Testimony – Vanessa Copeau-Collard’s Experience

Vanessa Copeau-Collard posing with the foot of a porcelain doll, 2016

As the works were carried on Nitassinan ground, the ancestral lands of the Innus people, the project could not have been conceived without considering their contribution. Vanessa Copeau-Collard, an Innu from Pessamit, participated in various steps of the Pointe-aux-Outardes archaeological project.

Kuei, hello! I will tell you a few things related to my experience with Archeo-Mamu. For someone who did not have any experience in that domain, I had no clue as what to expect. First day on the field, the rain was pouring and there were mosquitoes everywhere! We left the place empty-handed. It is only a little bit later, during the second week, that we started to find things. Awesome! I started to like it and soon became more motivated in leaving my 5 years old son at home to resume the search. As the days went by, I was more and more excited in waking up early every morning and leave for Pointe-aux-Outardes, where the project was carried. I could not have wished for a better work environment. On the horizon I could see the village where I am from. Sometimes I was discouraged, but then I would think about what our elders have endured, paddling for hours on, stopping only to walk on very long portage routes. This is where my strenght and desire to learn what archaeology was came from. Back home after such beautiful days and fascinating discoveries, my son would ask me what I had found. I soon realized that he was very interested in what I was doing. I can truly confess that I went through good vibes hearing the sound of trowels. And it was a very nice experience with the team.