Dene
Encyclopedia
The Dene are an aboriginal group of First Nations
who live in the northern boreal
and Arctic
regions of Canada
. The Dené speak Northern Athabaskan languages
. Dene is the common Athabaskan word for "people" (Sapir 1915, p. 558). The term "Dene" has two usages. More commonly, it is used narrowly to refer to the Athabaskan speakers of the Northwest Territories
and Nunavut
in Canada, especially including the Chipewyan
(Denesuline). Tlicho (Dogrib), Yellowknives
(T'atsaot'ine), Slavey (Deh Gah Got'ine or Deh Cho), and Sahtu
(the Eastern group in Jeff Leer's classification; part of the Northwestern Canada group in Keren Rice's classification). But it is sometimes also used to refer to all Northern Athabaskan speakers, who are spread in a wide range all across Alaska and northern Canada. Note that it never includes the Pacific Coast Athabaskan or Southern Athabaskan speakers in the continental U.S., despite the fact that the term Dene is used to denote the Athabaskan languages as a whole in the name of the Na-Dene language family, which groups the Athabaskan languages with Tlingit
and Eyak
.
Alexander Mackenzie described aspects of a number of northern Dene cultures in the late eighteenth century in his journal of his voyage down the Mackenzie River http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35658 )
The Diné
(Navajo) and Indé
(Apache) people, have names similar to the Dené. This seems surprising at first, given the several thousand of miles from them to the Dene heartland in northern Canada, but makes sense once it's realized that they are in fact Athabaskan speakers themselves.
), and can be found west of Nunavut
. Their homeland reaches to western Yukon
, and the northern part of British Columbia
, Alberta
, Saskatchewan
, Manitoba
, Alaska
and the southwestern United States
.
Dene were the first people to settle in what is now the Northwest Territories
. In northern Canada, historically there were ethnic feuds between the Dene and the Inuit
. In 1996, Dene and Inuit representatives participated in a healing ceremony to reconcile the centuries-old grievances.
Behchoko, Northwest Territories
is the largest Dene community in Canada.
Although the above-named groups are what the term "Dene" usually refers to in modern usage, other groups who consider themselves Dene include:
In 2005 elders from the Dene People decided to join the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO) seeking recognition for their ancestral cultural and land rights.
The largest population of Denesuline speakers live in the northern Saskatchewan village of La Loche
and the adjoining Clearwater River Dene Nation. The combined population is over 3000 people. 90% of the residents speak the Dene Suline language
.
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
who live in the northern boreal
Boreal forest of Canada
Canada's boreal forest comprises about one third of the circumpolar boreal forest that rings the northern hemisphere, mostly north of the 50th parallel. Other countries with boreal forest include Russia, which contains the majority, and the Scandinavian and Nordic countries . The boreal region in...
and Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
regions of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The Dené speak Northern Athabaskan languages
Northern Athabaskan languages
Northern Athabaskan is a geographic sub-grouping of the Athabaskan language family spoken in the northern part of North America, particularly in Alaska and the Yukon...
. Dene is the common Athabaskan word for "people" (Sapir 1915, p. 558). The term "Dene" has two usages. More commonly, it is used narrowly to refer to the Athabaskan speakers of the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
and Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
in Canada, especially including the Chipewyan
Chipewyan
The Chipewyan are a Dene Aboriginal people in Canada, whose ancestors were the Taltheilei...
(Denesuline). Tlicho (Dogrib), Yellowknives
Yellowknives
The Yellowknives, Yellow Knives, Copper Indians, Red Knives or T'atsaot'ine are Aboriginal peoples of Canada, one of the five main groups of the Dene indigenous people that live in the Northwest Territories of Canada...
(T'atsaot'ine), Slavey (Deh Gah Got'ine or Deh Cho), and Sahtu
Sahtu
The Sahtú are an Aboriginal peoples of Canada Dene people living in the vicinity of Great Bear Lake , Northwest Territories, Canada...
(the Eastern group in Jeff Leer's classification; part of the Northwestern Canada group in Keren Rice's classification). But it is sometimes also used to refer to all Northern Athabaskan speakers, who are spread in a wide range all across Alaska and northern Canada. Note that it never includes the Pacific Coast Athabaskan or Southern Athabaskan speakers in the continental U.S., despite the fact that the term Dene is used to denote the Athabaskan languages as a whole in the name of the Na-Dene language family, which groups the Athabaskan languages with Tlingit
Tlingit language
The Tlingit language ) is spoken by the Tlingit people of Southeast Alaska and Western Canada. It is a branch of the Na-Dené language family. Tlingit is very endangered, with fewer than 140 native speakers still living, all of whom are bilingual or near-bilingual in English...
and Eyak
Eyak language
Eyak is an extinct Na-Dené language that was historically spoken by the Eyak people, indigenous to southcentral Alaska, near the mouth of the Copper River.The closest relatives of Eyak are the Athabaskan languages...
