Interview with Constant Awashish, Grand Chief of the Atikamekw Nation

Close-up of Constant Awashish, Grand Chief of the Atikamekw Nation, in interview format, standing in front of a traditional tepee.

Constant Awashish: I am Constant Awashish, Grand Chief of the Atikamekw Nation, a father, and a dedicated supporter of my nation.

On-screen text: Constant Awashish.

[Music]

Aerial shot of a site in the middle of nature with traditional tepees. On-screen text: Traditional Fishing, Atikamekw Nation. Close-up of Constant Awashish, in interview format, standing in front of a traditional tepee.

Constant Awashish: I come from Nitaskinan. Nitaskinan has an area of 88,000 square kilometres. The Atikamekws have a very strong culture thanks to our grandparents, our mothers and our fathers, who always made a point of speaking to us in Atikamekw. Atikamekw values are passed down from generation to generation. I had the good fortune to spend time with elders when I was young. That gave me a chance to absorb Atikamekw ways of thinking, legends and stories. We teach our values through our legends and through our history.

[Music]

A slow-paced succession of images showing the following: a map of the Nitaskinan territory, showing the borders set out in the declaration of sovereignty signed in 2018; black-and-white photos of a group of Atikamekw people sharing a meal outdoors; and a photo of an old woman repairing a bark canoe under a young child’s watchful gaze.

[Music]

Close-up of Constant Awashish, in interview format, standing in front of a traditional tepee.

Constant Awashish: Once when I was young—I still miss those days often—we were in the forest, and I was with my grandparents. We were just going to bed, and we were sleeping in tents, Atikamekw-style! So I went to bed and my grandparents went on talking about animals and legends. And I listened to them. My eyes were shut but I was listening to what they said. At one point, I fell asleep. I don’t even know when they stopped talking, but that’s how you learn.

[Music]

Black-and-white aerial shot of a forest. Succession of black-and-white photos: a woman cleaning fish in a basin, surrounded by three children; a fishing net; and a photo of a woman cutting up fish inside a tepee. Close-up of Constant Awashish, in interview format, standing in front of a traditional tepee.

Constant Awashish: For me, fishing is not what people might imagine. We fish to eat. I remember when I was young, my grandfather would take me net-fishing, and he would make his own nets. We would set off in the morning, lay the net and return later. We would get a couple of fish, and that was our catch for the day. One of the things I heard often was: “Look at what I’m doing!”

Constant Awashish: On the subject of fishing, there is a certain way to cut up the fish and prepare it. That’s the key. The more you respect the animal, the more you respect the fish, the better or luckier you’ll be when it comes to catching fish and game. And, like a big circle, it’ll come back to bite you if you behave badly. That’s what they showed me when I was young. (Laughter.)

Close-up of Constant Awashish, in interview format, standing in front of a traditional tepee.

Constant Awashish (speaking in Atikamekw):  I want to say in closing is that we must respect the fish and be careful with the water, that’s where he lives, that’s where he lives. Do not overfish. What I’m asking is to share the fish, to take care of it with respect. And above all, do not overexploit.. That’s all, thank you. (Laughter.)!

Aerial shot of a site with traditional tepees in the middle of nature.

[Closing music]