Wetʼsuwetʼen
The Wetʼsuwetʼen (English: /wɛtˈsoʊɪtɪn/ ⓘ wet-SOH-ih-tin) are a First Nation who live on the Bulkley River and around Burns Lake, Broman Lake, and François Lake in the northwestern Central Interior of British Columbia. The endonym Wetʼsuwetʼen means "People of the Wa Dzun Kwuh River (Bulkley River)".
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| approx. 3,160 (2019) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Canada (British Columbia) | |
| Languages | |
| English, Babine-Witsuwitʼen | |
| Religion | |
| traditional beliefs | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Dene peoples Especially Tsilhqotʼin, Dakelh, and Babine |
The Wetʼsuwetʼen are a branch of the Dakelh or Carrier people, and in combination with the Babine people have been referred to as the Western Carrier. They speak Witsuwitʼen, a dialect of the Babine-Witsuwitʼen language which, like its sister language Carrier, is a member of the Athabaskan family.
Their oral history, called kungax, recounts that their ancestral village, Dizkle or Dzilke, once stood upstream from the Bulkley Canyon. This cluster of cedar houses on both sides of the river is said to have been abandoned because of an omen of impending disaster. The exact location of the village has been lost. The neighbouring Gitxsan people of the Hazelton area have a similar tale, though the village in their version is named Dimlahamid (Temlahan).