THE SUB-ARCTIC

N AT I V E A M E R I C A N H I S T O RY

ENVIRONMENT
WESTERN SUB ARCTIC

Alaskan Plateau- Bordered by brooks and rocky

mountains from the north to the east and the
Alaska and Coast ranges from the south to the
west.
Cordillera Area- coast mountains and the Yukon
River to the west and Mackenzie River lowlands
and rocky mountains to the east. Plateaus
crosscut by small rivers that flow into the Pacific.
Alaska and Cordillera Area- Mountainous regions
covered by a dense boreal Forest, that includes
spruce, birch, and pine trees.

ENVIRONMENT
WESTERN SUB ARCTIC
Temperatures are extremely cold. Most of the
precipitation is snow.
Interior Alaska- there is a 6 month cycle of a
freeze up and a break up of the snow. The
average snowfall is 20-30 inches.
Cordillera Area- Averages around 50-70 inches of
snow in the valleys and 100-400 inches in the
mountains.

ENVIRONMENT
EASTERN SUB-ARCTIC
Mackenzie Borderlands- Extend east from the
Cordilleran Mountains to the Canadian Shield.
Canadian Shield- A series of uplands that drain
into the Mackenzie Borderlands to the west and
the Hudson Bay to the east.
Subarctic Shield- stretches from the Hudson Bay
to Eastern Canada.
Both areas are called the shield subarctic because
of geographical massif.

SHIELD SUBARCTIC
Three eco-zone bands stretching across the Shield
Subarctic.
1) Barren grounds- More north and includes
treeless tundras.
2) Transitional Tundra- Central of the Subarctic and
includes a forest eco-zone.
3) Dense Boreal Forest- South of the Subarctic,
includes a rich forest.
Harsh Shield environment- Long winters, short
summers.
Deep snow accumulation in dense forest where
wind cannot blow into drifts.

LANGUAGE FAMILIES AND TRIBES

Athapaskan speakers- Alaskan Plateau, Cordillera,
Mackenzie Borderlands: Koyukon, Kutchin, Ingalik,
Tanana, Hare, Bear Lake, Dogrib, Slave,
Chipewyan, and Beaver.
Algonquian Speakers- Central/Eastern Subarctic
near the Hudson Bay: Western Woods Cree, West
Main Cree, East Cree, and Northern Ojibwa.
Pre-Contact Population- 50,000 in the Western
and 60,000 in the Eastern.

SUBSISTENCE AND ECONOMY

Summarized as nomadic hunting, fishing and
foraging bands that were united by dialects and
kinship
Caribou and moose were hunted depending on
locality
Athapaskan- hunted caribou in the Alaskan
Plateau, Cordillera, and the Mackenzie
Borderlands, as well as other localized fauna.
Were influenced from Northwest Coast, Plains,
and Arctic tribes.
Algonquian- Caribou, and moose in the Subarctic .

SUBSISTENCE AND ECONOMY

The caribou in the Barren Ground eco-zone
inhabited the Tundra-forest margins.
Woodland caribou, moose, deer, elk, bear, fox,
and fur-bearing mammals inhabited the Dense
Boreal Forests.
Interior lakes were filled with many species of
fish.
The Chipewyan, Dogrib, Slavey, and Hare focused
mainly on caribou hunting.

SUBSISTENCE AND ECONOMY

Koyukon, Chiloctin, and Carrier tribes used a
mountain mode of subsistence that took
advantage various woodland fauna other than the
caribou. Caribou was scarce in the region.
The Ingalik and the Tanana of the Alaskan Plateau
were influenced by Eskimos in their subsistence
patterns.
Eyak and Tanaina supplemented interior hunting
with maritime adaptations.

SUBSISTENCE AND ECONOMY

Subarctic Shield Algonquian followed migrations
of Barren Ground caribou between summer and
winter grazing ranges.
Naskapi speared caribou swimming across rivers
in 2-man canoes.
Moose was hunted in the Dense Boreal Forests.
Moose was a solitary animal in the summer but
would congregate into small herds in the winter.
Hunted with a bow in the fall.
Driven into snow drifts in the winter.

SUBSISTENCE AND ECONOMY

The elk, deer, wood bison, and beaver were the
most important land animal.
Beavers were hunted in the winter, when lodges
could be seen and when ice limited their
movement.
Beaver lodges were broken into and animals were
killed quickly and efficiently.
Fishing was supplemented with hunting and used
when game was scarce.
Berries, lichens, and wild rice were gathered as
well.

