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Kaska


KASKA  () are a group of FIRST NATIONS people occupying the LIARD R and Dease R watersheds in north-central BC and the southern Yukon. They speak a dialect of ATHABASCAN. Traditionally they lived in small family groups subsisting on wild game, food PLANTS and FISH. The FUR TRADE extended into their territory in the 1820s but outsiders began arriving in significant numbers only with the GOLD RUSHES in the Cassiar (1874) and the Klondike (1898). A ROMAN CATHOLIC mission was established at McDame Crk in 1926. The construction of the ALASKA HWY (1942) produced jobs and another influx of outsiders. Today the 200 Kaska in BC live mainly at Dease River on GOOD HOPE LK.