Department of Language, Culture & Heritage

Across 2025/26, we acquired a number of collections for the archives and repository through donations, loans, and transfers, including textual records, magazines, cartographic materials, photographs, and archaeological materials.

Highlights include:

• Terry Arnett’s BC History Magazine 4-part article series entitled “Mejade’sse: portrait of a woman navigating cultural erasure” (2023)
• 1,200 black and white photographs from Sylvia Albright showcasing Tahltan people living their best lives throughout Tahltan territory in the early 1980s
• Margaret Vanderberg’s handwritten notes and archival duplicates collected over a forty-year period, which informed her book “Through this Maze of Mountains” (available at the Super A in Dease Lake) (2024)
• Dozens of audio cassettes from Pauline Hawkins and her siblings, constituting a significant piece of Pat Carlick’s collection of documented Tahltan language (1970s-1980s)
• Thousands of obsidian artifacts through archaeology conducted at Sheslay, Klappan and Alkali Lake areas by Cordillera Archaeology in collaboration with Tahltan archaeology monitors

We support the Elders Council by coordinating and facilitating meetings, Elders engagements and interviews, Elders payments and support, and more.

Learn more about the Elders Council here:

Archaeology Monitoring Program

The Archaeology Monitoring Program has started the 2026 field season very busy, with monitors already working on several projects throughout Tahltan Territory. The program continues to play an important role in protecting Tahltan cultural heritage by ensuring archaeological sites, ancestral areas, and culturally significant places are considered during development activities.

Archaeology Monitors work alongside archaeologists, industry representatives, and contractors to help identify and protect cultural resources before and during ground-disturbing work.

Last year, TCG successfully completed a Dudāt (obsidian) revitalization project to renew traditional harvesting practices, cultural teachings, and knapping skills. A key component of the project was a harvesting trip to Edzi’dzāe (Mount Edziza), where participants gathered surface Dudāt and took part in a ceremony on the mountain.

A Dudāt knapping workshop followed in Dease Lake, led by Tahltan knapping instructor Shannon Dennis. Fourteen participants attended the workshop, where they learned how to work with Dudāt collected from Edzi’dzāe and developed their knapping skills through hands-on instruction.

We have created a feature length video and an interactive storymap to orient any and every one coming to work, live or visit our territory. We are now developing a training course, to be delivered in person and online. More coming soon.

Learn more here: