Kaska Dena

The Kaska or Kaska Dena are a Native American First Nation, whose tribal areas once covered about 240,000 km ² in northern British Columbia, in the southeast of the Yukon and in the southwest of the Northwest Territories in northwestern Canada.

Together with the culturally and linguistically closely related Tagish ( Tagish Khwáan ) and Tahltan who lived between the Yukon River and Mackenzie River and in the valley of the Liard River, the Kaska Dena were formerly often called Nahanni or Nahani ( "People Over There, Far Away" ) or referred to as the Mackenzie Mountain Peoples - which here usually still the Mountain Dene ( Shihgot'ine ) of the North Slavey ( Dene Sahtu ) and the South Slavey ( Deh Cho ) were included.

However, since such different peoples like the T'aaku Kwaan the Tlingit ( Lingít ), the Pelly River Northern Tutchone that Tsetsaut ( Wetaɬ ) and Sekani ( Tsek'ene ) and Daneẕaa were called Nahanni, it is often difficult in the historical sources, the individual strains to be distinguished from each other.

History

The Kaska Dena had a famous female chief, called Nahanni Chief who successfully a powerful Tlingit ( Lingít ) chief named Shakes defied to protect its crew life of the dealer and researcher and. It is estimated that it originally included approximately 500 tribal members.

Today's First Nations of the Kaska

Today, there are four (for the Kaska Dena but five) officially recognized First Nations ( in Canada often called bands ) of the Kaska Dena, by the Kaska Dena Council, which are Liard First Nation and the Ross River Dena Council against the Canadian Government:

Canada - British Columbia

Kaska Dena Council

• Kwadacha Nation (formerly Fort Ware Indian Band, the First Nation consists of both Sekani ( Tsek'ene ) and from Kaska Dena, the main settlement and administrative seat is Fort Ware ( now called Kwadacha ) in the most populous reserve Fort lot # 1, on the left bank the Finlay River, about 3 km west of the confluence with the Kwadacha and Fox River, approximately 570 kilometers north of Prince George in British Columbia in the Rocky Mountain Trench, Reserves: Fort lot # 1, # 2 Sucker Lake, whitener Lake # 3, about 4 km ² population: 425)
• Dease River First Nation (also Dease River Nation is a First Nation in the Cassiar Country in the interior of northern British Columbia, her office is located in Good Hope Lake on the Stewart - Cassiar Highway ( Dease Lake Highway ) east of the now discontinued mining town of Cassiar, Reserves: Dease River # 1, # 2, # 3, # 4, 0,8 km ² population: 178)
• Daylu Dena Council ( also Lower Post First Nation council is based in Lower Post ( Daylu ) on Highway 97, the Alaska Highway, about 23 km southeast of the town of Watson Lake ( "Gateway to the Yukon River" called ) in Yukon, go there too the children to school and there is shopped for daily needs, population 300, is, however, not as a band from Canada ( First Nation ) recognized, but only as a reserve in the Liard First Nation of Yukon, represented by a so-called vice - chief)

Canada - Yukon

Independent First Nations

• Liard First Nation (also Liard River First Nation, descendants of the Hes did gudene ( "Among the mountain people" ), the administrative seat is the town of Watson Lake ( "Gateway to the Yukon River "), and near the Liard River, which together with Upper Liard - both located on the Alaska Highway - the most important settlement of the First Nation, is also still living in smaller settlements such as two Mile Village and two and One- Half Mile Village at the Robert Campbell Highway ( Yukon Highway 4 ), are her nine reserves mostly in the southeast of the Yukon territory, several parcels of land but also in the neighboring British Columbia, which are now occupied by Daylu Dena Council, Reserves: Blue River # 1, Dease River # 2, Dease River # 3 Horse Ranch pass # 4, Liard River # 3, # 2 McDames Creek, Mosquito Creek # 5, Muddy River # 1, One Mile Point # 1, about 14.80 km ², population: 1,183 )
• Ross River Dena Council ( descendants of the Hes did gudene ( "Among the mountain people" ), administrative headquarters and main settlement is Ross River at the confluence of the Ross River and the Pelly River, or at the junction of the Robert Campbell Highway and the Canol Road, the reserve Ross River is located in the east of the Yukon Territory, the majority of the members spoke of earlier Kaska ( Dene Zage ), some also speak a variant of the South Slavey ( Dene Dene Dháh or Zhatıé ) population: 527)

The Kaska Dena also live in the communities of Fireside and Muncho Lake ( " large lake " ) ( the lake of the same name located in Muncho Lake Provincial Park ) and at the Toad River in British Columbia, between Lake Watson and Fort Nelson along the Alaska Highway - these Kaska Dena families are there members of the Fort Nelson First Nation, a First Nation of South Slavey ( Deh Cho ).

Language

Their language, Kaska ( Dene Zage ) is one of the Nordathapaskischen languages ​​in northwestern Canada and is linguistically the neighboring Tahltan ( Dahdzege ) and Tagish ( Tagish ) so close, so some linguists argue Tahltan is a language with three divergent, but mutually intelligible dialects ( Mithun 1999).