Halfbreed, Maria Campbell. Éditions Prises de Paroles, Sudbury, 2021 [1973], 340 p.

Abstract

The privileged relationship of Indigenous peoples with the land, at the heart of their identity, is poorly understood and compromised by the new forms of land occupation since contact with Eurocanadians. The role and place of Indigenous women in land governance and natural resource management is unappreciated or even ignored. Thematic analysis of 32 interviews with women from the three Atikamekw communities showed that: 1) Atikamekw women have a strong attachment to the land; 2) they had to adapt quickly to upheavals in their way of life; 3) they want to perpetuate the transmission of Atikamekw knowledge; and 4) they have a role to play in local and territorial decision-making and that they value their political leadership. Solutions are suggested to mitigate the sense of territorial and cultural insecurity of Atikamekw women and to highlight their knowledge of the land and its management in order to «recover the balance», essential to the transmission of Atikamekw identity and culture.