The Atikamekw are the
Indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
inhabitants of the subnational
country or territory they call ('Our Land'), in the upper
Saint-Maurice River valley of
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
(about north of
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
), Canada. Their current population is around 8,000. One of the main communities is
Manawan, about 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
Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...
.
The
Atikamekw language, usually considered a variety of
Cree in the
Algonquian family, is closely related to that of the Innu. It is still in everyday use, being among the indigenous languages least threatened with extinction.
Their traditional ways of life are endangered, however, as their homeland has largely been taken over by logging companies. Their name, which literally means '
lake whitefish
The lake whitefish (''Coregonus clupeaformis'') is a species of freshwater whitefish from North America. Lake whitefish are found throughout much of Canada and parts of the northern United States, including all of the Great Lakes. The lake white ...
', is sometimes also spelt , , , or . The French colonists referred to them as , meaning 'Ball-Heads' or 'Round-Heads'.
A small number of families make their living making traditional
birch bark
Birch bark or birchbark is the bark of several Eurasian and North American birch trees of the genus ''Betula''.
The strong and water-resistant cardboard-like bark can be easily cut, bent, and sewn, which has made it a valuable building, craftin ...
baskets and canoes.
Population
History
![Autochtones de la Manouane vers 1900](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Autochtones_de_la_Manouane_vers_1900.jpg)
Early French historical documents begin to mention the Atikamekw at beginning of the 17th century, when they lived in the boreal forest of the upper
Mauricie. In these early documents, the French colonists recorded the Atikamekw as ''"Atikamegouékhi"'', an effort to transliterate their name for themselves. The Atikamekw were described as a group of 500 to 600 people, who made up "one of the nations more considerable of the north".
For food, they fished, hunted, and trapped. They supplemented their diet with agricultural products made and processed by women, such as corn and maple syrup. The latter was boiled to reduce as a syrup after sap was tapped from maple trees. Both men and women made tools from wood and animal parts, such as bone and tendon. The women made clothing from tanned animal hides. Tribal members traded with other native peoples in nearby areas, but trading networks connected along long distances. In summer, the Atikamekw would gather at places like
Wemotaci. In the fall, they would pack for the winter season and disperse into smaller encampments through the boreal forest.
After the French entered the trading network, they introduced new, European manufactured goods, such as metal tools. The Atikamekw traded furs for such goods, becoming increasingly dependent on European goods in the
fur trade. They were described as a peaceful people, sharing the region with the
Innu (Montagnais) in the east, the
Cree in the north, and
Algonquin
Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to:
Languages and peoples
*Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia
**Algonquin la ...
to the south. The Mohawk of the Iroquois Confederacy, whose five nations were based south of the Great Lakes, competed with them for the lucrative beaver trade and over hunting grounds. Through their Innu allies, the Atikamekw caught new infectious diseases that were endemic among the Europeans. Around 1670-1680, a
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
epidemic devastated the Atikamekw tribe.
The French pulled the Atikamekw into a
trade war
A trade war is an economic conflict often resulting from extreme protectionism in which states raise or create tariffs or other trade barriers against each other in response to trade barriers created by the other party. If tariffs are the exclus ...
between the Montagnais (Innu) and the Mohawk, in which the Atikamekw and Innu did not fare well. Many of the Atikamekw who had survived the smallpox were killed by the more powerful Mohawk.
However, at the start of the 18th century, a group called ''"Tête-de-Boule"'' by the French reappeared in the region. While there exists no certainty as to the origin of this group, they may have been a regrouping of the few Atikamekw survivors and who were possibly associated with other indigenous nomadic tribes. But they are considered to be unrelated to the former Atikamekw even though they lived in the same area and took on the same name.
Today, the Atikamekw, like their historical allies the Innu, have suffered from
mercury poisoning due to contamination of their water supply by the operations of the central electric power companies before much environmental regulation.
Culture
The Atikamekw have their own traditional culture, language and rituals, though they had strong influences from the neighboring peoples. From this grouping, three prominent communities developed. Each spoke the same language but with unique dialects. Members of the tribe as a whole generally speak the
Atikamekw language, but the majority do not write it.
Traditionally, the Atikamekw lived in dome-shaped homes, which they created with branches and covered with bark called ''"piskokan"''. They covered the floor with spruce boughs, and used furs for beds and blankets. The Atikamekw preserved meat by smoking and drying it, a process still practiced by some families. Women collected berries and processed them into a paste that could be preserved for several weeks.
Ethnobotany
A full list of their ethnobotany can be found at http://naeb.brit.org/uses/tribes/8/ (74 documented plant uses). They chew the sap of
Abies balsamea
''Abies balsamea'' or balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada ( Newfoundland west to central Alberta) and the northeastern United States (Minnesota east to Maine, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to ...
as a cold remedy, and use the boughs as mats for the tent floor.
