Athabascan is the name of an Indigenous (native) North American people who live mainly in the region of Alaska and Canada west of Lake Athabasca. In Canada, they are recognized as a First Nations people. Over the past 2,000 years, several Athabascan groups have moved to coastal regions along the Pacific Ocean and to other parts of North America. Athabascans call themselves Dena or Dene, which means the people. The Athabascan people include many distinct tribes that all speak different but related languages. These tribes share strong similarities in their lifestyle and customs.
Eleven different Athabascan groups live along large rivers in Alaska’s interior, from the Brooks Range of mountains to the Kenai Peninsula. They are the Ahtna, Han, Holikachuk, Ingalik, Koyukon, Kutchin, Tanacross, Tanaina, Tanana, Upper Kuskokwim, and Upper Tanana. Individual groups in Canada include the Bear Lake people (also called the Sahtu Gotine), Chipewyan (Denesuline), Tlicho (Dogrib), Gwich’in (Kutchin), Hare (Kasho Gotine), and DeneTha (Slavey).
Some other indigenous North American groups speak languages that scholars classify in the Athabascan (also spelled Athabaskan) language family. This large language family is often called Na-Dene. It includes such widespread languages as Tlingit and Haida in southeastern Alaska, Hupa in northern California, and Apache and Navajo in the southwest United States. The ancestors of these peoples migrated from Athabascan lands long ago.
Traditionally, Athabascan groups lived by fishing, hunting, and trapping and by gathering edible plants. They lived in small groups that traveled and changed their lifestyles to suit the availability of food and other resources in each season. Some Athabascan groups lived in domed homes covered with caribou and moose hides in winter and with birch bark in summer. Villages were often located near rivers, which served as an important means of travel and source of food. Athabascan people used snowshoes and sleds to travel in winter. They fashioned tools from stone and animal parts. They made clothing from animal hides and decorated it with beadwork, quillwork, and shells. Other decorative arts included stonecarving and woodcarving.
Athabascan society is divided into clans (family groups), with clan elders as leaders. Most Athabascan societies are matrilineal—that is, kinship is determined through the mother’s lineage, with children belonging to the same clan as their mother.
Today, many Athabascans live in small rural villages and continue a largely traditional way of life. Some live in log homes. Other Athabascans have moved to the larger cities of Canada and Alaska. Traditional language, culture, and celebrations—including potlatches (ceremonies of feasting and gift-giving)—remain an important part of Athabascan life. Famous Athabascans include the artists Kathleen Carlo-Kendall, Hannah Solomon, and Audrey Armstrong and the mountaineer Walter Harper.
