The Kaska or Kaska Dena are a
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
**First Natio ...
people of the
Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group living mainly in northern
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, ...
and the southeastern
Yukon
Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...
in Canada. The
Kaska language
The Kaska language originated from the family of Athabaskan languages. Traditionally Kaska is an oral aboriginal language that is used by the Kaska Dena people.Farnell, G. (2014). The Kaska Dene: A study of Colonialism, Trauma and Healing in Den ...
, originally spoken by the Kaska, is an Athabaskan language.
The Kaska Dena constituted five local bands:
* Tu tcogotena (Tu’tcogotena) or Tu cho gha nugga dhal (″Big Water Dwellers″) are the Dena people that occupy the Tucho (Frances Lake) and the Tucho Tue (Frances River) area stretching to the Hyland and Smith rivers. They hunted also the Too-Ti (Liard) and Tucho Tue (Dease River) areas. Also known as McDame Post Kaska or Fort McDame Kaska because they traded at the McDame Post (Fort McDame) trading post (at the mouth of McDame Creek into the Dease River); also referred to as Frances Lake Kaska in some sources.
* Ki stagotena (Ki’stagotena) or Tsetotena (Tsay tow tena) (″Mountain Dwellers″) dominated the south and south east of the Natitu a gotena Kaska. Their traditional range included the valleys of the Dease River south from Net I tue to the northern part of Dease Lake where a natural divide separated them from the inland neighbours. Ki stagotena living along Duna za (McDames), meaning “pure place where people stay”, above its junction with the Dease River was also known as Ozanna, “people of the same blood”. Also known as Dease River Kaska.
* Espatodena (E)spa’totena) or Espa tah dena (″Dwellers Among the Wild Goats″) and Gata otena (″People Who Hunt Rabbits″) are concentrated within a range east of the Tu tcogotena Kaska north of Tsa Tue (Beaver River) and the Nahanni River. They also hunted at the junction of the Atsonne Tue (Moose Dung Water River/Coal River) and Tyagacho (Big River/Liard).
* Naatitu a gotena (Natitu?a’gotena) or Na aw ti to a gotena (″Dwellers at a Sharp Mountain Where a Little River Starts″) occupied the head water country portion of the Liard River called Net I Tue, down to the Canyon above Daylu (Lower Post) which means “a place where we gather to trade”. They made seasonal migrations to the salmon runs at Tu disdis Tue (Pelly River) which means “you can see clearly into the deep water”. Seasonal fishing also was done at Tuts Algua (Watson Lake) or Lu cho, and game was harvested along Agedze Tue (Hyland River) which means “too much game”. The Tu tcogotena Kaska also used the Hyland River and called it Bath-o-too-a (Dangerous River). Since their trading center was traditionally located at Daelyu, the "Lower Post" trading post was officially opened there in 1876, and they were therefore referred to as Lower Post Kaska; in some sources they are also referred to as Upper Liard Kaska.
* Tse lona (Tse’lona) or Tsay lona (″Mountain Top″) populated the area south and east of the Ki stagotena. They lived and hunted the Rocky Mountain trench headwaters and valleys, the Kechika range over to the Toad River area and north to the Flat River. Some families in this group are known as Tse Ts iyinetena/Tse Tsiyinetena or “Wolf People of the Mountains”. Before the Hudson Bay post of “Ghee House” was open in 1880, Tse lona Kaska would trade at Fort Nelson and therefor also known as (Fort) Nelson Kaska.
Kaska Dena communities and First Nations include:
*
Ross River, Yukon (''
Ross River Dena Council The Ross River Dena Council is a First Nation in the eastern Yukon Territory in Canada. Its main centre is in Ross River, Yukon at the junction of the Campbell Highway and the Canol Road, near the confluence of the Pelly River and the Ross River. ...
'')
*
Watson Lake and
Upper Liard, Yukon (''
Liard River First Nation The Liard River First Nation, also known as the Liard First Nation (pronounced "lee-ahrd") is a First Nation in the southeastern Yukon in Canada. Its main centres are Upper Liard and Watson Lake along the Alaska Highway. The language originally s ...
'')
*
Good Hope Lake
Good Hope Lake: Is a First Nations community in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located on Highway 37 not far south 94 km of the Yukon border with the and located east of the semi-abandoned mining town of Cassiar and Jade City, British C ...
, British Columbia (''
Dease River First Nation
The Dease River First Nation, also known as the Dease River Nation, is a band government of the Kaska Dena people in the Cassiar Country of the Northern Interior of British Columbia. Their offices are located in Good Hope Lake, British Columbia, ...
'')
*
Lower Post
Lower Post is an aboriginal community in northern British Columbia, Canada, located on Highway 97, the Alaska Highway, approximately 15 miles (23 kilometres) southeast of Watson Lake, Yukon. Its historical mile designation is Mile 620. It is lo ...
, British Columbia near Watson Lake (''
Kaska Nation
Kaska Nation is a tribal council of First Nations in northern British Columbia, southern Yukon, and the southwestern Northwest Territories in Canada.
Membership
The Kaska Nation is made up of three First Nations including:
History
The Kaska ...
'')
The Kwadacha First Nation (
Fort Ware
Kwadacha, also known as Fort Ware or simple Ware, is an aboriginal community in northern British Columbia, Canada, located in the Rocky Mountain Trench at the confluence of the Finlay, Kwadacha and Fox Rivers, in the Rocky Mountain Trench upstrea ...
) belongs to the Kaska Dena tribal council but consists of
Sekani
Sekani or Tse’khene are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group in the Northern Interior of British Columbia. Their territory includes the Finlay and Parsnip River drainages of the Rocky Mountain Trench. The ne ...
people.
Kaska Dena also live in British Columbia communities of
Fireside and
Muncho Lake, between Watson Lake and
Fort Nelson along the
Alaska Highway. Historically the Kaska people have had a respectful relationship with the land and the environment. Kaska took part in the traditional
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
**First Natio ...
seasonal round, following game like
caribou and other seasonal food like berries. They used waterways like the
Liard River and Frances River to travel from
Dease Lake
Dease Lake is a small community located in the Cassiar Country of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is located a few hours south of the Yukon border on Stewart–Cassiar Highway (Highway 37) at the south end of the lake ...
to
Frances Lake. They also had several established bush trails for travelling.
[Farnell, G. (2014). The Kaska Dene: A study of Colonialism, Trauma and Healing in Dene Kēyeh. The University of British Columbia]
/ref>
By one account, the name of the asbestos-mining ghost town Cassiar, British Columbia, Cassiar is believed to be a variant of Kaska, the town being named for the Kaska people; by another account, the word the name Cassiar derives from is a Kaska word either for a black bird, or for the fibrous asbestos ore upon which the town was built.
After colonization of Yukon
Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...
, the building of the Alaska Highway, and the government's attempts at assimilation, the Kaska people have lost much of their culture. This includes a substantial loss of the Kaska language. Lower Post
Lower Post is an aboriginal community in northern British Columbia, Canada, located on Highway 97, the Alaska Highway, approximately 15 miles (23 kilometres) southeast of Watson Lake, Yukon. Its historical mile designation is Mile 620. It is lo ...
was the location of the residential school that the Kaska children had to attend until it closed in 1975.
In 2005, the film ''One of Many'' by the French filmmaker Jo Béranger (original French title, ''Voyage en mémoires indiennes'', 2004) profiled Sally Tisiga, a Kaska person, in search of her cultural identity.
References
External links
Kaska Dena Council
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