Mistissini, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Mistissini is a Cree
town located in the south-east corner of the largest natural lake in Quebec
, Lake Mistassini
(120 km long by 30 km wide). The town is inside the boundaries of the Baie-James Municipality
, and is the largest Cree community with a population of around 4000 people. The surface area of the town is 1380 km² (Category I land, as defined in the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
)
Mistissini is part of the Grand Council of the Crees
(Eeyou Istchee) and the Cree Regional Authority. The Cree School Board and the Cree Construction Company have their head offices here.
The town is about 90 km north-east from the town of Chibougamau
and connected by an excellent road that is paved with the exception of about one kilometer of gravel at the edge of town where there is new construction.
The town is welcoming to visitors and has a new, comfortable fishing lodge with 20 rooms and a good restaurant.
watershed area and around Lake Mistassini for centuries. French explorers and traders entered the area in the 17th century and by the second half of that century, a trading post was established on Lake Mistassini. The location of the post shifted from time to time until 1821 when the Hudson's Bay Company
established it at the present village site.
The trading post was supplied by canoe brigade
from Rupert House (now Waskaganish
) up the Rupert River or through Neoskweskau (a former Cree site) on the Eastmain River
. The travel route shifted to the south - first through Oskelaneo
when the railroad was built in 1910, and subsequently through the Lac Saint-Jean
area. The road reached Mistissini in 1970.
Through time Mistissini and the various posts in the area were also known as "Maison Dorval", "Patagoosh", "Abatagoushe", "Mistassini", and "Baie-du-Poste".
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
town located in the south-east corner of the largest natural lake in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Lake Mistassini
Lake Mistassini
Lake Mistassini is the largest natural lake by surface area in the province of Quebec, Canada, with a total surface area of approximately 2,335 km² and a net area of 2,164 km². It is located in the Jamésie region of the province, approximately east of James Bay...
(120 km long by 30 km wide). The town is inside the boundaries of the Baie-James Municipality
Baie-James, Quebec
The Municipality of Baie-James is in northern Quebec, Canada, to the east of James Bay. It covers 297,329.66 square kilometers of land, making it the largest incorporated municipality in Canada — only eight unorganized territories are larger...
, and is the largest Cree community with a population of around 4000 people. The surface area of the town is 1380 km² (Category I land, as defined in the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
The James Bay And Northern Quebec Agreement was an Aboriginal land claim settlement, approved in 1975 by the Cree and Inuit of northern Quebec, and later slightly modified in 1978 by the Northeastern Quebec Agreement, through which Quebec's Naskapi First Nations joined the treaty...
)
Mistissini is part of the Grand Council of the Crees
Grand Council of the Crees
The Grand Council of the Crees , or the GCC, is the political body that represents the approximately 16,357 Crees or “Iyyu” / “Iynu” of the Eeyou Istchee territory in the James Bay and Nunavik regions of Northern Quebec, Canada...
(Eeyou Istchee) and the Cree Regional Authority. The Cree School Board and the Cree Construction Company have their head offices here.
The town is about 90 km north-east from the town of Chibougamau
Chibougamau, Quebec
Chibougamau is a town in central Quebec, Canada, located on Lake Gilman. It has a population of 7,563 people , which makes it the largest community in northern Quebec...
and connected by an excellent road that is paved with the exception of about one kilometer of gravel at the edge of town where there is new construction.
The town is welcoming to visitors and has a new, comfortable fishing lodge with 20 rooms and a good restaurant.
History
Cree have lived in the Rupert RiverRupert River
The Rupert River is one of the largest rivers in Quebec, Canada. From its headwaters in Lake Mistassini, the largest natural lake in Québec, it flows west into Rupert Bay on James Bay. The Rupert drains an area of . There is some extremely large whitewater on the river, but paddlers can avoid...
watershed area and around Lake Mistassini for centuries. French explorers and traders entered the area in the 17th century and by the second half of that century, a trading post was established on Lake Mistassini. The location of the post shifted from time to time until 1821 when the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
established it at the present village site.
The trading post was supplied by canoe brigade
Fur brigade
The Fur brigade were convoys of Canadian Indian fur trappers who traveled between their home trading posts and a larger HBC post in order to supply the inland post with goods and supply the HBC post with furs. Travel was usually done on the rivers by canoe or, in certain prairie situations, by horse...
from Rupert House (now Waskaganish
Waskaganish, Quebec
Waskaganish is a Cree village of about 2000 people at the mouth of the Rupert River on the south-east shore of James Bay in the Eeyou Istchee territory in Northern Quebec, Canada...
) up the Rupert River or through Neoskweskau (a former Cree site) on the Eastmain River
Eastmain River
The Eastmain River is a river in northwestern Quebec which rises in north central Quebec and flows 800 km west to drain into James Bay. 'East Main' is an old name for the east side of James Bay. This river drains an area of 46,400 km²...
. The travel route shifted to the south - first through Oskelaneo
Oskelaneo, Quebec
Oskélanéo is a community in northern Quebec, Canada, within the boundaries of the City of La Tuque. It is located along the Canadian National Railway between Clova and Parent, on the shores of Lake Oskélanéo. The community is named after the eponymous lake and stream, meaning "bones" in the...
when the railroad was built in 1910, and subsequently through the Lac Saint-Jean
Lac Saint-Jean
Lac Saint-Jean is a large, relatively shallow lake in south-central Quebec, Canada, in the Laurentian Highlands. It is situated 206 kilometres north of the Saint Lawrence River, into which it drains via the Saguenay River. It covers an area of 1003 km² Lac Saint-Jean is a large, relatively...
area. The road reached Mistissini in 1970.
Through time Mistissini and the various posts in the area were also known as "Maison Dorval", "Patagoosh", "Abatagoushe", "Mistassini", and "Baie-du-Poste".
External links
- Cree Nation of Mistissini
- http://www.ottertooth.com/Native_K/mistissini.htm