|
Mackenzie |
Iglulik |
Copper | Caribou |
Dene
| Inuit Band
The Dene are
located in the northern boreal forests of the arctic.
Their name means mother earth and they refer to the land
in which they live as the "creators spirit flows through
this land". The Dene speak the Athabaskan language.
The Dene and the Inuit have descended
from a common people but they were often in conflict as
two separate native nations. Their lands extend from the
Churchill River to Great Slave Lake and north. The Cree
referred to them as pointed skins which was due to the
manner in which they sewed and wore their clothing.
It is believed that
they were one of the last groups to have crossed the
Bering Straits about 5,000 years ago and once the fur
trading system of the Hudson Bay Company began to
establish itself in their territory, their culture began
to change quickly and become dependant upon trading for
European products. In addition to culture, up to 90% of
the Dene people, in the 1700's, may have died due to
European disease such as smallpox. |
