Slavey or just Slave is a translation of Awokanak,[2] the name given to Dene by the
Cree "who sometimes raided and enslaved their less aggressive northern neighbors".[3][4][5] The names of the
Slave River,
Lesser Slave River,
Great Slave Lake, and
Lesser Slave Lake all derive from this
Cree name. Esclaves remains incorporated in the French names of these geographical features, since the French traded with the Cree before the English did. The people now called Slavey in English were not necessarily taken as slaves in that period.
Dehcho autonym
The name Slavey is seldom used by the people themselves, who call themselves Dene. Indigenous ethnonyms for South Slavey people and language are Dehcho, Deh Cho Dene ("
Mackenzie River People") or Dene Tha.[6]
Though most
Athabaskan peoples call themselves Dene, those in the Northwest Territories tend to use it for their particular group specifically. However, the northern Slavey are also known in English as the
Sahtú, while the southern band are known as the Deh Cho.[7]
Groups
The South Slavey live in
northwestern Alberta, northeastern British Columbia, and the southern Northwest Territories. First Nations of South Slavey people:[8]
The
Fort Nelson First Nation[9] in British Columbia. Own name: Dene "the people", for language Dene k'e. Historical literature Fort Nelson Indian Band, Fort Nelson Slavey Band, Fort Nelson Indians.
The
Dene Tha' First Nation in Alberta. Own name: for people Dene Tha' or Dene Dháa «ordinary people», for language Dene Dháh. Historical literature by a number of names, including the following: Upper Hay River Band; Hay Lake(s) Band; Hay River Indians; Slave Band; Slavey Indians at Hay Lake(s); Upper Hay River Post Indians; and Bistcho Lake Tribe.
The
Dehcho First Nations (also called Deh Cho Dene – "Mackenzie River Dene"[10]) in the Northwest Territories:
The Sahtu, Sahtu Dene ("
Great Bear Lake People") or North Slavey people live exclusively in the Northwest Territories. They speak the North
Slavey language.
Most residents of Lynx River, the fictional town in which CBC drama North of 60 is set, are Slavey. Though the word itself is seldom mentioned in dialogue (band members generally identifying themselves as Dene), the town is located in Slavey territory and on one occasion a character proposes a toast before the assembled members in the Slavey language.[citation needed]
^Rice, Sally (2009). "Athapaskan eating and drinking verbs and constructions". In Newman, J. (ed.).
The Linguistics of Eating and Drinking(PDF). Amsterdam, NL; Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins. pp. 109–152. Contemporary, indigenous ethnonyms for some of the Athapaskan languages represented in this paper are given in parentheses after the term likely to be more common in the traditional linguistic and anthropological literature: Babine (Witsuwit'en), Chipewyan (Dene Sųłiné), Navajo (Diné), Sarcee/Sarsi (Tsuu T'ina) South Slavey (Dehcho or Dene Tha), North Slave (Sahtu).
^Dene Tha' Presence in Northeastern BC (Prepared by: Randy Bouchard. Prepared for: Calliou Group, Calgary, Alberta on Behalf of the Dene Tha' First Nation, 14 July 2009)
^Shirleen Smith 1999.
Dene treaties, anthropology and colonial relationships. A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta. Edmonton, Alberta, Spring 1999. [Chapter 2. In this chapter, I use the term "Slavey" in summarizing the ethnographic descriptions of Deh Cho Dene. I should clarify that this is not the term Dene use to describe themselves. In the Deh Cho region, Dene have a number of names for their people, for example: Dene from Acho Kue refer to themselves as Acho Dene, and the "Mountain Dene" from Fort Norman (part of the Deh Cho First Nations Council) refer to themselves as the Begade Shotagotine. A much more detailed discussion of Dene names is warranted for future work.
^For example, the Great Canadian Parks website suggests the Navajo may be descendants of the lost Naha tribe, a
Slavey tribe from the
Nahanni region west of Great Slave Lake.
"Nahanni National Park Reserve". Great Canadian Parks. Retrieved 2007-07-02.