Government of Canada supports Tlingít cultural revitalization in Yukon
CARCROSS, YT, July 29, 2025 /CNW/ - For Indigenous communities, the act of gathering ais about more than tradition; it is a way to ensure language, culture, history and sacred bonds with the land are able to thrive and grow stronger.
Brendan Hanley, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Member of Parliament (Yukon), announced a $95,000 investment in support of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation's Haa Ḵusteeyí celebration, a gathering of Tlingít communities from across the Yukon, British Columbia and Alaska, held from July 24 to 26, 2025.
He made the announcement at the gathering's opening ceremony, on behalf of the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages.
The Carcross/Tagish First Nation received $50,000 through the Development component of the Canada Arts Presentation Fund. The investment helped support the celebration's artistic program, which featured more than a dozen traditional and contemporary dance, drumming, storytelling and musical performances that reflect the histories, identities and living traditions of participating Indigenous nations.
The Carcross/Tagish First Nation also received $45,000 through the Events component of the Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program to deliver a series of inclusive, hands-on cultural workshops and youth engagement activities. Haa Ḵusteeyí featured Elder-led workshops on seal-skin moccasin making, hide tanning, cedar hat weaving and carving, among other topics. They encourage intercultural connection and intergenerational sharing of cultural knowledge.
The celebration brought together more than 3,000 people, to honour Tlingít language and traditions through storytelling, dance, ceremony and shared learning.
Quotes
"Haa Ḵusteeyí is a beautiful celebration of Tlingít culture and a living expression of Indigenous tradition and identity. It also allows Canadians to build meaningful relationships, rooted in reconciliation. Our government is proud to invest in programs that advance reconciliation, honour culture, preserve language, and sustain cultural teachings and knowledge. Events like this allow all of us to build meaningful relationships rooted in respect and walk the path of reconciliation together."
—The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages
"I was deeply honoured to be invited to the Carcross/Tagish First Nation for Haa Ḵusteeyí. It was profoundly moving to see how communities sustain the rich and vibrant traditions of the Tlingít people through language, culture and teachings. Having chosen to call the Yukon home for more than three decades, I am proud of our government's commitment to Haa Ḵusteeyí. It's a clear demonstration of reconciliation in action."
— Brendan Hanley, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs, and Member of Parliament (Yukon)
"Haa Ḵusteeyí is an important biennial celebration of Inland Tlingit culture, but this year has been a difficult one. In such times in our history, Haa Ḵusteeyí has continued. We have upheld this tradition in proudly hosting Haa Ḵusteeyí 2025 and by bringing our ancestors with us through ceremony, by offering a fire plate each evening and keeping a sacred fire burning throughout the celebration. I thank our Carcross/Tagish First Nation citizen and Haa Ḵusteeyí coordinator, Nicole Welin, and her team for skillfully meeting many challenges. Through their work and the support of many volunteers and major sponsors, like the Department of Canadian Heritage, Haa Ḵusteeyí 2025 has been a success."
— Maria Benoit, Haa Sha du Hen (Chief), Carcross/Tagish First Nation
Quick Facts
The biannual Haa Ḵusteeyí is a Tlingít cultural gathering that rotates between host First Nations in the Yukon and British Columbia. The gathering allows Tlingít people to come together, actively use their language and contribute to the revitalization and preservation of Tlingít heritage and culture in their communities.
Haa Ḵusteeyí (pronounced Haa Khoo-s-tee-yee) means "our culture" or "Tlingít way" in the Tlingít language and its roots date back centuries. This traditional gathering was revived by Elders in 2005.
The Canada Arts Presentation Fund supports organizations that professionally present arts festivals or performing arts series as well as organizations that fund arts presenters. The Development stream supports emerging arts presenters and presenter-support organizations that focus on underserved communities or artistic practices.
The Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program's Events component helps fund community-based events that promote intercultural or interfaith understanding, promote discussions on multiculturalism, diversity, racism and religious discrimination, or celebrate a community's history and culture.
Carcross/Tagish First Nation
Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program
SOURCE Canadian Heritage
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