Slavey

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Slavey
(Dene Tha' & Dehcho)
Awokanak
Slavey girls Mackenzie River Northwest Territories - NA-1463-23.jpg
Slavey girls, Mackenzie River, Northwest Territories
Total population
2,630 (2016 census) [1]
Regions with significant populations
Canada (Northwest Territories, Alberta)
Languages
English, North and South Slavey language
Religion
Animism, Christianity, Slavey Religion
Related ethnic groups
Sahtu (North Slavey)

The Slavey (also Awokanak, Slave, and South Slavey) are a First Nations group of Indigenous peoples in Canada. They speak the Slavey language, a part of the Athabaskan languages. Part of the Dene people, their homelands are in the Great Slave Lake region, in Canada's Northwest Territories, northeastern British Columbia, and northwestern Alberta.

Contents

Name

Cree exonym "slave"

Slavey or just Slave is a translation of Awokanak, [2] the name given to Dene by the Cree "who sometimes raided and enslaved their less aggressive northern neighbors[ sic ]". [3] [4] [5] The names of the Slave River, Lesser Slave River, Great Slave Lake, and Lesser Slave Lake all derive from this Cree name. Esclaves remains incorporated in the French names of these geographical features, since the French traded with the Cree before the English did. The people now called Slavey in English were not necessarily taken as slaves in that period.

Dehcho autonym

The name Slavey is seldom used by the people themselves, who call themselves Dene. Indigenous ethnonyms for South Slavey people and language are Dehcho, Deh Cho Dene ("Mackenzie River People") or Dene Tha . [6]

Though most Athabaskan peoples call themselves Dene, those in the Northwest Territories tend to use it for their particular group specifically. However, the northern Slavey are also known in English as the Sahtú, while the southern band are known as the Deh Cho. [7]

Groups

The South Slavey live in northwestern Alberta, northeastern British Columbia, and the southern Northwest Territories. First Nations of South Slavey people: [8]

Slavey people at Hay River, North-West Territories, in CE.1925 Slavey Hay River.jpg
Slavey people at Hay River, North-West Territories, in CE.1925

The Sahtu, Sahtu Dene ("Great Bear Lake People") or North Slavey people live exclusively in the Northwest Territories. They speak the North Slavey language.

The Navajo people (Diné) of the Four Corners region of the Southwestern United States are said to be descended from the Nahani, who lived where the Nahanni National Park Reserve is, and also the Slavey of Northern Canada. [12]

Most residents of Lynx River, the fictional town in which CBC drama North of 60 is set, are Slavey. Though the word itself is seldom mentioned in dialogue (band members generally identifying themselves as Dene), the town is located in Slavey territory and on one occasion a character proposes a toast before the assembled members in the Slavey language.[ citation needed ]

Image(s)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Slave Lake</span> Lake in the Northwest Territories, Canada

Great Slave Lake is the second-largest lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada, the deepest lake in North America at 614 m (2,014 ft), and the tenth-largest lake in the world by area. It is 469 km (291 mi) long and 20 to 203 km wide. It covers an area of 27,200 km2 (10,500 sq mi) in the southern part of the territory. Its given volume ranges from 1,070 km3 (260 cu mi) to 1,580 km3 (380 cu mi) and up to 2,088 km3 (501 cu mi) making it the 10th or 12th largest by volume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chipewyan</span> Indigenous people of northwestern Canada

The Chipewyan are a Dene Indigenous Canadian people of the Athabaskan language family, whose ancestors are identified with the Taltheilei Shale archaeological tradition. They are part of the Northern Athabascan group of peoples, and hail from what is now Western Canada.

