Atikamekw and Euro-Canadian Territorialities around the Saint-Maurice River (1850–1930)

This essay focuses on the processes of territorialization, deterritorialization and reterritorialization through which Euro-Canadian society extended its control along the valley of the St. Maurice River between 1850 and 1930. That territory had been settled by the Atikamekw people where they had established their hunting and fishing grounds for centuries. However, the Atikamekw people were confronted by environmental and technological transformations around the St. Maurice River with the implementation of sociotechnical systems during that time period, as two successive phases of industrialization based on specific water use brought along a proliferation of urban centers and the arrival of the large-scale industry. This was particularly the case when the proliferation of hydroelectric dams along the St. Maurice River and its tributaries followed the construction of fluvial infrastructure to facilitate the floating of wood pulp harvested in the upper basin of the river. Not only did the technical activities surrounding the construction of hydroelectric facilities materially transform the St. Maurice River watershed, they also allowed a symbolic appropriation of the land by the production of maps and surveys that ‘erased’ the presence of the Atikamekw. Physical and symbolic boundaries resulting from these new forms of organization and configuration of the territory restricted the spatial practices and representations of the Atikamekw. Logging confined these people within isolated enclaves (the so-called “Indian reserves”), while dams bypassed their networks of exchange and communication. The aim of this essay is to understand the conflicts between the territorialities of the Atikamekw and that of the Euro-Canadians by focusing on the place of water uses within the geographical imaginations and the land use patterns of these populations.

Migration Between Indian Reserves and Off-Reserve Areas: an Exploratory Analysis Using Census Data Linkage

New data linkages between censuses show that migration flows between Indian reserves and off-reserve areas from 2006 to 2011 and from 2011 to 2016 resulted in negative net migration for Indian reserves, meaning that—overall—more people left Indian reserves than entered them. These results differ from the portrait shown by the retrospective information from the 2011 and 2016 censuses, which indicates positive net migration for Indian reserves. A comparison of the information in the two sources revealed two types of inconsistencies that contributed to the observed differences: (1) inconsistencies in migrant status, and (2) inconsistencies in the origin location of migrants, i.e., the retrospective information about a migrant’s place of residence 5 years earlier does not match the place where the migrant was enumerated in the previous census. Results from this paper suggest that there are limitations to using retrospective information on the place of residence 5 years prior to a census to derive estimates of internal migration flows for small geographic areas, such as Indian reserves. New data linkages are a source of information that can be used to validate and improve these estimates, as well as to derive alternative estimates. However, data linkages also have limitations and require careful preparation before use, particularly when it comes to calculating weights to accurately account for unlinked records.

Evasão escolar no Ensino Secundário em Quebec (Canadá)

<p>Entre as províncias canadenses, Quebec possui a taxa mais alta de jovens não diplomados no secundário, 11,5% em 2016. A pesquisa realizada visou: a) examinar o perfil desses jovens e mapear os motivos pelos quais eles não concluíram os estudos; b) analisar em que medida os programas governamentais implantados para prevenir e combater a evasão escolar são eficazes e equitativos. Realizou-se pesquisa bibliográfica nas bases de dados Scopus, Eric e Érudit. Foram consultadas ainda publicações oficiais do governo de Quebec. Notou-se que evasão é maior: entre homens que entre mulheres, na rede pública de ensino (18,4%) que na rede privada (7,6%). Nas escolas em reservas indígenas ela chega a 81,3%. A baixa escolaridade dos pais está entre as principais causas de evasão.</p><p><strong>Palavras-chave</strong></p><p>Evasão escolar em Quebec. Jovens e adultos. Ensino Secundário.</p><p> </p><p><strong>School dropout in Secondary Education in Quebec (Canada)</strong></p><p><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p>Among Canadian provinces, Quebec has the highest rate of youths without a secondary education degree, i.e., 11.5% in 2016. The study aimed to: a) examine the profile of these youths and map the reasons why they did not complete their course of study; b) analyze the extent to which government programs implemented to prevent and fight school dropout are effective and equitable. A bibliographic research was conducted with the Scopus, Eric and Érudit databases. Official publications of the Quebec government were also examined. School dropout was found to be higher: among males than among females; in the public education system (18.4%) than in the private system (7.6%). In schools in Indian reserves, dropout rates reach 81.3%. Parental lack of education is among the main causes of school dropout.</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong></p><p>School dropout in Quebec. Youths and adults. Secondary education.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Abandono escolar en la Enseñanza Secundaria en Quebec (Canadá)</strong></p><p><strong>Resumen</strong></p><p>Entre las provincias canadienses, Quebec posee la tasa más alta de jóvenes no graduados en secundaria, con un 11,5 % en 2016. La investigación realizada tuvo como objetivo: a) examinar el perfil de estos jóvenes y localizar los motivos por los cuales no habían concluido los estudios; b) analizar en qué medida los programas gubernamentales implantados para prevenir y combatir el abandono escolar son eficaces y equitativos. Se realizó una investigación bibliográfica en las bases de datos Scopus, Eric y Érudit. Se consultaron también publicaciones oficiales del Gobierno de Quebec. Se comprobó que el abandono es mayor entre hombres que entre mujeres, y en la red pública de enseñanza (18,4 %) que en la red privada (7,6 %). En las escuelas de las reservas indias llega al 81,3 %. La baja escolaridad de los padres está entre las principales causas de abandono.</p><p><strong>Palabras clave</strong></p><p>Abandono escolar en Quebec. Jóvenes y adultos. Enseñanza secundaria.</p>

