 The people of Deer Lake are closely related to the people of Sandy Lake First Nation and North Spirit Lake First Nation.The three reserves speak a unique dialect of the Anishinaabe language that combines elements of Berens River Ojibway (as spoken in nearby Pikangikum and Poplar Hill) and Severn Ojibway (Oji-Cree) as spoken at Island Lake in Manitoba.In the local language, the people of Deer Lake call themselves Anishinawbe.