The Dane-zaa (ᑕᓀᖚ, also spelled Dunne-za, or Tsattine) are an Athabaskan-speaking group of

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

people. Their traditional territory is around the

Peace River The Peace River () is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in the Peace-Athabasca Delta to form the ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

and

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. Today, about 1,600 Dane-zaa reside in

and 270 of them speak the Dane-zaa language. Approximately 2,000 Dane-zaa live in Alberta. Europeans historically referred to the Dane-zaa as the Beaver.

Name

The name ''Dunne-za'' has been translated to "Those who live among the beaver." The spelling ''Dane-zaa'' is typically used for "the Real People." That spelling is used by the Dane-zaa Language Authority. Different tribes and First Nations use different spellings. For example, the Doig River First Nation (DRFN) and Halfway River First Nation (HRFN) use ''Dane-Zaa''. Prophet River First Nation (PRFN) uses ''Dene Tsaa''; and the

West Moberly First Nations The West Moberly First Nations is a First Nations in Canada, First Nations located in the Peace River Country in northern British Columbia. They are part of the Dane-zaa, Dunne-za and Cree cultural and language groups. The West Moberly First Nati ...

(WMFNs) use ''Dunne-za'' or ''Dunne Za''. Where other spellings are used in citations, such as ''Dunne-Za'' (e.g., Ridington 1988), they are kept intact and are synonymous with Dane-zaa. The historic usual English term ''Beaver'' is a translation of the name used by several of their neighboring tribes. The

Dakelh The Dakelh (pronounced ) or Carrier are a First Nations in Canada, First Nations Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people living a large portion of the British Columbia Interior, Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The Dakel ...

called them ''Tsattine / Tsat'en'' and the Plains Cree called them ''Amiskiwiyiniw'', both meaning "Those who live among the beaver" or "Beaver People." In French, they are known as the ''Gens de Castor'', meaning "People of the Beaver".

History

Prior to the 19th century, the Dane-zaa inhabited lands further east, near the Athabaska and Clearwater Rivers, and north to Lake Athabaska, as well as territory north of the upper Peace River (called ''Saaghii Naachii'', meaning "big river," by them).

Archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

evidence at Charlie Lake Cave establishes that the area of Charlie Lake north of Fort St John has been continuously occupied for 10,500 years by varying cultures of

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

. In the late 18th century, European-Canadians opened the

area to

fur trading The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...

. Scot-Canadian explorer

Alexander Mackenzie (explorer) Sir Alexander Mackenzie ( – 12 March 1820) was a Scottish explorer and fur trader known for accomplishing the first crossing of North America north of Mexico by a European in 1793. The Mackenzie River and Mount Sir Alexander are named after ...

established Rocky Mountain Fort at the mouth of the Moberly River in 1794. According to Dane-zaa

oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information from people, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people who pa ...

, the Peace River is named for the settling of a conflict between the Dane-zaa and the Cree. The Cree traditionally lived south and east of the Upper Peace River region. Due to their trade with settlers, they had guns and they pushed the Dane-zaa northwest in the late 18th century. A peace treaty, negotiated in the late 1700s or early 1800s, stated that the Cree would live south of the Peace River, and the Dane-zaa north. The Peace River, before and after its new name, marked a boundary zone, where groups met for trade, celebration, and settling of disputes. A post journal of 1799–1800 mentions people trading at the post who can be identified as the ancestors of members of the former Fort St John Band, now the Doig River and Blueberry River First Nations. Doig oral history confirms that the ancestors of present Dane-zaa families were in the upper Peace River area prior to the first contact by Alexander Mackenzie in 1793. Traders provisioned their expeditions with bison meat and grease provided by the Dane-zaa in their hunting on the rich prairies of the upper Peace River area. By the time the Hudson's Bay Company took over the North West Company in 1823, bison were scarce. Traditionally, Dane-zaa has followed the teachings and songs of Dreamers, who first predicted the coming of the Europeans. The last Dreamer, Charlie Yahey, died in 1976. The Dane-zaa of Fort St John took an adhesion to Treaty 8 in 1900. Today they continue to have a strong cultural and economic presence in the North Peace area. In collaboration with the elders of the Doig River First Nation, Robin and Jillian Ridington wrote Where Happiness Dwells: A History of the Dane-zaa First Nations, which was published by UBC Press in 2013. It features the oral history of the Dane-zaa from pre-history to the present day.

