By Dorthea CalverleyLinguistic Subdivisions Almost all major ethnic divisions may be further subdivided into groups which share single languages or major dialects, and form convenient regional cultural units for study. Among the aboriginal peoples of British Columbia the ten major ethnic groups have been subdivided into thirty-four linguistic subdivisions. The Athapaskan division, of interest to… Read More

By Dorthea Calverley Traditional cultures depend largely on the geographical features of the country occupied and the resources available to the people living there. According to Jenness, the aboriginal peoples of Canada inhabited seven natural cultural areas, three of which are in British Columbia. The Pacific Coast: the boundaries of this zone are delimited by… Read More

Alberta Indian Education CenterEdmonton, Alberta  Cultural Heritage So often in Alberta and throughout Canada one hears the phrases, “the Indian way”, “the Indians”, ” the Indian language”, as if all the Indians of Alberta and Canada as a whole were of one culture. This is not so. In fact there are forty-two separate Bands of… Read More

 (From the Sessional paper #21-A of the Department of Marine and Fisheries, 1912).Athapaskan Family: The most widely distributed of all the Indian linguistic families of North America, formerly extending over parts of the continent from the Arctic coast far into Northern Mexico; from the Pacific to Hudson Bay at the North, and from the Rio… Read More

By Dorthea Calverley A lack of unanimity among various writers creates much confusion about the divisions of the Peace River Athapaskan-speakers. Alexander Mackenzie described them first in his journal of 1792-93. About the middle of the 1700’s the Beaver occupied not only the entire basin of the Peace River below its junction with the Smoky, but… Read More

By Dorthea Calverley Researching the history of many tribes or bands is difficult because each may have several different names, including what they called themselves and what others called them. Any name given by Indians was usually translated into English as the person hearing the name thought it was. The name “Beavers” has a roundabout history…. Read More

From Alexander Mackenzie’s Journal (1792-93)Note: this is not a very complimentary description of the Indians Mackenzie referred to as the Beaver, but it does represent the earliest written account of them.  The men are in general of a comely appearance, and fond of personal decoration. The women are of contrary disposition and the slaves of… Read More

By Dorthea Calverley Students of anthropology have observed that there was a “decreasing complexity” (greater simplicity) in the culture of the Indians as one proceeds from the West Coast eastwards. Naturally, since the West Coast Indians had settlements and the tribes across the mountains were nomadic and less bountifully provided with food or materials for shelter…. Read More

By Dorthea Calverley  Numerous writers spoke of the Beaver’s weakness, laziness, and other characteristics deplored by white men. Lewis O. Saum reports in the book The Fur Trader and the Indian several instances: “Colin Robertson of the Hudson’s Bay Company referred to the Beaver Indians of the Upper Peace River as being delicate of constitution… Read More

By Dorthea Calverley Alexander Mackenzie first wrote about the “Beavers”. We must remember that on their eastern fringes, the Crees had already begun to settle in former Beaver territory. Mackenzie’s voyageurs and interpreters would likely – almost certainly – speak Cree, the universal language across the prairies and northern woods from which he had approached. In… Read More