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Dene Tha' First Nation

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Dene Tha' First Nation
Band No. 448
PeopleSouth Slavey
TreatyTreaty 8
HeadquartersChateh
ProvinceAlberta
Land[1]
Reserve(s)
Land area300.38 km2
Population (2019)[1]
On reserve2161
Off reserve988
Total population3149
Website
denetha.ca

The Dene Thá (/'dɛnɛ ðɑː/) First Nation is a First Nations government of the South Slavey in Northern Alberta, Canada. The people call themselves Dene Dháa (sometimes spelled Dene Tha' or Dene Th'a) or 'Ordinary People' in the Dene Dháh language. Its population is centered primarily in three communities: Bushe River, Meander River, and Chateh (formerly known as Assumption), but approximately 600 members who live off-reserve.[2][3] Dene Thá First Nation is a member of the North Peace Tribal Council.[4]

Territories

The following areas are reserved for the Dene Thá: Amber River 211, Bistcho Lake 213, Bushe River 207, Hay Lake 209, Jackfish Point 214, Upper Hay River 212, and Zama Lake 210 [5] The total area of the reserves is 74,224 acres (30,037 ha).

Until the 1950s, the Dene Thá lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle and hunted in their traditional territory, which included land in the northwestern corner of Alberta, the southern Northwest Territories, and the northeastern corner of British Columbia. Today, many live in permanent settlements in and around Bushe River, Meander River, and Chateh.[6]

The Dene Thá First Nation signed Treaty 8 in 1900.[6][7]

Demographics

As of 2013 the First Nations registered population was 2871 with 2017 members living on reserves or crown land and 854 members living off reserve.[8][9]

Language

Dene Dháh (/'dɛnɛ ðɑh/) translates to 'Dene language' is the preferred name for the language spoken by the Dene Thá, but linguists and anthropologists commonly refer to the language simply as a dialect of South Slavey. It has been called Slavey, South Slavey, Alberta Slavey, and Dene, a catch-all term which encompasses several Northern Athabaskan language groups.[2]

Dene Dháh, the only variety of South Slavey spoken in Alberta (Dene Zhatié is spoken in the Northwest Territories), belongs to the Northern Athabaskan subgrouping of the Athabaskan language family. It is closely related to languages such as Dane-Zaa, Kaska, Dëne Sųłiné, and Tłı̨chǫ Yatıì.[10]

Dialects

Dene Dháh has three distinct dialects:

Each dialect name translates to "It's like that" and exhibits variation typical of the dialects.[2]

Linguistic vitality

Most Dene Dháa adults speak Dene Dháh as their first language, and the language is still being passed on to children.[7] In 2006, a survey conducted among school-aged children in Chateh reported a native-speaker proficiency rate of 65%.[11]

Further reading

  • Boltokova, Daria (2012). Intergenerational disjunctures in the Dene Tha First Nation of northern Alberta: adults' nostalgia and youths' 'counter-narratives' on language revitalization. (Thesis). University of British Columbia.
  • Goulet, Jean-Guy A. (1998). Ways of knowing: Experience, knowledge, and power among the Dene Tha. UBC Press.
  • Harvey-Trigoso, Kim (1999). Ecological knowledge of the Dene Tha': Traditional subsistence activities and childhood socialization. University of Calgary.
  • Moore, Patrick and Angela Wheelock (1990). Wolverine Myths and Visions: Dene Traditions from Northern Alberta. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
  • Moore, Patrick (2007). Negotiated Identities: The Evolution of Dene Tha and Kaska Personal Naming Systems. Anthropological Linguistics 49(3/4): 283-307.

References

  1. ^ "First Nation Detail". Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Moore, Patrick and Angela Wheelock. 1990. Wolverine Myths and Visions: Dene Traditions from Northern Alberta. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
  3. ^ "Home - Dene Tha First Nation". Dene Tha First Nation. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
  4. ^ "About Us - Dene Tha First Nation". Dene Tha First Nation. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-05-26. Retrieved 2012-06-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ a b Harvey-Trigoso, Kim (1999). Ecological knowledge of the Dene Tha': Traditional subsistence activities and childhood socialization. University of Calgary.
  7. ^ a b Boltokova, Daria (2012). Intergenerational disjunctures in the Dene Tha First Nation of northern Alberta : adults' nostalgia and youths' 'counter-narratives' on language revitalization (Thesis). University of British Columbia.
  8. ^ "AANDC (Dene Tha')". Archived from the original on 2013-11-23. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  9. ^ "Home".
  10. ^ Simons, Gary F. and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). (2017). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Twentieth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Online version: http://www-ethnologue-com.eres.library.manoa.hawaii.edu.
  11. ^ Moore, Patrick (2007). "Negotiated Identities: The Evolution of Dene Tha and Kaska Personal Naming Systems". Anthropological Linguistics. 49 (3/4): 283–307.
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