Yukon covers an area of 482,000 km2 in the northwest corner of Canada, surrounded by Alaska to the west, British Columbia to the south and the Northwest Territories to the East. It has a small coastline to the north on the Beaufort Sea.
Around twenty-five percent of the 39,000 people living in Yukon are of indigenous ancestry. There are fourteen Yukon First Nations that are covered in this Guide, as well as three extra-territorial indigenous groups in the Northwest Territories and northern British Columbia with land rights and interests in parts of Yukon. Altogether the Traditional Territories of the First Nations with Modern treaties (comprehensive land claims agreements) and the traditional areas of the non-Settled Indigenous groups cover all of Yukon.
Yukon First Nations' ancestors have lived in the territory since time immemorial. Before the Yukon Gold Rush of 1898, the relationship between First Nations and European explorers, fur traders and settlers was, generally speaking, respectful and mutually beneficial. The influx of 40,000 gold seekers to the Dawson City area marked a turning point, leading to Ta’an Chief Jim Boss sending the Government of Canada a letter in 1902 asking the federal government to protect Yukon Indians’ way of life.
The fourteen Yukon First Nations are: Carcross Tagish First Nation; Champagne Aishihik First Nations; Kluane First Nation; Kwanlin Dün First Nation; Liard First Nation; Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation; First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dün; Ross River Dena Council; Selkirk First Nation; Ta’an Kwach’an Council; Tr’ondek Hwech’in First Nation; Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation; White River First Nation.
The three extra-territorial indigenous groups this Guide covers are: the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) and Gwich’in Tribal Council (GTC) in the Northwest Territories, and the Taku River Tlingit (TRT) in northern British Columbia. The IRC and the GTC have Modern treaties resulting in certain rights and obligations emanating from their land claims agreements. The TRT have asserted indigenous rights in some areas of southern Yukon.
In 1993 the Government of Canada and the Government of Yukon concluded the Umbrella Final Agreement (UFA). The UFA created a foundation for the negotiation of Modern treaties and self-government agreements with the fourteen Yukon First Nations. By 2005 all but three Yukon First Nations had signed Modern treaties. The exceptions are Liard First Nation, Ross River Dena Council and White River First Nation.
The UFA was built on the principles found in Together Today for our Children Tomorrow, a document submitted to the Government of Canada in 1973 by the Council for Yukon Indians. It was the first step in the Yukon’s modern land claim settlement process. Based on the UFA, the eleven Modern treaties identify where First Nations own land in their Traditional Territories (and in some cases elsewhere in Yukon). These are either Category A lands with surface and subsurface ownership, Category B lands with surface ownership, or fee simple settlement lands. This amounts to recognition of approximately 33,000 km2 of lands in Yukon. In total, the UFA includes permanent mineral rights to nearly 24,000 km2.
In addition to land ownership, the UFA also includes chapters that provide for or recognize important institutions of government that affect land interests and development. For instance, Chapter 12 of the UFA led to the creation of the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board. In Chapter 14 the UFA recognizes and provides for First Nations nominations of appointees to the Yukon Water Board. Other chapters set out bodies that oversee heritage resources, wildlife, and so on.