Also known as the Kutchin, the Gwichʼin are a First Nations, and Alaska Native people in northwestern North America, mostly north of the Arctic Circle.
Their traditional homeland included the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Alaska.
Historically, the Gwich'in people lived in a variety of different types of homes suited to their harsh Arctic environment. These include subterranean houses made by digging into the ground and using sod to create walls and a roof. Layers of sod provided insulation against the cold winters.
Used for both winter and summer living, dome-shaped homes were constructed using a framework of wooden poles covered with animal hides or birch bark. Their shape made them stable in extreme weather conditions. While following the caribou herds in the summer, the Gwich'in used skin tents, similar to teepees, but made from caribou or moose hides. These were easy to assemble and disassemble.
The Gwich'in people also built smokehouses for smoking and drying fish, meat, and other food items, preserving food for the long winters. These were usually small, low structures with a smoke hole at the top.
Used to store food, tools, and other items, cache pits were dug into the ground, lined with logs or planks, and covered with sod or other materials. Fish racks were simple wooden structures used for drying fish, allowing fish that were caught in the summer to be preserved for winter consumption.
Historically, the Gwich'in had a subsistence lifestyle that included hunting and fishing.
Caribou have always held immense significance for the Gwich'in people. Not only are caribou a primary source of sustenance and a resource for clothing and tools but the caribou are deeply woven into Gwich'in spirituality. Ceremonies, songs, and stories celebrate the role of the caribou as a provider and symbol of resilience.
The Gwich'in use every part of a caribou. Meat provides sustenance, hides are used for clothing, moccasins, and shelter, and antlers are crafted into tools, utensils, and decorative items, while sinew is used for sewing and binding. Caribou bones are used for divination and storytelling.
The Gwich'in have a rich cultural heritage. They are known for their craftsmanship. They produce snowshoes, birchbark canoes, and two-way sleds, as well as intricate and ornate beadwork, caribou-skin clothing, and porcupine quillwork embroidery.
They celebrate their cultural identity through potlatches, storytelling, and traditional ceremonies.
European colonization brought significant changes to the Gwich'in way of life. They interacted with Europeans in the fur trade and with settlers. The widespread introduction of Christianity in the 1840s produced spiritual changes that are still reflected in Gwich'in life today. The Anglicans and the Catholics had the greatest influence. Anglican missionaries referred to the Gwich'in as the Tukudh or the Takudh, and the Takudh Bible is a translation of the entire King James Bible into the Gwich'in language. In the 1960s, a new orthography was devised by Richard Mueller, and it has now become standard.
There are several bands or tribes of Gwich'in, including the Deenduu, Draanjik, Di’haii, Gwichyaa, Kʼiitlʼit, Neetsaii (Neetsʼit), Ehdiitat, Danzhit Hanlaii, Teetlʼit, and Vuntut (Vantee). Three major clans have survived from antiquity, two of which are primary clans, while the third has a secondary status. These are the Nantsaii, the Chitsʼyaa, and the Tenjeraatsaii, the latter of which is reserved for people who marry within their own clan, an action that is considered incestual. It also includes the children of people who are outside of the clan system.
Today, more than 6,000 Gwich'in live in fifteen small communities in the northern part of the Northwest Territories, the Yukon Territory, and northern Alaska.
Gwich'in communities in the Northwest Territories include Aklavik, Fort McPherson, Inuvik, and Tsiigehtchic. In Yukon Territory, the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation is at Old Crow. Alaskan Gwich'in communities include Arctic Village, Beaver, Birch Creek, Chalkyitsik, Circle, Fort Yukon, Venetie, Stevens Village, Canyon Village, and Christian.
This section of our web guide to American Indian and First Nations groups and individuals focuses on the Gwich'in peoples. Websites affiliated with Gwich'in nations and communities, businesses, enterprises, schools, medical facilities, programs, and events are appropriate for this category, as are businesses owned by individual Gwich'in people.