Danezaa governments

Beaver tipi in winter near Peace River Alberta - NA-1315-23

Treaty 8 Tribal Association

Treaty 8 Tribal Association members: * Doig River First Nation (''Dane-Za Adishtl'sh'', takes its name from the Doig River (Hanás̱ Saahgéʔ) running through the reserve and has strong ties with the Blueberry River First Nation, band office is on the most populous reserve Blueberry River IR No. 206, Reserves: Beaton River IR No. 204 (North Half), Doig River IR No. 206, Population: 301) * Blueberry River First Nations (was given this name because of the abundant supply of blueberries found in the river valley, band office is on the most populous reserve IR No. 205, about 80 km northwest of Fort St. John, Danezaa and Cree, Reserves: Beaton River No. 204 (South Half), Blueberry River IR No. 205, Population: 472) * Halfway River First Nation (originally from Chowade River (Stony River) it was the last First Nation to move to its new location in the early sixties. Once forming with the West Moberly First Nation the Hudson Hope Band, the First Nations separated in 1971, the community is located 75 km northwest of Fort St. John, Reserve: Halfway River IR No. 168, Population: 268) * Prophet River First Nation (''Dene Tsaa First Nation'', the First Nation is located 100 km south of Fort Nelson, Reserve: Prophet River IR No. 4, Population: 266) * Saulteau First Nations (In the 1870s one group of Anishnaube (Saulteau) migrated westward from Manitoba and settled at Moberly Lake, where they later intermarried with the Nēhiyawēwin (Cree) and Danezaa (Beaver) who were already living in the area, the community is located at the east end of Moberly Lake, about 100 km southwest of Fort St. John, Reserve:

East Moberly Lake IR No. 169 East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that eas ...

, Population: 840) *

(was originally part of the Hudson Hope Band, which split into West Moberly and Halfway River First Nations in 1971, the community is located at the west end of Moberly Lake, about 90 km southwest of Fort St. John, Danezaa and Cree, Reserve: West Moberly Lake No. 168A, Population: 275)

North Peace Tribal Council (NPTC)

North Peace Tribal Council members: * Beaver First Nation has two reserves are both near

Fort Vermilion, Alberta Fort Vermilion is a Hamlet (place), hamlet on the Peace River in northern Alberta, Canada, within Mackenzie County. Established in 1788, Fort Vermilion shares the title of oldest European settlement in Alberta with Fort Chipewyan. Fort Vermili ...

in the Peace Country of

Northern Alberta Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some schemes, the region encompasses everything north of the ce ...

, band office is on the most populous Reserve Beaver IR No. 164A, Reserves: Boyer IR No. 164 (Rocky Lane),

Child Lake IR No. 164A A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

(Eleske), Population: 1 027)

Western Cree Tribal Council

* Horse Lake First Nation is a First Nation headquartered in Hythe, Alberta. It is a party to Treaty 8, and despite being a member of the Western Cree Tribal Council, the Horse Lake nation is linguistically and culturally a part of the Danezaa or "Beavers". Reserves: Clear Hills IR No. 152C, Horse Lakes IR No. 152B, Population: 1 089)

References

External links

Doig River First Nation

Map of Northwest Coast First Nations
(including Dunneza)
''Voyages from Montreal Through the Continent of North America to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans in 1789 and 1793'', Vol. II (1903)

Royal British Columbia Museum {{authority control Athabaskan peoples First Nations in Alberta First Nations in British Columbia