Hän

The Hän, also called Han or Hwëch'in / Han Hwech’in, meaning "People of the River" or the Yukon River, are a group of people from Canada and the United States. They belong to the First Nations and Alaska Native groups and speak a language from the Athabaskan-speaking family.

Their traditional home was a forested area around important rivers such as the Upper Yukon River (Chu Kon'Dëk), Klondike River (Tr'on'Dëk), Bonanza Creek (Gàh Dëk), and Sixtymile River (Khel Dëk). These lands are now part of the border between Alaska and the Yukon Territory.

Over time, many Hän people moved to towns like Dawson City, Yukon and Eagle, Alaska. Today, they continue to keep their traditions and culture alive.

Etymology

The name Hän or Han is a shorter form of their full name, Hwëch'in / Han Hwech’in. This name, which also comes from the Gwich’in word Hangʷičʼin, means "People of the River"—referring to the Yukon River. Over time, this name has been written in many different ways, such as Hankutchin, Han-Kootchin, and Hun-koo-chin.

Sometimes, the Hän were confused with other groups, especially with some Gwich'in (Kutchin) bands. French traders called them names like Gens du fou, meaning "People of the River," though these names were also used for other groups. The Hän lived in forested areas, which is why they were also called Gens de Bois or Gens des Bois by some.

History

The Hän were among the last Northern Athabascan groups to meet European people. In 1851, Robert Campbell from the Hudson's Bay Company was the first known European to enter Han territory. He traveled from Fort Selkirk to Fort Yukon. In 1873 and 1874, after the United States bought Alaska, two trading posts were set up. One was built by Moses Mercier in Belle Isle across the Eagle River. The other, Fort Reliance, was built near Dawson by traders from the Alaska Commercial Company.

Over time, trading with Europeans changed the Han way of life. They moved from fishing and hunting to trapping fur. They also began to use many European goods like guns and clothes. A church was also built, and the Han people began to follow Christian beliefs along with some of their traditional ways. Sadly, many Han people became very sick during diseases that their bodies were not used to.

Culture

The Hän people traditionally ate a lot of fish, especially salmon. They caught king salmon in June and chum salmon in August using tools like weirs, traps, gill nets, dip nets, spears, and harpoons. They dried the salmon to save for winter.

When the salmon season ended between June and September, they left their river camps. Men would hunt animals like moose, caribou, birds, bears, and small game. Women would fish for other types of fish. Women cooked by boiling food in woven baskets using hot stones from a fire.

Their main homes were square houses partly dug into the ground, made from wooden poles and moss for warmth, called moss houses. When traveling, they used temporary round homes made from animal skins stretched over branches.

Language

The Hän language is very similar to the Gwich’in language. It is also related, but less so, to the Upper Tanana and Northern Tutchone languages. In the late 1800s, during the Gold Rush in the Yukon, many different groups used the Hän language to talk to each other. Today, the Hän language is one of the most at-risk languages in Alaska, with only a few older speakers left. Some believe the language has been in the area since ancient times.

In media

In the 1989 novel Journey by James A. Michener, members of the Hän people appear. In the story, a group of Europeans attempt to travel overland from Athabasca Landing in Alberta to reach Dawson between 1897 and 1899.