[Raymond, Marcel., 1945, Notes Ethnobotaniques Sur Les Tete-De-Boule De Manouan, Contributions de l'Institut botanique l'Universite de Montreal 55:113-134, page 118]
Crafts
The making of hunting equipment (bows, snowshoes, sled dog) as well as clothing and blankets, was in former times a task necessary for survival. The Atikamekw developed a distinctive way to decorate their clothing. They covered ceremonial robes with bells made of bones emptied of the marrow.
The Atikamekw have been recognized for their skill in crafting
birch bark
Birch bark or birchbark is the bark of several Eurasian and North American birch trees of the genus ''Betula''.
The strong and water-resistant cardboard-like bark can be easily cut, bent, and sewn, which has made it a valuable building, craftin ...
items such as
basket
A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehai ...
s and
canoe
A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.
In British English, the ter ...
s, decorating the pieces with beautiful designs. These skills have been transmitted from generation to generation. The Atikamekw are known as the "people of the bark" for their craft. The people of
Obedjiwan make birch bark handicrafts less frequently than do other communities, since their environment in the boreal forest is dominated by conifer trees.
The seasons and the division of the year
The Atikamekw recognize six seasons in the year, each of which has a principal activity. The seasons begin with ''Sîkon'', in late winter. The Atikamekw use this time to make bark baskets, which they can use to hold the maple-sap gathered in this time of year. After ''Sîkon'' is ''Mirôskamin'', what European-Canadians would call Spring. In this season, the Atikamekw generally fished and hunted for
partridge
A partridge is a medium-sized galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They are sometimes grouped in the Perd ...
. These activities continue through ''Nîpin'' (Summer).
During ''Takwâkin'' (autumn), the Atikamekw would go hunting for
moose
The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...
. A successful hunt required the careful removal of the skin of the moose, making offerings, and processing the meat for preservation through smoking and drying, for moose "jerky". Women worked to make the hides usable: remove the hairs from the moose hide; soak, deflesh and tan the hide; and cut it into thin, flexible strips to weave netting for snowshoes. During the onset of winter, or ''Pîtcipipôn'', the men would trap for
beaver. During the winter, or ''Pipôn'', the men would make nets to fish under the ice, while others produce
snowshoe
Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...
s.
In conjunction with the seasons, the Atikamekw divide the year into 12 months. The month names are based on the primary activity or observation of nature in that period. The months are:
* ''Kenôsitc Pisimw'' – January: Longest
inter
Inter may refer to:
Association football clubs
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* SC Internacional, a Brazilian club
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* FC Inter Sibiu, a Romanian club
* FC Inter Turku, a Finnish club
* FK Inter Bratislava, a form ...
Moon
* ''Akokatcic Pisimw'' – February:
Groundhog
The groundhog (''Marmota monax''), also known as a woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots.
The groundhog is a lowland creature of North America; it is found through mu ...
Emerges Moon
* ''Nikikw Pisimw'' – March:
Otter Moon
* ''Kâ Wâsikatotc Pisimw'' – April: Reflects on the Ice Moon
* ''Wâpikon Pisimw'' – May:
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
Moon
* ''Otehimin Pisimw'' – June:
Strawberry Moon
* ''Mikomin Pisimw'' – July:
Raspberry Moon
* ''Otâtokon Pisimw'' – August:
irdFledges Moon
* ''Kâkône Pisimw'' – September:
Porcupine Mates Moon
* ''Namekosi Pisimw'' – October:
Trout
Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...
pawnsMoon
* ''Atikamekw Pisimw'' – November:
Whitefish pawnsMoon
* ''Pîtcipipôn Pisimw'' – December: Winter Arrives Moon
Notable people
*
Constant Awashish
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 sovereignt ...
, Grand Chief of the Atikamekw Nation
*
Kwena Bellemare-Boivin, actress and musician
*
Rykko Bellemare, actor and musician
*
Cesar Newashish, canoe maker
*
Jacques Newashish, actor, artist and filmmaker
*
Laura Niquay Laura Niquay (born 1982) is an Atikamekw people, Atikamekw singer-songwriter from Canada,Anne-Marie Yvon"Laura Niquay, la messagère atikamekw" Ici Radio-Canada Espaces Autochtones, April 29, 2021. whose album ''Waska Matisiwin'' was a longlisted no ...
, singer-songwriter
*
Eva Ottawa, former Grand Chief of the Atikamekw Nation
*
André Quitich, former Grand Chief of the Atikamekw Nation
References
External links
Council of the Atikamekw NationHistorica’s Heritage Minute video docudrama about “Maple Syrup.”(Adobe Flash Player.)
Declaration of sovereigntyDeclaration of sovereignty(in French
Dubé, Dollard, Légendes indiennes du St-Maurice, Les Pages trifluviennes, Série C —No. 3, 1933
{{authority control
Algonquian peoples
Indigenous peoples of the Subarctic
First Nations in Quebec
Algonquian ethnonyms