Many towns and cities are proud of their history, and rightly so. However, our community has made history not only for its people, but for all Aboriginal peoples as well as for Canada itself. It is with great honor and joy that we celebrate our 350th anniversary of the gathering place.
Since time immemorial we have inhabited the land of Eeyou Istchee and made our livelihood on the shores of the Nemaska Sibi (Rupert River). For the past 350 years we have made Waskaganish (Kanyaakasheet - spelling?) our home and gathering place where we continue to welcome everyone to our lives and culture.
Waskaganish is the oldest Cree settlement, an important historical site in the James Bay region, and the birthplace of the Hudson Bay Company and the British fur trade in western Canada. From the earliest exchanges in 1611 with Henry Hudson, to welcoming the crew of Zachariah Gilliam’s ship Nonsuch in 1668, we have continued a long history of trade and hospitality.
