Learn about First Nations Culture in Northern & Arctic Yukon

First Nations history and culture runs deep in the Yukon. Travellers find opportunities to learn about their way of life in every region, including all the way up into the Arctic Ocean.

Explore Hershel Island-Qikiqtaruk Territorial and Ivvavik National Parks, where the Inuvialuit people have hunted and fished for millennia. Not reachable by road, these remote places hold riveting exploration for those who make the journey. At times, Parks Canada offers trips in Ivvavik National Park that include an Inuvialuit cultural host sharing stories as you visit significant sites together.

The area farther south from the Arctic coast has been home to the Vuntut Gwitchin for thousands of years. Fly to the remote village of Old Crow, visit the John Tizya Centre and see fascinating exhibits on the Gwitchin history and culture. The centre is also a multi-use facility that hosts community events and celebrations—visitors are often welcome to attend. Join the fun during Caribou Days, an annual event that commemorates the connection between the Vuntut Gwitchin people and the Porcupine Caribou Herd.

The herd’s migration path also includes Tombstone Territorial Park, which is within the Traditional Territory of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation. While travellers learn about the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in history and culture more fully in Dawson City, there is also information at the Tombstone Territorial Park Interpretive Centre and on a few interpretive signs as you travel the Dempster Highway toward the Arctic Circle.