Attawapiskat
A Cree Community In The James Bay Lowlands, On A Wide Tidal River Near James Bay, With Geese, Fishing, A Long Winter Road Network And A Strong Mushkegowuk Culture. A Remote Community With Limited Visitor Services, Reached Only By Air Or The Winter Road · Attawapiskat, Ontario
Attawapiskat is a Cree community of roughly 1,600 to 2,000 people on the Attawapiskat River, a short way upstream from James Bay on the Hudson Bay lowlands of northern Ontario. The people of Attawapiskat First Nation are Mushkegowuk, or Swampy Cree, and the name is usually taken to mean people of the parting of the rocks, after the limestone ridges in the river (confirm). They have hunted geese, fished and trapped on this coast for many centuries, and a Hudson Bay Company post later traded on the river. There is no road open all year. Visitors arrive by scheduled flight from the south or, in a cold winter, by the winter road network. The community has faced hard years, including housing and health emergencies that drew national attention, and it has no tourist programme. Come only by arrangement through the band office, as a respectful guest, and expect a working community, not an attraction.
Attawapiskat, a Cree community of about 1,600 people on the Attawapiskat River near James Bay in northern Ontario, reached by air or a winter road; coordinates approximate, Attawapiskat, Ontario, Canada
Attawapiskat keeps no visiting hours because it is a living community. The store, the band office and the school follow weekday patterns, roughly 9 to 5, and close on Sundays and public holidays - confirm by phone. Scheduled flights serve the airport several days a week, and fog, freezing rain and blowing snow cancel many of them. The winter road is open only in the coldest months, commonly late January to March, and its dates change with the ice (confirm). The spring goose hunt in late April and May takes families to camps and slows services. The river bank and the streets can be walked at any hour, but ask your host before going farther.