Franco-Ténois
 Franco-Ténois flag |
|
| Languages | |
|---|---|
| Canadian French, Canadian English | |
| Religion | |
| Mainly Roman Catholic | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Franco-Albertans, Franco-Columbians, Franco-Ontarians, Fransaskois, French Canadians, Québécois, Acadians, Cajuns, French Americans, Métis, French |
Franco-Ténois, originating from the acronym TNO of the French term for the Northwest Territories of Canada (les Territoires du Nord-Ouest) refers to the widespread community of francophones that reside in the Northwest Territories.
Francophones have a long history in the region. The first person of European descent to reach the Great Slave Lake was a francophone, Laurent Leroux. In 1786, Leroux built the trading post Fort Resolution and in 1790 he founded the original Fort Providence, 20 km from the modern-day city of Yellowknife. At the time the Northwest Territories were brought under the jurisdiction of the Government of Canada, 47% of the non-native population spoke French. French permeated every aspect of life in the Territories, from commerce to education. However, in 1892, the Northwest Territories (which at the time covered the Canadian Prairies west of Southern Manitoba) abolished French as an official language. In 1984, its status as an official languages was restored in the Canadian territories.
As of the 2006 census, only 440 residents of the Territories, representing 1.1% of the overall population, use French as their home language. The francophone population in the Territories is very mobile, with many residents coming from more settled Francophone communities across the country and eventually leaving to settle elsewhere. While current figures show the average stay of francophones in the region is increasing, the trend towards outward migration continues. The Franco-Ténois also deal with substantial pressures to assimilate, brought on by the isolation of Northwest Territories communities and the existence of a plurality of languages and cultures there among which English takes precedence.
French is currently one of eleven official languages in the Northwest Territories, along with Chipewyan, Cree, English, Gwichʼin, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, North Slavey, South Slavey and Tłįchǫ.
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Wikipedia