In the hunting process, all creatures are to be respected. But with the exception of the bear, none are given higher recognition than the caribou. Today, Gwich'in community members continue to rely on the caribou to meet both their subsistenceand spiritual needs. The hunting and distribution of caribou meat also enhances their social interaction and cultural expression. Caribou skins are used for winter boots, slippers, purses, bags, and other items of Native dress.
Bones continue to be used as tools.
Songs, stories, and dances, old and new, reverberate around the caribou further strengthening Gwich'in cultural life. The two villages of Arctic Village and Old Crow are most centrally located to the herd. Thus, they carry the greatest responsibility for sharing and trading the caribou with other villagers. The first priority was to establish an international treaty and an implementing authority. On the American side, any international caribou negotiations were strongly affected by the politics of proposed oil and gas development in the calving grounds.