Athabascan

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Of or relating to the Native peoples of northwestern North America or their related language family ; a person belonging to one of those Indigenous peoples
2. Describing the Indigenous cultures and languages of northwestern North America ; an individual who belongs to one of the Native peoples of that region
3. Relating to the Native groups and language family of western Canada and Alaska ; a member of one of those First Nations or Alaska Native communities

Etymology: Athabascan is a noun and adjective built from a place name. Athabasca is a river and lake region in northern Alberta, Canada, and the name comes from the Cree "Ahđapaskâw," meaning "where there are plants distributed in a net-like pattern," a description of the reeds or grasses that grow in the area. English speakers added the suffix "-an" to the place name, the usual way of forming a word meaning "of or relating to" a place. The name was then applied far beyond the lake. "Athabascan" now labels a large family of Native North American languages spoken across western Canada, Alaska, and parts of the American Southwest, including Navajo and Apache. The languages were grouped together because they share a common ancestry, and the family was named after the region where early observers first encountered several of its members, rather than after any people who called themselves by that name.

Synonyms: Athabaskan