New Books from Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre
Image Description: Banner with blue background and a stack of books on the left. Text: “New Books. dawsonwomensshelter.com, @DWS_EndViolence”
Just did a big shop at Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre!
Drop-in to the DWS Library to borrow any of our new library resources or pop by Dänojà Zho’s gift shop when it reopens to buy your own copy.
Currently, we’re only having one bubble in our drop-in space at a time. Please call to book a time to drop-in - 867.993.5086.
Hammerstones: A History of the Tr'ondek Hwech'in
by Helene Dobrowolsky
Image Description: Picture of the cover of the Hammerstones book
This is the story of the Tr'ondek Hwech'in, the First Nations people who lived at the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon rivers. The 1896 Klondike gold discoveries brought massive changes to the Yukon and displaced the Tr'ondek Hwech'in from their traditional home at Tr'ochek. Mining destroyed hunting grounds, new laws limited access to the land and the newcomers almost overwhelmed their culture. A century later, the battle to save Tr'ochek was part of a larger struggle by the Tr'ondek Hwech'in to regain control of their lives and become a self-governing First Nation.
Shëtsey — My Grandpa
Written and Co-ordinated by Georgette Mcleod
Translated by Percy Henry
Art created by Susan McCallum
Image Description: Picture of a page from book “Shëtsey” - illustration of grandpa and young one sitting on camp chairs in front of a wall tent. Text underneath: “Jit Shëtsey dinch’è. Shëtsey dänojà’ ghà shènhondëk. This is my Grandpa. My Grandpa tells me stories of the past.”
Each page depicts Grandpa — modelled on Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in elder Percy Henry — doing something he loves, such as cooking, drumming, hunting, trapping or laughing.
"He is one of our last Hän speakers in our community. He's had this tremendous life, you know, and so I wanted to do something while he was still with us and still good and still strong, and also still sharing the language with us."," said McLeod, a language administrator with the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in government in Dawson City, Yukon.
Born into my Grandmothers Hands: Honouring First Nations’ birth knowledge and practice in North Yukon
By Rachel Olson PhD, Charlotte Moores, and Kathleen Cranfield, RM.
Image Description: Cover of book “Born into my Grandmother’s Hands”
Yukon First Nations have a long history of birthing on the land with Indigenous midwives who held the birth knowledge necessary to safely deliver the next generations. Born into my Grandmother’s hands: Honouring First Nations’ birth knowledge and practice in North Yukon is a collection of stories and
knowledge that set out to explore the history of childbearing in the Yukon.
The main areas of focus in this book are stories of childbirth on the land; the history of traditional Indigenous midwifery and birthing practices; changes in maternity care, including relocation for childbirth; traditional parenting practices; and community values in relation to pregnancy and childbirth process.
Ke' chin Nodrëk - The Magic Mukluk
Story by Glenda Bolt, Fran Morber-Green, and Georgette Mcleod
Artword by Darcy Tara McDiarmid
Image Description: Cover of book “Ke’chin Nodrëk”
Winter solstice is the shortest and darkest time of the year. The cold and dark days we come together and share our old stories, family stories and even new stories.
Drin tsul zhìt shò ähłay. Wishing you a happy holiday season, good health and good times as we walk towards the new year.
Archaeology at Forty Mile/Ch’ëdä Dëk
By Thomas J. Hammer and Christian D. Thomas
Image Description: Cover of book “Archaeology at Forty Mile/Ch’ëdä Dëk”
Forty Mile is best known as one of the Yukon’s oldest towns. For the Hän, the confluence of the Fortymile and Yukon rivers was important not for gold but for caribou. This location is one of the major fall river crossing points of the Fortymile caribou herd.
Past occupants of the site would have been strategically situated to intercept the herd as it crossed the Yukon River en route to winter ranges in the upper Fortymile River area. In springtime, the grayling fishery in Fortymile River would have brought people to the area as well.
In historic times, salmon were gaffed in summer from a small island in the Yukon River opposite Forty Mile.
This booklet contains an account of one aspect of Forty Mile history that began long before the gold rush. The history described here is reconstructed principally from the evidence of archaeological excavations begun in 1998. These excavations uncovered not only the artifacts and decayed structures of an early gold rush town, but also revealed more than 2,000 years of First Nations history buried in layers of river silt.
Tr’ochëk: The Archaeology and history of a Hän Fish Camp
by H. Dobrowolsky and T.j. Hammer
Image Description: Cover of book “Tr’ochëk: The Archaeology and history of a Hän Fish Camp”
For millennia, the Hän-speaking people of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and their forebears lived and travelled in a vast territory extending from the Yukon River valley into the mountains to the north and south. The heart of their homeland, however, was a fishing camp at the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon rivers.
This site, Tr’ochëk, was also an important summer gathering spot and base for moose-hunting on the Klondike River valley.
The Klondike gold rush brought many changes to the lives of the Hän people, including the displacement of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in from their traditional home. The village site became the infamous red light district of Lousetown and later, Klondike City, an industrial suburb of Dawson City.
In this booklet, you will learn of the many changes to the Tr’ochëk site over the past century, the continuing relationship of the Hän to this special place, and how the archaeological work helps tell the story of the Hän and their lives at Tr’ochëk.
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