Natuashish

Natuashish is an Innu community in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The community is inhabited by the Mushuau Innu First Nation.

This article is about the town. For the ethnic group, see Mushuau Innu First Nation.

Natuashish
Indian reserve
Natuashish Indian Reserve No. 2
Natuashish Location in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Coordinates: 55°55′00″N 61°07′30″W
Country	Canada
Province	Newfoundland and Labrador
Settled	2002 [1]
Government
• Chief	John Nui
• Federal MP	Yvonne Jones (L)
• Provincial MHA	Lela Evans (PC)
Population  (2016)
• Total	935[2]
Time zone	UTC-4 (AST)
Area code(s)	709

Natuashish (Little Sango Pond)[3] was established in 2002 as a planned community in the hopes of resolving the social problems that had plagued the prior community of Davis Inlet, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) away.[4] The population of Natuashish at the 2016 Census was 936, up from 931 in 2011.

Initial reports suggested that the Canadian government's plan of renewal and healing had been a failure, as the community was still plagued with alcohol and drug abuse. The government was accused of creating a system overburdened with bureaucracy, and not adequately addressing the issue. The local tribal band was accused of corruption, as was shown in a 2005 CBC report in which it was shown that the leadership was trafficking drugs and other illicit substances to maintain power.[5][6][7][8][9]

The community's attempt to resolve its problem with alcoholism led to a ban on the sale, purchase, and possession of alcohol within the community. The bylaw was originally passed in 2008 by a margin of two votes.[10][11] The prohibition bylaw was upheld in a subsequent referendum held in the community in March 2010.[12]

The community continues to struggle with drug abuse and youth boredom.[13][14][15][16]

The community is served by the Natuashish Airport.[17]

References

1. Adrian Tanner (1999). "Innu History". Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
3. Claude Rocheleau, Heritage Study for Utshimassit Community Relocation Project, Sango Bay, Labrador, Phase 2
4. "Davis Inlet Innu get new home."
5. CBC, "From Davis Inlet to Natuashish", February 14, 2005
10. CBC, "Labrador Innu village votes for booze ban", February 1, 2008
12. CBC, "Natuashish votes to keep alcohol ban", March 26, 2010
13. Power, Peter (April 27, 2016). "A decade after the people of Davis Inlet were relocated, they are still hunting demons". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail Inc. Retrieved 28 June 2016.