La Romaine (), also known as Unamenshipit in

Innu-aimun 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 com ...

and designated Romaine 2, is an Innu First Nations reserve 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 Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada, at the mouth of the Olomane River on the

Gulf of Saint Lawrence The Gulf of St. Lawrence is a gulf that fringes the shores of the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, in Canada, plus the islands Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, possessions of France, in ...

. It belongs to the

Innu The Innu/Ilnu ('man, person'), formerly called Montagnais (French for ' mountain people'; ), are the Indigenous Canadians who inhabit northeastern Labrador in present-day Newfoundland and Labrador and some portions of Quebec. They refer to ...

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. La Romaine is only accessible by boat or via the La Romaine Airport. It is serviced by a nursing station, community radio station, arena, community and recreation centre, municipal water and sewer system, fire station, and an aboriginal police force. The name ''La Romaine'' is the French adaptation of the word ''Ulaman''. Before its spelling was standardized, the place has also been called in times past: Fort Romaine, Olomanshibu, Olomenachibou, Ulimine, Ouromane, Olomanoshibou, Olomano, Romaine, La Romaine, Grande-Romaine, Gethsémani-d'Olumen, Gethsémani, Uanaman Hipiht, Ulamen Shipit, and Ulaman Shipu. These names applied sometimes to the old post, sometimes the village or the reserve, or sometimes to the river that flows through the place. Except for Gethsémani, all these variations have the same source: , from meaning "vermilion" or " red ochre", and meaning "river". Deposits of this material are found on the banks of the Olomane River.

History

Since time immemorial, the

indigenous people would leave their inland winter hunting grounds to gather at the mouth of the Olomane River during the summer. Circa 1710, the French set up a fishing and

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory in European and colonial contexts, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically a trading post allows people from one geogr ...

there that was taken over by the Labrador Company in 1780, followed by the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

in 1822. Around 1850,

French Canadians French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the provi ...

from elsewhere in Quebec began to settle the area, and gradually concentrating in La Romaine when several smaller outposts were abandoned. In 1886, the local post office opened. The trading post was closed in 1925. The Innu of the Basse-Côte-Nord (Lower North Shore) were one of the last nomadic indigenous groups in North America, and were known for their birch bark canoes and traditional travel by canoe or snowshoe. But contact with white settlers and the market economy led to the permanent settlement of the Innu. On March 11, 1955, the

Government of Quebec The Government of Quebec (, ) is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The term is typically used to refer to the executive of the day (i.e. Minister of the Crown, mini ...

sold of land to the federal government and on May 31, 1956, the Romaine reserve was established. It was expanded in 2001 with lands bought in 1993.Natural Resources Canada - Legal Surveys Division, Historical Review
Romaine land title history

Demographics

Population

As of May 2022, the band counted 1,243 members, of whom 1,165 persons are living in the community. In the 2016 census, the number of private dwellings occupied by usual residents are 264 out of a total of 296. Mother tongues of the residents on the reserve are: * English as first language: 0% * French as first language: 2.0% * English and French as first language: 0% * Other (Montagnais (Innu)) as first language: 97.4%

Economy

The local economy is based mostly on arts and handicrafts, trapping, outfitters and tourism. Other businesses on the reserve are primarily community businesses such as arts and handicrafts, and a convenience store.

Education

There is only one school on the reserve, ''École Olamen'', that provides pre-Kindergarten to Secondary grade 5, and had an enrolment of 292 students in 2008-2009.

References

External links

*
Lower North Shore Community Web Site

École Olamen de Unamen Shipu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Romaine Innu communities in Quebec Communities in Côte-Nord Designated places in Quebec Hudson's Bay Company trading posts Road-inaccessible communities of Quebec