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Sekani
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Sekani
Sekani or Tseʼkhene 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 neighbours of the Sekani are the Babine to the west, Dakelh to the south, Dunneza (Beaver) to the east, and Kaska and Tahltan to the north—all Athabaskan peoples. In addition, due to the westward spread of the Plains Cree in recent centuries, their neighbours to the east now include Cree communities.
Sekani people call their language [tsekʼene] or [tθekʼene], depending on dialect, which, appended with Dene (meaning people), means "people on the rocks"; Sekani is an anglicization of this term. Other forms occasionally found, especially in older sources, are Secunnie, Siccanie, Sikani, and the French Sékanais.
The Sekani and Dunneza historically shared a very similar culture and probably diverged by the 18th century. Around the late 18th century, the Sekani were forced to move westward due to encroachments from the Plains Cree. Contact with Whites began around the 1820s and North West Company trading posts were built soon after though the Sekani maintained trading contacts with neighboring tribes to obtain European goods.
A gold rush during the 1870's led to an influx of White settlers establishing themselves in the region. This caused not only social disruption of the Sekani's way of life but also introduced diseases that reduced the population. The total population of the Sekani was estimated at nearly 700 in the late 1980s.
The traditional Sekani way of life was based on hunting and gathering. Although fish formed part of the diet, the Sekani relied more heavily on game, in contrast to their Carrier and Babine neighbors. Plant food consisted largely of berries, especially of blueberries.
The Sekani traditionally cremated their deceased. After cremation was discontinued, the Sekani revived an old custom, probably never entirely abandoned, of covering the dead man with the brush hut that had sheltered him during his last days and then deserting the locality for a period. Persons of influence were buried in coffins raised on platforms or trees.
They were said to have practiced polyandry before large scale conversion to Catholicism.
Three bands identify as Sekani: Kwadacha, McLeod Lake, and Tsay-Keh Dene. In addition, the Takla Lake First Nation, which identifies as Carrier, includes many people of Sekani descent and until recently many of its members spoke the Sekani language.
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Sekani
Sekani or Tseʼkhene 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 neighbours of the Sekani are the Babine to the west, Dakelh to the south, Dunneza (Beaver) to the east, and Kaska and Tahltan to the north—all Athabaskan peoples. In addition, due to the westward spread of the Plains Cree in recent centuries, their neighbours to the east now include Cree communities.
Sekani people call their language [tsekʼene] or [tθekʼene], depending on dialect, which, appended with Dene (meaning people), means "people on the rocks"; Sekani is an anglicization of this term. Other forms occasionally found, especially in older sources, are Secunnie, Siccanie, Sikani, and the French Sékanais.
The Sekani and Dunneza historically shared a very similar culture and probably diverged by the 18th century. Around the late 18th century, the Sekani were forced to move westward due to encroachments from the Plains Cree. Contact with Whites began around the 1820s and North West Company trading posts were built soon after though the Sekani maintained trading contacts with neighboring tribes to obtain European goods.
A gold rush during the 1870's led to an influx of White settlers establishing themselves in the region. This caused not only social disruption of the Sekani's way of life but also introduced diseases that reduced the population. The total population of the Sekani was estimated at nearly 700 in the late 1980s.
The traditional Sekani way of life was based on hunting and gathering. Although fish formed part of the diet, the Sekani relied more heavily on game, in contrast to their Carrier and Babine neighbors. Plant food consisted largely of berries, especially of blueberries.
The Sekani traditionally cremated their deceased. After cremation was discontinued, the Sekani revived an old custom, probably never entirely abandoned, of covering the dead man with the brush hut that had sheltered him during his last days and then deserting the locality for a period. Persons of influence were buried in coffins raised on platforms or trees.
They were said to have practiced polyandry before large scale conversion to Catholicism.
Three bands identify as Sekani: Kwadacha, McLeod Lake, and Tsay-Keh Dene. In addition, the Takla Lake First Nation, which identifies as Carrier, includes many people of Sekani descent and until recently many of its members spoke the Sekani language.
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