List of First Nations peoples
Encyclopedia
The following is a partial list of First Nations
peoples organized by linguistic-cultural area. This list does not include Metis
or Canadian Inuit
groups. The areas used here are in accordance to those developed by the enthologist and linguist Edward Sapir
, and used by the Canadian Museum of Civilization
.
and silvery eulachon
from the ocean, as well as fish from lakes and rivers, and roots and berries. Recently discovered clam gardens suggest that they were not limited only to hunting and gathering. 'They made use of the forests of the Pacific to build dug-out canoe
s, and houses made of evenly-split planks of wood. They used tools made of stone and wood. The native peoples of the Pacific coast also made totem pole
s, a trait attributed to other tribes as well. In 2000 a land claim was settled between the Nisga'a
people of British Columbia
and the provincial government, resulting in the transfer of over 2,000 square kilometres of land to the Nisga'a. Major ethnicities include the:
s covered with skins as their homes. Their main sustenance was the bison
, which they used as food, as well as for all their garments. The leaders of some Plains tribes wore large headdresses made of feathers, something which is wrongfully attributed by some to all First Nations peoples. Major ethnicies include the:
and the fur trade
. Most spoke Athapaskan languages except the Crees and Inland Tlingit. Major ethnicities in the Yukon
, Northwest Territories
and the northern parts of the western provinces (British Columbia
, Alberta
, Saskatchewan
and Manitoba
) include the following:
. This area also includes the Wyandot (formerly referred to as the Huron) peoples of central Ontario
, and the League of Five Nations
who had lived in the United States
, south of Lake Ontario
. Major ethnicities include the:
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
peoples organized by linguistic-cultural area. This list does not include Metis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
or Canadian Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
groups. The areas used here are in accordance to those developed by the enthologist and linguist Edward Sapir
Edward Sapir
Edward Sapir was an American anthropologist-linguist, widely considered to be one of the most important figures in the early development of the discipline of linguistics....
, and used by the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Canadian Museum of Civilization
The Canadian Museum of Civilization is Canada's national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada....
.
British Columbia Coast
These people traditionally ate fish, primarily salmonSalmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
and silvery eulachon
Eulachon
The eulachon, also oolichan, hooligan, ooligan, or candlefish, is a small anadromous ocean fish, Thaleichthys pacificus, a smelt found along the Pacific coast of North America from northern California to Alaska....
from the ocean, as well as fish from lakes and rivers, and roots and berries. Recently discovered clam gardens suggest that they were not limited only to hunting and gathering. 'They made use of the forests of the Pacific to build dug-out canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
s, and houses made of evenly-split planks of wood. They used tools made of stone and wood. The native peoples of the Pacific coast also made totem pole
Totem pole
Totem poles are monumental sculptures carved from large trees, mostly Western Red Cedar, by cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America...
s, a trait attributed to other tribes as well. In 2000 a land claim was settled between the Nisga'a
Nisga'a
The Nisga’a , often formerly spelled Nishga and spelled in the Nisga’a language as Nisga’a, are an Indigenous nation or First Nation in Canada. They live in the Nass River valley of northwestern British Columbia. Their name comes from a combination of two Nisga’a words: Nisk’-"top lip" and...
people of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and the provincial government, resulting in the transfer of over 2,000 square kilometres of land to the Nisga'a. Major ethnicities include the:
- Coast SalishCoast SalishCoast Salish languages are a subgroup of the Salishan language family. These languages are spoken by First Nations or Native American peoples inhabiting the territory that is now the southwest coast of British Columbia around the Strait of Georgia and Washington state around Puget Sound...
- NuxálkNuxalkNuxálk are an indigenous people native to Bella Coola, British Columbia in Canada. The term can refer to:* Nuxálk language, a moribund Salishan language.* Nuxalk Nation, the name of the Nuxálk group in the First Nations....
