1       Cruikshank et. al, Life Lived Like a Story 2        Barbara E. Kelcey, Lost in the Rush: The Forgotten Women of the Klondike Stampede, ([S.I.]: B.E. Kelcey, 1989); Melanie J. Mayer, Klondike Women: True Tales of the 1897-98 Gold Rush (Athens: Swallow Press and Ohio University, 1989); Moore, Remembering Mac Bob; Spotswood, “Women’s crucial contributions overlooked.”

This article focuses on the women of the Yukon and their direct relationship between the First Nations people and the Europeans during the fur trade and the gold rush eras. The people who travelled to this abundant land were in search of riches, as well as profiting from it. Although most of the records focus on the ideologies and experiences of the European and Native men (and their settlement in the Yukon), ¹…Women had significant roles, both local Native women and newcomer women, during the settlement period of 1870 to1940 in the Yukon Territory. Instead, the historical analysis focuses on the relationships between cultures and the development of class systems. The experiences and assistance of the women in the Yukon gold rush suggests that the themes of relationship, adventure, and cultural construction were shaped on the personal histories of both cultures. Depending on gender, race, and cultural backgrounds, the experiences of women during 1870’s were documented vicariously throughout the gold rush era. Women played a crucial part in the growth of populations, and their methods of contributing to social growth within the territory may have varied due to their social roles. Native women played a key role in the establishment of relationships between white and Native groups. Contact between the white and Native groups, during the pre-gold rush, supports the framework for grasping the relationships and roles of women in the Klondike. When comparing Aboriginal women and Newcomer women, the Expectations of women at this time varied depending on their race, social standings and values. With limited written documentations of the women’s experiences during this era, ² The limitations of accessing women’s perspectives of this contact period in the north may be due to women’s social status at this time and compounded for First Nations women who not only experienced gender bias but cultural and racial bias as well. Despite the written historical records being scarce, the native women are known for being the carriers of important historical information. Although the history of the native women may not have been physically recorded, their experiences and interpretations of their pasts are still living today. ³ Stories were and are used as a cultural tool to transfer knowledge and historical information across generations, and until ethnographers began to document these stories it could appear to outsiders that there were few contributions to the gold rush from local Native peoples. Compared to the male prospectors, the women`s role during the Klondike gold rush has been seen as a secondary role, even though they worked side by side as miners or by supporting with food, shelter and companionship; alluding the independent and adventurous nature of the gold rush women. Understanding the relation between both parties helps clarify the social blending and cultural constraints about the expected behavior and relationships of men and women. Another way in facilitating trades was through mixed marriages. This allowed both cultures to remain distinct and separate from one another, while also allowing each group to living together in good-nature, but only for a short time. The arrival of Europeans during the Gold Rush brought forth social stigmas against the natives, and it wasn’t long before intercultural relations were frowned upon; creating more stratified societies. The social pressure to create class systems, the less mixed unions occurred, leading to a greater divide between women and cultures. Acknowledging the existence of social hierarchy at the time of the gold rush is an important aspect of understanding how and why women`s records of their gold rush experiences are differently documented, specifically between newcomer and Native women. Although there a very few records of the relationship between the newcomer women and the native women, the similarities and differences which brought these women together for a

3) Cruikshank et. al., Life Lived Like a Story, 174.

brief period of time, describes the survival, strength and social classes that brought these unlikely heroes together. The lack of historical documentation shows the invisibility of the First Nation’s people, compared to the copious amounts of documentation the Europeans have. In spite of the women of the Yukon’s testimonies are recorded differently, they are both equally important to the history of the Gold Rush experience, and are evident through their stories and personal histories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

• Lindsay Roberts, “Gold Rush Girls: Newcomer and Native Women’s Relationships during Yukon’s Gold Rush.”
  Completed for History/Women’s Studies 363: The Women’s West: Women and Canadian Frontier Settlement, Athabasca University, 2012.
• Cruikshank, Julie. Dan Dah Ts’edenintth’e: Reading Voices, Oral and Written Interpretations of the Yukon’s Past. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre Ltd., 1991.
• Cruikshank, Julie in collaboration with Angela Sidney, Kitty Smith, and Annie Ned. Life Lived Like a Story: Life Stories of Three Yukon Elders. Vancouver: University of British Columbia, 1990.
• Cruikshank, Julie. “Women’s Lives in Athapaskan Narrative” (paper presented at the conference for the Canadian Institute for the Advancement of Women, Ottawa, Ontario, 1983).
• Kelcey, Barbara E. Lost in the Rush: The Forgotten Women of the Klondike Stampede. [S.I.]: B.E. Kelcey, 1989.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Analytical Source; Project #1

History 1140 – Canadian History

Professor: Tracy Penny Light