Athapascan

British  

/ ˌæθəˈpæskən, ˌæθəˈbæskən /

noun

1. a group of North American Indian languages belonging to the Na-Dene phylum, including Apache and Navaho

2. a speaker of one of these languages

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Etymology

Origin of Athapascan

from Cree athapaskaaw scattered grass or reeds

Example Sentences

This Athapascan Indian points to her childhood in the small village of Rampart and her success in the state legislature as examples of her experience with Alaska's varied cultures.

From Time Magazine Archive

Savage and most of the smart money favored George Attla, a lame, one-eyed Athapascan Indian from Fairbanks, Alaska.

From Time Magazine Archive

Her low position is illustrated by the peculiar funeral custom of the Takulli, an Athapascan tribe on the Upper Frazer River.

From The Red Man's Continent: a chronicle of aboriginal America by Huntington, Ellsworth

For the Athapascan and Yukian peoples, as well as for the Northern Pomo, a marked correspondence could be observed between the two sets of data, even though entire identity could not be achieved.

From The Aboriginal Population of the North Coast of California by Cook, Sherburne Friend

The letter A signifies that Merriam had obtained an Athapascan name for the site, thus confirming its existence as an entity known to the neighboring tribes in pre-American times.

From The Aboriginal Population of the North Coast of California by Cook, Sherburne Friend