(Bella Coola; not linguistically Coast Salish)- Kimsquit
- Tallheo
- Stuie
- Kwatna
- ShishalhShishalhThe Shishalh people, at the time of the first European contact had a population near 26,000. Shishalh women were famous for their beautiful cedar woven baskets, using materials gathered from the roots of the cedar tree, cannery grass and birch bark for the design.The Sechelt First Nations...
(Sechelt) - Sḵwxwú7mesh (aka Squamish)
- Pentlatch (aka Puntledge, extinct)
- Qualicum
- Comos-speakingComox languageComox, also known as K'omoks, is a Coast Salish language historically spoken in the northern Georgia Strait region, spanning the east coast of Vancouver Island and the northern Sunshine Coast and adjoining inlets and islands...
- Sliammon (Mainland Comox)
- ComosComox peopleThe Komox people, usually known in English as the Comox people and also spelled K'omoks, are an indigenous group of Coast Salishan-speaking people in Comox, British Columbia and in the Toba Inlet and Malaspina Peninsula areas of the British Columbia mainland across Georgia Strait...
- Klahoose
- Halkomelem-speaking
- Cowichan
- SomenaSomenaThe Somena are one of several Hulquminum-speaking indigenous peoples living in the Cowichan Valley-Duncan region of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada....
- Quw'utsun
- QuamichanQuamichanQuamichan is a traditional nation of the Coast Salish people, commonly referred to by the English adaptation of Qu'wutsun as the Cowichan Indians, or First Nations, of the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, in the area of the city of Duncan, British Columbia...
- Clemclemaluts
- Comiaken
- Khenipsen
- Kilpahlas
- Koksilah
- Somena
- PenelakutPenelakutThe Penelakut are a small Hul'qumi'num-speaking First Nation. They live primarily at the south end of Vancouver Island and Kuper Island, Tent Island and Galiano Island....
- Lamalcha
- Musqueam
- Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo)
- Tsleil-waututh (Burrard)
- Sts'AilesSts'AilesThe Sts'ailes are a First Nations people in the Lower Mainland of the Canadian province of British Columbia. They are a Halqemeylem-speaking people but are distinct historically and politically from the surrounding Sto:lo peoples...
(Chehalis) - Sto:loStó:loThe Sto:lo , alternately written as Stó:lō, Stó:lô or Stó:lõ and historically as Staulo or Stahlo, and historically known and commonly referred to in ethnographic literature as the Fraser River Indians or Lower Fraser Salish, are a group of First Nations peoples inhabiting the Fraser Valley of...
(Fraser River Salish)- AitchelitzAitchelitz First NationThe Aitchelitz First Nation, also known as the Aitchelitz Band or Aitchelitz Indian Band, is a First Nations band government of the Sto:lo people, located at Sardis, British Columbia, Canada...
- Leq' a: melLeq' a: mel First NationThe Leq' a: mel First Nation, formerly known as the Lakahahmen First Nation, is a First Nations band government whose community and offices are located on Nicomen Island, near Deroche, British Columbia, Canada, about 12 kilometres east of the District of Mission...
- MatsquiMatsqui First NationThe Popkum First Nation or Popkum Indian Band is a band government of the Sto:lo people located in the Central Fraser Valley region, at Matsqui, in the northern part of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. They are a member government of the Sto:lo Nation tribal council.-References:...
- PopkumPopkum First NationThe Popkum First Nation or Popkum Indian Band is a band government of the Sto:lo people located in the Upper Fraser Valley region, at Popkum, northeast of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. They are a member government of the Sto:lo Nation tribal council.-References:...
- SkwaySkway First NationThe Skway First Nation aka Skway Indian Band is a band government of the Stó:lō people living in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia, Canada near the city of Chilliwack. They traditionally speak the Upriver dialect of Halkomelem, one of the Salishan family of languages...
