Nahani (Nahane, Nahanni) is an
Athabaskan word used to designate
First Nations groups located in
British Columbia, the
Northwest Territories and
Yukon between the upper
Liard River and the
64th parallel north latitude. While these native groups do not necessarily have anything in common, the Canadian government used the term "Nahani" until the 1970s to refer to them collectively. The group term applied to several distinct tribes:
Kaska Dena, located between the
Dease River and the
Beaver River, divided into two main regional groupings, and further divided into bands:
Pelly River Indians: The Pelly and
Ross River tribes were destroyed in 1884, likely by a band of
Sahtu (also known as
North Slavey and formerly as Hare Indians). A band consisting of two survivors as well as members from surrounding tribes reformed in the same area under this name.
These groups are identified as
Southern Tutchone and
Kaska language speakers. In 1996, there were 2,407 registered Nahani in Canada.
References
^Clark, Patricia Roberts (21 October 2009). Tribal Names of the Americas: Spelling Variants and Alternative Forms, Cross-Referenced. McFarland. p. 10.
ISBN978-0-7864-5169-2.