Yukon Land Claims - History

History

Unlike other parts of Canada, Yukon First Nations did not conclude any treaties until the 1990s, despite Chief Jim Boss of the Ta'an Kwach'an requesting compensation for lost lands and hunting grounds as a result of the Klondike Gold Rush in 1902. Jim Boss' letter was ignored and it was not until the 1970s that the issue was raised again.

The current process started in 1972 with the publication of Together Today For our Children Tomorrow by Chief Elijah Smith.

Negotiations took place in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in an agreement which was ultimately rejected.

Negotiations resumed in 198? and culminated in agreeing to an Umbrella Final Agreement (UFA) in 1990. The UFA is used as the framework or template for individual agreements with each of the fourteen Yukon First Nations. It came into force in 1992 when the first four First Nations ratified their land claims agreements. To date (August 2005), ten of the fourteen First Nations have signed and ratified an agreement, another two have signed agreements which were not ratified after being defeated in referendums, and two are still being negotiated.

Unlike most other Canadian land claims agreements that apply only to Status Indians, the Yukon First Nations insisted that the agreements involve everyone they considered part of their nation, whether they were recognized as Status Indians or not. In 1973, the Yukon Indian Brotherhood and the Yukon Association of Non-Status Indians formed the Council for Yukon Indians (CYI) to negotatiate a land claims agreement. The two organizations and the Council formally merged in 1980 under the Council for Yukon Indians name. In 1995, CYI was renamed to the Council of Yukon First Nations.