- SkawahlookSkawahlook First NationThe Skawahlook First Nation, formerly the Tait Indian Band is a band government of the Sto:lo people whose reserves and communities are located in the Upper Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, Canada, near the community of Ruby Creek, which is at the eastern end of the District of Kent...
- SkowkaleSkowkale First NationThe Skowkale First Nation or Skowkale Indian Band is a band government of the Sto:lo people located in the Upper Fraser Valley region, near Sardis, part of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. They are a member government of the Sto:lo Nation tribal council.-References:...
- SquialaSquiala First NationThe Squiala First Nation or Squiala Indian Band is a band government of the Sto:lo people located in the Upper Fraser Valley region, near Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. They are a member government of the Sto:lo Nation tribal council.-References:...
- SumasSumas First NationThe Sumas First Nation or Sumas Indian Band is a band government of the Sto:lo people located in the Upper Fraser Valley region, at the community of Kilgard aka Upper Sumas, part of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. They are a member government of the Sto:lo Nation tribal council.-References:...
- TzeachtenTzeachten First NationThe Tzeachten First Nation or Tzeachten Indian Band is a band government of the Sto:lo people located in the Upper Fraser Valley region near Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. They are a member government of the Sto:lo Nation tribal council....
- YakweakwiooseYakweakwioose First NationThe Yakweakwioose First Nation or Yakweakwioose Indian Band is a band government of the Sto:lo people located in the Upper Fraser Valley region at Sardis, near Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. They are a member government of the Sto:lo Nation tribal council.-References:...
- ChawathilChawathil First NationThe Chawathil First Nation or Chawathil Indian Band is a band government of the Sto:lo people located in the Upper Fraser Valley region near Hope, British Columbia, Canada. They are a member government of the Stó:lō Tribal Council.-References:...
- CheamCheam Indian BandThe Cheam Indian Band is a band government of the Stó:lō people located in the Upper Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, Canada, located near the community of Rosedale. They traditionally speak the Upriver dialect of Halkomelem, one of the Salishan family of languages...
- Kwaw-kwaw-ApiltKwaw-kwaw-Apilt First NationThe Kwaw-kwaw-Apilt First Nation or Kwaw-kwaw-Apilt Indian Band is a band government of the Sto:lo people located in the Upper Fraser Valley region near Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. They are a member government of the Stó:lō Tribal Council....
Thing like the First nations - ScowlitzScowlitz First NationThe Scowlitz First Nation or Scowlitz Indian Band is the band government of Skaulits subgroup of the Sto:lo people located on Harrison Bay in the Upper Fraser Valley region between Chehalis and Lake Errock, British Columbia, Canada...
(Scaulits) - Seabird IslandSeabird Island First NationThe or Seabird Indian Band is a band government of the Sto:lo people located on Sea Bird Island in the Upper Fraser Valley region, 3kms east of Agassiz, British Columbia, Canada...
- Shxw'ow'hamelShxw'ow'hamel First NationThe Shxw'ow'hamel First Nation or Shxw'ow'hamel Indian Band is a band government of the Sto:lo people located in the Upper Fraser Valley region near Hope, British Columbia, Canada. They are a member government of the Stó:lō Tribal Council.-References:...
- SoowahlieSoowahlie First NationThe Soowahlie First Nation or Soowahlie Indian Band is a band government of the Sto:lo people located in the Upper Fraser Valley region at Cultus Lake, British Columbia, Canada. They are a member government of the Stó:lō Tribal Council.-Indian Reserves:...
- Katzie
- Kwantlen
- Kwikwetlem (Coquitlam)
- Tsawwassen
- Aitchelitz
- Cowichan
- North Straits Salish-speaking
- SongheesSongheesThe Songhees or Songish, also known as the Lekwungen or Lekungen, are an indigenous North American Coast Salish people who reside on southeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia in the Greater Victoria area...
