Website: gwichintribal.ca
Head of Government/Organization: Ken Kyikavichik
Description: The Gwich’in Tribal Council (GTC) is an Aboriginal organization that represents Participants (Beneficiaries) of the Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (1992) in the Mackenzie-Delta of the Northwest Territories.
Under the Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement, the GTC was granted ownership of 16,264 square kilometers surface land ownership located throughout the Gwich’in Settlement Area and the Yukon, 6,065 square kilometers of surface and subsurface lands ownership and 93 square kilometers of subsurface lands ownership in fee simple located throughout the Gwich’in Settlement Area. The GTC is responsible for administering these lands and managing the resources connected with them for the benefit of all Gwich’in Participants. This means balancing the need to preserve and protect the natural resources with development that can provide the basis for future economic growth and independence.
Treaty/Land Claim Agreement: Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement
Signatories to the Agreement: Gwich’in Tribal Council, Government of Canada, Government of the Northwest Territories
Key Dates: December 22, 1992
Brief description of the region covered by claim: Mackenzie Delta region in western Northwest Territories.
Total Land Area: 22,422 km²
# of Beneficiaries: 3,450
First Nations within the Land Claims Area: Gwich’in
Aboriginal Languages Spoken: Gwich’in