 Literacy in the native language using Cree syllabics is also emphasized by the local school and churches.Since the coming of Christianity and syllabic bibles in the early 20th century, Deer Lake has used its own version of the western variant of syllabics in which the "s", "sh", "z", and "zh" sounds are combined into one set of characters and some of the finals are different from the more commonly found versions in Ontario and Manitoba.The Deer Lake Reserve is within the boundaries of the territory described by Treaty 5.