(aka Songish, aka Lekwungen) - T'Souke (Sooke)
- SemiahmooSemiahmoo peopleThe Semiahmoo are a Coast Salish Native America people in southwestern British Columbia in Canada.- History :The Semiahmoo are more closely related to the Lummi and Samish peoples south of the international border, and to the Lekwammen and T'sou-ke across the Strait of Georgia, than they are to...
- MalahatMalahat First NationThe Malahat First Nation is a First Nations government located on southeastern Vancouver Island in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Their ancestral tongue is the Hulquminum language....
- Tsartlip
- Tsawout
- Esquimalt
- Songhees
- Nuxálk
- New Westminster (no language affiliiation)
- Tsimshianic peoplesTsimshianic languagesThe Tsimshianic languages are a family of languages spoken in northwestern British Columbia and in southern Alaska on Annette Island and Ketchikan. About 2,170 people of the ethnic Tsimshian population in Canada still speak the Tsimshian languages; about 50 of the 1,300 Tsimshian people living in...
(Northern Mainland)- TsimshianTsimshianThe Tsimshian are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Tsimshian translates to Inside the Skeena River. Their communities are in British Columbia and Alaska, around Terrace and Prince Rupert and the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island. There are approximately 10,000...
- Gitksan
- Nisga'aNisga'aThe Nisga’a , often formerly spelled Nishga and spelled in the Nisga’a language as Nisga’a, are an Indigenous nation or First Nation in Canada. They live in the Nass River valley of northwestern British Columbia. Their name comes from a combination of two Nisga’a words: Nisk’-"top lip" and...
- Tsimshian
- Haida
- Southern Wakashan peoples
- Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka)
- Tla-o-qui-aht (Clayoquot)
- Hesquiat
- Mowachaht-Muchalaht
- Ditidaht
- Pacheedaht
- Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka)
- Northern Wakashan peoples (Central Coast)
- Kwakwaka'wakwKwakwaka'wakwThe Kwakwaka'wakw are an Indigenous group of First Nations peoples, numbering about 5,500, who live in British Columbia on northern Vancouver Island and the adjoining mainland and islands.Kwakwaka'wakw translates as "Those who speak Kwak'wala", describing the collective nations within the area that...
- Laich-kwil-tachLaich-kwil-tachLaich-kwil-tach is the proper spelling in the Kwak'wala language of the name used for themselves by the "Southern Kwakiutl" people of Quadra Island and Campbell River in British Columbia, Canada...
(Euclataws/Yuculta aka Southern Kwakiutl)- Weewaikai (Cape Mudge)
- Wewaykum (Campbell RiverCampbell River, British ColumbiaCampbell River is a coastal city in British Columbia on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the important coastal Inside Passage shipping route...
)
- Koskimo
- 'Namgis'NamgisThe Namgis are an Indigenous nation, a part of the Kwakwaka'wakw, in central British Columbia, on northern Vancouver Island. Their main village is now Yalis, on Cormorant Island adjacent to Alert Bay. The Indian Act First Nations government of this nation is the Namgis First Nation.- External links...
- Laich-kwil-tach
- Haisla
- Henaksiala
- Heiltsuk
- Wuikinuxv (Owekeeno)
- Kwakwaka'wakw
- Tsetsaut (extinct)
British Columbia Interior
- Inland Tlingit
- Áa Tlein Kwáan (Atlin people)Taku River Tlingit First NationThe Taku River Tlingit First Nation are the band government of the Inland Tlinkit in far northern British Columbia, Canada and also in Yukon. They comprise two ḵwaan of the Tlingit people, who are otherwise coastal, the Áa Tlein Ḵwáan of the Atlin Lake area and the Deisleen Ḵwáan of Teslin Lake,...
- Deisleen Kwáan (Teslin people)Teslin Tlingit CouncilThe Teslin Tlingit Council is a First Nation government in the central Yukon in Canada, located in Teslin, Yukon along the Alaska Highway and Teslin Lake. The language originally spoken by the Teslin is Tlingit...
