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Beaver Indian Language (Dane-zaa, Dunne-za)
Language: Beaver, known to its own speakers as Danezaa, is an
of Northern Canada. The Beaver language is spoken by about 300 people in British Columbia and Alberta.
Like most Athabaskan languages,
it is a tone language with
SOV word order and is
Thanks for your interest in Native American languages!
Names: In their own language, the Beavers call themselves Dane-zaa, which means "true people."
The English name "Beaver" is a translation of a band name in their own language, Tsa-dane, meaning
"beaver people." Alternate spellings of these names include Danezaa, Daneza, Dunne-za, Dunneza, Tsaa-dane, Tsattine,
Tsa-tinne, and Tza-tinne.
Beaver Language Beaver language samples and resources.
Beaver Nation Culture and History Information and links about the Beaver tribe past and present.
Beaver Indians Facts Our answers to common questions about the lifestyle of Beaver Indian people.
Beaver Legends Introduction to the mythology of the Beaver Indians.
Our Online Beaver Materials
List of vocabulary words in the Beaver language, with comparison to words in other Athabaskan languages.
Beaver Pronunciation Guide:
How to pronounce Beaver words.
Beaver Picture Dictionary:
Illustrated glossary of animal words in the Beaver language.
Beaver Body Parts:
Online and printable worksheets showing parts of the body in the Beaver language.
Beaver Dictionaries, Audio Tapes and Language Resources
A Vocabulary of the Beaver Indian Language:
Beaver dictionary from the 19th century for sale online.
Collection of oral history and traditional stories in Beaver with English translation.
Linguistics book about tone, stress, and vowel length in Beaver and other Athabaskan languages.
Manual of Devotion in the Beaver Indian dialect:
Translation of Christian prayers into the Beaver language.
Native American Language Books:
Beaver and other American Indian dictionaries and language materials for sale.
Beaver Language Lessons and Linguistic Descriptions
Beaver language information from the Virtual Museum of Canada, with videos of Beaver people telling stories in their language.
Dane-zaa, the Beaver Language:
Beaver vocabulary and soundfiles from the Doig River First Nation.
Bibliography of Materials on the Beaver Language:
Bibliography of Beaver linguistic works.
Athapaskan Languages of Canada:
Place names in Tutchone, Slave, and Beaver.
Beaver translation of the Hail Mary prayer.
House of Languages: Beaver:
Information about Beaver language usage.
Demographic information about Beaver from the Ethnologue of Languages.
Wikipedia: Dane-zaa Language:
Encyclopedia article on the Beaver language including a phonological inventory.
Beaver Language Tree:
Theories about Beaver's language relationships compiled by Linguist List.
Links, References, and Additional Information
La Lengua Beaver:
Information about the Beaver language in Spanish.
Dunne-za link pages.
Beaver Indian books.
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