Indigenous peoples in Quebec (french: Peuples autochtones du Québec) total 11 distinct ethnic groups. The 10
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
** First Nat ...
and the
Inuit
Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, ...
communities number 141,915 people and account for approximately 2 percent of the population of
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
, Canada.
First Nations
Algonquian
Abenaki
The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pre ...
The Abenaki comprise two
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
** First Nat ...
communities named the
Odanak First Nation (in
Odanak, near
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières (, – 'Three Rivers') is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from the city of ...
) and the
Wolinak First Nation (in
Wôlinak, near
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières (, – 'Three Rivers') is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from the city of ...
). They number approximately 1,900 people.
Anishinaabeg
The Algonquin, who refer to themselves as ''
Anishinaabe
The Anishinaabeg (adjectival: Anishinaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples present in the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. They include the Ojibwe (including Saulteaux and Oji-Cree), Odawa, Potawato ...
g'', comprise nine First Nations who live in communities located in the Outaouais and Abitibi-Témiscamingue regions of Quebec. These First Nations communities are:
*
Abitibiwinni First Nation
The Abitibiwinni First Nation (french: Première Nation Abitibiwinni) is an Algonquian First Nation in the Canadian province of Quebec, residing primarily in the community of Pikogan in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region.
The First Nation had a to ...
in
Pikogan
*
Algonquins of Barriere Lake in
Lac-Rapide
*
Eagle Village First Nation - Kipawa in
Kebaowek
*
Kitcisakik First Nation in
Kitcisakik
*
Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation
Kitigan is a dispersed rural community in the Unorganized North Part of Cochrane District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is located in geographic O'Brien Township along Ontario Highway 11 between the incorporated municipalities of Moonbea ...
in
Kitigan Zibi
Kitigan Zibi (also known as River Desert, and designated as Maniwaki 18 until 1994) is a First Nations reserve of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, an Algonquin band. It is situated near the confluence of the Désert and Gatineau R ...
*
Long Point First Nation in
Winneway
*
Nation Anishinaabe du Lac Simon in
Lac-Simon
*
Timiskaming First Nation in
Timiskaming Timiskaming is a word from the Algonquin ''Temikami'' or ''Temikaming'', from ''tim'' meaning "deep" and ''kami'' meaning "open waters". Alternate spellings include: Temiskaming, Témiscaming, Témiscamingue. The word Temagami comes from the same ...
*
Wolf Lake First Nation in
Hunter's Point
The Algonquin number approximately 12,000 people.
Atikamekw
The Atikamekw are the Indigenous inhabitants of the subnational country or territory they call ('Our Land'), in the upper Saint-Maurice River valley of Quebec (about north of Montreal), Canada. Their current population is around 8,000. One o ...
The three Atikamek (sometimes spelled Atikamekw) bands live in four communities located in the Maurice region of Quebec. These First Nations are:
*
Atikamekw d'Opitciwan in
Obedjiwan
Obedjiwan (officially designated as Obedjiwan 28) is a First Nations reserve and village on the north shore of Gouin Reservoir in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada. It belongs to the Atikamekw of Opitciwan band of the Atikamekw Nation.
...
*
Atikamekw de Manawan
Atikamekw of Manawan (French: ''Les Atikamekw de Manawan'') are an Atikamekw First Nation in Quebec, Canada. They live primarily in the Atikamekw community of Manawan, an Indian reserve located in Lanaudière. In 2016, the band has a registered p ...
in
Manawan
Manawan (named Manouane until 1991), officially named ''communauté Atikamekw de Manawan'' ( French for "Atikamekw Community of Manawan"), is a First Nations reserve on the south-western shores of Lake Métabeskéga in the Lanaudière region of Q ...
*
Conseil des Atikamekw de Wemotaci in
Wemotaci
Wemotaci (designated as Weymontachie 23 until 1997) is a First Nations reserve on the north shore of the Saint-Maurice River at the mouth of the Manouane River in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada. Together with the Obedjiwan and the Couco ...
and
Coucoucache
The Atikamek number approximately 4,900 people.
Cree
The Cree are the most populous nation in the Algonquian-language family. The majority live in Quebec and Ontario, but Cree also live in Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. There are 10 Cree First Nations communities in northern Quebec. They are the:
*
Chisasibi First Nation
Chisasibi ( cr, ᒋᓵᓰᐲ, translit=Cisâsîpî; meaning Great River) is a village on the eastern shore of James Bay, in the Eeyou Istchee equivalent territory (ET) in northern Quebec, Canada. It is situated on the south shore of La Grande R ...
in
Chisasibi
*
Eastmain First Nation
Eastmain ( ; cr, ᐄᔅᒣᐃᓐ/Îsmein) is a Cree community located on east coast of James Bay at the mouth of the Eastmain River, Quebec, Canada. It is a small coastal Cree village with a population of 924 people in the 2021 Canadian Cens ...
in
Eastmain
Eastmain ( ; cr, ᐄᔅᒣᐃᓐ/Îsmein) is a Cree community located on east coast of James Bay at the mouth of the Eastmain River, Quebec, Canada. It is a small coastal Cree village with a population of 924 people in the 2021 Canadian Ce ...
