes. At other times of the year, people journeyed through the area to trade and visit with neighbours and relatives.
• T'äw Tà'är was designated a national historic site by the Government of Canada in June of 2012.
• Parks Canada and Ta'an Kwäch'än Council have been working together for many years on the commemoration and celebration of this special site; the plaque is a testament to the collaborative efforts of dedicated staff and citizens.
• Created in 1919, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada advises the Minister of Environment and Climate Change regarding the national historic significance of persons, places, and events that have marked history in Canada. Together with Parks Canada, the Board ensures that subjects of national historic significance are recognized, and these important stories are shared with Canadians. 
• The vast majority of nominations brought forward for the consideration of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada originate from members of the public. To nominate a person, place or historical event in your community, please visit the Parks Canada website for more information: https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/culture/clmhc-hsmbc/ncp-pcn/application.

Related Documents

Backgrounder: T'äw Tà'är National Historic Site

Related Links

Designation of T'äw Tà'är National Historic Site of Canada 
Ta'an Kwäch'än Council
Parks Canada 
Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada
Framework for History and Commemoration

SOURCE Parks Canada

Kaitlin Power, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 819-230-1557, [email protected]; Media Relations, Parks Canada Agency, 855-862-1812, [email protected]; Kathy Burden, Partnering and Engagement Officer, Parks Canada, Yukon Field Unit, 867-333-9458, [email protected]