Nahani (Nahane, Nahanni) is an

Athabaskan Athabaskan ( ; also spelled ''Athabascan'', ''Athapaskan'' or ''Athapascan'', and also known as Dene) is a large branch of the Na-Dene language family of North America, located in western North America in three areal language groups: Northern, ...

word used to designate

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 ...

groups located in

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 ...

, the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...

and

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

between the upper

Liard River The Liard River of the Boreal forest of Canada, North American boreal forest flows through Yukon, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Rising in the Saint Cyr Range of the Pelly Mountains in southeastern Yukon, it flows sout ...

and the 64th parallel north latitude. While these native groups do not necessarily have anything in common, the Canadian government used the term "Nahani" until the 1970s to refer to them collectively. The group term applied to several distinct tribes: *

Kaska Dena The Kaska or Kaska Dena are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group living mainly in northern British Columbia and the southeastern Yukon in Canada. The Kaska language, originally spoken by the Kaska, is an Athaba ...

, located between the

Dease River Dease may refer to: * Dease Strait, a strait in Nunavut, Canada * Dease Lake (British Columbia), a lake in BC, Canada ** Dease Lake, a town in BC, Canada *** Dease Lake Airport (CYDL), an airport in BC, Canada *** Dease Lake Highway, a highway in ...

and the Beaver River, divided into two main regional groupings, and further divided into bands: ** Titshotina or ''Hés tʼat gudene'' - ″''Among the'' Mountain People″ to the east, between the

Cassiar Mountains The Cassiar Mountains () are the most northerly group of the Northern Interior Mountains in the Canadian province of British Columbia and also extend slightly into the southernmost Yukon Territory. They lie north and west of the Omineca Mountain ...

and Liard and

s, in British Columbia. ** Tsezotine (″Big Water People″), to the west of the ''Titshotina / Hés tʼat gudene''. **

Takutine The Kaska or Kaska Dena are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group living mainly in northern British Columbia and the southeastern Yukon in Canada. The Kaska language, originally spoken by the Kaska, is an Athaba ...

, a Kaska band on

Teslin River The Teslin River is a river in southern Yukon Territory and northwestern British Columbia, Canada, that flows from its source south of Teslin Lake to its confluence with the Yukon River. During the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896–99, the river bec ...

and

Teslin Lake Teslin Lake is a large lake spanning the border between British Columbia and Yukon, Canada. It is one of a group of large lakes in the region of far northwestern BC, east of the upper Alaska Panhandle, which are the southern extremity of the bas ...

, and upper

Taku River The Taku River (Tlingit language, Lingít: ''T'aaḵu Héeni'') is a river running from British Columbia, Canada, to the northwestern coast of North America, at Juneau, Alaska. The river basin spreads across . The Taku is a very productive salmon ...

. **

Pelly River Indians The Sahtú or North Slavey (historically called ''Hare'' or ''Hareskin Indians'') are a Dene First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group living in the vicinity of Great Bear Lake (''Sahtú'', the source of their nam ...

: The Pelly and Ross River tribes were destroyed in 1884, likely by a band of

Sahtu The Sahtú or North Slavey (historically called ''Hare'' or ''Hareskin Indians'') are a Dene First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group living in the vicinity of Great Bear Lake (''Sahtú'', the source of their nam ...

(also known as North Slavey and formerly as Hare Indians). A band consisting of two survivors as well as members from surrounding tribes reformed in the same area under this name. ** Esbataottine (″Goat People″) (also: ''Espatodena, (E)spa’totena, Espa tah dena'', located north and west of the Kaska along the Beaver River,

South Nahanni River The South Nahanni River is a major tributary of the Liard River, located roughly west of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is the centerpiece of Nahanni National Park Reserve. It flows from the Mackenzie Mountains in the we ...

, and

North Nahanni River North Nahanni River is a river in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is a major tributary of the Mackenzie River. Course The North Nahanni River originates in the Backbone Ranges of the Mackenzie Mountains, at an elevation of . It flows east, ...

. * Etagottine (″Air People″), in the valleys of Gravel River and Dahachuni River. *

Tagish The Tagish or Tagish Khwáan ( Tagish: ; ) are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group that lived around Tagish Lake and Marsh Lake, in Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory ...

, about

Tagish Lake Tagish Lake is a lake in Yukon and northern British Columbia, Canada. The lake is long and averages wide with an area of , about two thirds of which is in British Columbia. The average depth is and maximum depth is . It has two arms, the Ta ...

and

Marsh Lake Marsh Lake (Mud Lake) is a widening of the Yukon River southeast of Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. It is over long and ranges from wide. It has an area of and a mean depth of . The co-ordinates of the lake are , and is above sea level. The lak ...

. *

Tahltan The Tahltan or Nahani are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group who live in northern British Columbia around Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake, and Iskut. The Tahltan constitute the fourth division of the ''Nahan ...

were sometimes considered a Nahani tribe. * ("Bighorn People") These groups are identified as

Southern Tutchone The Southern Tutchone are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group living mainly in the southern Yukon in Canada. The Southern Tutchone language, traditionally spoken by the Southern Tutchone people, is a variety ...

and

Kaska language The Kaska language is an endangered Athabaskan language. Traditionally, Kaska was an oral aboriginal language used by the Kaska Dena people. The Kaska Dene region consists of a small area in the Southwestern part of the Northwest Territories, ...

speakers. In 1996, there were 2,407 registered Nahani in Canada.

References

* ''The Indians of Canada'', Diamond Jenness, 1932.
"Nahani"
''The Canadian Encyclopedia.'' * ''The Indian Tribes of North America'', John Reed Swanton, 1952. {{authority control First Nations in British Columbia First Nations in Yukon Indigenous peoples of the Subarctic First Nations in the Northwest Territories