Donjek river has its headwaters in the glaciers to the south and eventually flows into the White River, tributary of the Yukon River.
The name refers to the white berries or silverberries which grow along the river. These are edible and their large seeds were used as beads for decoration. In Northern Tutchone the berry is called dän jắk, and this probably is the source of the English name.
Native people have always hunted and trapped in this region. Nowadays the area is used by Burwash people but formerly Southern Tutchone from Aishihik used it as well. There are stories about the giant worms that used to live at the headwaters.
