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February 17, 2020 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily
photo essay
Urban Life and Territory: An Innu Perspective
José Noé De Ita Zavala, Photos Editor In December 2019, I traveled to Mashteuiatsh which means “where there is a point of land” in Nehlueun. This is the oldest Innu reserve (founded in 1856), which is located in northern Quebec and is the home of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation. After meeting this community we moved three hours up north to experience total immersion in the forest. During this visit, Jimmy Simeon, a young Innu social worker who lives in Montreal, shared his knowledge and explained to me how he relates to his ancestral land.
Jimmy Simeon at Lac-Saint-Jean: “There is everybody’s duty to protect the forest, the river, nature. No matter where you are. Nature sustains life, including life in Montreal.”
Jimmy setting the tent. The photo is taken through an Innu handcrafted snowshoe. “Beavers represent an ideal way of non-self-destructive behavior. The wood they consume is housing, nourishment and at the end, everything goes back to the environment in perfect synchrony.”