- Áa Tlein Kwáan (Atlin people)
- Athapaskan
- DakelhDakelhThe Dakelh or Carrier are the indigenous people of a large portion of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada.Most Carrier call themselves Dakelh, meaning "people who go around by boat"...
(Carrier)- Wet'suwet'enWet'suwet'enWet'suwet'en are a First Nations people who live on the Bulkley River and around Broman Lake and Francois Lake in the northwestern Central Interior of British Columbia...
- Wet'suwet'en
- Dene-thah (SlaveySlaveyThe Slavey are a First Nations aboriginal people of the Dene group, indigenous to the Great Slave Lake region, in Canada's Northwest Territories, and extending into northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Alberta....
) - Tsilhqot'inTsilhqot'inThe Tsilhqot'in are a Northern Athabaskan First Nations people that live in British Columbia, Canada...
(ChilcotinTsilhqot'inThe Tsilhqot'in are a Northern Athabaskan First Nations people that live in British Columbia, Canada...
) - SekaniSekaniSekani is the name of an Athabaskan First Nations people in the Northern Interior of British Columbia. Their territory includes the Finlay and Parsnip River drainages of the Rocky Mountain Trench. The neighbors of the Sekani are the Babine to the west, Dakelh to the south, Dunneza to the east, and...
- Dunne-Za (Beaver)
- Nicola AthapaskansNicola AthapaskansThe Nicola Athapaskans, also known as the Nicola people or Stuwix, were an Athabascan people who arrived in the in the migrated into the Nicola Country of what is now the Southern Interior of British Columbia from the north a few centuries ago but were slowly reduced in number by constant raiding...
(extinct) - TahltanTahltanTahltan refers to a Northern Athabaskan people who live in northern British Columbia around Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake, and Iskut.-Social Organization:...
- Kaska Dena
- Dakelh
- Interior SalishInterior SalishThe Interior Salish languages are one of the two main subgroups of the Salishan language family, the other being Coast Salish. It can be further subdivided into Northern and Southern Interior Salish...
- Nlaka'pamuxNlaka'pamuxThe Nlaka'pamux , commonly called "the Thompson", and also Thompson River Salish, Thompson Salish, Thompson River Indians or Thompson River people) are an indigenous First Nations/Native American people of the Interior Salish language group in southern British Columbia...
(Thompson people) - OkanaganOkanagan peopleThe Okanagan people, also spelled Okanogan, are a First Nations and Native American people whose traditional territory spans the U.S.-Canada boundary in Washington state and British Columbia...
- SecwepemcSecwepemcThe Secwepemc , known in English as the Shuswap people, are a First Nations people residing in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Their traditional territory ranges from the eastern Chilcotin Plateau and the Cariboo Plateau southeast through the Thompson Country to Kamloops and the Shuswap...
(ShuswapSecwepemcThe Secwepemc , known in English as the Shuswap people, are a First Nations people residing in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Their traditional territory ranges from the eastern Chilcotin Plateau and the Cariboo Plateau southeast through the Thompson Country to Kamloops and the Shuswap...
) - SinixtSinixtThe Sinixt are a First Nations People...
(Lakes) - St'at'imcSt'at'imcThe St'át'imc are an Interior Salish people located in the southern Coast Mountains and Fraser Canyon region of the Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia.St'át'imc culture displayed many features typical of Northwest Coast peoples: the...
people (LillooetSt'at'imcThe St'át'imc are an Interior Salish people located in the southern Coast Mountains and Fraser Canyon region of the Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia.St'át'imc culture displayed many features typical of Northwest Coast peoples: the...
) people- Lil'wat
- Lower Stl'atl'imx
- Nequatque
- In-SHUCK-ch )
- Nlaka'pamux
- KtunaxaKootenai (tribe)The Ktunaxa , also known as Kootenai, Kutenai or Kootenay , are an indigenous people of North America. They are one of three tribes of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation in Montana, and they form the Ktunaxa Nation in British Columbia...