CHIPEWYAN
A TYPICAL SUBARCTIC TRIBE

Athapaskan speakers, got their tribal name from

a Cree word that meant pointed skin, but called
themselves Dene.
1684- Fort York built, Chipewyan obtained
firearms and blocked Eskimos from trade.
1717- Fort Prince of Wales built, Eskimos obtained
weapons and now able to fight back, a series of
border conflicts ensued.
1778- Peter Pond of the Northwest Company
traded with the Chipewyan and was in
competition with the Hudson Bay Company.
Eventually the two merged in 1821.

CHIPEWYAN
A TYPICAL SUBARCTIC TRIBE

1846- Contact with the first Catholic Missionaries.

1910- Chipewyan totally specialized in trapping
because of the fur trade.
1912- First Anglican Church in Churchhill
1913- Nomadic Chipewyan settle in Churchhill
and only 400 Chippewyan left, because of a
smallpox epidemic.

CHIPEWYAN
CREATION MYTH

A woman lived in cave and ate berries for food. One

day, a dog like creature came to her cave and lived
with her. One night she had a dream that her and
the dog had mated. When she woke she realized
that it wasnt a dream. One day, a giant came to the
cave, dragging a large stick that made lakes, which
he filled with water. Giant tore up the dog man and
threw his intestines in the lake, that became the
fish, his skin became the birds, and his bone tissue
became the caribou. Giant instructed animals to
reproduce so the woman could kill their offspring
Dogs now highly respected and extraordinary
events are blamed on them.

CHIPEWYAN
BELIEF SYSTEMS

Wolves and wolverines dangerous, but not killed.

Bears feared, but killed, and women could not
touch skins.
After death, the soul has to cross a river in a
stone canoe.
Good souls made it to the island in the center of
the river and bad souls sank the canoe.

CHIPEWYAN
MATERIAL CULTURE

Toboggan, 8-14 feet long, 1 foot wide and was the

most valuable possession. Made of Juniper wood
and pulled by women.
Birch bark canoes, 13 feet long, 2 feet wide, and
the front part of the boat was covered with a
platform.
Canoes were caulked with fat from the caribou.
Tools were made of stone, bone, antler and
copper.

CHIPEWYAN
MATERIAL CULTURE

Clothing from caribou skins taken between August and

October (8-10 skins a year).
Caribou skins provided material for moccasins, leggings,
furs, fur caps, and mittens.
Lived in cone shaped tents, 20 foot in diameter, it took
70 skins, and housed around 9 people.
1900- Canvas replaced rotting skins.

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
CHIPEWYAN

Extended families were independent of one

another.
There were no chiefs or leaders until the fur
trade. Later, they changed into bands like the
Eskimos.
Had warfare with the Cree and the Eskimos.
Marriage was for alliances and more powerful
men had more than one wife (polygyny). The
more wives you had, the more political power you
have.
Women were the cause of many disputes.

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
CHIPEWYAN

Wrestling was used to settle arguments, who ever

won was right.
Fur traders had introduced strychnine poisoning
to chiefs to help them maintain power.
Cross-cousin marriages were preferred.
Women were not treated very well by husbands,
often beaten.
Warfare with outside groups kept murders low.
Evil shamans were the cause of sickness.
Sucking technique was used to get rid of the
illness.

ANNUAL CYCLE
Early Spring- Hunted caribou at barren grounds
west of Hudson Bay, waiting at the caribou
crossings.
Coalescence- 70 tents set up and around 600-700
people.
People hadnt seen each other since last year.
The first band that got there would sit on a line in
the tundra, new arrivals would sit 30 yards away.
Old men would talk about last years tragedies
while women would wail. Bad news only
mentioned once and never again.

ANNUAL CYCLE
SPRING

Excess caribou meat was left for wolves, who

were held in high regard.
The skin was more important than the meat.
At the end of Spring, Eastern Chipewyan returned
to southern forests to hunt caribou.
Western Chipewyan hunted forest buffalo.

ANNUAL CYCLE
SUMMER

Summer- Eastern Chipewyan continued to hunt

woodland caribou and the Western Chipewyan
continued to hunt forest buffalo.
They fished in the streams with nets. Each net
had its own personality.
Each family owned a net and every Fall, the
families came together into bands and tied
fishing nets together.
There was a ritual for the first catch.

ANNUAL CYCLE
The ritual of the first catch started with the
boiling of the fish until the flesh fell off.
Bones have to be thrown back into the water.
They were made in to hooks, spears and arrows.
The rest of the catches were dried.
Winter- Camps at the edge of forests, near lakes,
and still hunted caribou. Bed fall traps were used.
The head, back fat, fetus, and grubs under the
skin were among their favorite parts of the animal
to eat. Berries and mosses also favored in the
winter.