.
Alexander Mackenzie described aspects of a number of northern Dene cultures in the late eighteenth century in his journal of his voyage down the Mackenzie River http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35658 )
The Diné
Dine
-People named Dine:* Jim Dine , an American pop artist* S. S. Van Dine, an art critic and author* Tom Dine, an American government worker-Other meanings:* Beit ed-Dine, a town in Lebanon* Diné, name for the Navajo Nation in the Navajo language...
(Navajo) and Indé
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
(Apache) people, have names similar to the Dené. This seems surprising at first, given the several thousand of miles from them to the Dene heartland in northern Canada, but makes sense once it's realized that they are in fact Athabaskan speakers themselves.
Location
Dene are spread through a wide region. They live in the Mackenzie Valley (south of the InuvialuitInuvialuit
The Inuvialuit or Western Canadian Inuit are Inuit people who live in the western Canadian Arctic region. They, like all other Inuit, are descendants of the Thule who migrated eastward from Alaska...
), and can be found west of Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
. Their homeland reaches to western Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, and the northern part of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and the southwestern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Dene were the first people to settle in what is now the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
. In northern Canada, historically there were ethnic feuds between the Dene and the Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
. In 1996, Dene and Inuit representatives participated in a healing ceremony to reconcile the centuries-old grievances.
Behchoko, Northwest Territories
Behchoko, Northwest Territories
Behchokǫ̀ , officially the Tłı̨chǫ Community Government of Behchokǫ̀ is a community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Behchokǫ̀ is located on the Yellowknife Highway , on the northwest tip of Great Slave Lake, approximately northwest of Yellowknife...
is the largest Dene community in Canada.
Ethnography
The Dene include five main groups:- ChipewyanChipewyanThe Chipewyan are a Dene Aboriginal people in Canada, whose ancestors were the Taltheilei...
(Denesuline), living east of Great Slave LakeGreat Slave LakeGreat Slave Lake is the second-largest lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada , the deepest lake in North America at , and the ninth-largest lake in the world. It is long and wide. It covers an area of in the southern part of the territory. Its given volume ranges from to and up to ...
, and including the Sayisi DeneSayisi DeneThe Sayisi Dene, , are Chipewyan, a Dene First Nation Aboriginal peoples of Canada group living in northern Manitoba. They are members of the "Sayisi Dene First Nation " and are notable for living a nomadic caribou-hunting and gathering existence.-Origin:The Chipewyan's ancestral homeland...
living at Tadoule Lake, Manitoba - Tlicho (Dogrib), living between Great Slave and Great BearGreat Bear LakeGreat Bear Lake is the largest lake entirely within Canada , the third or fourth largest in North America, and the seventh or eighth largest in the world...
Lakes - YellowknivesYellowknivesThe Yellowknives, Yellow Knives, Copper Indians, Red Knives or T'atsaot'ine are Aboriginal peoples of Canada, one of the five main groups of the Dene indigenous people that live in the Northwest Territories of Canada...
(T'atsaot'ine), living north of Great Slave Lake - SlaveySlaveyThe Slavey are a First Nations aboriginal people of the Dene group, indigenous to the Great Slave Lake region, in Canada's Northwest Territories, and extending into northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Alberta....
(Deh Gah Got'ine or Deh Cho), living along the Mackenzie RiverMackenzie RiverThe Mackenzie River is the largest river system in Canada. It flows through a vast, isolated region of forest and tundra entirely within the country's Northwest Territories, although its many tributaries reach into four other Canadian provinces and territories...
(Deh Cho) southwest of Great Slave Lake - SahtuSahtuThe Sahtú are an Aboriginal peoples of Canada Dene people living in the vicinity of Great Bear Lake , Northwest Territories, Canada...
(Sahtúot’ine), including the Locheux, Nahanni, and Bear Lake peoples, in the central NWT.
Although the above-named groups are what the term "Dene" usually refers to in modern usage, other groups who consider themselves Dene include:
- Tsuu T'inaTsuu T'ina NationThe Tsuu T'ina Nation is a First Nation in Canada. Their territory is located on the Indian reserve Tsuu T'ina Nation 145, whose east side is adjacent to the southwest city limits of Calgary, Alberta...
, aka the Sarcee, currently located near Calgary, Alberta. - The Beaver people (Danezaa or Dunneza) of northeastern British Columbia and neighbouring regions of northwestern AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. - The TahltanTahltanTahltan refers to a Northern Athabaskan people who live in northern British Columbia around Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake, and Iskut.-Social Organization:...
