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Montagnais
(Mashk/Ilnu/Innu) & Naskapi
The
Montagnais and the Naskapi were nomadic peoples
who lived by hunting and fishing. They were the
first to come into prolonged contact with Europeans.
The
Montagnais inhabited the huge territory bounded
on the south by the St. Lawrence, on the west by
the St-Maurice River, on the east by Sept-Iles and
on the north by the watershed separating the rivers
flowing into the St. Lawrence from those flowing
into James Bay.
The
Naskapi occupied the Labrador peninsula east of
the imaginary lines between Sept-Iles and Lake Nichicun
and between Lake Nichicun and Ungava Bay, right
to the Strait of Belle Isle, a region inhabited
by the Inuit.
(DCB
Dictionary of Canadian Biography"," G. Brown","
ed.)
Museum
of Civilization, Ottawa, Canada
Mashk
Traditional Art (pics) by http://www.mashk.com/
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Montagnais/Innu
Language
The
Montagnais (or Innu) language is part of the Algonquian
linguistic group. It is related to the Cree,
Attikamek and Naskapi
languages. More than 80% of all members of the Montagnais
Nation speak their language.
Total
Population
With
an estimated population of 13,775 people, the Montagnais
Nation is the second largest First Nation in Quebec.
There are more than 9,570 residents living in one
or the other of the nine Montagnais communities in
Quebec. Montagnais (also known as the Innuat, or Innu
in the singular) also live in Labrador, which is considered
a part of the province of Newfoundland.
Territories
Montagnais
communities have territories on the north shore of
the Saint Lawrence River and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence;
on the western shore of Lac Saint-Jean; and in the
area near the Quebec-Labrador border and the municipality
of Schefferville.
Communities
The Montagnais Nation in Quebec is made up of nine
communities, including Betsiamites,
Ekuanitshit,
Essipit,
La
Romaine, Mashteuiatsh,
Matimekosh,
Natashquan,
Pakua
Shipi, and Uashat
mak Mani-Utenam (the community links direct to
the 'First People - Native Trail' site)
Organizations
Each
community has its own band council for the administration
of local affairs. There are two organizations which
represent the collective interests of the Nation:
the Conseil tribal Mamuitun and the Mamit Innuat.
An economic association, the Société de development
économique montagnaise, and a tourism promotion organization,
the Société touistique innu, have been created by
the Nation. All Montagnais communities have a community
radio station linked to the network of the Société
de communication Atikamekw-Montagnais (SOCAM).
from
First People, Native Trail, for much more information,
please visit their site!
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Naskapis
Language
The Naskapi language is part of the Algonquian linguistic
group. The roots of this language can be found in
the Cree, Attikamek and Montagnais languages. All
members of the Naskapi Nation speak their language.
Total
Population
The
population of the Naskapi Nation is estimated at 570
people, with approximately 510 residents on the actual
territory of their community.
Territories
Throughout
most of their history, the Naskapis, a nomadic people,
lived in small family units, following the caribou
herds, which they hunted, in the region south of Ungava
Bay. The 1978 signing of the Northeastern Quebec Agreement
allowed the Naskapis to acquire a permanent territory
and marked a turning point in their history.
Communities
Kawawachikamach
is the only community in the Naskapi Nation in Quebec
or Canada.
Kawawachikamach
Location
The
Naskapis community of Kawawachikamach is on
a reserve located near the Quebec-Labrador boarder,
15 km northeast of Schefferville, close to Lake
Matemace. The surface area of the reserve is
326.34 hectares. Kawawachikamach can by reached
only by air or by train from the municipality
of Sept Îles, 510 km towards the south, on the
north shore of the Saint Lawrence River. A paved
road network (2,880 meters) and more than 90
houses are to be found within the territory.
Population
There
are close to 570 people in Kawawachikamach,
with approximately 510 residents on the actual
territory of the reserve.
Presentation
Kawawachikamach
is the only community in the Naskapi Nation
in Quebec or Canada. Their culture and language
are distinct from all other Native peoples in
Quebec. This can be explained, in part, by the
fact that they were the last Native group to
enter into contact with the white populations
that arrived in the region. A nomadic people,
the Naskapis lived in small family units, following
the caribou herds, which they hunted, and maintaining
a system by which all members of the nation
assembled once each year. The arrival of the
fur trade in their territory, however, disrupted
the Naskapi way of life.
After
centuries of nomadic existence, they were
encouraged to abandon the caribou hunt to
trap small game, whose pelts fetched a good
price. Following the trading posts, and the
fluctuations of the marketplace, they soon
developed a dependence that left them ill-equipped
to face the harshness of their climate. Beginning
in 1893, repeated cycles of widespread famine
threatened their very existence. In 1949,
their encampments were discovered, near Kuujjuak,
and it was only a rescue mission that saved
them. Finally, in 1956, the Naskapis received
and accepted a proposal to live with the Montagnais
of Matimekosh, not far from Schefferville.
The
1978 signing of the Northeastern Quebec Agreement
allowed the Naskapis to acquire a permanent
territory. The creation of their village and
the right to control and use an area of 4,144
square kilometers for the practice of their
traditional activities in hunting, trapping
and fishing, marked a turning point in their
history.
Kawawachikamach,
the name of their community, means "meandering
waters."
The
principal languages spoken in the community
are Naskapi and English.
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Organizations
Local
administration is assured by the Naskapi Nation of
Kawawachikamach band council. The council created
the Naskapi Development Corporation to manage their
economic and social affairs.
from
First People, Native Trail, for much more information,
please visit their site!
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