Paper Short Abstract:

Every year, in September, the Innu people of Sheshatshiu (Labrador/Nitassinan, Canada) organize a Gathering at Gull Island. The Gathering is a recreation of and an evocation of the past, but also a place to perform current cultural practices. A new mega hydroelectric project has been proposed for Gull Island. How is it going to affect the Gathering infrastructure and the cultural practices that take place there?

Paper Abstract:

Every year, in September, the Innu people of Sheshatshiu (Labrador/Nitassinan, Canada) organize a Gathering at Gull Island. The Gathering is a week-long community event. Tents and other infrastructure are set up in advance and the gathering becomes a home away for the town of Sheshatshiu, where the Innu, formally a nomadic people, were forced to settle in the 1950s. The Gathering changes the landscape of Gull Island, with hundreds of people staying in their tents. The almost 130 km of the route separating the gathering place from Sheshatshiu are travelled back and forth and also become a place of encounter, a modern-day trail. The Gathering is a recreation of and an evocation of the past, but also a place to perform current cultural practices. It is a new way of community building supported by the local Band Council and a way to practice and learn Innu culture. A new mega hydroelectric project has been proposed for Gull Island. How is it going to affect the Gathering infrastructure and the cultural practices that take place there?