“Tlakw Aan” (Klukwan) translates to “Eternal Village” or “The Village That Has Always Been.” Klukwan is located in the upper Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska just 18 miles south of the Canadian border and 22 miles north by road from Haines, AK. With a population of about 85 people, Klukwan has a K-12 school, a small community store, a community garden, a tribal office, a health center, and a Heritage Center in addition to private residences. While Klukwan is an independent community, many drive to Haines for jobs and/or supplies and services.
The longevity of this “Eternal Village” has always been connected to abundant resources available here at the confluence between the Chilkat, Kleheni, and Tsirku Rivers. Today we continue to rely upon the health of the rivers, animals, and plants to support our subsistence based economy that ultimately supports our ability to thrive as a healthy, happy, and interconnected community.
As a federally recognized Native Sovereign Nation, the Chilkat Indian Village (CIV) provides key services to the village of Klukwan and takes responsibility for stewarding and protecting the lands and waterways within the tribe’s territory. This sense of responsibility is fitting given that the Chilkat Indian Village governs many of the Tlingit people who have acted - and continue to act - as the Chilkat River’s longest-standing caretakers.
The Tlingit people in this Chilkat Valley are known collectively as the Jilkaat (Chilkat) Kwaan for their reliance upon and connection to the Chilkat River and its estuaries. Today the Jilkaat Kwaan territory begins at seven miles above Haines on the east side of the Chilkat River and just below the confluence of the Kicking Horse River on the west side of Chilkat River. The area extends the Chilkat and Klehini rivers north as far as the divide in Canada. The traditional territory of the Jilkaat Kwaan people covered an area of 2.6 million acres and extended from beyond the Canadian Border at Stone House Creek (approximately 45 miles north of Klukwan), to Berners Bay at the south end of Lynn Canal (approximately 70 miles south of Klukwan).
The Chilkat Indian Village is working to revitalize Tlingit Heritage through the Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center which provides classes to local youth and community members, protects at.oow (clan-trust property objects), and shares knowledge with visitors. Click to learn more about the Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center and Bald Eagle Preserve Visitor Center.