Chipewyan

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The Chipewyan are an Aboriginal people in Canada. The Chipewyan live in the Arctic regions of Canada around Hudson Bay, including Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. The group also inhabits northern parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. There are roughly 6,000 Chipewyan.

Historically the Chipewyan were somewhat allied to the southerly Cree and warred against Inuit and Dene peoples to the north of their lands.

The Dene Suline language is part of the Athabaskan linguistic group - those First Nations whose name for themselves is a cognate of the word Dene ("people"): Denésoliné (or Dënesųłiné). The name Chipewyan is, like many people of the Canadian prairies, of Algonquian origin. It is derived from the Plains Cree name for them, Cīpwēyān (ᒌᐻᔮᐣ) - "pointed skin", from cīpwāw (ᒌᐚᐤ) "to be pointed"; and wayān (ᐘᔮᐣ) - a skin or hide - a reference to the cut and style of Chipewyan parkas. Many Chipewyan believe that the name is in some way derogatory, but these sorts of etymological beliefs about names are common among Canadian First Nations and not necessarily true. (See Eskimo for an example.)

Despite the superficial similarity of the names, the Chipewyan are not related to the Chippewa or Ojibwa.

An important historic Chipewyan is Thanadelthur ("Marten Jumping"), a young woman who early in the 18th century helped her people to establish peace with the Cree, and to get involved with the fur trade (Steckley 1999).

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First Nations in Alberta

Alexander • Alexis Nakota Sioux • Athabasca Chipewyan • Beaver • Beaver Lake Cree • Bigstone Cree • Chipewyan Prairie • Cold Lake • Dene Tha' • Driftpile • Duncan's • Enoch Cree • Ermineskin Cree • Fort McKay • Fort McMurray • Frog Lake • Heart Lake • Horse Lake • Kainai • Kapawe'no • Kehewin Cree • Little Red River Cree • Loon River • Louis Bull • Lubicon Lake • Mikisew Cree • Montana • O'Chiese • Paul • Piikani • Saddle Lake • Samson Cree • Sawridge • Siksika • Smith's Landing • Stoney • Sturgeon Lake • Sucker Creek • Sunchild • Swan River • Tallcree • Tsuu T'ina • Whitefish Lake (Atikameg) • Whitefish Lake (Goodfish) • Woodland Cree