The Étamamiou River (, ) is a river in the
Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord (Region 09) (, ; ) is an List of regions of Quebec, administrative region of Quebec, on the Quebec-Labrador peninsula, Quebec-Labrador Peninsula, Canada.
The region runs along the St. Lawrence River and then the Gulf of St. Lawrence, ...
region of Quebec, Canada.
Location
The river runs through the
Basse-Côte-Nord
Basse-Côte-Nord Territory (, , meaning "lower north shore") was a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) in eastern Quebec, Canada. The territory, whose geographical code was 982, was formed in 2002 when it separated from th ...
between the
Olomane and
Little Mecatina rivers.
It has a very irregular course of .
Upstream from Lake Manet, about from its mouth, the river divides into two sections which meet again at Foucher Lake, further down.
The river again divides into two channels before reaching the gulf, which one arm enters downstream from the hamlet of Étamamiou and the other arm enters in Bussière Bay.
There is an impressive rapids near the mouth, but above this the river is calm.
The mouth of the river is in the municipality of
Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent
Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent () is a municipality in the regional county municipality of Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec, Canada. The municipality consists of two non-contiguous areas, both al ...
in Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality.
The river mouth is about west of
La Tabatière
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
*La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
*"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...
and east of
Natashquan
Natashquan is a municipality located on the north shore of Jacques Cartier Strait, on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in the Côte-Nord region, Minganie RCM, Quebec, Canada.
Natashquan stretches along the coast, on both sides of the Little Natashq ...
.
The
Ouapitagone Archipelago is just south of the river mouth.
Name
In the
Innu language
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 c ...
the word "aitumamiu" means "splitting in two" or "lake with two outlets".
The name is related to Itomamo.
In the past it has been spelled Etamamu, Itamamiou, Hightomamiou, Aitomami, Etaumamiu, Itamamu and Itumamu.
The present form of Étamamiou was used on a regional map of 1913.
At that time, two sections of the river were identified, but one was incorrectly shown as ending in
Coacoachou Lake and the Bay of Wolves (Baie des Loups) in the west.
The error was not corrected on the maps until 1950.
The Innu call the river Uiahtehau, meaning "the leaves change color in the fall."
It is also called Mistamiskaikan Hipu.
Watershed
The river drains a watershed of around .
The mountainous region is rich in wildlife such as
hare
Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live Solitary animal, solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are precociality, able to fend for themselves ...
,
ruffed grouse
The ruffed grouse (''Bonasa umbellus'') is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is the most widely distributed game bird in North America. It is non-migratory. It is the only spe ...
(''Bonasa umbellus''),
spruce grouse (''Falcipennis canadensis''),
ptarmigan
''Lagopus'' is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily commonly known as ptarmigans (). The genus contains four living species with numerous described subspecies, all living in tundra or cold upland areas.
Taxonomy and etymology
The genus ''L ...
(''Lagopus''),
boreal woodland caribou
The boreal woodland caribou (''Rangifer tarandus caribou''; but subject to a recent taxonomic revision. See Reindeer: Taxonomy), also known as Eastern woodland caribou, boreal forest caribou and forest-dwelling caribou, is a North American subsp ...
(''Rangifer tarandus caribou''),
moose
The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...
(''Alces alces''),
marten
A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on ...
,
Canada lynx
The Canada lynx (''Lynx canadensis'') or Canadian lynx is one of the four living species in the genus ''Lynx''. It is a medium-sized wild cat characterized by long, dense fur, triangular ears with black tufts at the tips, and broad, snowshoe- ...
(''Lynx canadensis'') and
porcupine
Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...
.
The waters are used by
beaver
Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...
(''Castor canadensis''),
muskrat
The muskrat or common muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America.
The muskrat is found in wetlands over various climates ...
(''Ondatra zibethicus''),
otter
Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...
,
mink
Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...
and migratory birds.
European presence
Around 1733
Jacques de Lafontaine de Belcour established a French trading post at the river's mouth.
In 1764 the post was sold to the English, and apparently remained in business for another 100 years.
The river was explored in 1892 by the surveyor Louis Poulin de Courval.
He said the main mouth was a good harbor, and the river was a series of lakes with abundant salmon and trout, flowing through excellent hunting territory.
The hamlet of Étamamiou where the post stood is inhabited by a few families occupied in fishing and by an outfitter.
Fishing
Salmon swim up the Étamamiou River for more than .
The Étamamiou inc. outfitter located from the river mouth belongs to the Unamen Shipu community of Innus.
As of 2019 the Étamamiou Outfitters had exclusive fishing rights over the river basin.
They provide Innu guides, transportation by float plane, accommodation and a chef.
There are six salmon pools with rocky sand bottoms.
Fishing is mainly from boats.
In addition to salmon there are many anadromous
brook trout
The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada. Two ecological forms of brook trout h ...
.
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Étamamiou River
Rivers of Côte-Nord