Mark Peter Douglas Eikland, Ta’Nìusù (1967 – 2017)
Mark Eikland was born in Whitehorse to parents Inge (Allerdt) and Charlie Eikland. Mark was Kluane First Nation with a First Nation, German and Norwegian heritage. He grew up in Destruction Bay and attended the two-room elementary school there. He completed Grade 9 by correspondence and then attended highway school in Whitehorse so her could play hockey. He had an offer to play for a team in Owen Sound but decided he was too young to leave home.1)
After graduating in 1985, Mark for several years operating hevy equipment for Yukon Highways and then graduated from Yukon College with a diploma in Renewable Resources Management. He received a B.Sc. in Geography and a certificate in Aboriginal Administration and Governance from the University of Victoria and then worked for the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) from 1998 to 2000 as Director of Implementation and Devolution. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws in 2004 from the University of Victoria and joined the law firm Boughton Law. He was called to the Bar in British Columbia and Yukon in 2005.2)
In 2009, Mark worked with BP Oil as senior advisor on aboriginal engagement and negotiations and then worked for Apache Canada as senior representative for Aboriginal affairs followed by a similar job with Shell Canada. Mark found then found a home as Chief of Staff for the Shuswap Reconciliation Framework Agreement communities in Kamloops. He was also working on a business venture to grow plants that would assist in mining reclamation. Mark Eikland is buried in Whitehorse Grey Mountain Cemetery.3)