(Kootenay)
Plains
These people traditionally used tipiTipi
A tipi is a Lakota name for a conical tent traditionally made of animal skins and wooden poles used by the nomadic tribes and sedentary tribal dwellers of the Great Plains...
s covered with skins as their homes. Their main sustenance was the bison
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
, which they used as food, as well as for all their garments. The leaders of some Plains tribes wore large headdresses made of feathers, something which is wrongfully attributed by some to all First Nations peoples. Major ethnicies include the:
- AnishinaabeAnishinaabeAnishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
- Plains-Ojibwa
- BlackfootBlackfootThe Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
- Kainai (Blood)
- North Peigan
- Siksika
- DeneDeneThe Dene are an aboriginal group of First Nations who live in the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dené speak Northern Athabaskan languages. Dene is the common Athabaskan word for "people" . The term "Dene" has two usages...
- ChipewyanChipewyanThe Chipewyan are a Dene Aboriginal people in Canada, whose ancestors were the Taltheilei...
- Chipewyan
- NakodaNakoda (people)The Nakoda are a First Nation group, indigenous to both Canada and, originally, the United States....
- Assiniboine
- Stoney
- Plains-Cree
- Tasttine (Beaver)
- Tsuu T'ina (Sarcee)
Plateau
- Ktunaxa (Kootenay)
- OkanaganOkanaganThe Okanagan , also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as Okanagan Country is a region located in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. As of 2009, the region's population is approximately 350,927. The...
- ColvilleColville (tribe)The Colville tribe is a Native American tribe of the Pacific Northwest. The name Colville comes from association with Fort Colville, named after Andrew Colvile of the Hudson's Bay Company...
- SinixtSinixtThe Sinixt are a First Nations People...
- YakamaYakamaThe Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, or simply Yakama Nation , is a Native American group with nearly 10,000 enrolled members, living in Washington. Their reservation, along the Yakima River, covers an area of approximately 1.2 million acres...
- PalusPalusPalus is a tehsil Sangli district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.PALUS is a nice village. Palus has an industrial area & a wine park. Palus MIDC is the biggest asset for Palus, which holds major component manufacturing. Kirloskar brothers ltd.is near to Palus. Palus tahashil have more famous...
- CayuseCayuseThe Cayuse are a Native American tribe in the state of Oregon in the United States. The Cayuse tribe shares a reservation in northeastern Oregon with the Umatilla and the Walla Walla tribes as part of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation...
- Coeur d'Alene
- WascoWasco-WishramWasco-Wishram are two closely related Chinook Indian tribes from the Columbia River in Oregon. Today the tribes are part of the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon and Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation in Washington.-History:...
- WishramWasco-WishramWasco-Wishram are two closely related Chinook Indian tribes from the Columbia River in Oregon. Today the tribes are part of the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon and Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation in Washington.-History:...
- St'at'imcSt'at'imcThe St'át'imc are an Interior Salish people located in the southern Coast Mountains and Fraser Canyon region of the Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia.St'át'imc culture displayed many features typical of Northwest Coast peoples: the...
(Lillooet) - Nicola
- Nlaka'pamuxNlaka'pamuxThe Nlaka'pamux , commonly called "the Thompson", and also Thompson River Salish, Thompson Salish, Thompson River Indians or Thompson River people) are an indigenous First Nations/Native American people of the Interior Salish language group in southern British Columbia...
(Thompson) - SecwepemcSecwepemcThe Secwepemc , known in English as the Shuswap people, are a First Nations people residing in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Their traditional territory ranges from the eastern Chilcotin Plateau and the Cariboo Plateau southeast through the Thompson Country to Kamloops and the Shuswap...
