Northern Athabaskan is a geographic sub-grouping of the Athabaskan language family spoken by indigenous peoples in the northern part of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, particularly in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

(

Alaskan Athabaskans The Alaskan Athabascans, Alaskan Athabascans, Alaskan AthapascansWilliam Simeone, ''A History of Alaskan Athapaskans'', 1982, Alaska Historical Commission or Dena (russian: атабаски Аляски, атапаски Аляски) are Alaska ...

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 ...

, and the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

. The Northern Athabaskan languages consist of 31 languages that can be divided into seven geographic subgroups.

Southern Alaskan

: 1. Ahtna (also known as Atna, Ahtena, Copper River) ::* Central Copper River Ahtna ::* Lower Copper River Ahtna ::* Mentasta (also known as Upper Ahtna) ::* Western Ahtna : 2. Dena’ina (also known as Tanaina) ::* Lower Inlet Dena’ina ::: - Outer Inlet ::: - Iliamna ::: - Inland ::* Upper Inlet Dena’ina

Central Alaska–Yukon

A. Koyukon : 3.

Deg Xinag Deg Xinag (Deg Hitan) is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the Deg Hitʼan peoples of the GASH region. The GASH region consists of the villages of Grayling, Anvik, Shageluk, and Holy Cross along the lower Yukon River The Yukon River ( ...

(also known as Deg Hit'an, Kaiyuhkhotana, Ingalik) ::* Lower Yukon River ::* Middle Kuskokwin : 4.

Holikachuk Holikachuk (also Innoko, Organized Village of Grayling, Innoka-khotana, Tlëgon-khotana) are a Yupikized Alaska Native Athabaskan people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group to western Alaska. Their native territory includes the ...

(also known as Innoko, Innoka-khotana, Tlëgon-khotana) : 5.

Koyukon The Koyukon (russian: Коюконы) are an Alaska Native Athabascan people of the Athabascan-speaking ethnolinguistic group. Their traditional territory is along the Koyukuk and Yukon rivers where they subsisted for thousands of years by ...

(also known as Ten’a, Co-Youkon, Co-yukon) ::* Lower Koyukon (also known as Lower Yukon Koyukon) ::* Central Koyukon (also known as Dinaakkanaaga Ts’inh Huyoza, Koyukuk River Koyukon) ::* Upper Koyukon (also known as Upper Yukon Koyukon) B. Tanana–Tutchone : 6. Upper Kuskokwim (also known as Kolchan, Goltsan) : I. Tanana :: 7.

Lower Tanana Lower Tanana (also Tanana and/or Middle Tanana) is an endangered language spoken in Interior Alaska in the lower Tanana River villages of Minto and Nenana. Of about 380 Tanana people in the two villages, about 30 still speak the language. As of ...

(also known as Tanana, Minto, Dandey in, Dineh su, Tananatana) :::* Minto-Tolovana-Toklat-Nenana-Wood River :::: - Minto-Tolovana :::: - Toklat :::: - Nenana :::: - Wood River :::* Chena :::* Salcha-Goodpastor :: 8.

Tanacross Tanacross (also Transitional Tanana) is an endangered Athabaskan language spoken by fewer than 60 people in eastern Interior Alaska. Overview The word Tanacross (from " Tanana Crossing") has been used to refer both to a village in eastern ...

(also known as Tanana, Dandey in, Dineh su, Tananatana) :: 9.

Upper Tanana Upper Tanana (also known as Tabesna, Nabesna or Nee'aanèegn') is an endangered Athabaskan language spoken in eastern Interior Alaska, United States, mainly in the villages of Northway, Tetlin, and Tok, and adjacent areas of the Canadian ter ...

(also known as Tanana, Dandey in, Dineh su, Tananatana) :::* Nabesna :::* Tetlin :::* Northway :::* Scottie Creek :::* Canadian Upper Tanana : II. Tutchone (also known as Gens de Bois, Gunana, Nahane, Nahani, Tutchonekutchin) :: 10. Southern Tutchone (sometimes considered to be just a dialect) :: 11. Northern Tutchone (also known as Mayo) (sometimes considered to be just a dialect) C. Kutchin–Han : 12. Gwich’in (also known as Gwitch’in, Kutchin, Kootchin, Loucheux, Loucheaux, Takudh, Tukudh, "Quarrelers") ::* Alaskan Gwich’in (also known as Western Gwich’in) ::* Canadian Gwich’in (also known as Eastern Gwich’in) : 13.

