Constant Awashish | |
|---|---|
 Awashish in 2016 | |
| Born | 1981 (age 39–40) |
| Occupation | Grand Chief of the Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw |
| Years active | 2014-present |
Constant Awashish (born in 1981 in La Tuque, Quebec) is an Atikamekw chief. Since 2014, he is the Grand Chief of the Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw, the tribal council uniting the three Atikamekw Nations. He is known to have declared the sovereignty on their ancestral territory, the Nitaskinan, with the other Atikamekw chiefs.
Awashish was born in La Tuque, Quebec, in 1981. He was mainly raised by his maternal grandparents on the Indian Reserve of Opitciwan in the northern Mauricie region of Quebec. He completed his elementary and high school studies in La Tuque. He received a law degree from the University of Ottawa, specializing in the rights of the Indigenous people and their territorial rights, the legislation of indigenous entities, and corporate law. [1]
During the elections on 2 September 2014, he was elected Grand Chief of the Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw, the tribal council uniting the three Atikamekw Nations, succeeding Eva Ottawa. [2] As such, he is also the chairman of the corporation of the Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw. [3]
A few days later, the Atikamekw chiefs declared unilaterally their sovereignty on their ancestral territory, the Nitaskinan, by a comprehensive claim. [4] [5] This territory covers 80,000 km2 (30,000 sq. mi.) to the north of Trois-Rivières. [6] The Atikamekw never ceased or sold their territory during the numbered treaties. [7]
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations in North America.
Nitaskinan is the ancestral homeland of the Atikamekw people. It is located in the valley of the Saint-Maurice River in Quebec, Canada. It covers an area of 80,000 km2 On 8 September 2014, the Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw declared unilaterally the sovereignty of the Atikamekw Nation on the Nistaskinan. The objective of this is mainly to obtain a right of review for the projects exploiting the natural resources and to highlight the Atikamekw's identity. "Nistaskinan" means "our (excl.) land" in the Atikamekw language, where "Kitaskinan" means "our (inclusive) land," similar to other Cree languages' use of aski. From a legal perspective, according to the Indian Act, the Atikamekw have self-administration on three Indian reserves, Manawan, Obedjiwan and Wemotaci, but the Nitaskinan territory covers an area much wider.
La Tuque is a city located in north-central Quebec, Canada, on the Saint-Maurice River, between Trois-Rivières and Chambord. The population was 11,227 at the Canada 2011 Census, most of which live within the urban area. It is the largest city in Canada by area.
Indigenous peoples in Quebec total 11 distinct ethnic groups. The 10 First Nations and the Inuit communities number 141,915 people and account for approximately 2 percent of the population of Quebec, Canada.
The Saint-Maurice River flows North to South in central Quebec from Gouin Reservoir to empty into the Saint Lawrence River at Trois-Rivières, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. From its source at Gouin Reservoir, located at the same latitude as the Lac Saint-Jean, the river has a total drop of about 405 meters (1330'), to finally reach the St. Lawrence river at Trois-Rivières. The river is 563 km in length and has a drainage basin of 43,300 km². Saint-Maurice river is one of the most important tributaries of the St. Lawrence river.
Magella Gros-Louis, known as Max Gros-Louis or Oné Onti, was a Canadian politician and businessman in Quebec. For many years, he was Grand Chief of the Huron-Wendat First Nation. He founded and directed various important organizations, which are dedicated to the culture and rights of the First Nations People in Canada.
The Atikamekw are the Indigenous inhabitants of the subnational country or territory called Nitaskinan, in the upper Saint-Maurice River valley of Quebec, Canada. Their population currently stands at around 8,000. One of the main communities is Manawan, about 160 kilometres (99 mi) northeast of Montreal. They have a tradition of agriculture as well as fishing, hunting and gathering. They have close traditional ties with the Innu people, who were their historical allies against the Inuit.
