Part of the Ogilvie Mountains as seen from Dempster Highway in Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon. These mountains mark the southern end of the lands of the Vuntut Gwitchin, the Gwich’in who live in Yukon Territory.
Written by Lauren-Rose Stunell
The Gwich’in People and Language
The Gwich’in are an Athabaskan-speaking Indigenous people whose traditional territory spans the northernmost parts of Turtle Island, from the Porcupine River region of Alaska to parts of the Yukon and the Northwest Territories in Canada.
Like many other Indigenous groups in Canada, the Gwich’in people have lived in close connection with the land, relying on its resources for subsistence through hunting, fishing, and gathering. The caribou, especially the Porcupine caribou herd, have been central to Gwich’in culture and survival, providing food, clothing, tools, and spiritual tradition and ceremony.
As with many other Indigenous languages highlighted in our Discovering Languages series, the Gwich’in language is critically endangered. As Gwich’in communities became more impacted by colonization, younger generations increasingly turned to English for communication, leading to a quick and unfortunate decline in fluent Gwich’in speakers. In 2021, there were only 75 Gwich’in speakers living in Yukon and 135 living in the Northwest Territories.
Exploring Gwich’in Place Names
In Gwich’in culture, place names often reflect the natural features, animals, or events associated with that location, thereby honouring and preserving the deep connection between the people and the land.
The Caribou Hills or Dineedidraii Khyidh
The Caribou Hills, which lie north of Inuvik in the Northwest Territories, are known as Dineedidraii Khyidh in Gwich’in. Specifically, this name refers to a region at the northern end of the hills where the landscape appears as though it has been scratched from top to bottom by enormous fingers. Dineedidraii means “scratched down,” and khyidh means “hills.”
In the summer, the Gwichya Gwich’in, a Gwich’in people who live in Alaska, hunted caribou in this area because the animals had short hair that wouldn’t shed. This was highly prized for making winter clothing, as the hair could be left on the skin, which could be worn with the fur on the outside.
Bell River or Chii Vee Njik Gwichoo
The Bell River, or Chii Vee Njik Gwichoo, in northern Yukon flows into the Porcupine River. In a literal translation, these four Gwich’in words mean “rock-grey-creek-big.” Can you guess what this name comes from? The river is named after a grey-coloured mountain, or “big grey rock,” that overlooks it.
Gwi’eekajìlchit or Tithegeh Chì’
This prominent cliff on the eastern side of Campbell Lake, within Gwich’in Territorial Park in the Northwest Territories, has two names in Gwich’in and no official name in English or French! Gwi’eekajìlchit means “somebody chipped (steps)” and is linked to a time when people would climb the cliff to gather eagle feathers for their arrows.
The second name — Tithegeh Chì’ — refers to the huge flock of seagulls that once nested there. Tithegeh means “seagull” and chì’ means “their rock.” Sometimes there were so many seagulls that the cliff would appear to be white. Gwich’in Elder Annie Norbert recalled how the noise of the seagulls was so loud when her father hunted ducks in the area that it made communication difficult.
In addition to the land, animals also hold significant importance in Gwich’in culture. Use the following animal-inspired classroom activity to introduce learners to shoh, the black bear, and to the Gwich’in language and culture while they practice their target language.
Jii shoh diinch’uh: This is a Black Bear
Introduction/Description
Black bears hold significant importance in Gwich’in culture for both practical and spiritual reasons. Traditionally, black bears were an important source of food and materials for the Gwich’in people, providing meat, fur, and fat, all of which were used for clothing, tools, and sustenance during the long winters. Hunting black bears was a vital part of the Gwich’in ways of living and required a deep understanding of the animal’s behaviour, seasonal patterns, and habitat.
This activity will encourage learners to take on new vocabulary in the Gwich’in language and understand the importance of the black bear in Gwich’in culture. It will help them connect to the Gwich’in language in a meaningful, interactive way, fostering both language skills and cultural appreciation, while engaging with their target language. It is aimed at elementary-aged learners but can be adapted and extended for older audiences.
Activity Sequence
- To introduce the Gwich’in language to young learners, here is a song that many will know in either their maternal or additional languages: Shichi’ shikoh shagwàt shikai’ (“Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”). Students will likely be familiar with the tune and able to follow along with the actions while copying the vocabulary from the singer.
- The Gwich’in Tribal Council Department of Cultural Heritage has created a short interactive booklet that tells the story and importance of the black bear in both English and Gwich’in. Teachers and educators can share the story with their classes and read it aloud together in either English or their target language. The sentences can be listened to in Gwich’in.
- Learners will use the teachings of the bear to begin to write their own passages on the importance of the bear in the target language. This will aid learners in using descriptive words in their target language as well as honouring the Gwich’in people and their teachings in an interdisciplinary activity.
- Hold a sharing circle for students to reflect on and respond to the following prompts in their target language:
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- How do you say “bear” in Gwich’in? How do you say “bear” in other languages you know?
- What qualities do we associate with bears in various cultures? For example, The Seven Sacred Teachings share that the bear teaches us courage.
- What do bears teach us about respecting nature and the balance of the Earth?
- What would be the effects on the bear population if we did not honour their land and learn about the people who have traditionally inhabited and continue to inhabit it?
- To extend the activity, the website provides tools to learn other vocabulary in Gwich’in too, including the months, colours, plants, days of the week, and more!
Extension for Older Learners
For older learners, pre-service teachers, and educators, you can dive deeper into the importance of language revitalization through this video from Alaska entitled This day care helps an endangered language survive: Inside a Gwich’in language nest. The video follows the story of Tanan Ch’at’oh, a preschool in Alaska in which children are immersed in the Gwich’in language. The daycare — which calls itself a “language nest” — is run by the Indigenous community as one tool to help save their language.
The idea of a “language nest” has close ties with the values of the immersion programs we see in Canada, especially French Immersion. How can we use the examples given in the video and apply the same strategies to our classrooms to ensure that students are fully immersed in their target language? How can we also apply these strategies to ensure that we are doing our part towards Truth and Reconciliation and encouraging the use of Indigenous languages through vocabulary in our classrooms?