*
Mistissini First Nation in
Mistissini
Mistissini ( cr, ᒥᔅᑎᓯᓃ/Mistisinî meaning Big Rock) is a Cree town located in the south-east corner of the largest natural lake in Quebec, Lake Mistassini. The town is inside the boundaries of the Baie-James Municipality and is the ...
*
Nemaska First Nation
Nemaska ( cr, ᓀᒥᔅᑳᐤ/Nemiskâw, meaning ''underwater point,'' but commonly associated with the word ''namesiskâw'', meaning ''many fish''.) is a small Cree community located on the shores of Lake Champion, in Quebec, Canada. It is a sm ...
in
Nemaska
*
Oujé-Bougoumou First Nation in
Oujé-Bougoumou
Oujé-Bougoumou (; cr, ᐆᒉᐳᑯᒨ / Ûcêpukumû, the linguistic basis for the name of the nearby town Chibougamau, which in the Cree language refers to the narrows of a body of water, and was where Cree people gathered seasonally) is the n ...
*
Waskaganish First Nation
Waskaganish ( cr, ᐙᔅᑳᐦᐄᑲᓂᔥ/Wâskâhîkaniš, Little House; ) is a Cree community of over 2,500 people at the mouth of the Rupert River on the south-east shore of James Bay in Northern Quebec, Canada. Waskaganish is part of the ...
in
Waskaganish
*
Waswanipi First Nation
Waswanipi may refer to:
* Waswanipi, Quebec, a Cree village in Eeyou Istchee, Quebec, Canada
* Waswanipi (Cree village municipality), a Cree Reserved Land located in Eeyou Istchee, Quebec, Canada
*Waswanipi River, a tributary of Matagami Lake in Q ...
in
Waswanipi
*
Wemindji First Nation
Wemindji ( cr, ᐐᒥᓂᒌ/Wîminicî) is a small Cree community on the east coast of James Bay at the mouth of the Maquatua River in Quebec, Canada. Its legal name is the Cree Nation of Wemindji. The community is a part of the Abitibi-Baie-Ja ...
in
Wemindji
*
Whapmagoostui First Nation
Whapmagoostui ( cr, ᐙᐱᒫᑯᔥᑐᐃ/Wâpimâkuštui, "place of the beluga") is the northernmost Cree village in Quebec, Canada, located at the mouth of the Great Whale River (french: Grande Rivière de la Baleine) on the coast of Hudson ...
in
Whapmagoostui
*
Washaw Sibi Eeyou in
Amos
The Cree of Quebec number approximately 25,000 people.
Malecite
The Malécite (or Maliseet, in an older English spelling) comprise one First Nation, the
Première Nation Malecite de Viger
A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition.
A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its firs ...
, whose members live in two communities located in the Bas-St-Laurent region of Quebec. The communities are
Cacouna
Cacouna () is a municipality in the Rivière-du-Loup Regional County Municipality within the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec. It is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River along Route 132.
The municipality of Cacouna was creat ...
and
Whitworth Whitworth may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
*Whitworth, County Durham, a former civil parish in England
**Whitworth Hall, County Durham
*Whitworth, Lancashire, a town in England
*Whitworth Art Gallery, an art gallery in Manchester, England
*Whitw ...
. They number approximately 570 people.
Mi'kmaq
The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the nor ...
The Mi'kmaq (or Micmac, in an older English spelling) live in the Canadian
Maritime provinces
The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of Ca ...
and the
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
region of the
Gaspé Peninsula
The Gaspé Peninsula, also known as Gaspesia (; ), is a peninsula along the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River that extends from the Matapedia Valley in Quebec, Canada, into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. It is separated from New Brunswick o ...
(French=Gaspésie). In Quebec, they number approximately 4,300 people and comprise three First Nations communities:
*
Gaspe First Nation in
Gaspé
*
Gesgapegiag First Nation
Gesgapegiag is one of two First Nations reserves on the south shore of the Gaspésie, most of whom are of Mi'kmaq ancestry. Most of the members reside on the federal Indian reserve that was set aside by the legislature of Lower Canada in 1853, ...
in
Gesgapegiag
*
Listuguj Mi'kmaq First Nation in
Listuguj
Innu
The Innu / Ilnu ("man", "person") or Innut / Innuat / Ilnuatsh ("people"), formerly called Montagnais from the French colonial period (French for "mountain people", English pronunciation: ), are the Indigenous inhabitants of territory in the n ...
