Attikamekw Language The Attikamek language is part of the Algonquian linguistic group. This nation, in fact, has been very successful in maintaining the use of its language over the years. Between 97% and 100% of all members of the Attikamek communities in Quebec speak their language. The name Attikamek can be translated as "white fish". Also known as the "Têtes-de-Boules", a French language name that stuck with them from the 18th century onwards, they officially declared their Native name in 1972. Total Population The Attikamek Nation exists only in Quebec. Their population is estimated at 4,900 people, with nearly 4,000 residents in one or the other of the three Attikamek communities. Territories The history of the Attikamek people is a difficult one. Nearly destroyed by epidemics in the 1600's, they were reduced to a few families who took refuge in an area bordering on the territories of the Algonquin, Cree and Montagnais Nations. The wealth of their land came at a cost. Their communities were forced to suffer the consequences of each major development in the following centuries. The threat to their traditional way of life with the fur trade and the missionary crusades of the 1700's; the loss of their territories with the first developments of the forestry industry in the 1800's; the flooding of their settlements caused by damns and reservoirs at the beginning of the 1900's; and, finally, the arrival of mercury poisoning with the creation of hydro-electric power in the 20th century, marked the evolution of this people. That they have preserved their language and culture today, is evidence of the strength of the Attikamek people. Communities Three communities make up the Attiakmeks Nation: Manawan, Obedjiwan, and Weymontachie. Manawan Location The Attikameks community of Manawan has as its territory the Manouane Reserve, located on the south shore of Lake Métabeskéga, 72 km north of Saint-Michel-des-Saints, 120 km west of La Tuque, in the Haute-Mauricie region. The surface area of the Manouane Reserve is 771.36 hectares. Access to the reserve is by a logging road, suitable for motor vehicles, that starts out from the municipality of Saint-Michel-des-Saints on Highway 131. A gravel road network (11,680 meters) and more than 200 houses are to be found within the territory. Population There are close to 1,790 people in Manawan, with approximately 1,510 residents on the actual territory of the reserve. Presentation Manawan is one of the three communities that make up the Atikameks Nation in Quebec. The name of the community is the Atikameks word for "the place where we gather the eggs". As for Lake Métabeskéga, its name comes from the Atikameks word "metapeckeka", which translates as the "swamp that comes out of the bay", and makes reference to the floating islands on the surface of the lake, formed by vegetation that has been rooted up from the shores of the lake. The principal languages spoken in the community are Atikameks and French. Obedjiwan Location The Attikamek community of Obedjiwan has as its territory the Opiticwan Reserve, located on the north shore of the Gouin Resevoir, 143 km south of Chibougamau. The surface area of the Opiticwan Reserve is 926.76 hectares. The main access to the reserve is by a 100 km long logging road, suitable for motor vehicles, that starts out from Lac Saint Jean and Highway 167. Logging road access is also possible from the municipalities of Saint-Michel-des-Saints (Highway 131) and La Tuque (Highway 155). A gravel road network (7,690 meters) and more than 230 houses are to be found within the territory. Population There are close to 1,880 people in Obedjiwan, with approximately 1,560 residents on the actual territory of the reserve. Presentation Obedjiwan is one of the three communities that make up the Atikamek Nation in Quebec. The name of the community, also spelt "Opitciwan", is the Atikamek word for "the narrowing current". The Hudson's Bay Company first opened a trading post, near the original location of the community, in the 19th century. Known as "Waupatchinauganiskau", this was most probably the source of what would later become the name Obedjiwan. The company later moved the post to Obedjiwan Lake, around the same time that the Oblat missionaries arrived in the region, and the village itself was forced to move 3 km, with the construction of a damn in 1917. Obedjiwan was formally recognized as a reserve in 1950. The principal languages spoken in the community are Atikamek and French. Weymontachie Location The Attikameks community of Weymontachie has a territory that is divided between two reserves: the Weymontachie Reserve, located on the north shore of the Saint Maurice River, 100 km northwest of La Tuque, and the Coucoucache Reserve, also located on the north shore of the Saint Maurice River, at the Blanc Reservoir, 53 km northwest of La Tuque. The surface area of the Weymontachie Reserve is 2,978 hectares. That of the Coucoucache Reserve is 4.8 hectares. Access to both reserves is by logging roads only, with Route 25 West (at 100 km) and Route 10 North (at 200 km) both starting out from the municipality of La Tuque. There are, however, both train and air connections to Weymontachie. A gravel road network (11,980 meters) and more than 140 houses are to be found within the territory. Population There are close to 1,230 people in Weymontachie, with approximately 900 residents on the actual territory of the reserve. Description Weymontachie is one of the three communities that make up the Atikameks Nation in Quebec. The name of the community is "Wemotaci", in Atikameks, and translates as "the mountain from which we observe". A Hudson's Bay Company trading post, established in the 19th century, is at the origin of the community. According to certain records, it is thought that the North-West Company may have had a post at the site earlier in the 18th century. At the time, records for the community indicate that the name was spelt "Montachene", but the present-day spelling was adopted by the Band Council in the 1980's. The principal languages spoken in the community are Atikameks and French. Organizations Each community has its own band council for the administration of local affairs. The Nation is represented politically by the Conseil de la Nation Attikamekw, also known as Attikamekw-Sipi. Each Attikamek community has a community radio station linked to the network of the Société de communication Attikamekw - Montagnais(SOCAM). First People, Native Trail, for much more, please visit their site!

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