Also known as the Acha'otinne, or "woodland people." The
Slavey peoples inhabited Alberta's far north, their hunting territory
encompassing part of the Nunavut (NWT). They were organized into six bands
and, like other woodland peoples, maintained only small family groupings
with no central leadership, only electing leaders in times of conflict. The
Slavey developed a reputation for being a peaceful people with a
rich tradition of story-telling. They were respectful of each other as
well as of outsiders. They were forest-dwellers and had few enemies due to
their reputation of being powerful sorcerers. However, they were
known demonstrate violence at times. They drove the Nahannis west
into the mountains and even destroyed the post at Fort Nelson. The
clothing of the Slavey was more decorative than other Athapaskan tribes
and, before the women obtained beads through trade, they used porcupine
quills and colored moose hair for adornment. The Slavey women, to
this day, are known for their beautiful beadwork and silk embroidery. Staples of the Slavey diet
included fish, along with moose and caribou, although obtaining enough
food was often problematic. Their dwellings were conical lodges made
usually of spruce bark or brush and two families usually placed their
lodges together, with entrances facing the fire. During the colder
winter months the Slavey lived in low, oblong cabins constructed of poles
with walls chinked together with moss and a roof of spruce boughs.
The southernmost of the Slavey signed Treaty 8
in 1900, while those further north were left out until 1921, when they
signed Treaty 11.
Reprinted from "A Sense of the
Peace," by Roberta Hursey with permission of the Spirit of the Peace
Museums Association and the author. |