36 THE GREAT DENE RACE.

so denominated has erroneously been declared “quite a different race from
the Nahanies of the Stickeen’”’.

26th. South of the eastern Nahanais are the Beavers (Dané to themselves,
Tsa~tenne, etc. to others). Their present habitat is the immense plains drained
by the Peace River, between Fort Dunvegan and a point some distance from
Lake Athabaska. The H. B. Co. map of 1857 places their lands at least two
degrees further south, namely on Athabaska and Beaver Rivers, while
Mackenzie’s pushes it no less than ten degrees north thereof, or eight from
the area now occupied by the tribe. Its population is at present some
700 individuals, whose ancestors originally formed but one tribe with the
Sékanais. The breach between them and the iatter was further widened when,
about 1780, their contact with the first fur-traders from eastern Canada put
them in possession of fire-arms, which they used with such a lack of discrimi-
nation or humanity against their less favoured congeners nearer the Rockies
that they practically drove them to the west thereof, and acquired for them-
selves a reputation for wanton cruelty the echo of which is still living to
this day, even among the far away Carriers?.

97th. A further scission in the Sékanais ranks, caused by an insigni-
ficant incident?, brought into existence still another tribe, whose members
wended their way to the south, and, unable to stand their ground against the
Beavers, the Crees, or the Blackfeet, sought admission into the confederacy
of the last named Indians, a powerful nation, of which they have since formed
a part, while keeping their own language. These are the Sarcees or Sarcis,
the Surcees of Harmon, the Susi of Latham, the Circus of Richardson. Their
present population is only 190, and they are located on a Government reserve
about five miles southwest of Calgary, Alberta. The land alloted them com-
prises three townships six miles by eighteen, aud they are the only ones of
all the Canadian Dénés penned up between so sharply defined boundaries.

98th. Our last tribe of Intermediate Dénés is the Sékanais (7éné), or
more properly Tsé-’kéh-ne, people on the rocks*. Undoubtedly a mountain
race, their original home was on the eastern slopes of the Rockies®, whence
they had to migrate west as already related. A few of them have returned io
their priscan fastnesses, but the bulk of the tribe, whose numbers have

1 “Notes on the northern portion of B. C.”, by G. M. Dawson, p. 10. For more detailed
information on the Nahanais, see my paper. “The Nahvane and their Language”, Trans. Can.
Inst., vol. VII.

2 Cf. “History of the Northern Interior of British Columbia”, p. 31.

3 “Notes on the Western Dénés’, p. 12.

* Tribal Synonymy: Sicanies (Harmon), Sikani (Hale), Tsitka-ni (Richardson), Tsikani
(Latham), Toekanies (T. Simpson), Sicaunie (Powell), Thekenneh (Kennicott), Sckanies (Brinton),
Thé-kkané (Petitot), Tekené (Taché, whose printer perhaps inadvertently omitted the s after
the 2); Siccany of several English writers.

5 Cf. Harmon’s Journal, p. 265 (N. Y. reprint).