Kaska (First Nations people)
The Kaska are a group of First Nations people primarily located in north-central British Columbia and southern Yukon Territory, who speak an Athabaskan language. With a population of approximately 1,440 as of the 2016 Census, the Kaska are divided into two bands: the Upper Laird and the Dease River. Traditionally, their societal structure is matriarchal, organized into moieties known as Wolf and Crow. Kaska communities relied on fishing as their main economic activity, supplemented by hunting, trapping, and gathering. The introduction of European traders, particularly the Hudson's Bay Company, in the 1820s initiated significant cultural changes, exacerbated by disease and later by gold mining activities in the late 19th century. Additionally, the construction of the Alaskan Highway in 1942 and the impact of residential schools from the 1940s to the 1980s greatly affected Kaska culture and traditions. Currently, the Kaska are engaged in treaty negotiations with the governments of Canada and British Columbia to establish their land and resource rights, represented by the Kaska Dena Council, which includes five distinct groups.
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Kaska (First Nations people)
- CULTURE AREA: Subarctic
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Athabaskan
- PRIMARY LOCATION: North-central British Columbia, southern Yukon Territory
- POPULATION SIZE: 1,440 (2016 Census in The Canadian Encyclopedia)
The Kaska were territorially divided into two bands, the Upper Laird and the Dease River. They had matriarchal moieties (Wolf and Crow). The household was the main socioeconomic unit, relying mostly upon fishing, supplemented with hunting, trapping, and late-summer gathering. Trade goods were transported, according to season and terrain, by toboggans, snowshoes, dugouts, bark canoes, and mooseskin boats.
European American contact with the Kaska was established in the 1820s by the Hudson’s Bay Company, primarily for fur trading—which, with the introduction of disease, brought numerous cultural changes. In 1873, gold miners first encroached upon Kaska territory. From 1897 to 1898, the route to the Klondike crossed their land. Roman Catholic and Protestant missionaries also brought about significant cultural changes, and by 1945, all Kaska were nominally Catholic. The greatest sustained change came in 1942 with the construction of the Alaskan Highway. From the 1940s to the 1980s, many Kaska children were sent to residential schools, where they were forced to give up many of the Indigenous customs.
Since 1994, the Kaska have been in treaty negotiations with the governments of Canada and British Columbia to specify land rights, resource rights, and government structures. They have been afforded First Nations benefits while undergoing the treaty process. The Kaska Dena Council represents the Kaska people in treaty negotiations with federal and provincial governments. The five groups of Kaska First Nations represented by the Council include the Dease River, Daylu Dena Council, Kwadacha Nation, Liard First Nation, and the Ross River Dena Council.
Bibliography
"Kaska Nation." Government of British Columbia, 15 Apr. 2024, www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/consulting-with-first-nations/first-nations-negotiations/first-nations-a-z-listing/kaska-dena-council. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.
“Our History.” Kaska Dena Council, kaskadenacouncil.com/our-history. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.
“Our Purpose.” Kaska Dena Council, kaskadenacouncil.com/our-purpose. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.
Pedersen, Anne-Marie, and Annette McFadyen Clark. “Kaska Dena.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 10 Oct. 2018, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/kaska. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.