Conference Proceedings
For
The Borderlands Conference
June 1989
Conference Overview
On the 2 - 4 of June 1989, a conference dealing with the Yukon / Alaska / BC border and the issues surrounding this border was held in Whitehorse, YT, Canada. The conference was jointly sponsored by the Yukon Historical & Museums Association, Yukon College, The University of Victoria's Public History Group, and the Alaska Historical Society.
The conference theme encompassed the history of the Yukon/Alaska and BC/Alaska borders, the impacts on people living in those regions, and the future significance of the border to northern peoples. Participants came from many areas within the Yukon and Alaska, as well as from other parts of Canada and the Lower 48, and ranged from northern Native Elders to professors from western and eastern universities. Approximately 35 academic and non-academic speakers presented papers at the conference. In addition, four separate speaking sessions were held during the conference and the proceedings were begun with a "Northern Heritage Film Festival."
One aspect of the conference was particularly exciting--the differing views people held about what borders or boundaries were to them. The Aboriginal peoples in attendance held a markedly different view of the border being a harmful, physical and cultural barrier. Others seemed less affected by its presence.
Generally, however, the information presented and exchanges certainly contributed to an improved understanding of the borderline and the implications this boundary has for the people associated with it. As one speaker said, "Border lines mean many different things to different people." This sentiment was expressed repeatedly throughout the conference, and the underlying message seems to be that a greater level of cross-border communication and cooperation on pertinent issues would be necessary to address the differences.
John Ryder, YHMA
Proceedings' Table of Contents
Introduction
Life in the Borderlands Area
Sam Williams
Before the Boundaries: Peoples of Yukon / Alaska
Catharine McClellan
Drawing the Line: Significant Events in the History of the Yukon / Alaska Boundary
Lewis Green
The Dryad Affair: Corporate Warfare and Anglo-Russian Rivalry for the Alaskan Lisiere J.W. Shelest
Coastal Region
Lieutenant Emmons and the Alaska-Canada Boundary Controversy
Frederica deLaguna
Phototopographic Mapping and the Panhandle Boundary
Lewis Green
Close Neighbours: Southern Yukon and Alaska
Taku River Tlingit History
Mrs. Antonia Jack and Chief Sylvester Jack
Growing Up in the Taku River Region
Elizabeth Nyman
A Social and Economic History of the Taku River and the Taku River Tlingits
Douglas Hudson
The White Pass and Yukon Route
Roy Minter
Stories of Growing Up in the Borderlands Areas
Laurent Cyr
Central Yukon and Alaska
Northway Stories of Meeting the Boundary Surveyors in 1911
Lu Johns-Penikett. Mrs. Bessie Johns and Northway Elders
Alaskan Prohibition and its Impact on the Yukon Territory
Nancy Cameron
Alaska Indians and Army Builders: An Ethnohistorical Inquiry into the US Army Land Acquisitions at Gulkana and Tanacross
Stephen Haycox
The Porcupine / Yukon River Region
Ties Between Arctic Village and Northern Yukon
Chief Trimble Gilbert and Mrs. Harry Gilbert
From Both Sides Now: A Look at the Local Perspective on the Yukon / Alaska Boundary Before the Gold Rush
Michael Gates
The Story of the Tly'aa: The Alaska - Yukon Boundary of 1911 - An Athapaskan Perspective
Craig Mishler
Arctic Perspectives
The Alaska - Yukon Boundary: The Maritime Dimension
William Hanable
Canada's Western Arctic: Testing Ground for Canada's National Interest in the North
William Morrison
The Klondike Gold Rush and Boundary Questions
The Effects of the Boundary on the Han Indian People
Gerald Isaac
An Exploration of the Boundary of the Klondike Stampeders' Civilization
David Neufeld
Victory or Death: Women on the Klondike Trail
Barbara Kelcey
Contemporary Perspectives on the Yukon
Natural Resource Issues and Political Concerns Regarding the Boundary
Albert Peter
The Border as Constraint: The Need for New Approaches in Transboundary Natural Resource Management
Stephan Fuller
Northern Frontiers: Political Development and Policy Making in Alaska and the Yukon
Michael Pretes
Multi-Sector Institutions in the Alaska - BC - Yukon Region
Glenn Gray
The Implementation of the Klondike Gold Rush International Park, Canada and the US
Clay Anderson
The Implementation of the Klondike Gold Rush International Park
Sandra M. Faulkner
Conference Wrap-Up
Conference Summary - Yukon Perspective
Rosemary Blair-Smith
Conference Summary - Alaskan Perspective
William Schneider
A complete set of the papers from this conference is available in cerlox-bound paper, for $65.00 or on microfiche for $16.00. Individual articles may be reprinted; please contact the YHMA for details.
€ 1989-1999, Yukon Historical & MuseumsAssociation