Slavey is a group of Athabaskan languages and a dialect continuum spoken amongst the Dene peoples of Canada in the Northwest Territories – or central Denendeh – where it also has official status. The languages are primarily written using a modified Latin script, with some using Canadian Aboriginal syllabics. In their own languages, these languages are referred to as: Sahtúgot’įné Yatı̨́, K’ashógot’įne Goxedǝ́ and Shíhgot’įne Yatı̨́ in the North, and Dené Dháh, Dene Yatıé or Dene Zhatıé in the South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dene</span> Indigenous people in northern Canada

The Dene people are an Indigenous group of First Nations who inhabit the northern boreal, subarctic and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languages and it is the common Athabaskan word for "people". The term "Dene" has two uses:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sahtu</span> Dene First Nations ethnic group

The Sahtú or North Slavey are a Dene First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group living in the vicinity of Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada. The Sahtú peoples live in Colville Lake, Deline, Fort Good Hope, Norman Wells and Tulita which form the Sahtu Region of the NWT. The Dene of the region are represented by the Sahtu Dene Council who, in 1993, signed the Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement. Sahtú groups include the Hare Dene, Bear Lake Dene, and Mountain Dene. They call themselves also Ɂehdzo Got’ı̨ne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Simpson</span> Village in Northwest Territories, Canada

Fort Simpson is a village, the only one in the entire territory, in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is located on an island at the confluence of the Mackenzie and Liard rivers. It is approximately 500 km (310 mi) west of Yellowknife. Both rivers were traditionally trade routes for the Hudson's Bay Company and the native Dene people of the area.

A tribal council is an association of First Nations bands in Canada, generally along regional, ethnic or linguistic lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Providence</span> Hamlet in Northwest Territories, Canada

Fort Providence is a hamlet in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Located west of Great Slave Lake, it has all-weather road connections by way of the Yellowknife Highway branch off the Mackenzie Highway, and the Deh Cho Bridge opened November 30, 2012, near Fort Providence over the Mackenzie. The bridge replaced the ice bridge and ferry, enabling year-round crossing of the river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellowknives</span> Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Territories, Canada

The Yellowknives, Yellow Knives, Copper Indians, Red Knives or T'atsaot'ine are indigenous peoples of Canada, one of the five main groups of the First Nations Dene who live in the Northwest Territories. The name, which is also the source for the later community of Yellowknife, derives from the colour of the tools made from copper deposits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nahanni Butte</span> Place in Northwest Territories, Canada

Nahanni Butte is a "Designated Authority" in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is located at the confluence of the Liard and South Nahanni Rivers in the southwestern part of the NWT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sambaa K'e</span> Place in Northwest Territories, Canada

Sambaa K'e is a "Designated Authority" in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is located near the Alberta border, east of Fort Liard, on the shore of the lake also known as Sambaa K'e. It has no all-weather road, but can be reached by winter road early in the year or by air year-round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Łutselk'e</span> First Nation - Designated Authority of Łutselkʼe in Northwest Territories, Canada

Łutselkʼe, also spelt Łutsël Kʼé, is a "designated authority" in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is on the south shore near the eastern end of Great Slave Lake and until 1 July 1992, it was known as Snowdrift, as the community lies near the mouth of the Snowdrift River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dene Tha' First Nation</span>

The Dene TháFirst Nation is a First Nations government of the South Slavey in Northern Alberta, Canada. The people call themselves Dene Dháa or 'Ordinary People' in the Dene Dháh language. Its population is centered primarily in three communities: Bushe River, Meander River, and Chateh, but approximately 600 members who live off-reserve. Dene Thá First Nation is Treaty 8 nation and a member of the North Peace Tribal Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dehcho Region</span> Administrative region in Northwest Territories, Canada

The Dehcho Region or Deh Cho is one of five administrative regions in the Northwest Territories of Canada. According to Municipal and Community Affairs the region consists of six communities with the regional office situated in Fort Simpson. All communities in the Dehcho are predominantly Dehcho First Nations.

The Dehcho First Nations is a tribal council representing the Dene and Métis people of the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is made up of ten First Nations bands and two Métis Locals.

