The Regional Gwich’in Collaborative (RGC) consisting of the Ehdiitat Gwich’in Council, Gwichya Gwich’in Council, Tetlit Gwich’in Council and the Gwich’in Tribal Council is committed to working to engage our Gwich’in communities in the ongoing conversations about the future for Gwich’in people. As part of this commitment, RGC worked together on the development and implementation of a communications strategy which includes a new brand and logo along with a dedicated website for self-government engagement, online video and social media. The strategy is part of our effort to engage with as many Gwich’in Participants in the self-government process as possible and to raise awareness about self-government.  The collaborative is negotiating a self-government agreement on behalf of its partner communities with government.

The Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (1992) provides for a framework to negotiate Gwich’in self-government. In 2018, GTC Assembly, the Ehdiitat (Aklavik), Tetlit (Fort McPherson), and Gwichya (Tsiigehtchic) Gwich’in Councils and their communities committed to working together with GTC to negotiate a self-government agreement in a collaborative and community-based manner. The RGC logo and website reflect this partnership and RGC’s commitment to working with communities to define self-government for Gwich’in.

The Collaborative has created a self-government logo to help build an identity for Gwich’in Collaborative Self-Government. The logo is inspired by traditional Gwich’in flower beadwork and the colours represent elements of the land and the water that have been found in Gwich’in artwork for generations. Gwich’in self-government will be designed by Gwich’in, and consideration was given to ensure that all aspects of that work will have the look and feel of a future government that reflects our culture and traditions.

We hope the RGC website will be an important part of supporting Gwich’in Participants to stay informed. Gwich’in will be able to access FAQs, information about the history and process of negotiating self-government, plain language summaries of the agreement-in-principle, and full chapters of the rolling draft self-government agreement. Participants will have access to negotiation materials and surveys through a secure log-in portal. The website will be consistently updated as Gwich’in continue down the path towards self-determination.

Finally, RGC is sharing our  self-government informational ‘explainer’ video.  The video has been released through social media channels and showcases the Gwich’in journey towards self-determination. The RGC  are committed to working together to see that  all Gwich’in  have their voices included in our journey.

“The Gwichya Gwich’in Council is very excited about the new collaborative approach and new outreach tools for Participants. We are very excited that Participants will have multiple avenues to access information” Mavis Clark, Gwichya Gwich’in Council (Tsiigehtchic)

 “Self-government, self-determination is an exciting opportunity to create our children’s future” Leslie P. Blake, Tetlit Gwich’in Council (Fort McPherson)

“Self-government will be the journey where we shape the future with control.” Michael Greenland, Ehdiitat Gwich’in Council (Aklavik)

“The people and communities are the foundation of our governance within our Nation, building strong Gwich’in communities through the collaborative and community based approach embodies Gwich’in self-determination” Jordan Peterson, Gwich’in Tribal Council

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