A First Nations female scrapes caribou skins in the community of Old Crow, Yukon Territory, Canada.
The isolated, aboriginal community of Old Crow, home to the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, continues their battle with the government and the world’s biggest oil companies. Old Crow, located 113km north of the Arctic Circle, is the Yukon Territory’s most northern village with a population of 300 people. Old Crow sits on the banks of the Porcupine River as Crow Mountain provides a scenic backdrop. The town boasts a small general store that also serves as the local Post Office and bank. Dirt roads from the tiny airport lead past a nurse’s station, an Anglican Church, the RCMP building, and the community hall, to the council administration office, arena, and school. Old Crow is governed by their Chief and Councillors. On March 16, 2005 the Senate voted (51-49) in favour of opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to drilling for oil. The Arctic Refuge, a million-acre wildlife sanctuary, is where the Porcupine Caribou herd migrates each year to have their calves. Under President George Bush’s proposed Energy Bill, the area under consideration for drilling is the same area of the caribou birthing grounds. The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation has lobbied for protection of the caribou birthing grounds for the past 18 years. The Porcupine caribou are the Gwitchin’s main food source and they utilize every part of the animal. The Vuntut Gwitchin live off the land as their ancestors did thousands of years ago. They fish, trap muskrat and wolverine, snare rabbits and ptarmigan, and gather various berries and medicinal plants that grow in the area. The Gwitchin’s main food source, however, is the Porcupine caribou that migrate near Old Crow every spring and autumn. Every part of the caribou is utilized for food, clothing, and tools. The Canadian government is opposed to drilling in the ANWR and firmly believes the Porcupine caribou herd needs protection.
Size: 5250px × 3500px
Location: Old Crow, Yukon Territory, Canada
Photo credit: © DEDDEDA / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: Yes
Keywords: aboriginal, aboriginals, american, arctic, band, canada, canadian, canadians, caribou, communities, community, crow, cultural, culture, deddeda, happy, heritage, horizontal, indian, indians, indigenous, lady, land, locals, multicultural, multiculturalism, nation, nations, native, natives, northern, people, person, reservation, reserve, scrape, skin, skins, smile, territory, tradition, traditions, woman, women, work, worker, working, works, yukon
