Taku River Tlingit Place Names

Yak’éi yee xwsateení! Welcome!

 

GETTING STARTED: INTRODUCTION TO THE TAKU RIVER TLINGIT PLACE NAMES MAP

When you visit a place in our vast province or country, do you think about how that place was named?  Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps the place had a name before European explorers and settlers arrived and gave it an English name.  Many areas in our province had names before European newcomers renamed the places that were already known to Indigenous peoples. 

In the most northwestern area of British Columbia, the Indigenous peoples are the Taku River Tlingit. The Taku River Tlingit are Tlingit peoples whose territory extends between British Columbia, Southern Yukon, and Southern Alaska. The word Tlingit can be translated to mean People of the Tides. Taku River Tlingit The Taku River Tlingit Place Names Map, www.trt.geolive.ca has been created to bring awareness to the traditional Taku River Tlingit place names in the northwestern area of British Columbia. 

 

GETTING STARTED

  1. Go to the Taku River Tlingit Place Names map at www.trt.geolive.ca.
  2. Create a user name and password by clicking on the "lock" button to the left of the screen to give you access to all aspects of the website.
  3. Browse around on the page.  Be sure to visit the interactive Map, the Cultural Outings Forum, and Why Place Names are Important.
  4. If you are a member of Atlin community, please share information about Taku River Places on the Map and in the Cultural Outings Forum.
  5. If you are a visitor, the Taku River Tlingit Place Names Map will enhance your time in Taku River Tlingit Traditional Territory.  Please go to the Cultural Outings Forum to share your experiences for others to enjoy. 

 

HOW TO USE THE TAKU RIVER TLINGIT PLACE NAMES MAP:

  1. Go to www.trt.geolive.ca
  2. Log in with the user name and password you established in GETTING STARTED
  3. To get used to the functions on the map, play with the icons.
  4. Click on the + and – buttons to enlarge the map
  5. Use the pan icon to move around in the map.
  6. Go exploring on the Taku River Tlingit Place Names map.  Look for patterns in the Tlingit names and clues to how the places may have got their name.
  7. Find the Taku River Tlingit names for five mountains in the area.
  8. Find the Taku River Tlingit names for five lakes.
  9.  Find the Taku River Tlingit names for five rivers or creeks.
  10. Option:  Often, visitors to an area keep a diary of their travels.  You may want to create a travel journal of your visit to the Taku River Tlingit Territory.  As you navigate around the place name icons, record information in your travel journal, including the traditional place names and information about the places.

 

WHY PLACE NAMES ARE IMPORTANT:

Click on Why Place Names are Important in the menu bar to read what members of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation have to say about the importance of place names.   You can add your own thoughts on the importance of place names by clicking on the Cultural Outings Forum in the menu bar.