Page 88 - Vacation Country Travel Guide

The Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre is located on the shores of beautiful Teslin Lake in South East Yukon. Our Centre This commanding structure overlooking the
is a place for cultural rejuvenation, gathering, celebrating and sharing. Although the Centre was opened initially for lake, houses exhibits and interpretive displays
our citizens to have a place to practice their culture, it is also a space to share and demonstrate that culture for our illuminating 200 years of Tlingit culture and
history. The Great Hall at the Centre is the home
many visitors. of clan governance for the Teslin Tlingit people.
Open daily 9-5 from June 1 to September 1 and
Open daily in the summer months (and by appointment in the winter), the Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre is a multi- in the off-season by appointment, the Centre is
purpose facility where our guests can experience the following: located 3 km west of Teslin.
There are five Teslin Tlingit Clans, which play
a central role in government structure. They are:
Visit our indoor and outdoor exhibits which showcase carvings and other forms of local art; Be entertained with Kùkhhittàn – Raven
our audio and visual presentations; Meet our cultural demonstrators who are on-site daily; Taste our freshly made Ishkìtàn – Frog
bannock; Dip your feet into pristine Teslin Lake; Relax, unwind and enjoy your lunch on our beautiful grounds; Take Yanyèdí – Wolf
Dèshitàn – Split Tail Beaver
home a precious souvenir from our well stocked gift store Dakhl’awèdí – Eagle Teslin Tlingit
These clans are symbolized in the clan poles photo courtesy:
TeslinTlingitHeritage.com
Our Heritage Centre is also a venue for meetings, workshops and retreats. We have two indoor meeting spaces, our to the entrance of the Teslin Tlingit Heritage
Great Hall which can accommodate up to 200 people seated, and our Elders Room which can accommodate 20 Centre and elsewhere. Tlingit people look back
to a time when they adhered to strict laws rooted
people. in their sophisticated Clan system. Expressions of Teslin Tlingit culture are while maintaining their social and economic
Haa Ḵusteeyí ‘Our Way’ is what defines the found in both material arts and performing arts, ties with the coast. Trading furs from the interior
We have spectacular landscaped grounds which have an amphitheatre and BBQ, an outdoor classroom, boat shed, Teslin Tlingit. It is the collective and shared including acting, drumming and dancing. The with coastal Tlingit, the Taku Qwan introduced
the first Russian, American and European trade
Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre showcases Teslin
open air cache and a campfire setting, as well as manicured lawns. Our facility both indoors and out, is available for understanding of who they are, in language, Tlingit art through its collections of carved goods to the Yukon.
art, history and relationship to the environment.
your next event. Teslin Tlingit culture formed through a history masks, bentwood boxes, beadwork, snowshoes, At the turn of the 20th century, Tlingit people
of movement from the coast to the interior. hide and cloth garments, paintings, gaming continued to move their way inland, trading
Hours: June 1- September 1 • 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment in the off-season Although the Inland Tlingit integrated with pieces, and ceremonial regalia. goods at posts, first at the southern end of Teslin
Lake and later, up the lake on the west shore
The Teslin Tlingit people are descendants of
their Athapaskan neighbours, Tlingit traditions, the Taku Qwan who, in the early 18th Century, of Nisutlin Bay. The construction of the Alaska
culture and social patterns remained strong,
Admission: Adults - $7.00 • Seniors/Students - $5.00 • Bus tours - $4.00 • Family of 5 - $25.00 • Children under 5 – and are alive today. “Today, the Biennial Haa moved from the coastal region of Southeast Highway and Canol Road in the early 1940s
Free • School groups - $2.50 per child. Ḵusteeyí Celebration is held in Teslin, and its Alaska and settled inland along the shores of brought drastic changes and prompted the
neighbouring communities of Carcross and the salmon-rich upper Taku River. Here, they semi-nomadic Tlingit population to permanently
settle in what today is the Village of Teslin on
started a way of life separate from that of their
Haa KusteeyÍ Celebration July, 2024 Atlin. This celebration showcases traditional coastal relatives. By the mid-19th century, the the shores of Teslin Lake. Firmly established in
workshops
and
performances,
cultural
demonstrations, canoeing events, artists market Taku Qwan gradually expanded their contacts their new geography as a distinct society, they
Programs can be customized to suit specific needs. and feasting, all are welcome. with the people who lived on the Yukon plateau became collectively known as Inland Tlingit.
Ample parking, RV-friendly • Information: 867-390-2532 ext. 332
SHARE IN OUR TLINGIT CULTURE

TESLIN TLINGIT OPEN DAILY 9:00 aM–5:00 pM
JUNE TO SEPTEMBER
HERITAGE CENTRE In winter by appointment

Hà Khustîyi Dàkhkakhwân Hít

RV Friendly. Taste our fresh bannock.
Meet our cultural demonstrators.
Hike the trail from town. Gift store.

5 KM NORTH OF TESLIN
ON THE ALASKA HIGHWAY

TeslinTlingitHeritage.com
1.867.390.2532 ext. 332

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