Communities
There are over 25 First Nation communities in Wasaya Airways' service area, with each ranging in population from 300 to 1500 people. The majority of communities house modern day conveniences while still maintaining traditional cultural activities such as hunting, fishing and trapping. Each community has its own traditions and customs.
Dialect
The languages spoken by the First Nation people in Northwestern Ontario are Ojibway, Cree and Oji-Cree. Both belong to the Algongkian group of languages. Ojibway is primarily spoken by the interior groups, while Cree is spoken by the coastal people. Within both of these languages there are many dialects and each is associated with a particular First Nation and their location. In Northwestern Ontario there are approximately 30 Ojibway and Cree dialects.
The following are a list of words that have both the Oji-Cree and English translation:
thank you - meegwetch
airplane - pemesawin
freight (cargo) - posdasin
ticket - pemosapapan
airport - pemosapakochewin
passenger - kapomonakanoch
snow - kon
raining - kimowin
river - sipi
spring - siikwan
lake - saakaahiikan