The Innu (formerly referred to as the Montagnais) comprise nine First Nations in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec. These First Nations are:
*
Bande des Innus de Pessamit (also known as ‘Pessamit Innu Band’ or
Betsiamites First Nation Betsiamites may refer to:
* the Betsiamites River in Quebec,
* the Innu community of Betsiamites Betsiamites may refer to:
* the Betsiamites River in Quebec,
* the Innu
The Innu / Ilnu ("man", "person") or Innut / Innuat / Ilnuatsh ("people" ...
) in
Betsiamites
*
La Nation Innu Matimekush-Lac John (also known as ‘
Innu Nation of Matimekush-Lac John’) in
Lac-John
Lac-John is a First Nations reserve on John Lake in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada, about north-east from the centre of Schefferville. Together with the Matimekosh Reserve, it belongs to the Innu Nation of Matimekush-Lac John. It is ...
and
Matimekosh
*
Innue Essipit (known also as
Essipit First Nation or ‘Montagnais Essipit’) in
Essipit
*
Innu Takuaikan Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam
Innu Takuaikan Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam is an Innu First Nations band government in Quebec, Canada. It is based in Sept-Îles in the Côte-Nord region on the North shore of the Saint Lawrence River. It owns two reserves: Maliotenam 27A and ...
in
Maliotenam
Maliotenam (Mani-Utenam in Innu-aimun) is a First Nations reserve in Quebec, located adjacent to the city of Sept-Îles. Together with Uashat some distance away, it forms the Innu community of Uashat-Maliotenam. The community is a part of the ...
and
Uashat
Uashat is an Indian reserve in Quebec, located adjacent to the city of Sept-Îles. Together with Maliotenam some distance away, it forms the Innu
The Innu / Ilnu ("man", "person") or Innut / Innuat / Ilnuatsh ("people"), formerly called M ...
*
Les Innus de Ekuanitshit in
Mingan
*
Montagnais du Lac St.-Jean
Montagnais (meaning ''mountaineers'' in French) may refer to:
* Innu people, a First Nation in Canada (note that the Innu are not Inuit)
** Montagnais of Natashquan, an Innu First Nation band government in Quebec
** Old Montagnais, the period in t ...
(also known as ‘Première nation des Pekuakamiulnuatsh’ or ‘Ilnuatsh du Pekuakami’) in
Mashteuiatsh
*
Montagnais de Natashquan in
Natashquan
*
Montagnais de Pakua Shipi
Montagnais (meaning ''mountaineers'' in French) may refer to:
* Innu people, a First Nation in Canada (note that the Innu are not Inuit)
** Montagnais of Natashquan, an Innu First Nation band government in Quebec
** Old Montagnais, the period in t ...
in
Pakuashipi
*
Montagnais de Unamen Shipu in
La Romaine
The Innu number approximately 18,000 people.
Naskapi
The
Naskapi live in northern Quebec. They comprise one First Nation, the
Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach, based in
Kawawachikamach. They number approximately 1,000 people.
The Naskapi are recognized as a distinct nation by the governments of Quebec and Canada; however, they are often considered to be Innu living in a remote area.
Their main language is
Naskapi and their second language is English. The Naskapi committee is known as the NLMB (The Naskapi Local Management Board).
----
Iroquoian
The Iroquoian languages are a language family of indigenous peoples of North America. They are known for their general lack of labial consonants. The Iroquoian languages are polysynthetic and head-marking.
As of 2020, all surviving Iroquoia ...
Wendats
The members of the
Huron-Wendat Nation live in
Wendake, a reserve enclosed within
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
. Their original homeland was in
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
. They number about 2,800 people. Their original language was
Wendat, in the
Iroquoian-language family.
Mohawk
The Mohawk of Quebec number approximately 13,000 people. They comprise the three following
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
** First Nat ...
, which were established at these locations in the colonial period:
*
Kahnawake First Nation
The Kahnawake Mohawk Territory (french: Territoire Mohawk de Kahnawake, in the Mohawk language, ''Kahnawáˀkye'' in Tuscarora) is a First Nations reserve of the Mohawks of Kahnawá:ke on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, ...
in
Kahnawake
The Kahnawake Mohawk Territory (french: Territoire Mohawk de Kahnawake, in the Mohawk language, ''Kahnawáˀkye'' in Tuscarora) is a First Nations reserve of the Mohawks of Kahnawá:ke on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebe ...
and
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated i ...
