The Dene are a group of indigenous peoples that live in the Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak languages of the Athabaskan language group, a subset of the Na-Dene language family, and were the first people to settle in what is now the Northwest Territories.
The Dene include five main groups:
- Chipewyan (Denesuline), living east of Great Slave Lake;
- Tli Cho (Dogrib), living between Great Slave and Great Bear Lakes;
- Yellowknives (T'atsaot'ine), formerly living north of Great Slave Lake, and now absorbed into the Chipewyan;
- Slavey (Deh Gah Got'ine), living along the Mackenzie River (Deh Cho) southwest of Great Slave Lake;
- Sahtu (Sahtu' T'ine), including the Locheux, Nahanni, and Bear Lake peoples, in the southwestern NWT.
Well-known Dene include Ethel Blondin-Andrew, MP for Western Arctic (the federal riding that comprises the Northwest Territories). The Canadian television series North of 60 took place among a Dene community.
External links
