Vadzaih Tth’an Oozhri’ and Gwich’in culture

I will be presenting a diagram of caribou bone names using our Gwich’in language. Many of these body parts are specialized knowledge, known only by the elders, but for our language and culture to survive they need to be taught to younger speakers and active hunters. I will also show how we use the different parts of the caribou to make traditional tools, clothing, toys, and games and how we butcher these animals so that nothing is wasted. Even some of our family names and personal names come from the names for caribou bones. Along with the bones, we also have names for all the meats, skin, and internal organs. Most of the names for caribou body parts are also used for other game animals such as moose and Dall sheep. I will also talk a little bit about dialect differences between Alaskan and Yukon Gwich’in villages and those in the Northwest Territories