The Innu are one people. They have inhabited Nitassinan (the
Quebec-Labrador penisula) for at least 2000 years. The label "Montagnais"
(from the French word for "mountaineer") was applied to the Innu who
inhabited the North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while the term
"Naskapi" (which means something along the lines of "the people beyond the
horizon") is derived from the word that Innu would use when referring to
their relations further north. Early white explorers and anthropologists
assumed a distinction that for the Innu was never there.
People who now live in Sheshatshiu speak the same language as people who
live in Utshimassit (Davis Inlet) or Uashat (Sept-Iles) and usually have
several relatives there as well...As Michelle pointed out, the Innu
language (Innu-aimun) is quite similar to Cree, but is totally different
from Inuktitut. I doubt that there are many common words in either
language, just as there are vast differences between the two cultures,
although they have shared the land for generations.
And just a small point on the following:
>The current proximity of the Inuit to Innu at places like Davis Inlet and
>Pointe-de-la-baliene has to do with settlement patterns imposed by the
>government. The Montagnais had never been that far North before - they
>only fled North (in some cases into Inuit country) to escape the colonizers.
Actually, both the Innu and the archaeologists say that Innu occupation of
the interior of the Quebec-Labrador penisula extended as far north as
Ungava Bay, coinciding with the northern range of the George River caribou
herd. The present locations of the communities like Utshimassit has more to
do with the locations of Hudson's Bay trading posts, priests and government
relocation schemes than Innu attempts to escape the colonizers. The idea
that Innu were forced or fled north was an theory floated in the 1930's by
an anthropologist named F.G. Speck, but it is now completely discredited.
And, a plug for the Innu struggle for those who are just hearing about them
for the first time:
The Innu have lived in Nitassinan (Quebec-Labrador) for at least 2000
years. It is one of the last large roadless areas on Earth. This is a
harshly beautiful and fragile land of incredible diversity: ancient
mountains and river valleys shelter small islands of dense black spruce and
balsam fir, interspersed by lichen woodlands, bogs and barrens. Here,
caribou herds still run their vast ranges, and here, the Innu still
practice their way of life. Many families still spend much of the year "in
the country" hunting caribou and relying on the land for most of their
needs.
This way of life is inextricably linked to the land. Yet, Nitassinan is
under assault. The Churchill Falls hydroelectric development in the 1970's
flooded thousands of kilometers of Innu land, destroying traditional
hunting and burial grounds. Ongoing military low-level flight training by
foreign airforces threatens the health and sanity of humans and animals
alike, and a major upgrade of the Trans-Labrador Highway is underway. Plans
are being made for large mining operations, a snowmobile trail which would
cut through the heart of important Innu hunting territory and sensitive
caribou range, new hydroelectric megaprojects on the Churchill and St.
Magaritte rivers, and large-scale commercial forestry operations. In the
minds of many, Quebec-Labrador is the last frontier.
For the Innu, Nitassinan is home.
Larry Innes internet: [email protected] (direct to me)
[email protected] (general to Innu Nation)
Environmental Advisor
Innu Nation phone: (709) 497-8398
PO Box 119 fax: (709) 497-8396
Sheshatshiu, Nitassinan (Labrador)
via Canada A0P 1M0