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Coucoucache (; officially designated as Coucoucache 24A) was a tiny First Nation reserve, in Cloutier Township, on the north shore of Reservoir Blanc on the
Saint-Maurice River The Saint-Maurice River (french: Rivière Saint-Maurice; Atikamekw: ''Tapiskwan sipi'') 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 ...
in the
Mauricie Mauricie () is a traditional and current administrative region of Quebec. La Mauricie National Park is contained within the region, making it a prime tourist location. The region has a land area of 35,860.05 km² (13,845.64 sq mi) and a popul ...
region of
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, 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 ...
, Canada. It belonged to the
Atikamekw The Atikamekw are the Indigenous inhabitants of the subnational country or territory they call ('Our Land'), in the upper Saint-Maurice River valley of Quebec (about north of Montreal), Canada. Their current population is around 8,000. One o ...
First Nation of
Wemotaci Wemotaci (designated as Weymontachie 23 until 1997) 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 Couco ...
but had no permanent population in recent decades. The reserve was an enclave within the City of La Tuque, approximately north-west of La Tuque's town centre, but it was dissolved on January 2, 2010, and added to the city.


History

In 1806, explorer Jean-Baptiste Perrault reported on "the small Kôukôukache River that flows by a rocky mountain where there are 11
portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...
s to get to the Grand Kôukôukache." This name came from the word ''kôkôkachi'', meaning "owl". It was also the name of the former Coucoucache Lake, where the
Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trade, fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake b ...
had maintained a trading post, called Coocoocache, since at least 1823 (closed circa 1913). Coucoucache Lake, part of a chain of lakes on the Saint-Maurice River, may have been named after a small mountain in the shape of an owl that was situated at the eastern end of the lake. However, legend has it that a fight developed between the
Atikamekw The Atikamekw are the Indigenous inhabitants of the subnational country or territory they call ('Our Land'), in the upper Saint-Maurice River valley of Quebec (about north of Montreal), Canada. Their current population is around 8,000. One o ...
and the
Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...
at this lake, and when the Atikamekw imitated an owl's cry, they sprung on the Iroquois and massacred them. In 1851, the Government enacted the allotment of of land as reserves for the use and benefit of the "Indian" tribes residing in
Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec ...
. Two years later, these lands were distributed among the Atikamekw,
Algonquins The Algonquin people are an Indigenous people who now live in Eastern Canada. They speak the Algonquin language, which is part of the Algonquian language family. Culturally and linguistically, they are closely related to the Odawa, Potawatomi ...
, and
Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pre ...
s by John Rolph, Commissioner of Crown Lands. On August 9, 1853, the reserves, including Coucoucache, were approved by the
Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...
in Council. In 1895, the original Coucoucache Reserve was surveyed and covered 380 acres (1.54 km2).Natural Resources Canada - Legal Surveys Division, Historical Review
Coucoucache
In 1932, the Rapide-Blanc Dam was constructed, leading to the formation of the Reservoir Blanc that inundated Coucoucache Lake and Reserve. The new Coucoucache Reserve on the north shore of the reservoir replaced the old one but was only 12 acres (0.05 km2) in size. For the loss of land, the Shawinigan Water & Power Company paid the Canadian government the amount of $380.


Land history

* 1851-08-30: Act of 1851, consisting of the setting aside of land not exceeding 93,080 hectares (230,000 acres) for the use of Indians. * 1853-08-09: Order in Council, distribution of land set aside by the 1851 Act on the lands of
La Tuque 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. At over 28,000 ...
- Approximate Area: 5,666 hectares (14,000 acres). * 1867-07-01: Act, 1867, jurisdiction of the
Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-i ...
on the Indians and lands reserved for Indians. * 1895-12-05: Surveying land for Coucoucache, Canton Cloutier, Part undivided - Area: 153.78 hectares (380 acres). * 1925-12-31: Act of 1925, reservation lands not exceeding 133,550 hectares (330,000 acres) for the benefit of Indians by the transfer of the usufruct. * 1931-10-27: Surveying land for new Coucoucache, Canton Cloutier, Part undivided an area of 4.85 hectares (12 acres). * 1932-01-16: Order in Council 93 transfer governance and administration of the Government of Quebec to Government of Canada. Township Cloutier, Part undivided. Area: 4.85 hectares (12 acres). * 1937-12-01: Order in Council 2984, acceptance of transfer (1932) by Government of Canada. Surrender to Government of Quebec reserve Coucoucache (1851) under the Indian Act (RSC 1927, c. 98, art. 48). Current situation: * Canton Cloutier, Part undivided land acquired under the Act of 1925. Transfer governance and administration of Government of Quebec to Government of Canada by Order in Council 93 (1932-01-16). Area: 4.85 hectares (12 acres)


Demographics

Population trend:Statistics Canada:
1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone on b ...
,
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...
, 2006 census
* Population in 2006: 0 * Population in 2001: 0 * Population in 1996: 0 * Population in 1991: 0


See also

*
La Tuque (urban agglomeration) 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. At over 28,000 sq ...
* Rapides-des-Coeurs Generating Station


References


External links


Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw

Wemotaci Nation official website
{{authority control Atikamekw Communities in Mauricie Indian reserves in Quebec Hudson's Bay Company trading posts La Tuque, Quebec