In what appears to be a message to the federal government, David Johnny Sr., the chief of the White River First Nation (WRFN), skipped a meeting with Jim Prentice, the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, last week in Whitehorse.

In an interview last Thursday, Johnny Sr. said from Beaver Creek he turned down an opportunity to meet with Prentice because he didn't see the point.

'I just figured, why waste my time going there?'' Johnny said, adding that the minister's office has ignored correspondence from the WRFN for nearly six months.

Prentice was in Whitehorse with Prime Minister Stephen Harper last week to meet with the leaders of the Yukon first nations to hear comments and concerns on self-government, health, land claims and other issues.

Johnny said his first nation had been trying to restart the self-government negotiation process but has received no word from Prentice on how that process can begin again.

'Six months to wait to get a response from someone is a long time to wait.

'We (even) sent down a letter to Ottawa with Andy Carvill (grand chief of the Council of Yukon First Nations),' the WRFN chief said.

'I reply to letters I get on the same day, and we're a small operation. He's got lawyers and secretaries and he hasn't answered.'

Johnny said earlier this year the minister said he was willing to start with 'a blank piece of paper' and discuss terms outside the Umbrella Final Agreement, a document which acted as a template for the land claim agreements signed by other Yukon first nations.

Johnny said he disagreed with the Umbrella Final Agreement because the area it identifies as the traditional territory of the WRFN is too small.

'The Umbrella Final Agreement lists WRFN traditional territory as 200 square miles ...it's thousands of square miles,' he said.

'We're right in the middle of the (proposed Alaska Highway gas) pipeline route.'

He said unless WRFN self-government issues are dealt with, it could end up costing the federal government more money than is necessary because it would need to hire personnel to handle self-governing first nations' issues and separate personnel to deal with WRFN matters.

He said one of the issues that needs to be dealt with is overlap, as WRFN traditional territory overlaps the Kluane First Nation's territory by 100 per cent.

'Either we need to go to court, or we need to negotiate.'

When contacted last Wednesday and Thursday, spokespeople for Prentice said the minister was unable to comment but that his office only had two July letters from the WRFN on record.

See related story, p. 6.