, KaskaKaskaThe Kaska or Kaska Dena are a First Nations people living mainly in northern British Columbia and the southeastern Yukon in Canada. The Kaska language originally spoken by the Kaska is an Athabaskan language....
, and SekaniSekaniSekani is the name of an Athabaskan First Nations people in the Northern Interior of British Columbia. Their territory includes the Finlay and Parsnip River drainages of the Rocky Mountain Trench. The neighbors of the Sekani are the Babine to the west, Dakelh to the south, Dunneza to the east, and...
people of the Northern Interior of British ColumbiaBritish Columbia InteriorThe British Columbia Interior or BC Interior or Interior of British Columbia, usually referred to only as the Interior, is one of the three main regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the other two being the Lower Mainland, which comprises the overlapping areas of Greater Vancouver...
. Another group in this region, the Tsetsaut people, lived in the Portland CanalPortland CanalThe Portland Canal is an arm of Portland Inlet, one of the principal inlets of the British Columbia Coast. It is approximately long. The Portland Canal forms part of the border between southeastern Alaska and British Columbia. The name of the entire inlet in the Nisga'a language is K'alii...
area of the northernmost BC CoastBritish Columbia CoastThe British Columbia Coast or BC Coast is Canada's western continental coastline on the Pacific Ocean. The usage is synonymous with the term West Coast of Canada....
near the border with AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. They are now extinct. - The DakelhDakelhThe Dakelh or Carrier are the indigenous people of a large portion of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada.Most Carrier call themselves Dakelh, meaning "people who go around by boat"...
(Carrier) peoples of the Northern and Central Interior of British ColumbiaBritish Columbia InteriorThe British Columbia Interior or BC Interior or Interior of British Columbia, usually referred to only as the Interior, is one of the three main regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the other two being the Lower Mainland, which comprises the overlapping areas of Greater Vancouver...
, and their subgroup the Wet'suwet'enWet'suwet'enWet'suwet'en are a First Nations people who live on the Bulkley River and around Broman Lake and Francois Lake in the northwestern Central Interior of British Columbia... - The Tsilhqot'inTsilhqot'inThe Tsilhqot'in are a Northern Athabaskan First Nations people that live in British Columbia, Canada...
people of the eponymous Chilcotin DistrictChilcotin DistrictThe Chilcotin District of British Columbia is usually known simply as "the Chilcotin", and also in speech commonly as "the Chilcotin Country" or simply Chilcotin. It is a plateau and mountain region in British Columbia on the inland lea of the Coast Mountains on the west side of the Fraser River....
of the Central Interior of British ColumbiaBritish Columbia InteriorThe British Columbia Interior or BC Interior or Interior of British Columbia, usually referred to only as the Interior, is one of the three main regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the other two being the Lower Mainland, which comprises the overlapping areas of Greater Vancouver... - The extinct Nicola AthapaskansNicola AthapaskansThe Nicola Athapaskans, also known as the Nicola people or Stuwix, were an Athabascan people who arrived in the in the migrated into the Nicola Country of what is now the Southern Interior of British Columbia from the north a few centuries ago but were slowly reduced in number by constant raiding...
, aka the Stuwix ("strangers" in the Shuswap languageShuswap languageThe Shuswap language, known to its speakers as Secwepemctsín , is the traditional language of the Shuswap people of British Columbia. An endangered language, Shuswap is spoken mainly in the Central and Southern interior of British Columbia between the Fraser River and the Rocky Mountains...
), migrated south from northern BC into the Nicola Valley region in the late 18th century and were absorbed into the Nicola people, an alliance of Nlaka'pamuxNlaka'pamuxThe Nlaka'pamux , commonly called "the Thompson", and also Thompson River Salish, Thompson Salish, Thompson River Indians or Thompson River people) are an indigenous First Nations/Native American people of the Interior Salish language group in southern British Columbia...
and Okanagan peopleOkanagan peopleThe Okanagan people, also spelled Okanogan, are a First Nations and Native American people whose traditional territory spans the U.S.-Canada boundary in Washington state and British Columbia...
s. - The Gwich'in and TananaTananaTanana may refer to:* Tanana, Alaska* Tanana River* Tanana languages* Lower Tanana* Upper Tanana* Tanana * Frank Tanana baseball player...
and other peoples of YukonYukonYukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
and AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
are also considered to be Dene, which is to say part of the family of Athapaskan-speaking peoples.
In 2005 elders from the Dene People decided to join the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO) seeking recognition for their ancestral cultural and land rights.