Recommended Resources
Located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, the hamlet of Aklavik had a population of more than 1,500 until 1961, when Inuvik was developed to replace Aklavik due to repeated flooding. However, many residents were unwilling to move, and its current population is above 500. The community is home to Inuit and Gwich'in people, with only a small number of non-Native people. Its history, attractions, schedules, and contacts are posted.
http://www.aklavik.ca/
The Birch Creek Tribal Council is a federally recognized tribe formed under the Indian Reorganization Act and the contemporary governing body of Birch Creek tribal lands and tribal members. The Denduu Gwich’in traditionally occupied the Yukon Flats area south of the Yukon River for thousands of years but only recently settled where Birch Creek is today. Originally used as a seasonal camp, the establishment of a school in the 1950s resulted in Birch Creek becoming a permanent town.
https://birchcreektribe.org/
The Hamlet of Fort McPherson provides municipal services to more than 900 residents of the Northwest Territories community. Most are Gwich'in First Nations people, and smaller numbers of Métis, Inuit, Inuvialuit, and non-Aboriginal people. Featured is a map showing the hamlet's location, an introduction to its council and staff, reports of pilot projects, bylaws, council minutes, plans, and a newsletter. The address, phone number, and an online contact form are available.
http://www.fortmcpherson.ca/
GTC Department of Cultural Heritage
The Gwich'in Tribal Council's Social & Cultural Institute (GSCI) was established in 1993 to document, preserve, and promote Gwich'in culture, language, traditional knowledge, and values. Operating as a non-profit society until 2016, it became a department under the Gwich'in Tribal Council. Its staff works with the four communities of Aklavik, Fort McPherson, Inuvik, and Tsiigehtchic, which fall within the Gwich'in Settlement Area. Its projects and publications are featured.
https://www.gwichin.ca/
Gwich'in Council International
GCI represents 9,000 Gwich'in in the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Alaska as a Permanent Participant in the Arctic Council, the only international organization to give Indigenous people a seat at the decision-making table alongside national governments. GCI membership consists of two representative bodies in Canada and one in the United States. The non-profit organization has one full-time staff member based in Yellowknife, Canada. Its projects and media resources are posted.
https://gwichincouncil.com/
Here are highlighted GTC language teaching resources, including stories, prayers, and books in video and text format, information about the Gwich'in alphabet, lessons, and lesson plans, intended for use by people learning the language on their own and for teachers in community programs and schools. Currently, three dialects of Gwich'in are used in the Northwest Territories, including Teetł’it, Gwichyah, and Old Crow, each of which is included here.
https://www.gwichinlanguage.ca/
Gwich'in Renewable Resources Board
The GRRB is the chief co-management body responsible for renewable resources within the Gwich'in Settlement Area, particularly caribou and moose, which are especially important to the Gwich'in as subsistence food sources. Fish are also used throughout the settlement area, and black and white spruce forests provide a habitat for caribou, bears, and fur-bearing animals. Maps, various publications, and traditional knowledge and research are highlighted.
https://www.grrb.nt.ca/
Established in 1992, the CTC is an Indigenous organization representing Gwich'in participants in the Mackenzie-Delta of the Northwest Territories and across Canada. Its objectives, organizational structure, history, mandate, mission, and cultural considerations are stated here. Its board, staff, maps, and media library are available, along with information about its programs, partnerships, and career opportunities. Board meeting schedules, curriculum, and forms are included.
https://www.gwichintribal.ca/
Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich'in Tribal Government
Serving the Gwich'in people of Fort Yukon, Alaska, the mission of the tribal government is to exercise governmental authority to promote economic and social development, advocate and secure tribal rights, secure tribal lands, enhance educational opportunities, and protect traditional cultural values on behalf of its tribal members. Established in 1939, administrative contacts are posted, and member services, notices of upcoming events, and tribal governance are reported.
https://www.fortyukon.org/
Gwitchyaa Zhee Village Corporation
The Gwich'in Tribe inhabited the Yukon Flats area for thousands of years. Situated at the confluence of the Yukon and Porcupine Rivers, Fort Yukon has no accessible roads. Formally recognized as the Native Village of Fort Yukon, the village is a hub for ten surrounding villages. The Gwitchyaa Zhee Village Corporation was formed in 1973 to promote the economic, social, cultural, and personal well-being of Natives enrolled in the Native Village of Fort Yukon.
https://www.gzcorporation.org/
Home to the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, Old Crow is situated on the Porcupine River and is the only Yukon community that cannot be reached by motor vehicle. Most of its population are Gwich'in, Old Crow is also the northernmost non-Inuit Indigenous community in North America. Its history, educational resources, language projects, legends, music, videos, and maps are highlighted, along with an introduction to its elders, contacts, recipes, games, and crafts.
http://www.oldcrow.ca/
The VGFN is the government of the Van Tat Gwich’in people, with authority over all VGFN settlement lands, occupants of settlement lands, and the collective rights and interests of Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation citizens. The Van Tut Gwich’in are part of the larger Gwich'in Nation, which includes fifteen communities in the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Alaska. A profile of the Nation, its constitution, chief, council, and general assembly are identified, along with a directory of contacts.
https://www.vgfn.ca/
