Dane-zaa

The Dane-zaa (ᑕᓀᖚ, also spelled Dunne-za, or Tsattine), historically referred to as the Beaver tribe by Europeans, are an Athabaskan-speaking groups of First Nations people. Their traditional territory is around the Peace River in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. Today, about 1,000 Dane-zaa reside in British Columbia and perhaps half of them speak the Danezaa language. Approximately 2,000 Dane-zaa live in Alberta.

Name

The name Tsattine has been translated to "Those who live among the beaver." The spelling Dane-zaa is typically used for "the Real People." That spelling is used by the Dane-zaa Language Authority. Different tribes and First Nations use different spellings. For example, the Doig River First Nation (DRFN) and Halfway River First Nation (HRFN) use Dane-Zaa. Prophet River First Nation (PRFN) uses Dunne Tsaa; and the West Moberly First Nations (WMFNs) use Dunne-za or Dunne Za. Where other spellings are used in citations, such as Dunne-Za (e.g., Ridington 1988), they are kept intact and are synonymous with Dane-zaa.