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Haa Ḵusteeyí shares culture, language, and history in Atlin for the first time

Monday, 31 July 2023 13:25

By Stuart Bonell

A crowd gathered to watch the fish filleting competition at Haa Ḵusteeyí, on the shores of Atlin Lake (Photo, S.Bonell)

'Homecoming' was the event's unspoken theme, as the Chilkat Robe and Sixties Scoop survivors return home for the first time.

Taku River Tlingit First Nation hosted Haa Ḵusteeyí in Áa Tlein (Atlin) for the very first time over the weekend. The celebration, which translates to “Our Way,” brought Tlingit people together from across their traditional territory to share culture, language, and history.

Haa Ḵusteeyí 2023 organizer and Taku River Tlingit First Nation Elder Wayne Carlick says that hosting the event took patience and ideas, but that his community had some framework to follow.

"Some of the neat things about hosting an event that's already been hosted in other communities is that we don't have to reinvent the wheel," said Carlick on the banks of Atlin Lake. "Every community has a canoe race. Every community has a salmon filleting contest. Every community has singing and dancing, and sharing language and culture. So that's pretty much already set. So, you just follow and add things as you go along to highlight your own community.

One of the unspoken themes of Haa Ḵusteeyí this year was homecoming. Sunday’s Robe Ceremony celebrated the return of the Chilkat Robe to Atlin after 140 years, and some members of Tlingit Nations were able to return home following the Sixties Scoop.

"My heart welcomes them," said Carlick. "They're family. I can't believe that they've been away for so long because of what has happened in our country. Through residential school and Sixties Scoop, and all the stuff that's gone on, they haven't made their way home yet."

"Being able to have them on our canoe yesterday; they were so grateful, and said it's an experience they will never forget. That's a highlight for me."

Carlick added that he was very proud to learn and be a part of the historic Haa Ḵusteeyí event, and looks forward to what Taku River Tlingit First Nation, and all other Tlingit Nations, can learn from their experience.

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