Because of its geographical location, Mashteuiatsh, “Ka Mesta8iats” from its original name which means “Where there is a point”, has always represented a sector of passage and gathering.
The community initially called Ouiatchouan, took the name of Mashteuiatsh in 1985. It is the only Innu reserve of Nitassinan (territory, our land) in the Saguenay Lac St Jean region. It is established on the western shore of the Pekuakami (Lac St Jean) near Roberval.
The majority of the Montagnais of Lac St Jean live outside the Mashteuiatsh reserve. There are 2,200 residents in the community. Part of the population still speaks Nehluen, our language1https://nehlueun.com, the official dialect and French.
In addition to the Amishk elementary school and the Kassinu-Mamu high school, the community has a church and a small museum2https://saguenaylacsaintjean.ca/en/attraction/quoi-faire/musee-amerindien-de-mashteuiatsh. Its economic activities are mainly oriented towards construction, tourism, the wood industry and soon aluminium.
Its annual pow wow, the Grand Gathering of the First Nations of Mashteuiatsh3https://www.mashteuiatsh.ca/visiteur/grand-rassemblement-des-premieres-nations.html, takes place in early July at the waterfront. Like many festival activities in the region, the pow wow is sponsored by the industrial giant Rio Tinto.