Athabasca Family

Athabasca

A family of North American Indians, comprising two large divisions, one living in the British Possessions, between Hudson’s Bay and the Pacific, and the other along the southern boundary of the United States, in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, with some smaller bands along the western coast, north of Oregon.

The name of the family is derived from Lake Athabasca, a Cree word, meaning “cords of hay.” They are supposed by many to be of Tartar descent, and their language has been found to be somewhat analogous to that of Thibet. Their traditions point to an emigration from the West, over a series of islands, and amid much snow and ice. The southern branch includes the nomadic Apaches, the industrious Navajos, and a small remnant of Lipan in Texas, numbering, in all, over 20,000.


Collection:
Source: Descriptive Catalogue, Photographs Of North American Indians . United States Geological Survey of the Territories, 1877 by W. H. Jackson, Photographer of the Survey, F. V. Hayden, U. S. Geologist.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Discover more from Access Genealogy

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading