The People 

of the Deh  Cho
   

The Dene are the aboriginal people of an area in Canada which stretches from Hudsons Bay through the Northwest Territories and Yukon Territory to the Interior of Alaska and from central Alberta to the Arctic Ocean. This includes the northern most parts of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

The word "Dene", when translated, is broken down into two words, "De" meaning flow and "Ne" meaning Mother Earth. This encompasses an understanding that we as Dene people flow from Mother Earth and we are a people of the Creator and Creation. While there are many distinct regional groups, each with their own territory and dialect, all Dene share a common ancestry and come from the same language family.

In the Northwest Territories, there are 5 such groups. Their regions and languages are as follows:

All of these regions make up what is known as "Denendeh" which means "the Creator's Spirit flows through this Land". The Dene have always lived in harmony with the land and their respect and knowledge for the land has allowed them to thrive in one of the most demanding environments on the planet.

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Dene
Chipewyan | Dogrib | Yellowknife | Slavey | Sahtu

The Dene were the first people to live in the NWT after the retreat of the great ice sheets. They speak several different languages, all of which are members of the Athapaskan language group.

The Dene are a people of the boreal forest and great northern rivers. In the past, they travelled by birchbark or sprucebark canoe. Some built mooseskin boats. The Dene still use the rivers as highways, in both winter and summer. They rely on moose, caribou (both woodland and barrenground), black bear, geese, ducks, grouse, ptarmigan, beaver, smaller game and fish.

Traditionally, the Dene were accomplished hunters who travelled as far north as the Arctic coast on snowshoes. They packed everything they needed to survive on their backs and hunted with snares. They even hunted caribou with snares and brush traps. The Dene used dogs as pack animals, but did not use dogsleds until after the coming of the Europeans. They lived in skin tents, constructed of hides over a framework of poles. The Nahanni and Slavey people often built log huts in winter. Some people built semi-subterranean houses of sod and logs.

The Dene lived in extended family groups, travelling over traditional routes within their hunting land. Groups frequently met at customary sites, brought together by fish spawning or the movements of caribou or gathering of geese or ducks. When they met, the occasion was celebrated by feasting, dancing and drumming. The caribou skin drum has become a symbol of the Dene and is still used in many ceremonies.

Today, most Dene live in communities, but many remain close to the land. They may use a Twin Otter aircraft to travel north into the barrenlands to hunt caribou, but they still butcher the animal and pack it in traditional ways, neatly wrapped in the precious hides. Many know the old ways and still use many of the plants of the boreal forest for healing.

Groups of Dene people

There are a number of tribal groups within the larger Dene group.

Dene tribal groups:

• Chipewyan
• Dogrib
• Yellowknife
• Slavey
• Sahtu Dene (Locheaux, Mountain, Bear Lake)

The Chipewyan (Denesuline) lived east of Great Slave Lake in the areas of the Snowdrift, Taltson and upper Thelon Rivers. They hunted caribou, following the herds into the treeless barrens in summer. Their lands and influence extended south into what has become northern Saskatchewan and northeastern Alberta.

The Dogrib (Tlicho) lived between Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake. They also depended heavily on caribou, hunting the wintering animals of the Bathurst caribou herd. They used tipis covered by caribou skins, which they banked with snow in winter. The Dogrib communities today include Rae-Edzo, Wha Ti (formerly Lac la Martre), Rae Lakes and Snare Lake. Recently, a splinter group of the Dogrib has formed, called the Yellowknives Dene. It is mostly made up of people living next to Yellowknife in the communities of N'dilo and Dettah.

The Yellowknife (T'atsaot'ine) people lived in the area to the north of Great Slave Lake, between the big lake and Contwoyto Lake to the northeast. They ofen travelled far into the tundra to hunt. They got their name from their use of copper knives, which appeared yellow. This group was decimated by diseases brought by Europeans and by warfare with other groups. They were eventually absorbed into the Chipewyan. Lutsel K'e (Snowdrift on some maps) is a Chipewyan community with some ancient connections to the Yellowknife people.

The Slavey (Deh Gah Got'ine) were a river people. They lived and travelled along the Mackenzie River (called the Dehcho, or "Big River") to the south and west of Great Slave Lake, from the Slave River area to the Liard, and as far downriver as Fort Norman (Tulit'a). They hunted moose more than caribou. They were in frequent conflict with the Mountain people of the Nahanni area. The Slavey people are a large group today, including people living in communities from Fort Smith to Jean Marie River and Wrigley.

The Sahtu Dene (Sahtu' T'ine) include the Locheaux/Hareskin, Mountain (sometimes called Nahanni) and Bear Lake people. The Sahtu Dene spoke related dialects and lived in the southwestern NWT (Mackenzie Mountains) and along the Mackenzie and Bear Rivers. The Locheux (or Hareskin people) lived further downriver, in the northern part of the Mackenzie Mountains and in the watersheds of the Arctic Red and Travillant Rivers north to the Mackenzie Delta. They used clothing made of the woven skins of the snowshoe hare. Sahtu communities today include Deline, Tulit'a, and Fort Good Hope.

Background Picture: 1938 Fort Simpson (flats). Bastock Collection. Dene summer homes on flats below Hudson's Bay Co.  Liard River in Background

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