Mingan

Last updated

Mingan
Ekuanitshit
First Nations reserve
Canada Cote-Nord Region Quebec.png
Red pog.svg
Mingan
Location in Côte-Nord region of Quebec.
Coordinates: 50°18′N64°02′W / 50.300°N 64.033°W / 50.300; -64.033
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
ProvinceFlag of Quebec.svg  Quebec
Region Côte-Nord
Regional countynone
Formed1963
Government
[1]
 • ChiefJean-Charles Piétacho
 • Federal riding Manicouagan
 • Prov. riding Duplessis
Area
[1] [2]
 • Total19.15 km2 (7.39 sq mi)
 • Land17.24 km2 (6.66 sq mi)
Population
 (2021) [2]
 • Total552
 • Density32/km2 (80/sq mi)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal Code
G0G 1V0
Area code(s) 418 and 581

Mingan, also known as Ekuanitshit in Innu-aimun, is an Innu First Nations reserve, at the mouth of the Mingan River, on Mingan Bay, on the Nort shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. It belongs to the Innu band of Ekuanitshit, geographically it is within Cote-Nord region, Minganie Regional County Municipality (administratively not part of it), Quebec, Canada. [3]

Contents

Geography

The reserve is accessible via Quebec Route 138, 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) east of the village of Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan and 36 kilometers (22 mi) west of downtown Havre-Saint-Pierre. It is serviced by a health centre, community radio station, library, cultural centre, community store, municipal water and sewer system, fire station, and an aboriginal police force. [3]

The name Mingan, already appearing as mican on a map of 1631, is generally considered to originate from the Innu word maikan, meaning "timber wolf". But there is no certainty over this interpretation. It has also been proposed that it may have come from the Basque word mingain meaning "language", or the Breton term menguen that translates as "white stone". [4]

History

Naskapi Aboriginal people at the Hudson Bay's Post at Mingan, 1862 HIND(1863) LABRADOR-EXP. p516 NASQUAPEE INDIANS AT THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY'S POST AT MINGAN.jpg
Naskapi Aboriginal people at the Hudson Bay's Post at Mingan, 1862
Aboriginal group at Mingan, 1920 Autochtones tente Mingan 1920.jpg
Aboriginal group at Mingan, 1920

Historically, the region was the homeland of the Innu people, who came there from their inland hunting grounds to spend the summer on the coast. Mingan was a summer gathering site where the Innu would fish for salmon, hunt for whale, have family meetings, and trade with each other. In 1661 the Mingan Seignory was granted and Europeans began to settle in the area, marking the beginnings of the fur trade, which continued until the early 20th century. The North West Company and then the Hudson's Bay Company (from 1807 to 1873) maintained trading posts there under the name Mingan, which were frequently visited by Innu to trade furs, although they continued to stay there during the summers only. [5]

The Innu's nomadic way of life was disrupted during World War II, as mining and forestry companies moved into the area. After the war, mandatory education, fluctuating fur prices, and government housing programs led the Innu to settle permanently there. [5]

On April 30, 1963, the Government of Québec transferred 7 square miles (18 km2) of land in the seignory of Mingan to the Government of Canada to establish a reserve for the Mingan region Innu. The reserve however had no access to the Mingan River, which the Innu depended on for subsistence. After many years of struggle, the river banks were added to the reserve in 1983. In 1996, it was further expanded. [5] [6]

Photos

St. George's Church in Mingan, catholic Innu Mission, is entirely decorated with works created by Innu and Montagnais artists from Ekuanitshit. Built in the years 1917-1918 by John Maloney, the "Jack Monoloy" of Gilles Vigneault's song, The Birches of the Mingan River. [7] ' [8]

Demographics

As of 2022, the band counted 690 members, of which 635 persons are living in the community. [9] Private dwellings occupied by usual residents amount to 153 out of a total of 164. Mother tongues spoken on the reserve are: [2]

Population trend: [10]

Education

There is only one school on the reserve, École Teueikan, that provides pre-Kindergarten to Secondary grade 4, and had an enrollment of 106 students in 2008–2009.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cree</span> Group of First Nations peoples in North America

The Cree are a North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Innu</span> First Nation in North America

The Innu / Ilnu or Innut / Innuat / Ilnuatsh ("people"), formerly called Montagnais from the French colonial period, are the Indigenous inhabitants of territory in the northeastern portion of the present-day province of Labrador and some portions of Quebec. They refer to their traditional homeland as Nitassinan or Innu-assi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naskapi</span> Ethnic group of Quebec and Labrador, Canada

The Naskapi are an Indigenous people of the Subarctic native to the historical country St'aschinuw, which is located in northern Quebec and Labrador, neighbouring Nunavik. They are closely related to Innu Nation, who call their homeland Nitassinan.

Indigenous peoples in Quebec total eleven distinct ethnic groups. The one Inuit community and ten First Nations communities number 141,915 people and account for approximately two per cent of the population of Quebec, Canada.

Innu-aimun or Montagnais is an Algonquian language spoken by over 10,000 Innu in Labrador and Quebec in Eastern Canada. It is a member of the Cree–Montagnais–Naskapi dialect continuum and is spoken in various dialects depending on the community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nutashkuan</span> First Nations reserve in Quebec, Canada

Nutashkuan (INAC) or Natashquan (CGNDB) is a First Nations reserve in the Canadian province of Quebec, belonging to the Première Nation des Innus de Nutashkuan band. The reserve is located on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence at the mouth of the Natashquan River, 336 km (209 mi) east of Sept-Îles and has been accessible by Route 138 since 1996.

