Daniel L. Tlen
Daniel Tlen was raised in Burwash, the son of Jennie Johnson and grandson of Emma Johnson. He was tutored by his mother and grandmother and other relatives in the Kluane dialect of the Dákwänje (Southern Tutchone) language, and compiled the first published glossary of the language. His 1986 report, “Speaking Out,” documented the state of Yukon's Indigenous languages with suggestions and recommendations for their survival.1) Tlen graduated from the University of Victoria in 1989 with a BA in Linguistics and Philosophy. He taught Athapaskan linguistics and Southern Tutchone at Yukon College for twenty-three years, developed a Southern Tutchone curriculum, and taught Southern Tutchone at Ecole Whitehorse Elementary School for sixteen years.2)
Daniel Tlen was a regular performer with Bob Charlie and the Klukshu Flats Boogie Band. In 1985, he was asked to translate O Canada into Southern Tutchone and it was recorded by CHON FM and later by CBC. In 1988, Tlen sang O Canada in Southern Tutchone in front of an audience of 60,000 at the opening of the Calgary Olympics.3) In 1989, Daniel Tlen became the first indigenous Canadian to sit on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.4) Tlen was appointed to the Geographical Place Names Board in 1995 and served as vice-chair until his resignation in October 2001 when he became chief of the Kluane First Nation.5)
Resources: Daniel Tlen's publications include: -“Indigenous Linguistics and Land Claims” Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, Vol. 17, Issue 2, pp. 266–286. © 2007, University of California Press [with Patrick Moore, UBC] - “Upper Tanana: Scotty Creek Dialect,” White River First Nation Publication, Whitehorse, 1996 [with Bessie John] - “Kluane Southern Tutchone Glossary” Occasional Papers of The Northern Research Institute - Monograph #1 - issbn: 1188-8067, Whitehorse, 1993 - “Speaking Out: A Survey and Consultations on Yukon Native Languages” Yukon Native Language Centre Publication, 1986 - “Dan K'e Kwanje Literacy Workshops” Southern Tutchone Tribal Council, 1998.