Innu
Land: The
Innu live in Nitassinan,
which is the area containing eastern Quebec and Labrador.Best Known Features: The Innu traditionally used caribou for
clothing, tent covers, snowshoes, tools, as well as meat. The caribou also
nourished the Innu spiritually. Despite the influence
of missionaries, the sacred caribou is still one of the great elements of Innu
culture which remains with them. The caribou is the most important of all the
spirits in the Innu religion. Respect for the caribou is shown through the
communal feast known as makushan.History:At first contact with
western society, the Innu had an incredible trading system. When the
Europeans arrived, they became increasingly dependent on the Hudson's Bay
Company and other merchants. Missionaries tried to get them to abandon their
religion and to try to "civilize" them into the mainstream of the industrial
society. Non-Innu trappers began invading some of the best Innu trapping
regions which contributed to the economic hardship of the Innu. The worst
impact of European presence was disease. Spanish flu, tuberculosis, syphilis,
scarlet fever, whooping cough, measles and other diseases reduced the Innu
population by as much as two-thirds. By the 1940s and 50s, the Innu fur
trade had collapsed, and the industrial society had expanded into more of their
harvesting areas. The federal and provincial governments were eager to
assimilate them into the mainstream of Canadian society. After being subject to
racism, Canadian hunting laws and missionaries, the Innu began having problems
with family violence, alcohol abuse and loss of cultural identity. The Innu
lived in teepees and hunted with bow and arrow.
The Innu have began to turn
their lives around by beginning programs to teach the young harvesting skills,
knowledge of the land, and oral traditions. The Innu language and culture have
been introduced to the school curriculum, and intensive alcohol treatment
programs have allowed families to be united once more.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not
claim expertise on Innu culture.
Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the web address of this page.
If you are Innu, your feedback is much appreciated.
References:
- Innu Nation Marnit Innuat WWW site
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