Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre

The Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre sits on the Yukon River waterfront and serves as both a community gathering place for the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and a cultural education facility for visitors. The architecture is deliberately impressive — a modern building with Indigenous design elements facing the river from which the Kwanlin Dün have fished for thousands of years.

Exhibits cover the history and culture of the Southern Tutchone people, including traditional knowledge, artwork, and the disruption caused by the Gold Rush and subsequent settlement. The centre hosts events, performances, and workshops throughout the year. If you want to understand whose land Whitehorse is built on and what that means in practice today, this is the best place to start.

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A story
The Kwanlin Dün First Nation's traditional territory encompasses the area around Whitehorse, and the city was built on their land without their consent in the late 19th century. The Self-Government Agreement they signed in 2005 — one of the last in Yukon — gave them back control of their governance and a formal voice in how their land is used. The cultural centre was built as a direct expression of that renewed sovereignty.