Yukon who is who

Danny Joe (b. 1929)

Danny Joe was born at Russell Post on the upper MacMillan River. In the 1950s, Danny was sent to the Charles Camsell Hospital for patients with tuberculosis and he learned how to read and write in English. When his eldest children were taken away to residential school, he campaigned with other parents to have a public school built in Pelly Crossing. The Eliza Van Bibber School opened in September 1966. In the late 1960s, Selkirk First Nation transitioned from hereditary to elected leadership and the hereditary chief asked Danny to run for the office. He served as the chief of Selkirk First Nation for twelve years and worked with Elijah Smith and other chiefs to develop the “Together Today for our Children Tomorrow” document. He travelled with others to Ottawa in 1973 to present the case for a just settlement of Yukon First Nation land claims. ¹⁾

Danny Joe was a member of the Yukon New Democratic Party (NDP) and represented the Tatchun electoral district in the Yukon legislature from 1987 to 1992. He first won in a by-election in 1987, was re-elected in 1987 after Roger Coles resigned, and was elected again in 1989. The Tatchun district was re-organized as Mayo-Tatchun and Joe was elected to that district in the 1992 election. He did not run in 1996 and Eric Fairclough won for the NDP.²⁾

Danny Joe is a keeper of the Northern Tutchone language, customs, and laws.³⁾ He is a visionary and a leader, well known for his advocacy of Yukon First Nations’ culture and language. Danny Joe was inducted into the Order of Yukon in 2022.⁴⁾