The Vuntut Gwitchin and the Porcupine Caribou: A Bond Spanning Millennia

The Vuntut Gwitchin — whose name means "people of the lakes among the spruce trees" — have inhabited the Old Crow Flats and the Porcupine River drainage for thousands of years. They are the northernmost First Nation in the Yukon, living above the Arctic Circle in the community of Old Crow, which is accessible only by air. There is no road to Old Crow. ## The Porcupine Caribou Herd The relationship between the Vuntut Gwitchin and the Porcupine caribou herd is one of the most enduring human-wildlife relationships on the continent. The herd — numbering around 200,000 animals — migrates annually between its calving grounds on the Arctic coastal plain of Alaska and northwest Canada, and its winter range in the boreal forests of the Yukon and Northwest Territories. The migration route crosses hundreds of kilometres, following corridors the caribou have used for thousands of years. For the Vuntut Gwitchin, the caribou are not simply a resource. They are, in a profound sense, relatives. Gwitchin oral tradition holds that in the time before, caribou and humans were made from the same being, and each carries a piece of the other's heart. This relationship is encoded in spiritual practice, ceremony, and the strict protocols that govern the hunt — protocols about how an animal is taken, how it is thanked, how every part is used. Waste is a moral failure; respect for the animal is a moral obligation. ## The Old Crow Flats The Old Crow Flats — the vast wetland complex immediately north of the community — are one of the most important waterfowl breeding and staging areas in North America. Thousands of shallow lakes, ponds, and channels, constantly reshaped by the freeze-thaw cycle of permafrost, provide habitat for millions of migratory birds each year. In spring and fall the sky above the Flats fills with ducks, geese, and swans moving between their breeding and wintering grounds across the hemisphere. The Flats are also a historically important fishery — particularly for Inconnu (a large whitefish), pike, and Arctic grayling — and a trapping ground that has sustained generations of Vuntut Gwitchin families. ## Ice Age Fossils The Old Crow basin is one of the richest Pleistocene fossil areas in North America. Erosion along the rivers constantly exposes the bones of mammoth, mastodon, ancient horse, giant beaver, bison, and other Ice Age fauna. The region has been central to scientific understanding of Beringia — the land bridge that once connected Asia and North America — and to debates about when and how humans first arrived in the Americas. The Vuntut Gwitchin have lived alongside these fossils and incorporated their meaning into oral traditions long before scientists arrived to study them. ## The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge The Porcupine caribou herd's calving grounds on the Arctic coastal plain of Alaska fall within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). For decades, proposals to open the coastal plain to oil and gas drilling have made the Vuntut Gwitchin among the most visible Indigenous rights advocates in North America. The argument is not only about caribou — though the disruption to calving that oil development typically brings is a proven threat to herd numbers. It is about the violation of a relationship that defines who the Vuntut Gwitchin are. Attacking the caribou's calving ground is, in their understanding, an attack on the people themselves. Vuntut Gwitchin leaders have testified before the United States Congress, formed alliances with environmental organizations, and travelled repeatedly to Washington to make their case. The issue has swung back and forth with successive American administrations. As of 2025, the calving grounds remain protected, but the political threat has not been permanently resolved. ## Self-Government The Vuntut Gwitchin signed their Final Agreement and Self-Government Agreement in 1993 as part of the [Umbrella Final Agreement](/blog/yukon-umbrella-final-agreement-1993). Their governance structure reflects both traditional leadership and the requirements of contemporary treaty implementation. Language revitalization is a priority — Gwitchin is a living language, still spoken by elders and actively taught to younger generations through immersion programs and cultural camps. The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation government manages lands, social services, and cultural programs from Old Crow, and has been at the forefront of northern climate change research, partnering with universities to document the changes that are visibly transforming their homeland. ## Vuntut National Park [Vuntut National Park](/blog/vuntut-national-park-guide) was established in 1995 through the Vuntut Gwitchin Final Agreement, and the First Nation co-manages it with Parks Canada. The park protects the Old Crow Flats and adjacent wilderness. There are no roads, trails, or visitor services — this is among the most remote and least-visited parks in Canada. Access is via Old Crow. ## Visiting Old Crow Old Crow is accessible only by scheduled air service from Whitehorse. It is a small, close-knit community of roughly 300 people. Visitors who come to Old Crow should do so respectfully and with planning — there is limited accommodation, no services for independent wilderness travel, and the community values its quiet. Contact the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation before visiting to understand how to engage with the community appropriately. For most travellers, the meaningful connection to Vuntut Gwitchin culture is through the exhibits in Whitehorse or Dawson City, or through the writing and advocacy that Vuntut Gwitchin leaders have produced on the caribou and the ANWR issue. --- ## See Also on TheKlondike.net - [Old Crow Travel Guide](/blog/old-crow-remote-community) — the complete guide to visiting the Vuntut Gwitchin community - [Vuntut National Park](/blog/vuntut-national-park-guide) — the park co-managed by the Vuntut Gwitchin and Parks Canada - [Displacement and Survival: How the Gold Rush Changed Yukon First Nations](/blog/gold-rush-impact-first-nations) — the broader colonial history - [The 1993 Umbrella Final Agreement](/blog/yukon-umbrella-final-agreement-1993) — how the Vuntut Gwitchin reclaimed self-government - [Ivvavik National Park](/blog/ivvavik-national-park-guide) — the neighbouring park on the Arctic coast