Wemindji, Quebec

Coordinates: 53°0′N 78°48′W / 53.000°N 78.800°W / 53.000; -78.800

Wemindji (Cree: ᐐᒥᓂᒌ/Wîminicî) is a small Cree community on Paint Hills Bay off James Bay at the mouth of the Maquatua River in Quebec, Canada. The community has a population of approximately 1400 people.

Wemindji (Cree for "red ochre mountain") gets its name from the red pigment found in the hills surrounding it. It has also been known in French as "Nouveau-Comptoir".

Wemindji is a fairly new community comprising Cree families originally living at the trading post on an island in the Vieux-Comptoir River, known as Vieux-Comptoir or its English equivalent "Old Factory". This post was founded in the 17th century and was alternately under British or French control. In 1959 the community was relocated about 45 km north to its present location. The current chief is Christina Gilpin.

Wemindji is accessible by air (Wemindji Airport) and, since 1995, by car over a gravel road linking it to the James Bay Road.

Education

The Cree School Board operates the Maquatua Eeyou School (ᐧᒫᑯᐧᑖᐤ ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᒋᔅᑯᑎᒫᑑᑭᒥᒄ) / Joy Ottereyes Rainbow Memorial School.[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Maquatua Eeyou School." Cree School Board. Retrieved on September 23, 2017.
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