La Romaine, also known as Unamenshipit in Innu-aimun, is an Innu First Nations reserve in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada, at the mouth of the Olomane River on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. It belongs to the Innu band of Unamen Shipu. Being an enclave within the Municipality of Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent, it is geographically within Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality but administratively not part of it. Directly adjacent to the reserve is the community of La Romaine consisting of a small French-speaking population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North West River</span> Town in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

North West River is a small town located in central Labrador. Established in 1743 as a trading post by French Fur Trader Louis Fornel, the community later went on to become a hub for the Hudson's Bay Company and home to a hospital and school serving the needs of coastal Labrador. North West River is the oldest modern settlement in Labrador.

Pakuashipi is an Innu community in the Canadian province of Quebec, located on the north shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in the Côte-Nord region. It is on the western shore of the mouth of the Saint-Augustin River, opposite the settlement of Saint-Augustin. It is not an Indian reserve, but an Indian settlement within the Municipality of Saint-Augustin, occupied by the Innu band of Pakua Shipi. Although they hold no formal legal title to the land at this time, negotiations are still ongoing to determine their indigenous rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Essipit</span> Indian reserve in Quebec, Canada

Essipit is an Innu Indian reserve in the Canadian province of Quebec, located on the north shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in the Côte-Nord region. It belongs to the Innue Essipit First Nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mashteuiatsh</span> Indian reserve in Quebec, Canada

Mashteuiatsh is a First Nations reserve in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north from the centre of Roberval. It is the home to the Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation. It is located on a headland jutting out on the western shores of Lake Saint-Jean known as Pointe-Bleue, in the geographic township of Ouiatchouan, and belongs to the Montagnais du Lac St-Jean Innu band. It is geographically within the Le Domaine-du-Roy Regional County Municipality but administratively not part of it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Godbout, Quebec</span> Village municipality in Quebec, Canada

Godbout is a village municipality in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the mouth of the Godbout River on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atikamekw</span> Cree ethnic group of southwestern Quebec, Canada

The Atikamekw are the Indigenous inhabitants of the subnational country or territory they call Nitaskinan, in the upper Saint-Maurice River valley of Quebec, Canada. Their current population is 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Innus of Ekuanitshit</span>

Innus of Ekuanitshit are a First Nation band in Quebec, Canada. They live primarily in the Indian reserve of Mingan on the north coast of the St Lawrence River. As of October 2019, the band had a registered population of 677 members.

Première Nation des Innus de Nutashkuan is an Innu First Nations band government in Quebec, Canada. The band lives on Nutashkuan, an Indian reserve in the Côte-Nord region. As of 2021, they have a registered population of 1,217 members. They are part of the Regroupement Mamit Innuat tribal council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pessamit Innu Band</span>

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.

Marcelline Picard-Kanapé, a.k.a.Marcelline P. Kanapé, is considered one of the great specialists in education among First Nations in Canada, distinguishing herself since the 1950s. She was the first Innu teacher in Quebec, the first Aboriginal person to serve on the Conseil supérieur de l'éducation, and the first female Innu chief.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mingan River</span> River in Quebec, Canada

Mingan River is a 117-kilometre (73 mi) salmon river of the Côte-Nord region of Quebec. It flows from north to south and empties into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Innu Nation of Matimekush-Lac John</span>

Innu Nation of Matimekush-Lac John is a First Nation band government based out of Schefferville, Quebec, Canada. The members of the band are Innu people and speak the Innu language, an Algonquian language which is a member of the Cree–Montagnais–Naskapi dialect continuum.

Rita Mestokosho, born 1966 in Ekuanitshit (Mingan), is an indigenous writer and poet, councillor for culture and education in the Innu nation.

References

  1. 1 2 Ministère des Affaires Municipales, Régions et Occupation du territoire - Répertoire des municipalités: Mingan
  2. 1 2 3 Statistics Canada 2021 Census - Mingan community profile
  3. 1 2 "Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada". Government of Canada. 2023-11-29. Retrieved 21 January 2024. modernize Government of Canada structures to enable Indigenous peoples to build capacity and support their vision of self-determination
  4. ↑ "Mingan". Commission de toponymie Quebec (in French). Government of Quebec. 1986-12-18. Retrieved 22 January 2024. Despite the Innu's frequent use of the site, they did not obtain a reserve until 1963.
  5. 1 2 3 Harold Bherer; Sylvie Gagnon; Jacinte Roberge (1990), Wampum and letters patent: exploratory study of native entrepreneurship, IRPP, pp. 109–111, ISBN   978-0-88645-116-5
  6. ↑ Natural Resources Canada - Legal Surveys Division, Historical Review - Mingan land title history Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ "Church of St. George Mingan". catholic.org. 2023-12-08. Retrieved 22 January 2024. Jurisdiction: Diocese of Baie-Comeau 15, rue Mistamehkanau, Mingan
  8. ↑ "Église Saint Georges de Mingan - Mission innue" (in French). Conseil des Innu de Ekuanitshit. 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2024. And then wood, wood everywhere, that of the birch trunks that support the altar, that of pine for the totem pole in which is carved a very beautiful face of Christ
  9. ↑ "Indigenous communities in Quebec". 15 October 2021.
  10. ↑ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2016, 2021 census



This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.