KIAC Building in Dawson Receives New Hän Name

Tuesday, 27 August 2019 12:16

The new Hän Name was presented at an unveiling ceremony in Dawson City on August 15th (Photo courtesy of KIAC)

The Klondike Institute of Art and Culture building in Dawson has received a new Hän name.

Dawson City Arts Society's Vice Chair David Curtis say the unveiling of a new Hän name that was showcased on the Klondike Institute Art and Culture (KIAC) building on August 15th in Dawson was historic.

Curtis says the "Dënäkär Zho" Han was picked by Trond'ek Hwech'in board representative Kerry Barber and translates into "a house of mixed colours" in the English language.

Curtis says the renaming of the building is a way to further reconciliation with local First Nations people after many were historically discriminated against when they were denied access into the building.

"The Oddfellows Hall — which is now the The Klondike Institute of Art and Culture – was given a Hän name by the Trond'ek Hwech'in as a way of taking the history of the building and bringing it into a new era of cooperation and partnership with the First Nation. We knew the Oddfellows Hall had been a place of fraternal order and a place where there was a considerable amount of discrimination in terms of its membership and around who was allowed in the building."

Curtis says there were many prominent First Nation representatives helping to advance the name of the building at the ceremony.

"When KIAC began twenty years ago, we didn't realize that that history was carried forward a little bit with the building. We wanted to change that by giving the building a newer identity than KIAC had given it over the last 20 years. At the event, we had a beautiful private cleansing ceremony of the building... After that, we had a public ceremony with a lot of speakers from Trond'ek Hwech'in Chief Roberta Joseph and Elder Angie Joseph- Rear."

Curtis says the naming process revolved around the building was conducted collaboratively by First Nations in the Community.

"That name was put forward by Trond'ek Hwech'in representative Terry Barber on the Dawson City Arts Society board. She had been making Hän language videos and she had one video where the name "Dënäkär" came up. She thought it would make an excellent name for the building because KIAC focuses so much on art. She presented it to the Trond'ek Hwech'in and it was later accepted by the Elders Council and the Trond'ek Hwech'in Chief and Council."

Curtis says he hopes the community will now refer to the KIAC building name as "Dënäkär Zho" , which is located at the corner of Second Avenue and Princess Street in Dawson.