{{Infobox ethnic group , group=Nadot'en , image= , image_caption= , poptime= , popplace={{Flag, Canada ({{Flag, British Columbia) , langs=

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, Babine-Witsuwit'en , rels=

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

Animism Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, Soul, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct Spirituality, spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—Animal, animals, Plant, plants, Ro ...

, related= Wet'suwet'en,

Dakelh The Dakelh (pronounced ) or Carrier are the indigenous people of a large portion of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The "Carrier" name was derived from an English translation of ''Aghele'', the name from the neighbouring Sekani ...

In its broader sense, Babine (sometimes spelled ''Babeen'' in older English-language texts) refers to the

Athabascan Athabaskan (also spelled ''Athabascan'', ''Athapaskan'' or ''Athapascan'', and also known as Dene) is a large family of indigenous languages of North America, located in western North America in three areal language groups: Northern, Pacific Co ...

indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

who speak the Babine dialect of the Babine-Witsuwit'en language in the vicinity of the

Babine River Babine River is a river in central British Columbia, Canada. It drains Babine Lake and is a tributary of the Skeena River, and is about long. Babine River is considered one of the last unspoiled and pristine rivers in British Columbia. Through m ...

Babine Lake Babine Lake ( ) or Na-taw-bun-kut ("Long Lake") is the longest natural lake in British Columbia, Canada. Babine Lake is located northeast of the town of Burns Lake in central British Columbia, some west northwest of the city of Prince George. ...

Trembleur Lake Trembleur Lake is a lake in the Omineca Country of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada, northwest of Fort St. James between Stuart Lake and the south end of Takla Lake. It is part of the Nechako Lakes. Its name in the Dakelh langu ...

, and

Takla Lake Takla Lake is the fifth largest natural lake in British Columbia, Canada. It is a deep fjord-like lake with the Swannell Ranges to the east, the Driftwood River flowing into it from the north, and the Middle River draining it. It is the termin ...

in the central interior of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada. In its narrower sense, Babine refers to the subset of Babine speakers who belong to the

Lake Babine Nation Lake Babine Nation (also Nataotin, Nat'oot'en Nation) is a Babine band government, historically located on the banks of Babine Lake in central British Columbia, Canada. Its main community has been in Woyenne, near Burns Lake, since many of the nati ...

, a band comprising three main communities: *

Fort Babine Fort Babine, British Columbia (Wit'at) is a small native reserve community, located at the northern tip of Babine Lake, approximately 100 km north of Smithers. It is accessible by an all-weather gravel logging road. There are approximately 6 ...

(traditional name: Wit'at, approx. 100 full-time residents); * Tachet (approx. 100 full-time residents); * and Woyenne (next to the village of Burns Lake, approx. 800 residents). The term Babine is of French origin, meaning "lippy", because when first encountered by fur traders Babine women wore

labret A labret is a form of body piercing. Taken literally, it is any type of adornment that is attached to the lip (labrum). However, the term usually refers to a piercing that is below the bottom lip, above the chin. It is sometimes referred to as a ...

s. Although perceived by some as disparaging, the band prefers to use the name "Lake Babine Nation" because it emphasizes the connection of the people to their traditional territory around Babine Lake. Other ethnonyms associated with the Babine in historical literature incorrectly include ''Chemesyan'' or ''Chimpseyan'', which is an archaic term used for all

Tsimshianic The Tsimshianic languages are a family of languages spoken in northwestern British Columbia and in Southeast Alaska on Annette Island and Ketchikan. All Tsimshianic languages are endangered, some with only around 400 speakers. Only around 2,170 ...

peoples, usually the

Tsimshian The Tsimshian (; tsi, Ts’msyan or Tsm'syen) are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Their communities are mostly in coastal British Columbia in Terrace, British Columbia, Terr ...

. The Babine is located in the

Skeena River The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada (after the Fraser River). Since ancient times, the Skeena has been an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan—whose n ...

watershed.

Bibliography

*''Cis Dideen Kat: the Way of the Lake Babine Nation'', Jo-Anne Fiske and Betty Patrick,

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

: UBC Press, 2000. Ethnic groups in Canada

See also

Bibliography