A “world-startling discovery” - Stories in the Canada Lands Survey Records

In 2017, a small collection of survey plans in the custody of Library and Archives Canada (LAC) grew exponentially when Natural Resources Canada’s Office of the Surveyor General transferred over 90,000 original survey maps and field books from the Canada Lands Survey Records (CLSR). Dating as early as 1769, these underused archival records document the survey, settlement, and sustainable use of Crown Lands. Among many other things, the CLSR collection documents Canada’s Indigenous history and culture such as the distribution of language groups, treaty rights, the location of Residential Schools and Indian reserves, and Indigenous land use and occupation. Through these, we can see the history of Indian reserves, National Parks, military bases, railway development, the fur trade, and the Arctic. As we will see, the records also help tell the story of the significant Indigenous contribution to the Klondike Gold Rush.

Catch-and-release angling as a management tool for freshwater fish conservation in India

Mahseer are popularly regarded by anglers as the king of freshwater fishes, and are valued across the Himalayan and South-east Asian regions. In India, mahseer are important game fish. Mahseer populations and their habitats face a range of anthropogenic threats, however, including unregulated fishing and habitat fragmentation as a result of hydro-development projects. Catch-and-release angling for mahseer attracts both national and international anglers and could provide information about rivers while generating revenue for regional economies. In this context, we evaluated catch-and-release angling records from rivers that flow within two Indian reserves (the Ramganga and Jia Bharali Rivers in Corbett and Nameri Tiger Reserves, respectively). Golden mahseer Tor putitora in the Ramganga and golden and chocolate mahseer Neolissochilus hexagonolepis in the Jia Bharali were the most frequently caught fish species. Catch data suggested these game fish populations are probably not negatively affected by angling activities. Interviews with stakeholders highlighted support for catch-and-release angling, mainly because of its perceived economic benefits. The data obtained in this research could potentially assist with both fish conservation and the protection of associated aquatic ecosystems.

“[T]he teacher that cannot understand their language should not be allowed”: Colonialism, Resistance, and Female Mi’kmaw Teachers in New Brunswick Day Schools, 1900–1923

Between 1903 and 1923, sisters Mary, Rebecca, Martha, Margaret, and Alma Isaacs and Rita Gédéon, left their homes in Restigouche, Quebec, to teach in federal Indian day schools on New Brunswick Indian Reserves. As Mi’kmaw women, their “Indian” status not only made them anomalies in a federal day school system that only rarely and reluctantly hired “Indians” as teachers, it also placed them in complicated positions on the frontline of Canada’s colonialist project. Tasked with imparting to Mi’kmaw students an array of assimilatory messages both within and outside of the classroom, these six teachers bolstered Canada’s colonialist agenda. In other ways, however, the women used their positions in federal schools to undermine this same colonial agenda. By insisting on the use of the Mi’kmaw language in their classrooms, and by challenging the directives of federal officials and government protocol, the Isaacs sisters and Rita Gédéon remind us of the complex and competing motives, intentions and relationships that shaped Canadian colonialism and reveal that Aboriginal women were involved in ways rarely considered.