We are the Eeyouch of Eeyou Istchee

We call ourselves Eeyou. Our land—Eeyou Istchee—which means the People’s Land, comprises eleven Cree communities and over three hundred “traplines,” or traditional family hunting and trapping grounds. Our traditional territory, an area of over 400, 000 square kilometres, or two-thirds the size of France, is located primarily in northern Quebec and includes the lands on the eastern shore of James Bay and south-eastern Hudson Bay, as well as the lakes and rivers that drain into them. In addition, our traditional territory includes lands which we have historically occupied in Ontario, across the Ontario-Quebec border. Eeyou Istchee is home to over 18,000 people.