Pakuashipi Pakua Shipu | |
|---|---|
  Pakuashipi | |
| Coordinates:51°14′N58°40′W / 51.233°N 58.667°W /51.233; -58.667[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Côte-Nord |
| RCM | Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent |
| Established | 1971 |
| Government | |
| • Chief | Guy Mestenapeo |
| • Federal riding | Côte-Nord—Kawawachikamach—Nitassinan |
| • Prov. riding | Duplessis |
| Area | |
| • Land | 3.93 km2 (1.52 sq mi) |
| Population (2016)[3] | |
• Total | 237 |
| • Density | 60.3/km2 (156/sq mi) |
| • Change (2016–11) |  24.0% |
| • Dwellings | 90 |
| Time zone | UTC−04:00 (AST) |
| Postal Code | G0G 2R0 |
| Area codes | 418 and 581 |
Pakuashipi (Pakua Shipi, orPakua Shipu inInnu-aimun andSt-Augustin Indian Settlement[4]) is anInnu community in theCanadian province ofQuebec, located on the north shore of theGulf of Saint Lawrence in theCôte-Nord region. It is on the western shore of the mouth of the Saint-Augustin River, opposite the settlement ofSaint-Augustin. It is not anIndian reserve, but anIndian settlement within theMunicipality of Saint-Augustin, occupied by the Innu band of Pakua Shipi. Although they hold no formallegal title to the land at this time, negotiations are still ongoing to determine theirindigenous rights.
The community is serviced by a health centre, a community centre, a church, a school, a community store, a youth centre, a community radio station, an inn, municipal water and sewer system, fire station, and an indigenous police force.[2]
Pakuashipi is the Innu name of theSaint-Augustin River and means "shallow river", frompakua ("drained" or "dried up") andshipi ("river"). The inhabitants of this settlement are identified by other Innu groups as thePakua-shipiunnuat, and are considered the most traditional, the most conservative Innu band, in terms of both culture and language.[5]
The area was originally home to nomadicInnu andInuit tribes. Most of them, however, were displaced once Europeans began to exploit the area. In July 1949, theGovernment of Quebec offered to the Innu population land with an area of 1.3 ha (3.2 acres) in order to create areserve. But this was refused by theGovernment of Canada who deemed its population too small to justify such a decision. In the early 1960s, in order to provide essential services, the federal government decided to incorporate the Saint-Augustin group with the band atLa Romaine reserve and relocated them there. But during the night, in a storm, the group returned to their ancestral land.[5]
On June 4, 1971, the Quebec Ministry of Lands and Forests authorized the Government of Canada to build houses for theFirst Nations people of Saint Augustin on the current site. On July 27, 1987, the Saint Augustin Band changed its name to "Pakua Shipi Montagnais Band".[6]
As of July 2021, the band had a registered population of 401 people.[2] The number of private dwellings occupied by usual residents is 65 out of a total of 90. As of the2016 Canadian censusmother tongues spoken are as follows:[3]
Population trend (1991 - 2016):
There is only one school on the settlement,École Pakuashipish, that provides pre-Kindergarten to Secondary grade 4, and had an enrolment of 88 students in 2008-2009.[2]