Deh Cho or Dehcho is the Dene name of the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It can also refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Region 4, Northwest Territories</span>

Region 4 is the name of a Statistics Canada census division, one of six in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It was introduced in the 2011 census, along with Regions 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6, resulting in the abolition of the former census divisions of Fort Smith Region and Inuvik Region. Unlike in some other provinces, census divisions do not reflect the organization of local government in the Northwest Territories. These areas exist solely for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government of their own.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Slave Divisional Education Council</span> School district in Northwest Territories, Canada

The South Slave Divisional Education Council (SSDEC) is the public school board for the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Its responsibility includes all schools within the five communities of the South Slave. Specifically, it is responsible for schools in the communities of Fort Resolution, Fort Smith, K'atl'odeche First Nation, Hay River, and Łutselk'e. Given the vast distances between communities, and the relatively small populations, the eight schools of the South Slave range in enrolment from 60 to 240 students with a total of 1,300. Although considered part of the South Slave Region by other departments of the Government of the Northwest Territories, the communities of Fort Providence and Kakisa are served by the Dehcho Divisional Education Council and not the SSDEC.

The Sambaa Kʼe First Nation is a Dene First Nations band government in the Northwest Territories. The band is headquartered in the community of Sambaa Kʼe, formerly Trout Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dehcho Divisional Education Council</span> School district in Northwest Territories, Canada

The Dehcho Divisional Education Council is the public school board for the Dehcho Region, in the Northwest Territories. Located in Fort Simpson the education council represents nine schools in eight communities.

References

  1. "Aboriginal Ancestry Responses (73), Single and Multiple Aboriginal Responses (4), Residence on or off reserve (3), Residence inside or outside Inuit Nunangat (7), Age (8A) and Sex (3) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces and Territories, 2016 Census - 25% Sample Data". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Government of Canada. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  2. "Slave | African-American, Abolitionists, Emancipation | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  3. Waldman, Carl (2006). Facts on File Library of American History - Encyclopedia of Native American tribes. Infobase Publishing. p. 275. ISBN   9781438110103.
  4. Pritzker, Barry (2000). A Native American encyclopedia : history, culture, and peoples. Oxford University Press. p. 512. ISBN   9780195138979.
  5. "Yellowknife hotel with 'slave' in name stokes conversation on reclaiming Indigenous names".
  6. Rice, Sally (2009). "Athapaskan eating and drinking verbs and constructions". In Newman, J. (ed.). The Linguistics of Eating and Drinking (PDF). Amsterdam, NL; Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins. pp. 109–152. Contemporary, indigenous ethnonyms for some of the Athapaskan languages represented in this paper are given in parentheses after the term likely to be more common in the traditional linguistic and anthropological literature: Babine (Witsuwit'en), Chipewyan (Dene Sųłiné), Navajo (Diné), Sarcee / Sarsi (Tsuu T'ina) South Slavey (Dehcho or Dene Tha), North Slave (Sahtu).
  7. "Dehcho First Nation".
  8. Dene Tha' Presence in Northeastern BC (Prepared by: Randy Bouchard. Prepared for: Calliou Group, Calgary, Alberta on Behalf of the Dene Tha' First Nation, 14 July 2009)
  9. Fort Nelson First Nation
  10. Shirleen Smith 1999. Dene treaties, anthropology and colonial relationships. A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta. Edmonton, Alberta, Spring 1999. [Chapter 2. In this chapter, I use the term "Slavey" in summarizing the ethnographic descriptions of Deh Cho Dene. I should clarify that this is not the term Dene use to describe themselves. In the Deh Cho region, Dene have a number of names for their people, for example: Dene from Acho Kue refer to themselves as Acho Dene, and the "Mountain Dene" from Fort Norman (part of the Deh Cho First Nations Council) refer to themselves as the Begade Shotagotine. A much more detailed discussion of Dene names is warranted for future work.]
  11. South Slavey Topical Dictionary Kátłʼodehche Dialect
  12. For example, the Great Canadian Parks website suggests the Navajo may be descendants of the lost Naha tribe, a Slavey tribe from the Nahanni region west of Great Slave Lake. "Nahanni National Park Reserve". Great Canadian Parks. Retrieved 2 July 2007.

Further reading