This article by Beryl Gillespie was contributed to a series of edited reference texts produced by the Smithsonian Institution. The Handbook of North American Indians attempts to describe all North American Indigenous peoples, in culture, language, and history. Gillespie’s texts provide 1980s reference points for Sahtú-region settlement patterns, community organization, trade, and other aspects of cultural, linguistic, and social structure.

Description of the Series: 

This is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Handbook of North American Indians series, the ultimate resource for Native American history across various regions of North America. The set is intended to give an encyclopedic summary of what is know about the prehistory, history, and cultures of the aboriginal peoples of North America north of the urban civilizations of central Mexico.

This volume describes the prehistory, history, and cultures of the aboriginal people of North America who lived in the Subarctic culture area, defined as extending from the coast of Labrador on the Atlantic Ocean to Cook Inlet and beyond on the Pacific. 

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Gillespie, Beryl C. “Bearlake Indians.” In Subarctic. Volume 6: Handbook of North American Indians, edited by June Helm, 310-313. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1981.