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Call for Conference Presentations - Kohkux Map: 150 Years

December 4, 2018

Kohklux Map: 150 Years
October 25-27, 2019
Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse

Co-sponsored by the Yukon Historical and Museums Association (Whitehorse, Yukon) and Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center (Klukwan, Alaska)

Deadline for Proposals: April 30, 2019

2019 will mark the 150th anniversary of the drawing of the Kohklux Map. Chilkat leader Kohklux and his wives drew the map in 1869 for American scientist George Davidson, who was in the north to view a solar eclipse. Depicting the details and landscape of an Indigenous trade route between southeast Alaska and southwest Yukon, to date it is not only the oldest surviving map of southern Yukon, but also the oldest preserved map of this region drawn on paper by Indigenous people.

In honour of this anniversary and in acknowledgement of the immeasurable cultural and historical value of this map, this multi-disciplinary conference will explore the Kohklux Map, its legacy, and related topics. It will offer a forum for the exchange of new research, stories, and memories, and in doing so will attract and connect community knowledge-keepers, academics, historians, and others with an interest in the map. Approximately 100 speakers and participants from the north, Canada, the United States, and beyond are expected to attend.

Conference Theme

Proposals are invited on the subjects of the Kohklux Map and related topics, such as:

  • Northern mapping
  • Tlingit and Athapaskan languages
  • Place names
  • Indigenous trails, travel, and worldviews
  • Inter-cultural communication and exchange
  • Protection of Indigenous ancestral lands/traditional territories
  • Cultural survival and renewal
  • Family connections
  • Archival and artifact conservation and preservation
  • Coastal travellers
  • Skygazing
  • The landscape reflected in artistic practice, e.g. Tlingit weaving
  • Clan crests

Presentation Formats

  • Session panels
  • Individual papers (15-20 minutes) and “PechaKucha”-style presentations (5-7 minutes)
  • Workshops
  • Poster presentations, exhibits, or other interesting forms of presentations/participation (be creative!)

Cultural and artistic presentations inspired by or related to the conference theme are also welcomed.

Proposal Details

Please include the following with your submission:

  • Title of the proposed presentation, format, and maximum one-page summary
  • Details of your proposal and connections to the conference theme
  • Author(s)/participant(s) name(s), contact information, and brief bio(s)

Publication Information

Proceedings will be published online after the conference. Speakers will be given the option to have their presentation included, if applicable. Submission deadlines for online publication will be provided to accepted presenters at a later date.

Submission Instructions

The deadline for proposals is April 30, 2019. Proposals may be submitted via email to info@heritageyukon.ca (subject: Kohklux Map: 150 Years Proposal), or by mail to:

Yukon Historical & Museums Association
3126 Third Avenue
Whitehorse YT Y1A 1E7

Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by May 15, 2019. For more information, please contact Lianne Maitland at 1-867-667-4704 or info@heritageyukon.ca.

Want to learn more about the Kohklux Map? You can download our 1995 publication, The Kohklux Map, here (PDF, 10 MB).