The community of Carcross is the home of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation. The original inhabitants of this area are the Tagish people, who belong to the Tagish linguistic grouping of the Athapaskan language family. The area also became the home of some of the Tlingit traders from Southeast Alaska who ventured into the interior of the Yukon for trade purposes, perhaps dating back 200 to 300 years. Today many of the people are descendants of both Tagish and Tlingit. Calculations generated by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada in 2004 for their internal purposes estimated the registered population of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation at 569, many of whom live outside the two communities. First Nations' calculations of their population numbers may differ from Government of Canada figures and may include registered beneficiaries, non-beneficiary citizens and others. The Carcross/Tagish First Nation is affiliated with the Tlingit Tribal Council, the Daxa Nation.
The current site of Carcross was a seasonal stopping place in early times. It is remembered as an area where people came during the caribou herd seasonal migrations. The area is also recalled in the legend "Game Mother" as the very important site where the many different animal species were born. The Tlingit clans who settled in this area brought with them their social organizational systems, which continue to be a strong aspect of the Tagish/Tlingit culture. The potlatch also remains a very important institution that survived despite its ban by the federal government from the 1890s to 1951. The Tagish and Tlingit people enjoyed the abundance of fish present in the numerous lakes of the Southern Lakes system. The Tagish people traded with the Tlingit and often acted as intermediaries between the coast and interior. Many Tagish First Nation people were packers for the prospectors on the Chilkoot Trail during the gold rush.
The town of Carcross is not the traditional village site of the Tagish people; the original village site was in Tagish. Carcross was in fact the seasonal hunting grounds for caribou. Carcross was established during the 1898 gold rush when the White Pass Railway was built. For over 60 years First Nations children from across the Yukon attended residential school in Carcross, which was established by the Anglican Church.
The Carcross/Tagish First Nation has not yet ratified their land claims or self-government agreements with the federal and Yukon governments. Their Final Agreement, like all other Yukon First Nation Final Agreements, will incorporate the Umbrella Final Agreement and will add specific provisions that are unique to the First Nation and its people. This First Nation has been active in teaching children their language and culture through school programs, and has formed one of the most famous dance and singing groups in the Yukon.
