Chipewyan
The Chipewyan, also known as Denesuline, are an Indigenous people primarily located in the northern regions of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories in Canada. With a population of over 23,000 registered members, they are one of the five main groups of the Dene people. Historically, the Chipewyan were nomadic hunters and anglers, with caribou playing a central role in their culture, beliefs, and oral traditions. Their lifestyle adapted to the harsh subarctic environment, leading them to live in regional bands that fluctuated in size based on caribou migrations.
The Chipewyan people have a rich history intertwined with early European fur trade, which had both positive and negative impacts, including devastating smallpox outbreaks. Socially, they had a flexible structure without central organization, with practices such as polygamy and minimal ceremonial markers for life events. In modern times, many Chipewyan continue to engage in traditional activities while also seeking economic development and self-governance. This ongoing connection to their heritage reflects their resilience and commitment to cultural preservation in contemporary Canada.
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Subject Terms
Chipewyan
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Subarctic
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Athabaskan
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories
- POPULATION SIZE: 23,000 registered members of Denesuline First Nations (Canadian Encyclopedia, 2021)
The early Chipewyan (or Denesuline, as they prefer to self-identify) occupied the edge of the northern subarctic forests and the tundra beyond, where the winters were long and severe and the summers moderate. By the late 1700s, some Chipewyan members had moved into the forests. These people from the subarctic culture area were nomadic hunters and anglers. The most important animal was the caribou; it was the focus of their religious belief and oral literature and structured their life cycle and population distribution.
The Chipewyan people had no central organization but lived in regional bands, the size of which depended on the concentration of the caribou. Bands were larger during the caribou migrations and smaller when the caribou were dispersed. Officials from the Hudson’s Bay Company recognized two divisions: the Northern Indians (Chipewyan) and the Yellowknives Dene. Today, the Chipewyan are regarded as one of the five main groups of Dene people, along with the Yellowknives. The Chipewyan name means “pointed skins,” a term referring to the form of their dried beaver skins.
Early contact with Europeans came as a result of the fur trade, which brought both good and hardship, and furs were traded for necessities. However, in 1781, smallpox from the Europeans destroyed a large number of the Chipewyan.
The Chipewyan had few ceremonies to mark life’s events. If the band was traveling, a woman would give birth and continue traveling within a few hours. No ceremonies marked puberty or marriage. The husband hunted with the woman’s family until the birth of the first child. Polygamy was permitted, and wives, especially the young and childless, were sometimes prizes in wrestling matches. Older people or those who were incapacitated had little value and could be abandoned if they could not keep up when traveling.
By the mid-1800s, the Chipewyan people were divided into five regional bands, and their territories existed primarily within the forests. They were divided between living on the forest edge because of hunting on the tundra and living deep within the forest close to trading posts and missions. In the 1960s, there was an attempt to move some of the bands into towns. This was only partly successful; many families returned to their traditional areas and remained hunters and anglers. Some of the bands engaged in commercial fishing.
In the twenty-first century, the Chipewyan people continued to live primarily in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories in northern Canada. In 2015, there were over 23,000 registered members of Denesuline First Nations. Numerous distinct First Nations groups existed within the Denesuline nation. Many continued to participate in traditional activities like hunting and fishing while pursuing the preservation of their cultural heritage and language. Many distinct Denesuline First Nations groups pursued economic development opportunities, and some pursued land claims and self-government agreements with the Canadian government.
Bibliography
"About Us." Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, acfn.com/about-us. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation. Footprints on the Land: Tracing the Path of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation. Author, 2003.
Curtis, Edward S. The North American Indian: Vol. 18, The Chipewyan, the Western Woods Cree, the Sarsi. Plimpton, 1928.
Hay, Elaine. "Denesuline (Dene)." Indigenous Saskatchewan Encyclopedia, teaching.usask.ca/indigenoussk/import/denesuline‗dene.php. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
McCormack, Patricia A., et al. "Denesuline (Chipewyan)." The Canadian Encyclopedia, 18 Nov. 2021, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/chipewyan. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Trimble, Sabina, and Peter Fortina. "Honouring Oral Histories: Wood Buffalo National Park and the Dënesųłıné." Network in Canadian History & Environment, 18 Nov. 2021, niche-canada.org/2021/11/18/honouring-oral-histories-wood-buffalo-national-park-and-the-denesuline/. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.