Teslin Lake is a large lake spanning the border between
British Columbia and
Yukon
Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...
, Canada. It is one of a group of large lakes in the region of far northwestern BC, east of the upper
Alaska Panhandle
Southeast Alaska, colloquially referred to as the Alaska(n) Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, bordered to the east and north by the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia (and a small part ...
, which are the southern extremity of the basin of the
Yukon River
The Yukon River ( Gwich'in: ''Ųųg Han'' or ''Yuk Han'', Yup'ik: ''Kuigpak'', Inupiaq: ''Kuukpak'', Deg Xinag: ''Yeqin'', Hän: ''Tth'echù'' or ''Chuu k'onn'', Southern Tutchone: Chu Nìikwän, russian: Юкон, Yukon) is a major watercourse ...
, and which are known in Yukon as "the Southern Lakes" (the other major ones in the group are
Atlin Lake
Atlin Lake ( Lingít: ''Áa Tlein'') is the largest natural lake in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The northern tip of the lake is in Yukon, as is Little Atlin Lake. However, most of the lake lies within the Atlin District of British C ...
and
Tagish Lake
Tagish Lake is a lake in Yukon and northern British Columbia, Canada. The lake is more than long and about wide.
It has two arms, the Taku Arm in the east which is very long and mostly in British Columbia and Windy Arm in the west, mostly in ...
but include
Bennett and
Lindeman Lakes, the headwaters of the Yukon River itself). The lake is fed and drained primarily by the
Teslin River, south and north, but is also fed from the east by the
Jennings River and the
Swift River, and from the west by the
Hayes River
The Hayes River is a river in Northern Manitoba, Canada, that flows from Molson Lake to Hudson Bay at York Factory. It was historically an important river in the development of Canada and is now a Canadian Heritage River and the longest natura ...
.
According to the Yukon Geographical Names Project, "Teslin" means "long water", but in the
Tlingit language
The Tlingit language ( ; ''Lingít'' ) is spoken by the Tlingit people of Southeast Alaska and Western Canada and is a branch of the Na-Dene language family. Extensive effort is being put into revitalization programs in Southeast Alaska to revi ...
the local ''kwaan'' or tribe of Tlingit is called ''Deisleen Kwáan"'', meaning "Big Sinew Tribe".
There are three
Taku River Tlingit First Nation communities around the south end of the lake in British Columbia:
Jennings River Indian Reserve No. 8,
Teslin Lake Indian Reserve No. 7, and
Teslin Lake Indian Reserve No. 9; in the same area there once was a
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trade, fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake b ...
trading post. On the Yukon portion of the lake there are three First Nation communities:
Nisutlin Indian Reserve No. 14,
Nisutlin Bay Indian Reserve No. 15, and the
Teslin Tlingit Council The Teslin Tlingit Council (TTC) is a First Nation band government in the central Yukon in Canada, located in Teslin, Yukon along the Alaska Highway and Teslin Lake. The language originally spoken by the Teslin Tlingit or Deisleen Ḵwáan (″Big ...
. The latter is centred in the Village of
Teslin, which is located where the