Tanacross uses different words to refer to one person vs. more than one person moving about. Some #Dene languages have have separate words for two people moving about.

Tok ts’ı̨́’ ghihaaɬ "I'm going to Tok (right now)"
nátihhá’ "I'll take a trip"
Fairbanks ts’ı̨́’ tées̲h̲ah "s/he went to Fairbanks"
tinahdeeɬ "you (plural) go outside, leave"
ɬonahdeetl "you (plural) went around, e.g. kids going about on Halloween"
nakedzéedeetl "we went down and back"

#Language #Alaska

@ScoterD
@DinjiiZhuh

Tanacross #Dene #Language #Alaska

Dene languages have a rich vocabulary to talk about sounds:

xdels̲ok "there is a faint sound"
tadelɬ̲ox "there is the sound of birds on water"
delgok "there is a sound of swan calling"
del’ék "there is a cackling sound of birds/animals"
xdel’úutl "there is cracking sound"
delt̲h̲aayh "there is a rattling sound"
delt̲h̲éek "there is a wheezing sound"
degt̲h̲éek "I am hoarse, wheezing
dlêg deldlék "a squirrel is chattering"

@ScoterD
@DinjiiZhuh

August 30, 2015 the name highest peak in #Alaska was officially recognized by the US Government as "Denali". This comes from Koyukon #Dene meaning "the tall one". The same meaning is used in other Interior Dene languages. In Dena'ina and Ahtna Dene on the south side of the Alaska Range, a different name is used meaning "big mountain". Graphic from James Kari's 1999 "Place Name Mapping in Denali National Park" shows the name in languages spoken in what's now #Denali National Park.
@rickirobin

Tamacross #Dene #Langauge #Alaska

Dendeh S̲h̲uh "Native person"
Dihthâad Xt’een Iin "Mansfield area people" Dihthâad is the tradiional village of Tanacross people prior to the founding of Tanacoss after 1900.
Dêedz Xt’een Iin "Ketchumstuck people" Traditional village site southwest of Chicken
Tatl’axt’een "Copper River people"
Xtéel’ Xt’een "Fort Yukon Gwich'in"
nondlêed "white person ( Euro-American)"

@DinjiiZhuh
@ScoterD

Some good news: increasing recognition and visibility of Indigenous #Alaska place names. ✊🏻 Alaska Beacon article by @YJRosen. #Dene @Climatologist49 @sbmorgan @EyeOnAlaska @capture907

https://alaskabeacon.com/2023/08/25/new-anchorage-signpost-explaining-denaina-place-name-is-part-of-broader-movement/?fbclid=IwAR1qAcjBn0_moGSioPcXfl259GTY9SBoc85UNWEe75El7EaArTa8KudSYas

Tanacross #Dene #Language #Alaska

In celebration of the rainy season finally coming to central Interior Alaska.

ehchąą "it's raining"
tahchąą "it will rain"
téhchąą "it's starting to rain"
Wunenh Ch’et’ą̌ą’ Dit-tsiig tah ehchíinh "it typically rains in September"
dánįhchą́’ "rain came in, e.g. through the open window"
ohii uhchaan dyaa "oh, I wish it would rain"
xdels̲iis "it's raining very lightly, misting"

Tanacross #Dene #Language #Alaska

Activities like picking berries or gathering firewood use the same verb in Tanacross.

jêg nektseyh "I'm picking bluebeeries"
tsiil tsets nehtseyh "the boy is gathering wood"
Ndée jêg nedhı̨́htsįį? "where did you pick berries?"
Sheen tah ntl’ét nektsíik "In summer I pick cranberries"

jêg xee "berries (usually belueberries) mixed with grease"
ch’inchees "cooked unripe blueberries; 20th century also jam or jelly (any flavor)"

@DinjiiZhuh
@ScoterD

Tanacross #Dene #Language #Alaska

"Clear" has many distinct meanings in English. Tanacross uses various verbs and adjectives for some of English meanings of "clear":

tuu tth’ų́ų’ "clear water"
tuu kón’ "clear water"
tuu nįhkón’ "the water is clear (not silty or murky)"
s̲h̲aa k’et chéltsonh "the sky is clear (no clouds)"
dzet-ɬ̲on "it is thin, transparent (e.g. glass)"
deg-gáak "I am clearing my throat"
én’ stanindaayh! "clear out, go away (more than one person)"

@ScoterD @DinjiiZhuh

I recently saw some folks confuse the #Dine peoples (Navajo; Southwestern US area) with the #Dene peoples in Western sub-Arctic Canada. I can understand the confusion if you just look at spelling or if you've heard them both pronounced the same way.

