Intro

The Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC) is an international treaty organization established to represent the interests of United States and Canadian Athabaskan member First Nation governments in Arctic Council fora, and to foster a greater understanding of the common heritage of all Athabaskan peoples of Arctic North America.

The founding members of AAC include four Alaskan Athabaskan communities (Chickaloon Village Traditional Council, Healy Lake Traditional Council (Mendas Cha~Ag), Steven Village Tribal Government, Council, Northway Tribal Council)-and three Athabaskan representative bodies on the Canadian side-the Council of Yukon First Nations, representing eleven Yukon First Nations, the Dene Nation, representing 30 First Nations in the Northwest Territories and northern Manitoba, and Métis Nation-Northwest Territories, representing 13 communities in the Northwest Territories. In total, Arctic Athabaskan founding member governments represent approximately 32,000 indigenous peoples of Athabaskan descent residing in Arctic and Sub-Arctic North America. As more member governments from both the United States (Alaska) and Canada join, this number is expected to increase to approximately 40,000.

The Permanent Office of the Arctic Athabaskan Council is located at 11 Nisutlin Drive, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada, within the same central administrative headquarters as the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN). CYFN is a non-profit organization the serves as the central political coordinating body for its eleven Yukon First Nation members. It has 30 full-time staff and an annual operating budget of $4 million. CYFN will provide pay administration, contract and accounting services support to the Arctic Athabaskan Council Permanent Office.

Between Arctic Athabaskan Council meetings, general direction to the activities of the Council is provided by the Chairperson, Ed Schultz, who is also currently the Grand Chief of the Council of Yukon First Nations. Day-to-day activities of the AAC Secretariat are managed by AAC Executive Directors (Canada and United States). The AAC Secretariat (Canada) also provides logistical and administrative support to AAC international activities. The AAC Secretariat (Canada) office is to be administered by CYFN’s Director, International Relations. CYFN International Relations office staff include the Director of International Relations and an Office Assistant. More staff may be hired as needed. The Permanent Office provides technical and logistical support to all AAC’s activities, including the Office of the Executive Chairperson (United States), who is headquartered in the Native village of Healy Lake.

The Athabaskan peoples, residing in Arctic and sub-Arctic Alaska, U.S.A., and the Yukon Territory and Northwest Territories of Canada have traditionally occupied a vast geographic area of approximately 3 million square kilometers.

This vast region has been continuously occupied by Athabaskan peoples for at least 10,000 years and includes three of North America’s largest river systems (Mackenzie, Yukon and Churchill Rivers). It also includes vast areas of both tundra (barren lands) and taiga (boreal forest) as well as North America’s highest mountains (Mount McKinley and Mount Logan) and the world’s largest non-polar ice field (St. Elias Mountains). The southeastern boundary of the Arctic Athabaskan peoples’ traditional territories includes portions of provincial northern Canada.

The ancestors of contemporary Athabaskan peoples were semi-nomadic hunters. The staples of Athabaskan life are caribou, moose, beaver, rabbits and fish. Athabaskan peoples today continue to enjoy their traditional practices and diet. Except for south-central Alaska (Tanana and Eyak) and the Hudson Bay (Chipweyan), Athabaskan peoples are predominately inland taiga and tundra dwellers. Collectively, the Arctic Athabaskan peoples share 23 distinct language and live in communities as far flung as Tanana, Alaska and Tadoule Lake, northern Manitoba, nearly 5400 kilometers apart.

Peoples of Arctic Athabaskan descent represent approximately 2% of the resident population of Alaska, U.S.A. (12,000), compared with about one-third of the Yukon Territory (10,000), the Northwest Territories and provincial norths (20,000) in Canada. Athabaskan peoples are a relatively young and growing population, compared with non-Aboriginal Arctic resident groups.

Forms of political and cultural organization vary, depending upon the place of residence of a particular Athabaskan group. In Alaska, Athabaskan groups have organized themselves in accordance with federal and State statutes which provide funding for government operations, including the Indian Reorganization Act for tribal governments, Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act for incorporated Villages, and a variety of state- legislated and traditional political entities. In Canada, Athabaskan peoples have organized themselves into political bodies under federal legislation including bands created under the Indian Act , self-governing First Nations as mandated through negotiated Settlement Agreements, and regional umbrella organizations.

The objective of the Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC) is to create an international organization for northern peoples of Athabaskan descent. Its principle purpose is foster greater understanding of the common heritage of all Arctic Athabaskan peoples of Canada and the United States and to represent the Athabaskan peoples of Arctic Canada and the United States as a permanent participant in the Arctic Council.