The Liard First Nation: Kaska People of the Southeast

The Liard First Nation are the Kaska Dena people of the Watson Lake region in southeastern Yukon. Their traditional territory occupies the Liard River drainage — a vast watershed that extends south into British Columbia and east toward the Northwest Territories, straddling the modern provincial and territorial borders that were drawn through their lands without their consent. ## Language and the Kaska Nation The Liard First Nation people speak Kaska, a Dene (Athapascan) language that links them to a broader Kaska Nation that includes First Nations in northern British Columbia. Kaska is part of the great Dene language family that extends from Alaska across northern Canada to the eastern subarctic — a family of languages that represents the largest geographic spread of any Indigenous language group in North America. Language revitalization programs work to pass Kaska on to younger generations. The Kaska identify themselves as Dene — a word meaning "people" that is used across the Dene-speaking world as a marker of cultural identity and connection. ## Traditional Territory and Liard River Country The Liard River drainage is one of the most biodiverse regions in the Yukon and northern BC — a landscape of dense boreal forest, productive river systems, and spectacular limestone canyons. The Liard First Nation people followed seasonal cycles of moose hunting, fishing, caribou hunting, and trapping across this territory. The Liard Hot Springs, just south of the Yukon-BC border, were a gathering place — a site where people came for ceremony, healing, and social connection. They remain a significant gathering place, though now within a British Columbia provincial park. ## The Alaska Highway The construction of the Alaska Highway in 1942 cut directly through Liard First Nation territory, bringing the same disruptions experienced by First Nations across the Yukon: disease, loss of access to traditional camps and hunting areas, and the sudden presence of thousands of outsiders. Watson Lake — the nearest highway community — grew rapidly around the highway's demands, and the Liard First Nation people found themselves increasingly marginalized in their own territory. ## Self-Government As of the mid-2020s, the Liard First Nation had not yet concluded their Final Agreement under the Umbrella Final Agreement framework — one of four Yukon First Nations still in negotiation. The ongoing negotiation reflects the complexity of their situation: their traditional territory crosses provincial and territorial boundaries, requiring coordination between the federal government, Yukon, and British Columbia. The Liard First Nation operates community programs in Watson Lake, serving a membership that maintains its connections to Kaska language and culture while navigating the challenges of contemporary life in a resource-extraction region. --- ## See Also on TheKlondike.net - [Watson Lake Travel Guide](/blog/watson-lake-sign-post-forest) — the highway community in Liard First Nation territory - [The Alaska Highway: A Complete Guide](/blog/alaska-highway-complete-guide) — which runs through Liard traditional lands - [Displacement and Survival: How the Gold Rush Changed Yukon First Nations](/blog/gold-rush-impact-first-nations)