Tsattine People and Bison: Pre-Colonial Relationships and Ancestral Territories

Abstract

Traditional knowledge and historical records indicate that communal hunting was an important practice for subarctic Beaver people (Dunne-zaa / Dane-zaa / Tsattine) of northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Prior to the 20th century Beaver people hunted a variety of animals, including American bison (plains bison [Bison bison bison] and wood bison [Bison bison athabascae]), which were nearly eradicated in North America by the late 1800s due to colonial impacts associated with European settlement. My thesis explores traditional relationships Beaver people had with animals, possible Beaver communal hunting methods and locations, and the subarctic/northern plains range of bison. I explore the social relationships between Beaver people and animals through stories, ethnographic and historical records. I argue that acknowledging this social relationship with animals supports revitalization efforts by challenging Western standpoints that often view animals (particularly food animals) as non-sentient beings, which is in contrast to Beaver/Indigenous understandings of animals as persons. I describe five potential communal hunting sites that may have been utilized by Beaver people for bison drives and/or jumps. Oral accounts of bison jumps in these northern regions contradicts Western literature which suggest that jumps did not occur in these areas, so further examination of these sites is recommended. [...]