They're vastly different first peoples.

Learn more about both of these First Nations.

https://sentientmedia.org/plant-based-history-dine-people

https://denetha.ca/history/

#Indigenous #FirstNations #NativeNations #TurtleIsland #LearnMore

Tanacross #Dene #Language #Alaska

Fear can be a powerful motivator, so like all languages Tanacross Dene has multiple ways to express that.

negjet "I'm afraid"
shos eenegjet "I'm afraid of bears"
nnekjíit "I scared you" (literally "I caused you to become afraid")
sų́’ų nuljed "don't be afraid"
nejet xadishndiiyh "I’m shaking from fright"
státhíxehdeetl "they scattered in fear"
ch’edaghins̲h̲ah "she or he ran away in fear from it"

@ScoterD
@DinjiiZhuh

Tanacross #Dene#Language #Alaska

ch’ex̲el "a drum"
ch’ehxeɬ "she or he is playing a drum"
ch’edzes "a dance"
ch’eldzes "she or he is dancing"
dach’axdeldziits "they came in dancing" A traditional way a group of people enters a community when visiting.
ganhok "dancing stick" Said to have been brought from the Dawson, YT Hän Dene people. One of only a handful of words where the syllable initial "g" is pronounced as in English (normally "rougher" than English g-).

@ScoterD @DinjiiZhuh

Tanacross #Dene #Language #Alaska

sheen "summer"
saandîidz "middle of summer"

xnéet̲h̲eɬ "It's hot (weather)
xtníit̲h̲íiɬ "it will become hot"
sheen tah xneet̲h̲íiɬ "It's usually hot in summer"

ch’e t’êey xnéeth̲ ̲eɬ ts’ı’̨́ shetet’eh "it's really hot so I'm sweating"

What counts as "hot" of course varies from person to person, but in the upper Tanana Valley, I'd guess most people would likely say outdoor temperatures much above 80F (27C) are "hot".

Tanacross #Dene #Language #Alaska

Seeing as it's the buggy time of year in Interior Alaska…

gųų "bug (generic)"
tth’êy "mosquito"
tth’êy chox "cranefly"
ch’egú’ "botfly"
dę̌y’ "housefly"
xoɬgodz "no-see-um (biting midges)"

tth’êy shegot "a mosquito bit me"
tth’êy ch’á’ ɬet detjuut "the smoldering fire keeps mosquitoes away"

@ScoterD
@DinjiiZhuh

Tanacross #Dene #Language #Alaska

Traditional Tanacross stories connect taatsą́ą’ (raven) and thunder.

nahtên "thunder"
nahtên kónn’ "lightning"

yandóg’ ts’ı̨́’ na’ehtenh "it's thundering up there (over the hills)"

nahtên xunheeyh dé’ táhchąą "it's thundering so it’s going to rain", literally "thunder is talking…"

yaandóg’ xok’enh "the land is burning up there, e.g. a wildfire"

@ScoterD
@DinjiiZhuh

Lauren Eggenberger, 3rd year Southern #Medical Program student based at #UBC Okanagan published #research examining #ramifications of #maternal evacuation—those who need to #travel to give birth. Only 4 of 33 communities in #NWT have #maternity care - 40%+ of #women must travel at least 100km.

"For many years, #perinatal travel has been an #oppressive and #isolating process for #Dene , #Métis and #Inuvialuit women in the #NorthwestTerritories "

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-03-indigenous-women-outsized-hardships-birth.html

#Indigenous #WomensMonth

Mix of rain n snow, outside. Good morning to #colour in this #Dene #Indigenous #art #colouringBook 😊

🥁✨ NOUVEAU et GRATUIT!
Célébrez la revitalisation de la culture dénée alors qu’un père enseigne à son enfant l’art de fabriquer un tambour traditionnel dans le court documentaire "Le cœur battant d'une nation" d’Eric Janvier.

Visionnez-le ici → http://bit.ly/3HlGjO3

#ONF #Film #Documentaire #ShortFilm #Autochtones #Indigenous #Dene #Cinema #Tambour #Musique #Famille #Traditions #Alberta #Canada

I'm ranking the 250 Greatest Individuals from the pre-colonial era to today in what is now Canada and today we have #192 - Georges Erasmus

A leading Indigenous rights advocate for half a century, Georges Erasmus was the youngest chief of the Assembly of First Nations, as well as a co-chair of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.

#Indigenous #Canada #History #FirstNations #Dene #Arctic #Canadian #Histodon #Histodons

https://youtu.be/93PvWtWJ7gI