Innu People

Innu People

The Innu are the indigenous inhabitants of an area they refer to as Nitassinan (“Our Land”), which comprises most of the northeastern portions of the provinces of Quebec and some western portions of Labrador. Their population in 2003 includes about 18,000 people, of which 15,000 live in Quebec and under 3000 in Labrador.

Their ancestors were known to have lived on these lands as hunter-gatherers for several thousand years, living in tents made of animal skins. Their subsistence activities were historically centred on hunting and trapping caribou, moose, deer and small game. Some coastal clans also practised agriculture, fished, and managed maple sugarbush.

Their language, Innu-aimun or Ilnu (popularly known as Montagnais), is spoken throughout Nitassinan, with certain dialect differences. Innu-aimun is related to East Cree (Īyiyū Ayimūn - Northern/Coastal dialect and Īnū Ayimūn - Southern/Inland dialect) spoken by the James Bay Cree of the James Bay region of Quebec and Ontario and the Atikamekw (Nēhinawēwin and Nehirâmowin) of the Atikamekw (‘Nehiraw’, ‘Nehirowisiw’). Innu-aimun is divided into four dialects - Southern Montagnais (Mashteuiatsh and Betsiamites), Eastern Montagnais (Mingan, Natashquan, La Romaine, Pakuashipi), Central Montagnais (Sept-Iles and Maliotenam, Matimekosh) and Labrador -Montagnais (Sheshatshit). The speakers of the different dialects can communicate well with each other. The Naskapi language and culture are quite different from those of the Montagnais, in which the dialect changes from y to n as in "Iiyuu" versus "Innu".

The Innu were allied with neighbouring Atikamekw, Maliseet (also known as Malecite) and Algonquin against their traditional enemies, the Mi'kmaq (formerly known as Micmac) and Iroquois (also known as the Haudenosaunee). During the Beaver Wars (1640 - 1701) the Iroquois repeatedly invaded their territories, and enslaved women and warriors, as well plundering their hunting grounds in search of more furs. Since these raids were made by the Iroquois with unprecedented brutality, the Innu themselves now took over the torment and torture and the cruelty of their Indian enemies. The Naskapi on the other hand were usually in conflicts with the advancing southward Inuit in the east.