(Shuswap)
Western subarctic
These peoples live in the boreal forest in what are now Canada's western provinces and territories. They were originally hunter-gatherers dependent on caribou, mooseMoose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
and the fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
. Most spoke Athapaskan languages except the Crees and Inland Tlingit. Major ethnicities in the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
and the northern parts of the western provinces (British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
and Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
) include the following:
- CreeCreeThe Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
- DeneDeneThe Dene are an aboriginal group of First Nations who live in the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dené speak Northern Athabaskan languages. Dene is the common Athabaskan word for "people" . The term "Dene" has two usages...
- ChipewyanChipewyanThe Chipewyan are a Dene Aboriginal people in Canada, whose ancestors were the Taltheilei...
- SahtuSahtuThe Sahtú are an Aboriginal peoples of Canada Dene people living in the vicinity of Great Bear Lake , Northwest Territories, Canada...
(includes Bearlake, Hare and Mountain peoples) - SlaveySlaveyThe Slavey are a First Nations aboriginal people of the Dene group, indigenous to the Great Slave Lake region, in Canada's Northwest Territories, and extending into northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Alberta....
- Tli ChoTli ChoThe Tłįchǫ or Tåîchô First Nation, formerly known as the Dogrib, are a Dene Aboriginal Canadian people living in the Northwest Territories , Canada....
- YellowknivesYellowknivesThe Yellowknives, Yellow Knives, Copper Indians, Red Knives or T'atsaot'ine are Aboriginal peoples of Canada, one of the five main groups of the Dene indigenous people that live in the Northwest Territories of Canada...
- Chipewyan
- DunnezaDunnezaThe Dane-zaa are a First Nation of the large Athapaskan language group; their traditional territory is around the Peace River of the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, Canada...
(also Dunne-za, Beaver, Tasttine) - Gwich'in (Kutchin, Loucheaux)
- HänHan-China:* China , an abbreviation or adjectival modifier for things Chinese* Han Chinese , the dominant majority ethnic group of China and overseas Chinese...
- KaskaKaskaThe Kaska or Kaska Dena are a First Nations people living mainly in northern British Columbia and the southeastern Yukon in Canada. The Kaska language originally spoken by the Kaska is an Athabaskan language....
- TagishTagishThe Tagish or Tagish Khwáan are a group of Athabaskan First Nation people that lived around Tagish Lake and Marsh Lake, in the Yukon Territory of Canada. Tagish people intermarried heavily with Tlingit people from the coast and the Tagish language is almost extinct...
- TahltanTahltanTahltan refers to a Northern Athabaskan people who live in northern British Columbia around Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake, and Iskut.-Social Organization:...
- Inland Tlingit
- SouthernSouthern TutchoneThe Southern Tutchone are a First Nations people living mainly in the southern Yukon in Canada. The Southern Tutchone language, originally spoken by the Southern Tutchone people is a variety of the Tutchone language, part of the Athabaskan language family, although it may be argued that Northern...
and Northern TutchoneNorthern TutchoneThe Northern Tutchone are a First Nations people living mainly in the central Yukon in Canada. The Northern Tutchone language, originally spoken by the Northern Tutchone people, is a variety of the Tutchone language, part of the Athabaskan language family...
Woodlands and eastern subarctic
Major ethnicies include the:- AnishinaabeAnishinaabeAnishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
- Algonquin
- NipissingNipissing First NationThe Nipissing First Nation consists of first nation people of Ojibwa and Algonquin descent who have lived in the area of Lake Nipissing in the Canadian province of Ontario for about 9,400 years. Though in history known by many names, they are generally considered part of the Anishinaabe peoples,...
- OjibwaOjibwaThe Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
- MississaugasMississaugasThe Mississaugas are a subtribe of the Anishinaabe-speaking First Nations people located in southern Ontario, Canada. They are closely related to the Ojibwa...
- SaulteauxSaulteauxThe Saulteaux are a First Nation in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada.-Ethnic classification:The Saulteaux are a branch of the Ojibwe nations. They are sometimes also called Anihšināpē . Saulteaux is a French term meaning "people of the rapids," referring to...
