Elders Council

The Carcross/Tagish First Nation Elders Council has a clan based structure. Each of the six clan appoints an Elder to sit on Elders Council. 

Mandate

The Elders Council provides advice and guidance to the General Council and the Executive Council. The Elders Council also decides citizenships cases, oversees the clan system, and appoints a Wolf and a Crow Elder to sit on Executive Council. 

To view our Elder's Policy, click here.

Elders Statement

We who are Tagish and we who are Tlingit,
our heritage has grown roots into the earth since the olden times.

Therefore we are part of the earth and the water.

We know our creator entrusted us with the responsibility
of looking after the land into perpetuity, and the water,
and whatever is on our land, and what is beneath our land.

So those coming after us, we will give them that responsibility into perpetuity.

Our Elders have assigned us the task of showing respect to things.

Therefore, we will look after our land as they have told us to do,
as did our Elders,
because we were the first to come to this land.

We will watch over our land
as we have agreed upon, 
and as we ourselves manage things according to our traditions.

We will bequeath it to those coming after us into perpetuity.

We will work with people to strengthen our heritage,
to give a firm foundation to our people`s lives,
and to manage our land well.

We will work with all peoples to take good care of our land,
and all the resources of this land,
as we have agreed on, we will be our own masters.

We who are Tagish, and we who are Tlingit,
we will protect our land,
so that rhings will be according to what has been agreed on, 
so that they will live by it.

According to what we have agreed on, 
we will reform the way we work with the government.

We will work together with mutual respect, 
and act thruthfully (toward each other).

We will all work together,
those who own the land and those who use the land.

We will manage together
the land and the waterand what is on the land.

Then everything will be prepared for those coming after us.

As we have agreed on, so we will act.

We will work as our Elders instruct us,
and improve the lot of those coming after us.

We will use our land with other nations.

Moreover, we will look after our land well
so that our descendents can see how good it is.

And in this way too we will respect our land from which we were born.

Members

Deisheetaan Clan – Beatrice Lebarge (Alternate: Phyllis Frost)
Daklaweidi Clan – Francis Neumann (Alternate: Patrick James)
Ishkaahittan Clan – Eileen Wally (Alternate: Linda Ford)
Kookhittaan Clan – Margaret Huberswerlen (Alternate: TBD)
Gaanaxteidi Clan – Zena McLean (Alternate: Anne McKay)
Yan Yedi Clan – Bernard Calford (Alternate: Robin Lovelace)