Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre

For millennia, well-worn foot trails along the banks of the Chu Níikwän — now called the Yukon River — were lined with ancient fish camps, lookout points, hunting grounds, burial sites and meeting places. But with the 1897 Klondike Gold Rush and the Alaska Highway construction of 1942, the Kwanlin Dün people were uprooted and their lives, drastically changed.

In 2012, the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre (KDCC) was built in Whitehorse. “The opening…marks a deeply meaningful event for our people as we celebrate the reclamation of our ancestral home along the riverbank,” says Rick O’Brien, a former Kwanlin Dün First Nation chief. Since the centre’s construction, it has served as a spectacular meeting place to celebrate and share the history, traditions and living Culture of O’Brien’s people.

Now considered the Yukon’s premier conference and convention centre, KDCC currently houses the Whitehorse Public Library and a repository of Kwanlin Dün cultural artifacts, some of which are on display. It also functions as a showcase for artists, artisans, storytellers, drummers, dancers and carvers. And every summer, an Indigenous artist-in-residence works on site. Visitors can enjoy a cultural tour or drop in on their own.

The centre is home to a traditional sewing circle, along with workshops such as “Moosehide to Moccasins” and moose hair tufting. As well, KDCC acts as the epicentre for gatherings year-round, including the Adaka Cultural Festival, Frostbite Music Festival and National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations.

Critically, the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre inspires youth to explore their culture and rediscover their proud ancestral heritage, while providing an important venue for Elders who help ensure that traditional teachings are passed forward.