Dawson Indian Band

From the late 1940s on, people began moving to Dawson to be closer to jobs. This was a difficult time for our people. They had few resources to deal with inadequate housing, children being taken away to residential schools, and various health and social ills. The federal department of Indian Affairs organized us as a band under the Indian Act and renamed us the Dawson Indian Band. A volunteer Chief and Council tried to handle additional responsibilities with little economic support. After an approach by Chief Percy Henry, a local mining company donated what became our Band Office for one dollar. Our leaders managed during these years with a combination of ingenuity and dedication.

[Link: To learn more about this time of transition, see the section entitled RECENT HISTORY / Conflicted Times and Land Claims.]

Mr. Percy Henry first became chief of the Dawson Indian Band in 1969 and served in that position on and off until the mid 1980s. He is seen here with his wife Mabel Henry (far right) and Dorothy Lindgren, the granddaughter of Chief Isaac.