The largest population of Denesuline speakers live in the northern Saskatchewan village of La Loche
La Loche
La Loche is a northern village located in northwestern Saskatchewan. The second largest community in northern Saskatchewan, it is located on Highway 155 on the eastern shore of Lac La Loche in Canada's boreal forest....
and the adjoining Clearwater River Dene Nation. The combined population is over 3000 people. 90% of the residents speak the Dene Suline language
Dene Suline language
Dene Suline or Chipewyan is the language spoken by the Chipewyan people of central Canada. It is a part of the Athabaskan family...
.
Notable Dene
- ThanadelthurThanadelthurThanadelthur was a woman of the Chipewyan Nation who served as a guide and interpreter for the Hudson's Bay Company. She was instrumental in forging a peace agreement between the Chipewyan and the Cree people.- Life :...
(c. 1697—5 February 1717) a woman of the Chipewyan Nation, a guide and interpreter, who was instrumental in forging a peace agreement between the Chipewyan and the Cree people. - Ethel Blondin-AndrewEthel Blondin-AndrewEthel Dorothy Blondin-Andrew, PC is a Canadian politician.Blondin-Andrew is a Dene who was the Member of Parliament for the district of Western Arctic in the Northwest Territories...
, former MP for Western ArcticWestern ArcticWestern Arctic is a federal electoral district and senate division in Northwest Territories, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979....
, the federal riding that comprises the Northwest Territories. - Leela GildayLeela GildayLeela Gilday is a Dene/Canadian singer and songwriter born and raised in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. From a very young age, Leela was immersed in music, and by the age of 8 had already begun her singing career. Today she is one of the North's better known performing artists.-Career:Ms....
, Canadian folk singer, JunoJuno AwardThe Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
winner (2007), nominee (2003), 3x Canadian Aboriginal Music Award winner (2002) - Kathy Ettibar, well-known Canadian chat personality and musician
- Tahmoh PenikettTahmoh PenikettTahmoh Penikett is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles as Karl "Helo" Agathon on the Sci Fi Channel's television series Battlestar Galactica and as Paul Ballard in Joss Whedon's Dollhouse'.-Early life:...
, Actor, Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
and Dollhouse.Dollhouse (TV series)Dollhouse is an American science fiction television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon under Mutant Enemy Productions. It premiered on February 13, 2009, on the Fox network and was officially cancelled on November 11, 2009. The final episode aired on January 29, 2010...
Tahmoh's mother, Lulla Sierra Johns, is part of the Dene Nation and was born in a tent in Snag. - Paul Andrew, journalist, broadcasting in Dene, and National Aboriginal Achievement Award recipient
- Richard Van Camp http://www.nativewiki.org/Richard_Van_Camp, Dogrib writer, storyteller, and children's book author from Fort Smith Northwest Territories
- Lynx River, the fictional town on the Canadian television series North of 60North of 60North of 60 is a mid-1990s Canadian television series depicting life in the sub-Arctic northern boreal forest . It first aired on CBC Television in 1992 and was syndicated around the world. It is set in the fictional community of Lynx River, a primarily Native-run town depicted as being in the...
was a Slavey Dene community. - Jesse James Gon (Diga Wolf), Juno nominee, winner of Best Male Musician Aboriginal Music Award, Behchoko, Northwest Territories
- MatonabbeeMatonabbeeMatonabbee was a Chipewyan hunter and leader. He traveled with Chief Akaitcho's older brother, Keskarrah. After his father died, Matonabbee spent some time living at Fort Prince of Wales where he learned to speak English....
(c. 1737-1782), guide for Samuel HearneSamuel HearneSamuel Hearne was a an English explorer, fur-trader, author, and naturalist. He was the first European to make an overland excursion across northern Canada to the Arctic Ocean, actually Coronation Gulf, via the Coppermine River...
's expedition to the Coppermine RiverCoppermine RiverThe Coppermine River is a river in the North Slave and Kitikmeot regions of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut in Canada. It is long. It rises in Lac de Gras, a small lake near Great Slave Lake and flows generally north to Coronation Gulf, an arm of the Arctic Ocean...
External links
- Dene Nation
- People of the Deh Cho
- Dene Crafts: Explore photographs, a comprehensive bibliography, and a brief history of Dene Crafts.
- http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35658[Voyages from Montreal Through the Continent of North America to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans in 1789 and 1793 Vol. I (1902 ed.)
- http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35659 Voyages from Montreal Through the Continent of North America to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans in 1789 and 1793 Vol. II (1903 ed.)
- 1970s The Rise of Aboriginal Political Organizations NWT Historical Timeline, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre