Athapascan

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Athapascan¹

from Cree athapaskaaw scattered grass or reeds

Example Sentences

Christianity and totemism and ancestor worship . . . extinct languages, such as Zuni and Spanish and Athapascan . . . pumas, porcupines and other ferocious animals . . . infectious diseases . . . priests . . . venomous lizards ...”

From Literature

In the Athapascan the diversity is nearly as great.

From Project Gutenberg

Some of these families, like the Algonquian and Athapascan, occupied great districts and contained many languages; others, like the Zuñian, took up only a few square miles of space and contained a single tribe.

From Project Gutenberg

To the south, and extending inland to the divide, forming a much less characteristic group are the Salish or Flat-heads who are allied to the Athapascans.

From Project Gutenberg

The Athabaskan or Athapascan family of Indians may be found anywhere between Alaska and Manitoba, and some of the more unsettled or enterprising tribes have even wandered as far as the Mexican boundary.

From Project Gutenberg