Chipewyan
/ˌtʃɪpəˈwʌɪən
/noun (plural same or Chipewyans)
1A member of a Dene people of NW Canada. Compare with Chippewa.I have yet to encounter a Chipewyan with any interest in the question’....
- However, between 1715 and 1769 the Chipewyans in their territory were on the edge of history only.
- It became harder for the Canadiens to exert influence over the Cree and Chipewyans by trade goods alone.
2 [mass noun] The Athabaskan language of the Chipewyan, with about 8,000 speakers.It was followed by Dene (Chipewyan), Inuktitut, Slavey, Dogrib and Ojibway translations....
- Chipewyan is spoken by around 4000 native people in Northern Canada today.
- Only a handful of people still speak Chipewyan fluently, he says, and those under 45 have only a sketchy knowledge of the language at best.
adjective
Relating to the Chipewyan or their language.Treeline is one of the few facilities that replaces the motors on its boats every year, and its registered Chipewyan and Cree guides are among the country's best....
- Though many Chipewyan people are bilingual in Chippewa or Cree, it is actually not related to those languages at all.
- In 1715 an expedition under William Stewart of the HBC was made into Chipewyan territory.
Origin
From Cree, literally '(wearing) pointed-skin (garments)'.