Nemaska

Nemaska (Cree: ᓀᒥᔅᑳᐤ/Nemiskâw, meaning underwater point, but commonly associated with the word namesiskâw, meaning lots of fish.) is a small Cree community located on the shores of Lake Champion, in Quebec. It is a small Cree village with a population of 712 people at the 2011 census.  Nemaska is the seat of the Grand Council of the Crees and Cree Regional Government.

It was officially known (by the Quebec government) as Nemiscau until May 8, 2010.

Nemaska is a new and modern village that consists of Cree families originally living at the Nemiscau trading post on Lake Nemiscau. When the Hudson’s Bay Company post closed there in 1970, the residents were dispersed until the new village of Nemaska was built in 1980, over 60 km (37 mi) northeast from the former site. The nearby Hydro-Québec electrical substation and airport, both called Nemiscau, create confusion as to the town’s name. As a result, many maps indicate the new site by the old name Nemiscau.

Nemaska is accessible by air (from Hydro-Québec’s Nemiscau Airport) and by car over the gravel North Road (Route du Nord). About 14 km (8.7 mi) east from the village is the huge Hydro-Québec substation of Nemiscau.