Chad Dickson

This is Chad Dickson's next pro board. Chad's home community is Teslin, Yukon, where the Tlingit language, related to the now-extinct Eyak language of Alaska, is spoken. The language is used across Yukon communities like Teslin and Carcross, as well as in the Atlin area of British Columbia and along the Alaskan panhandle from Yakutat to Ketchikan. Due to this wide geographic range, dialect differences are minimal, and speakers generally understand each other.

Chad’s cultural heritage is maintained through traditions passed down by Elders in his community, including harvesting camps, ceremonies, and cultural events. The Teslin Tlingit have five clans:

Kuhhittan (Raven)
Ishkitan (Frog)
Yanyedi (Wolf)
Deshitan (Split Tail Beaver)
Dakl'awedi (Eagle)
Chad belongs to the Dakl’awedi (Eagle) clan. Clan membership is determined by traditional practices, and Chad’s people are Inland Tlingit who migrated from Southeastern Alaska to Yukon. They settled permanently in Teslin following the completion of the Alaska Highway in 1942, though oral history suggests their presence in the Yukon predates written records. Traditionally, they moved seasonally for hunting and fishing, setting up camp in various parts of their territory.

Before returning to the West, Chad grew up skateboarding in London, Ontario. Colonialism is honored to have Chad as a supporter and rider.