- Mississaugas
- Oji-cree
- OttawaOttawa (tribe)The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native American and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwe nation. Their original homelands are located on Manitoulin Island, near the northern shores of Lake Huron, on the Bruce Peninsula in...
(Odawa) - PotawatomiPotawatomiThe Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
- CreeCreeThe Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
- InnuInnuThe Innu are the indigenous inhabitants of an area they refer to as Nitassinan , which comprises most of the northeastern portions of the provinces of Quebec and some western portions of Labrador...
(Montagnais and Naskapi)
Atlantic coastal region
- BeothukBeothukThe Beothuk were one of the aboriginal peoples in Canada. They lived on the island of Newfoundland at the time of European contact in the 15th and 16th centuries...
(Newfoundland extinct) - InnuInnuThe Innu are the indigenous inhabitants of an area they refer to as Nitassinan , which comprises most of the northeastern portions of the provinces of Quebec and some western portions of Labrador...
(Labrador) - Maliseet
- Mi'kmaq (Micmac)
- PassamaquoddyPassamaquoddyThe Passamaquoddy are the First Nations people who live in northeastern North America, primarily in Maine and New Brunswick....
St. Lawrence River Valley
The largest First Nations group near the St. Lawrence waterway are the IroquoisIroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
. This area also includes the Wyandot (formerly referred to as the Huron) peoples of central Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and the League of Five Nations
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
who had lived in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, south of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
. Major ethnicities include the:
- AnishinaabeAnishinaabeAnishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
- Algonquin
- NipissingNipissing First NationThe Nipissing First Nation consists of first nation people of Ojibwa and Algonquin descent who have lived in the area of Lake Nipissing in the Canadian province of Ontario for about 9,400 years. Though in history known by many names, they are generally considered part of the Anishinaabe peoples,...
- Haudenosaunee (Iroquois)
- Cayuga (Guyohkohnyo)
- MohawkMohawk nationMohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
(Kanien'kéhaka) - OneidaOneida tribeThe Oneida are a Native American/First Nations people and are one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy in the area of upstate New York...
(Onayotekaono) - OnondagaOnondaga (tribe)The Onondaga are one of the original five constituent nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Their traditional homeland is in and around Onondaga County, New York...
(Onundagaono) - Seneca (Onondowahgah)
- TuscaroraTuscarora (tribe)The Tuscarora are a Native American people of the Iroquoian-language family, with members in New York, Canada, and North Carolina...
(Ska-Ruh-Reh)
- Munsee branch of the LenapeLenapeThe Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
(Delawares) - NeutralNeutral NationThe Neutrals, also known as the Attawandaron, were an Iroquoian nation of North American native people who lived near the shores of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.-Territory:...
- Tobacco
- Wyandot (Huron)
See also
- Classification of indigenous peoples of the AmericasClassification of indigenous peoples of the AmericasClassification of indigenous peoples of the Americas is based upon cultural regions, geography, and linguistics. Anthropologists have named various cultural regions, with fluid boundaries, that are generally agreed upon with some variation...
- Indigenous languages of the AmericasIndigenous languages of the AmericasIndigenous languages of the Americas are spoken by indigenous peoples from Alaska and Greenland to the southern tip of South America, encompassing the land masses which constitute the Americas. These indigenous languages consist of dozens of distinct language families as well as many language...
- List of First Nations governments
- List of Indian reserves in Canada
- List of Indian reserves in Canada by population
- List of Canadian Inuit
- List of place names in Canada of Aboriginal origin
- Notable Aboriginal people of CanadaNotable Aboriginal people of CanadaOver the course of centuries, many Aboriginal Canadians have played a critical role in shaping the history of Canada. From art and music, to law and government, to sports and war; Aboriginal customs and culture have had a strong influences on defining Canadian culture...