SLAVEY INDIANS IN CANADA

THESE FOLK LIVE IN FORT NELSON IN THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. THEY HAVE MANY DEPARTMENTS. THEY SPEAK DENI THA, AN ATHABASKAN LANGUAGE. ABOUT 2500 PEOPLE SPEAK THIS LANGUAGE. THEY LIVE IN A BOREAL FOREST OF THE SUBARCTIC. THEY HAVE MANY LAKES. THEY ARE CULTURALLY RELATED TO THE HARE, GUNRICHIN, IN DOGRIB. THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS SAY THEY HAVE BEEN HERE FOR AT LEAST 3000 B.C., OR 5000 YEARS. THEY USED TO FISH A LOT, HUNT SMALL GAME, MOOSE, CARIBOU, AND GATHER BERRIES. IN WINTER THEY CAMPED IN GROUPS OF 30 RELATED FOLKS. DURING SUMMER THEY ALL CAME TOGETHER BRIEFLY WITH 300 FOLKS.

BY 1789 MACKENZIE WAS THE FIRST EUROPEAN TO MEET THEM. AFTER 1821 HUDSON BAY COMPANY DEVELOPED FORT SIMPSON. THEY LIVED IN SMALL KIN BASED COMMUNITIES. THEY SPOKE THEIR OWN LANGUAGE, HARVESTED TRADITIONAL FOODS.

THEY NOW HAVE A WEBSITE WITH TRADITIONAL USE AREA AND A COMMUNITY OF ARTISTS. THE DENEARE KNOWN AS THE SLAVEY, THE NORTHERNMOST TRIBE IN ALBERTA. THE NAME SLAVEY WAS DEROGATORY BY THEIR ENEMIES THE CREE. THEY HAD SMALL BANDS WITH NO LEADERSHIP. THEY WERE A PEACEFUL PEOPLE AND HAD A REPUTATION OF BEING POWERFUL SORCERERS. THEY WORE DECORATIVE CLOTHING, WERE PEACEFUL, AND HAD FEW ENEMIES. THEY USED PORCUPINE QUILLS TO DECORATE CLOTHING. THE WOMEN ARE RENOWNED FOR THEIR BEAUTIFUL BEADWORK.

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