The Beaver language
The Beaver or Dane-zaa language is an endangered Canadian First Nation language spoken in British Columbia and Alberta. It is part of the Northern branch of the Athabaskan language family and is spoken in seven different reserves: the Northern Alberta dialect in Boyer River and Child Lake; the Central Beaver dialect in Doig River, Blueberry River, Prophet River; and the Western Beaver (“low-marking”) dialect in Halfway River and Moberley Lake in British Columbia. A fourth “Southern” dialect was spoken around Dunvegan (Alberta), with reserves in Clear Hills and Horse Lake. Beaver is closely related to its neighboring Athabaskan languages, especially Sekani.