Indigenous peoples of Yukon Indigenous peoples of Yukon The indigenous peoples of Yukon were the sole inhabitants of the Arctic coastal territories prior to arrival of Europeans. The indigenous people of Yukon are part of the Aboriginal people of Canada. Traditionally, the Yukon indigenous peoples are hunters and gatherers with close connections to the land, the rivers and the seasons. Their history is recorded and passed down generations in an oral tradition. European contact brought many changes to the indigenous people of Yukon including land loss and non-traditional governance and education. However, the Yukon indigenous peoples continue their connections with the land in seasonal
Melville Island (Northwest Territories and Nunavut) meridian and form part of the Northwest Territories. These can only be reached by land from Nunavut or boat from the Northwest Territories. The island has little or no vegetation. Where continuous vegetation occurs, it usually consists of hummocks of mosses, lichens, grasses, and sedges. The only woody species, the dwarf willow, grows as a dense twisted mat crawling along the ground. However, a diverse animal population exists: polar bear, Peary caribou, muskox, northern collared lemming, Arctic wolf, Arctic fox, Arctic hare, and ermine (stoat) are common. A 2003 sighting of a grizzly bear and grizzly tracks by an expedition