Nitaskinan

52°49′9.8″N 67°11′53.3″W

Nitaskinan Nehirowisi Aski Atikamekw Aski
Time immemorial–1763 (as a State)
Map of Atikamekw Aski in Quebec, Canada
Status	Unrecognized / former country
Common languages	French, Atikamekw Nehiromowin, LSQ, English
Demonyms	Atikamekw (nehirowisiwok, iriniwok)
History
• Established	Time immemorial
• Indian Act	1876
• Disestablished	1763 (as a State)
Area
Pre-invasion	80,000 km2 (31,000 sq mi)
20th c.	51.35 km2 (19.83 sq mi)
Population
• 2016	7,747
Today part of	Quebec, Canada

atikamekw / nehirowisiw "lake whitefish" / "Indigenous person"
Person	Atikamekw Nehirowisiw
People	Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok
Language	Atikamekw Nehiromowin
Country	Nitaskinan (Nehirowisi Aski)

Nitaskinan, also known as Nehirowisi Aski and Atikamekw Territory, is the ancestral country of the Atikamekw people. It is located in the valley of the Saint-Maurice River in Quebec, Canada. It covers an area of 80,000 km² (31,000 sq mi).^[1] On 8 September 2014, the Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw declared unilaterally the sovereignty of the Atikamekw Nation on the Nistaskinan.^[2][3][4][5] The objective of this is mainly to obtain a right of review for the projects exploiting the natural resources and to highlight the Atikamekw's identity. "Nitaskinan" means "our (excl.) land" in the Atikamekw language, where "Kitaskinan" means "our (inclusive) land," similar to other Cree languages' use of aski. From a legal perspective, according to the Canadian Indian Act, the Atikamekw have self-administration on three Indian reserves, Manawan, Obedjiwan and Wemotaci, but territory of Nitaskinan covers an area much wider.

Etymology

Nitaskinan and Nehirowisi Aski mean "our land" and "Atikamekw Country," respectively, in Nehiromowin. Both centre the root aski ("land"), originating from Proto-Algonquian *axskiy,^[6] relating it to Ojibwemowin's aki and the Istchee in Eeyou Istchee,^{[note 1]} each meaning "land" as well.

The name "Atikamekw" is derived from atikamekw, which means "lake whitefish" in Nehiromowin. In the language, the words nehirowisiwok and iriniwok are also used, both meaning "[Atikamekw] people". The latter has its roots in Proto-Algonquian *elenyiwa ("human"); the former derives from rowi ("action, movement"), with the prefix nehi- ("balance") and the suffix -siw ("human being"). Both have cognates in the likes of: nêhinawak ᓀᐦᐃᓇᐘᐠ and ininiwak ᐃᓂᓂᐘᐠ (Swampy Cree), nīhithawak ᓃᐦᐃᖬᐘᐠ and ithiniwak ᐃᖨᓂᐘᐠ (Woods Cree), and nêhiyawak ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐘᐠ and iyiniwak ᐃᔨᓂᐘᐠ (Plains Cree).

Nitaskinan means "our (excl.) land". It is formed by attaching the prefix ni- ("I; we") and the suffix -(i)nan ("us, but not yours") to the root aski, forming the possessive.^[9] This construction is seen in neighbouring Algonquian languages like Plains Cree,^[10] Anishinaabemowin,^[11] and Innu Aimun. Indeed, Innu and Abenaki use similar constructions to refer to their homelands: Nitassinan and Ndakinna, respectively.

See also

• Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw

Notes

1. (/iːjoʊ̯ ɪst͡ʃi/,^[7] Northern East Cree: ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᐊᔅᒌ Iiyiyiu Aschii /ijɪjɪu əstʃi/, Southern East Cree: ᐄᔨᔫ ᐊᔅᒌ Iiyiyuu Aschii /ijɪju əstʃi/ or ᐄᓅ ᐊᔅᒌ Iinuu Aschii /inu əstʃi/, all meaning 'The People's Land';^[8] French: [iju istʃi])