Obedjiwan is a First Nations reserve and village on the north shore of Gouin Reservoir in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada. It belongs to the Atikamekw of Opitciwan band of the Atikamekw Nation.
Wemotaci is a First Nations reserve on the north shore of the Saint-Maurice River at the mouth of the Manouane River in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada. Together with the Obedjiwan and the Coucoucache Indian Reserve No. 24, it belongs to the Atikamekw First Nation.
Coucoucache was a tiny First Nation reserve, in Cloutier Township, on the north shore of Reservoir Blanc on the Saint-Maurice River in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada. It belonged to the Atikamekw First Nation of Wemotaci but had no permanent population in recent decades.
Manawan, officially named communauté Atikamekw de Manawan, is a First Nations reserve on the south-western shores of Lake Métabeskéga in the Lanaudière region of Quebec, Canada. It belongs to the Atikamekw of Manawan band of the Atikamekw Nation.
The Conseil de la Souveraineté du Québec (CSQ) is a non-governmental organization promoting Quebec sovereignty in the Canadian province of Quebec. The council was started in 2003 at the initiative of the province's Parti Québécois government. It has been renamed to Organisations unies pour l'indépendance (OUI) in Dec.2014.
The Vermillon River flows in the territory of La Tuque, in Upper-Mauricie, in the administrative region of Mauricie, in Quebec, Canada.
Atikamekw of Manawan are an Atikamekw First Nation in Quebec, Canada. They live primarily in the Atikamekw community of Manawan, an Indian reserve located in Lanaudière. In 2016, the band has a registered population of 2,892 members. It is governed by the Manawan Atikamekw Council and is affiliated with the Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw, the Atikamekw tribal council.
The Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw (CNA), officially named Atikamekw Sipi - Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw, is a tribal council in Quebec, Canada. It is composed of the three Atikamekw bands: Manawan, Opitciwan and Wemotaci. Together, the three bands have a total registered population of 7,747 members in 2016. It is headquartered in La Tuque, Quebec. The role of the CNA is to officially represent all Atikamekw Nehirowisiw. In September 2014, the CNA declared its sovereignty on its ancestral territory, the Nitaskinan, covering approximately 80,000 km2.
Jacques Newashish (1958) is a Canadian film actor, filmmaker, painter, and sculptor. Newashish is a member of the Atikamekw nation and is from Wemotaci, Quebec. He was born in La Tuque, Quebec where he learned traditional values and ways of living. His father was a trapper and hunter and the language and culture of the Atikamekw people. Newashish incorporates elements of Atikamekw culture into his artistic practice and is concerned with the preservation of the Atikamekw language and culture in the community.
The Pessamit Innu Band, which the official name is bande des Innus de Pessamit, is an Indian band of the Innu First Nations in Quebec, Canada. Its members primarily live on the Indian reserve of Pessamit in the Côte-Nord, the north shore of Saint Lawrence River, which is also the seat of the band. In 2017 it has a registered population of 3,953 members. It is governened by a band council called Conseil des Innus de Pessamit and it is affiliated with the Mamuitun Tribal Council. The band was previously known as Bersimis and Betsiamites.
Spring snowfall and heavy rain caused floods in southern Quebec on 3 May 2017. In total, 5,371 residences were flooded, 4,066 people were forced from their homes, and 261 municipalities were affected, largely in the Outaouais Region, the Greater Montreal Area, the Montérégie, the Mauricie, the Gaspésie and the Côte-Nord regions. The floods were listed as the third most significant weather event of 2017 by the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society.
André Quitich is an Atikamekw politician and administrator. He served as Grand Chief and President of the Atikamekw Nation from 2013 until 2014.
Eva Ottawa is an Atikamekw political figure. She was the first women to be elected Grand Chief of the Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw and the first Indigenous woman to lead the Conseil du statut de la femme du Québec. She received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and the Médaille Premiers Peuples in 2019. She is currently a law professor at the University of Ottawa.
