Naskapi
The Naskapi are an Indigenous people located on the Labrador Peninsula, primarily within Quebec and Labrador, and they are one of the two groups that form the Innu people, the other being the Montagnais. Historically, the Naskapi inhabited the northern subarctic region, living in semipermanent winter villages made from split logs, and using temporary conical dwellings covered in hides during other seasons. Their subsistence practices center around hunting caribou, moose, Dall sheep, and various bird species, employing watercraft made of birchbark and moose-skin for transportation and trade.
European contact, particularly with the Hudson's Bay Company, significantly altered their traditional lifestyle by introducing trading dependencies. In contemporary times, the Naskapi are represented by two First Nations groups: the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach and the Mushuau Innu First Nation. While the Mushuau are more closely linked to the Montagnais, both groups are included in the Naskapi population figures. Today, the Naskapi Nation is actively pursuing greater autonomy and economic opportunities, alongside efforts to preserve their rich cultural heritage, language, and unique alphabet.
Naskapi
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Subarctic
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Algonquian
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Labrador Peninsula
- POPULATION SIZE: 1,600 (2024, Government of Quebec)
The Naskapi are one of two peoples, along with the Montagnais, who make up the Innu people of Quebec and Labrador. Historically, the term Montagnais ("mountain people") referred to the Innu who lived in the forested regions to the south, while the Naskapi were the bands who lived farther north in the subarctic region. The Naskapi, also closely associated with the East Cree, lived in semipermanent winter villages in rectangular, split-log lodges. During the rest of the year, temporary hide-covered conical dwellings were used during the subsistence round, which focused on hunting and trapping caribou, moose, and Dall sheep. Nearly every species of bird was also hunted. Watercraft were usually made of birchbark, although some moose-skin boats were utilized, mostly for load transportation.
The first sustained European Canadian contact was with the Hudson’s Bay Company trapper-traders, who introduced considerable changes to Indigenous settlement patterns, subsistence orientation, and the Naskapi religion. The once highly mobile Naskapi developed ties to trading posts and became dependent on exchanging furs for trade goods.
In the twenty-first century, two First Nations groups are tied to the Naskapi: the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach and the Mushuau Innu First Nation. Although both are included in overall population numbers, the Mushuau are generally more associated with the Montagnais people than the Naskapi. In the mid-2020s, the Naskapi Nation continued to work together to promote greater autonomy and prosperity for its people. They also focused on preserving their culture, especially their unique language and distinct alphabet.
Bibliography
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Statistics Canada. "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population: Kawawachikamach, Village Naskapi (VK)." Statistics Canada, 8 July 2024, www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
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