Hän The Hän, Han or Hwëch'in / Han Hwech’in (meaning "People of the River, i.e. Yukon River", in English also Hankutchin) are a First Nations people of Canada and an Alaska Native Athabaskan people of the United States; they are part of the At ...

(also known as Han, Moosehide, Dawson, Gens du Fou, Han Gwich-in, Han-Kootchin, Hankutchin)

Northwestern Canada

A. Cordillera : I. Central Cordillera (also known as Tahltan-Tagish-Kaska) :: 14.

Tagish The Tagish or Tagish Khwáan ( Tagish: ; tli, Taagish ḵwáan) are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group that lived around Tagish Lake and Marsh Lake, in Yukon of Canada. The Tagish intermarried heavily with ...

(also known as Gunana, Nahane, Nahani, Si-him-E-na, "Stick Indians", Tagisch, Tahgish, Tahkeesh, Tahk-heesh) :: 15.

Tahltan The Tahltan or Nahani are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group who live in northern British Columbia around Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake, and Iskut. The Tahltan constitute the fourth division of the ''Nahane' ...

(also known as Nahanni, Keyehotine, Nahane, Nahani, Tahl-tan, Tatltan, Ticaxhanoten, Toltan) :: 16.

Kaska The Kaska or Kaska Dena are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group living mainly in northern British Columbia and the southeastern Yukon in Canada. The Kaska language, originally spoken by the Kaska, is an Athabas ...

(also known as Nahanni, Nahane, Nahani, Cassiar) : II. Southeastern Cordillera :: 17.

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 ...

:: 18. Danezaa (also known as Beaver, Tsattine, Dunne-za, Deneza, Gens de Castor) B. Mackenzie : I. Slavey–Hare (v Slave) :: 19. Slavey (also known as Slavey proper, South Slavey, Southern Slavey, Dene Tha, Esclave, Nahane, Nahani, Slave) :: 20. Mountain (also known as Montagnards, Nahane, Nahani, Sih gotine, Sihta gotine) :: 21. Bearlake (also known as Satudine, Sahtu gotine, Bear Lake) :: 22. Hare (also known as Kawchottine, Ka so gotine, Kancho, Kawchodinneh, Rabbitskins, Ta-na-tin-ne) : 23. Dogrib (also known as Tli Cho, Tłįchǫ or Thlingchadine) C. Chipewyan : 24.

Dene Suline Chipewyan or Denesuline (ethnonym: ), often simply called Dene, is the language spoken by the Chipewyan people of northwestern Canada. It is categorized as part of the Northern Athabaskan languages, Northern Athabaskan language family. Dënës ...

(also known as Chipewyan, Dëne Sųłiné, Dene, Yellowknife, Montagnais, "Northern Indians", Copper Indians, Coppermine Indians, Mithcocoman, Red Knife, T’atsan ottine, Tatsotine, Yellow Knife)

Tsetsaut

: 25. Tsetsaut (also known as Ts’ets’aut, Nahane, Nahani, Portland Canal, Wetalth)

Central British Columbia

: 26. Babine-Witsuwit'en (also known as North Carrier, Babine Carrier, Northern Carrier, Bulkley Valley, Lakes District, Western Carrier) ::* Babine (also known as Nadot’en, Nedut’en, Nat’oot’en) ::* Takla ::* Witsuwit’en (also known as Wetsuwet’en, Wets’uwet’en, Wet’suwet’en) ::* Moricetown ::* Francois Lake : 27.

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 ...

(also known as Carrier, Dakelhne, Takelne, Takulli, Taculli, Takulie, Porteur, Nagailer) ::* Central Carrier (also known as Upper Carrier) ::* Southern Carrier (also known as Lower Carrier) : 28. Chilcotin (also known as Tsilhqot’in, Tinneh, Chilkhodins, Tsilkotin) : 29. Nicola (also known as Stuwix, Nicola-Similkameen) (extinct)

Sarsi

: 30. Sarsi (also known as Sarcee, Tsuu T’ina, or Tsuut’ina)

Kwalhioqua–Tlatskanai

: 31. Kwalhioqua-Clatskanie (also known as Kwalhioqua-Tlatskanie) ::* Willapa (also known as Willoopah) ::* Suwal-Clatskanie ::: - Suwal ::: - Clatskanie (also known as Tlatskanie)

References

Bibliography

* See: Athabaskan languages#Bibliography.

External links

Map of Northern Athabaskan dialects
{{Athabaskan languages Indigenous languages of Alaska