Nitaskinan, also known as Nehirowisi Aski and Atikamekw Territory, is the ancestral

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

of the Atikamekw people. It is located in the valley of the Saint-Maurice River in Quebec, Canada. It covers an area of . On 8 September 2014, the Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw declared unilaterally the sovereignty of the Atikamekw Nation on the Nistaskinan. 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 the Nitaskinan territory 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, relating it to Ojibwemowin's ''aki'' and the ''Istchee'' in Eeyou Istchee, 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 " tikamekwpeople". 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'' ᓀᐦᐃᔭ 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 your") to the root ''aski'', forming the possessive. This construction is seen in neighbouring Algonquian languages like Plains Cree, Anishinaabemowin, and Innu Aimun. Indeed, Innu use a similar construction to refer to their homeland: Nitassinan.

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References

Atikamekw Geography of Quebec First Nations history in Quebec Indigenous politics in Canada Cultural regions of Canada {{Quebec-geo-stub

Etymology

See also

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References