Chipewyan

The Chipewyan are an Aboriginal people in Canada. The Chipewyan live in the Arctic regions of Canada around Hudson Bay, including Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. The group also inhabits northern parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. There are roughly 6,000 Chipewyan.

Related Topics:
Aboriginal people in Canada - Arctic - Canada - Hudson Bay - Manitoba - Northwest Territories - Nunavut - Alberta - Saskatchewan

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The Chipewyan language is part of the Athabaskan linguistic group - those First Nations whose name for themselves is a cognate of the word Dene ("people"): Denésoliné (or Dënes??iné). The name Chipewyan is, like many people of the Canadian prairies, of Algonquian origin. It is derived from the Plains Cree name for them, C?pw?y?n (????) - "pointed skin", from c?pw?w (???) "to be pointed"; and way?n (???) - a skin or hide - a reference to the cut and style of Chipewyan parkas. Many Chipewyan believe that the name is in some way derogatory, but these sorts of etymological beliefs about names are common among Canadian First Nations and not necessarily true. (See Eskimo for an example.)

Related Topics:
Chipewyan language - Athabaskan - First Nations - Dene - Algonquian - Plains Cree - Parka - Eskimo

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Despite the superficial similarity of the names, the Chipewyan are not related to the Chippewa or Ojibwa.

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