Chilkoot Indian Association

The Chilkoot Indian Association represents the Chilkoot Tlingit people of Haines, Alaska, in the traditional homeland of the Chilkat and Chilkoot Tlingit. The region was a crossroads of trade: Tlingit traders carried eulachon oil, Chilkat blankets and other goods over mountain routes to the interior. The association was organized in the early twentieth century and ratified its constitution and by-laws in 1941; it is a federally recognized tribe with a democratically elected tribal council. It maintains government-to-government relations with the United States and provides services to its citizens, while working to protect subsistence resources, land and cultural traditions. The Chilkoot were not included in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and the association continues to assert its sovereignty and its members' rights. The association's citizens live in Haines and elsewhere, and the tribe manages housing, health and cultural programs while asserting hunting and fishing rights. Its name comes from the Chilkoot trail, a historic route to the Yukon interior.