The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations has an administrative centre at Haines Junction but also operates an office in Whitehorse. Traditionally, the townsite of Haines Junction was a stopover place for people on the move to other areas; its traditional name is Dakwakada or "high cache." The First Nation's traditional land is the southwestern Yukon and northwestern British Columbia, and its tribal council affiliation is the Southern Tutchone Tribal Council. CAFN identifies an overall membership of 1,129, making it one of the largest First Nations in the Yukon.
The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations' traditional territory is the home of the Southern Tutchone people of the southern Yukon region. There are many villages within its land base, such as Champagne, Klukshu, Aishihik and Hootchi. Southern Tutchone belongs to the Athapaskan language family. Many people in this area have Tlingit ancestry; The Coastal Tlingit people passed through the region for trade purposes, and the Tlingit village of Klukwan near Haines, Alaska, is close by. The Southern Tutchone lived a nomadic way of life and relied on the land and its resources for survival. Salmon remains one of the rich resources found in this area. Many Southern Tutchone people harvest salmon at the village of Klukshu and at Shäwshe (Dalton Post).
The Southern Tutchone people developed a social structure based on the clan system. It was borrowed from the Coastal Tlingit people who traded, partnered, and intermarried with the people of the area. Many of the Champagne and Aishihik people trace their ancestry through various clans originating on the coast. With the presence of a strong moiety and clan system, the potlatch is also central to the Champagne and Aishihik people's cultural tradition. Language, art, dancing and singing, and traditional bush life are being actively revived by the CAFN members and taught to their children.
Along with three other First Nations, CAFN signed their land claims and self-government agreements in 1993. The agreements came into effect in 1995. Many of the early leaders who were involved with the process from its 1973 inception were Champagne-Aishihik First Nations members, including Elijah Smith, Harry Allen, Mary Jane Jim, David Joe and Paul Birckel. Throughout the negotiation process, Champagne-Aishihik First Nations was strongly involved in the Council for Yukon Indians (later the Council of Yukon First Nations). Under their land claims agreement, CAFN has a role in the co-management of their traditional territorial lands and any development proceeding on those lands. CAFN is a full partner on the Kluane National Park Management Board and the Alsek Renewable Resources Council and is represented on numerous other regional and territorial boards that make recommendations on heritage, educational, environmental and economic issues. The First Nation has a strong Heritage Department, which focuses on archaeology, documentation of oral traditions, and promoting song, dance and the arts of the Southern Tutchone culture.
