The Atikamekw are the indigenous inhabitants of the area they refer to as Nitaskinan, in the upper St. Maurice valley of Québec. Their population currently stands at around 4,500. They have a tradition of agriculture as well as fishing, hunting and gathering. The Atikamekw language, which is an Algonquian language very close to neighbouring Cree dialects, is still in everyday use, but their land has largely been appropriated by logging companies and their ancient way of life is almost extinct.
They have close traditional ties with the Innu people, who were their historical allies against the Inuit, but they are unrelated: their language and culture is quite distinct.
Their name, which literally means "white fish", is sometimes also spelt Attikamekw, Attikamek, Attimewk or Atikamek. The French colonists referred to them as Têtes-de-Boules, meaning bowl-heads.
External links:
Council of the Atikamekw Nation (http://www.meskino.qc.ca/cna/)
We encourage students and teachers to visit our main Atikamekw pages for in-depth information about the tribe, but here are our answers to the questions we are most often asked by children, with Atikamekw pictures and links we believe are suitable for all ages.
It's pronounced "Ah-dik-ah-meck." The W is part of the final consonant, showing that the K is rounded (a subtle pronunciation difference that is difficult for English or French speakers to say correctly.) It isn't a fifth syllable, and you shouldn't pronounce the word "Ah-dik-ah-meck-wuh." In their language, Atikamekw means a kind of whitefish.
The French sometimes used to call the Atikameks "Tête-de-Boule," which was the French name for whitefish.
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