Northern Lights Legends and Meanings From Indigenous Communities

"At a cozy lodge at the edge of Kluane National Park, my husband and I gathered with other guests around a wood-burning fireplace for an Indigenous storytelling experience; we snuggled around the fire while James Allen, an Elder and former Chief from the Champagne and Aishihik First Nation, shared Southern Tutchone legends he grew up with. My favorite legend was about the aurora borealis: 'there are many legends about the northern lights... our story is that the northern lights are a message from ancestors who have passed on. They dance in the Spirit World to let us know they are happy there.' I was still thinking about that Southern Tutchone northern lights legend long after the session ended and found the idea that the lights have a deeper meaning profoundly moving." - Debbie Olsen