ABSTRACT
Between the constant circulation of small and relatively discrete hunting groups in the past and the somewhat truncated hunting practised by individuals today arose a form of organization that stood intermediate between mere occupation and the heavily ideological pose of pan-Indianism. This is the Sekani concept of brotherhood. Descriptions of land ownership in band societies is at best ambiguous. As VanStone noted, the Sekani were more aggressive than other Athabaskan groups in making claims of ownership; they were willing to fight to keep outsiders out. Yet they themselves were outsiders to the Trench and sometimes fought to claim land from others. Sekani statements about the ideology of land ownership reflect this ambivalence, as do their actions.