*
Kanesatake First Nation in
Kanesatake
*
Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne
The Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne ( ; french: Nation Mohawk à Akwesasne; moh, Ahkwesáhsne) is a Mohawk Nation (''Kanienʼkehá:ka'') territory that straddles the intersection of international (United States and Canada) borders and provincial (Ont ...
in
Akwesasne
The Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne ( ; french: Nation Mohawk à Akwesasne; moh, Ahkwesáhsne) is a Mohawk Nation (''Kanienʼkehá:ka'') territory that straddles the intersection of international (United States and Canada) borders and provincial (Ont ...
Inuit
The
Inuit
Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, ...
communities of Quebec are located in the northernmost part of the province, in an area known as
Nunavik
Nunavik (; ; iu, ᓄᓇᕕᒃ) comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, part of the Nord-du-Québec region and nearly coterminous with Kativik. Covering a land area of north of the 55th parallel, it is the homeland of the I ...
. They number approximately 13,000 people. They were isolated from European encounter longer than other indigenous nations. There are Inuit communities at:
*
Akulivik, Quebec
*
Aupaluk, Quebec
*
Inukjuak, Quebec
*
Ivujivik, Quebec
*
Kangiqsualujjuaq, Quebec
Kangiqsualujjuaq (; ) is an Inuit village located at the mouth of the George River on the east coast of Ungava Bay in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. Its population was 956 as of the 2021 census.
Names
The settlement's original name, Fort Severi ...
*
Kangirsuk, Quebec
Kangirsuk (in Inuktitut: ᑲᖏᕐᓱᖅ/''Kangirsuq'', meaning "the bay") is an Inuit village in northern Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. It is north of Kuujjuaq, between Aupaluk and Quaqtaq. The community is only accessible by air ( Kangirsuk Airpo ...
*
Kuujjuaq, Quebec
Kuujjuaq (; iu, ᑰᑦᔪᐊᖅ, i=no or iu, ᑰᔾᔪᐊᖅ, i=no, label=none, "Great River"), formerly known as and by other names, is a former Hudson's Bay Company outpost at the mouth of the Koksoak River on Ungava Bay that has become t ...
*
Kuujjuarapik, Quebec
Kuujjuarapik (also spelled Kuujjuaraapik; iu, ᑰᔾᔪᐊᕌᐱᒃ ''little great river'') is the southernmost northern village ( Inuit community) at the mouth of the Great Whale River (french: Grande Rivière de la Baleine) on the coast of ...
*
Puvirnituq, Quebec
*
Quaqtaq, Quebec
*
Salluit, Quebec
Recognized rights
*
James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
*
Charter of the French Language
The ''Charter of the French Language'' (french: link=no, La charte de la langue française), also known in English as Bill 101, Law 101 (''french: link=no, Loi 101''), or Quebec French Preference Law, is a law in the province of Quebec in Canada ...
*
Constitution of Canada
The Constitution of Canada (french: Constitution du Canada) is the supreme law in Canada. It outlines Canada's system of government and the civil and human rights of those who are citizens of Canada and non-citizens in Canada. Its contents a ...
*
United Nations conventions, covenants, & Treaties
*
Murray treaty 1760
*
Jay treaty 1794
*
Hopson Treaty 1752
*
Royal Proclamation 1763
*
UNDRIP, assented June 21, 2021
See also
*
Native Friendship Centre of Montreal The Native Friendship Centre of Montreal (French: ''Centre d'amitié autochtone de Montréal'') is a Native Friendship Centre for Indigenous people in Montreal. It opened in 1974 (as a drop-in centre) located on Bishop Street in Montreal. In 197 ...
*
Demographics of Quebec
The demographics of Quebec constitutes a complex and sensitive issue, especially as it relates to the National question. Quebec is the only province in Canada to feature a francophone (French-speaking) majority, and where anglophones (English-spe ...
*
Demolinguistics of Quebec
*
Native American languages
Over a thousand indigenous languages are spoken by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. These languages cannot all be demonstrated to be related to each other and are classified into a hundred or so language families (including a large num ...
*
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples.
Many Indigenous peoples of the A ...
*
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
** First Nat ...
*
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
In Canada, Indigenous groups comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Although ''Indian'' is a term still commonly used in legal documents, the descriptors ''Indian'' and ''Eskimo'' have fallen into disuse in Canada, and most consider them ...
*
Template:First Nations in Quebec
*
Metis Nation of Canada
External links
Map of the native communities in QuebecSecrétariat aux affaires autochtones du Québec
{{Canada topic, Indigenous peoples in