Tanya Ball
Coordinator, Dane Nan Yḗ Dāh
(Land Guardians)
(Land Guardians)
Dena Kayeh Institute
Kaska Dena have lived in over 240,000 square kilometres of land in the southeast Yukon, southern Northwest Territories, and north-western British Columbia for tens of thousands of years; long before both recorded history and the existence of provincial land and territorial borders.
The Dane Nan Yḗ Dāh Network is an important initiative for Kaska, as wildlife and land stewardship have always been and remain an integral part of Kaska Dena culture. Through this program, Kaska Dena are building capacity and increasing presence on the land as guardians, participating in the management of lands and resources – a role that will strengthen as we assume more responsibility through Government to Government Agreements and ultimately, Kaska Dena Self-Governance.
Our Land Guardians practice responsible stewardship in many ways, including helping to educate the public, interacting with hunters during peak hunting season, providing local knowledge, undertaking harvest data collection, and monitoring wildlife health and climate change.
Our Land Guardians are the “ears and eyes” on the ground – an approach we believe to be integral to responsible land stewardship.
