Cree & Innu Sign Historic Caribou Agreement in Spirit of Sharing and Respect

Caribou along the George River, Labrador. Photo: Valérie Courtois

By Valérie Courtois

January 27, 2022

As an Innu woman, I come from a people of the caribou. Our relationship with caribou is at the heart of our teachings and our responsibility to the land. When I arrived in Labrador in the early 2000s, caribou were so abundant I had to wait for nearly an hour for the herd to cross the road on my first drive along the Trans-Labrador Highway. Yet over the years, the George River Herd has plummeted. Today there are about 8,100, down from about 800,000 in 1993. The decline is a source of grief and alarm, and it has spurred Indigenous Nations concerned to take careful steps to help caribou recover. But we miss caribou in our hearts and our bones.

This week brought a welcome breakthrough—and a reunion.

The Cree and Innu Nations signed an agreement on Monday that revives the ways of our ancestors and builds on the customary values of sharing, sustainable harvest, and respect for the caribou.

As part of the agreement, a community hunt will occur in Chisasibi, Eeyou Istchee, with the Cree sharing 300 caribou with the Innu—almost half of their allowable harvest from the Leaf River Herd. The community hunt will focus on teaching traditional practices around caribou and was conceived through consultation with Elders, tallymen, and land users. It will create the conditions for people to be on the land and practice an ethic of sharing, conservation, and respect.

Guardians from both the Cree and Innu Nations will monitor the hunt and manage logistics, safety, and documentation.

This hunt means that every Innu school will have a chance to teach our children how to take care of the caribou, how to respectfully consume it, share it, and all of our laws and ethics that govern our relationship with caribou. Many Innu kids will have the chance to taste caribou for the first time. And Innu Elders will know the old ways are being honoured.

It is also a powerful expression of Nationhood. Our two Nations have been friends since time immemorial. The Innu and Cree used to hunt caribou together, and our families and communities are interwoven. Colonialism created artificial barriers between us, but in this time of scarcity, we are turning to the values that helped us survive famine in the past: cooperation and generosity.

The Cree and Innu did not seek permission from Crown governments for this. They forged an agreement between two Nations and are now acting on their own vision and values.

This manifestation of Nationhood has its roots in the Ungava Peninsula Caribou Aboriginal Round Table, known as UPCART. When caribou herds started plunging, seven Indigenous Nations and groups came together and released a ground-breaking strategy in 2017 for restoring caribou across 1.5 million square kilometers of Quebec, Labrador and Nunavik. It was the first cooperative Indigenous agreement for wildlife management at this scale in Canada.

Members of the Ungava Peninsula Caribou Aboriginal Round Table. Photo: Valérie Courtois

I had the honour of facilitating the UPCART discussions, and it brought me great pride that the work the Innu did for UPCART led to formalizing the Innu Nation in a modern sense. The unification of my Nation was a gift from the caribou. And this latest agreement with the Cree around caribou is another demonstration of Innu Nationhood.

Every year, I make a journey to the caribou’s house on the George River, which we call Mushuau shipu, as an homage to the sacred relationship. It makes my heart sing to see the Innu Nation act according to our responsibility to the caribou. 

It is my hope the agreement between the Cree and Innu will be seen favorably by the Caribou Master. This is us taking responsibility for our relationship. When we take care of each other’s hunger, it is a show of respect. When we share in a good way, the Caribou Master will provide.

Caribou near the George River, Labrador. Photo: Valérie Courtois