The upper Yukon River basin is one of the wildest, most beautiful,
and coldest places on earth. The indigenous Han Indians, whose
homeland straddles the U.S.-Canadian border, traveled this country
as hunters and gatherers and found a way to survive in it that
exemplifies their intelligence and tenacity. For Craig Mishler and
Bill Simeone, the Han are not only an ethnic and linguistic group
but a living community of individuals, and the authors write about
them as people who spoke to them and touched them in a special way.
The history of the upper Yukon valley from the earliest Western
contact with the Han in the 1840s has been one of continuous
change. As a result of the gold rush, the Han suddenly became
homeless in their own homeland. This book tells the story of the
displacement and of current efforts by the Han to reclaim their
lands and restore a vibrant way of life. In-depth profiles of Chief
Isaac, Chief Charley, and others illustrate the critical importance
of traditional leadership in stressful times. Mishler and Simeone
have carefully researched and compiled new information from
historic records, adding their own, firsthand field observations
and oral interviews with elders during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
They present detailed historical data on the fur trade,
missionization, and the gold rush, as well as an analysis of Han
social structure, settlement patterns, religion, subsistence, and
expressive culture. The final chapter illustrates contemporary life
in Eagle Village with two vivid "ethnographic snapshots"--a
Christmas eve dance in 1972 and a long summer day in 1997.
Appendices include a methodological essay, a historic chronology,
rules for Han card games, andgenealogies for many Han families. As
a model of innovative ethnographic and ethnohistorical work, Han,
People of the River makes and important contribution to
anthropological and indigenous studies literature. As a vivid and
deeply thoughtful depiction of the past, present, and future of the
Han, it is meant for all Alaskans and everyone who cares about
Alaska history and Alaska Native peoples.
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