Harold Gatensby
Harold Gatensby of Carcross is a member of the Kookhittann clan of the Dakha Tlingit Nation. He was instrumental in reviving traditional peace-making practices that led to their implementation as an alternative to standard sentencing practices. The peace-making practices were effective in reducing criminal behaviour and incidences of recidivism in Yukon First Nation communities.1)
Gatensby has been a long-standing leader for the Dahka Tlingit in the Yukon. He worked all his life for judicial fairness for Indigenous youth, and protection for the Yukon River watershed. He travels all over the world performing water and healing ceremonies. He is a strong supporter of community justice, or circle sentencing. He was the Yukon representative for the Aboriginal Justice Learning Network in Ottawa and was instrumental in creating the Southern Lakes Justice Committee in the early 1990s. He founded the Nares Mountain Wilderness Camp in 1995 where he facilitates restorative justice and environmental training. In 2000, Princess Ann presented him with an individual merit award for his community justice work and innovative approach to crime prevention in his community. In 1997, he co-founded the Yukon River Inter-tribal Watershed Council and, in 2002, travelled to South Africa to represent the council at the United Nations Earth Summit. In 2006, Gatensby was the first Yukoner to place as a finalist for the Buffett Award for Indigenous Leadership. The award is given out by Ecotrust who established the award in 2001 to acknowledge indigenous leaders who often go unnoticed in their communities.2)