The First Nations people of Teslin are Inland Tlingit-speaking people. They trace their ancestry to Tlingit people who migrated inland through the Taku River from Alaskan coastal areas during the last centuries. Many Teslin people trace their lineage to the Juneau/Auk Bay area. These coastal people quickly adopted an interior lifestyle, travelling a seasonal round, following the movements of fish and game, and harvesting plants and berries. They continued to travel to the coast to trade fur harvests, often on behalf of their families inland. Although they adopted an interior lifestyle, the Inland Tlingit people also retained their clan and potlatch systems. The Teslin people speak an entirely different language from the remainder of the Yukon First Nations, whose languages are of the Athapaskan family. The Teslin Tlingit Council is a member of the Tlingit Tribal Council, the Dakh-ka Nation, consisting of the Taku River Tlingits and the Carcross/Tagish First Nation.
The Teslin people are thought to have begun arriving in the area some 200 to 300 years ago. Although they first entered the Yukon as traders who headquartered on the coast, the Tlingit people eventually began to intermarry and settle in the area on a more permanent basis in the mid-19th century. They brought with them their language, clan systems and cultural practices. Many of the surrounding Athapaskan-speaking groups today reflect these cultural influences.
The Teslin Tlingit people are closely related to the Inland Tlingit people of Atlin in northern British Columbia and Carcross. The three communities are connected through a system of trails that were used extensively until the 1940s when the Alaska Highway was built.
The Teslin village site has been a summer stopping place since early times. People would gather there for summer "holidays" and socializing, usually at the end of the trapping season in June. The Inland Tlingit people of Teslin began settling year-round in the community in the 1940s when the Alaska Highway was built. In 2004, the Teslin Tlingit Council reported approximately 700 registered members; about 470 of them live outside the community.
The Teslin Tlingit Council was an active participant in the land claims negotiating process from 1973 to 1993. Along with three other First Nations, the TTC signed their land claims and self-government agreements in 1993. The agreements came into effect in 1995. Today, the TTC follows the traditional clan system of governance. A spokesperson is appointed from each of the five clans to form the "council" and a Chief is appointed by the elders. The clan system has been incorporated into the TTC and is an important aspect of the Self-Government Agreement. In 2001, the First Nation celebrated the opening of the Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre, which is the focus for cultural education, heritage, tourism and marketing. The Centre is mandated with the management and promotion of these activities, and is a venue for community events and celebrations. The potlatch remains an integral component in the lifestyle of the Teslin people, as do traditional values and belief systems. Elders are held in high esteem and remain fundamental in the governance system.
