Letter from David Masty (past chief)

The community is situated on the north side of the river, but the original site of the community was on the south side at the mouth of the Great Whale River before European contact. Every summer since 1993, we’ve had our traditional gathering at the original site of the community. This gathering started as a result of our campaign against the proposed Great Whale River hydro-electric project in the late 80’s and 90’s.
Through the strong leadership of former chiefs Robbie Dick and Matthew Mukash, the campaign against the proposed hydro-electric project was successful and the project was postponed.
The neighbouring Inuit community of Kuujjuarapik is the last major Inuit community going in a southerly direction and Whapmagoostui is the last community of Eeyouch (Cree) if you are going north in Quebec. Our two communities represent the cultural boundary between the Cree of Eeyou Istchee and the Inuit of Nunavik. Both Eeyouch and Inuit mean ‘the people’.
Although our communities have been known in the past by the postal names of Great Whale River and Poste de la Baliene, the present names have always been used by each ethnic group for the larger community. When the administrative local government structures and jurisdictions were implemented pursuant to the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement in the seventies, Whapmagoostui and Kuujjuarapik became the official names of our respective communities.
The community is a member of the nine, soon to be ten, Cree Nation communities and a member of the Cree Regional Authority/Grand Council of the Crees. The Cree Nation of Eeypi Istchee held general elections for the Grand Chief and Deputy Grand Chief in the fall of 2005. As a result of these elections, the Cree Nation has honoured our community by electing one of its members as the new Grand Chief. Whapmagoostui is the home of Matthew Mukash, the new Grand Chief. Losty Mamianskum, also a member of this community came very close to winning the run-off elections for the position of Deputy Grand Chief. I am very proud of these members of my community for the recognition they have received from the other Cree Nation communities for their leadership potential, experience and skills.
Our community is the only one which is not accessible by road. Our isolation is one of the factors why the Eeyou traditions, culture and language is still very strong in our community.  Our people still go on land for several months of the year to pursue traditional activities, accompanied by their children and grandchildren.
About forty percent of the Eeyouch of Whapmagoostui pursues the traditional way of life based on hunting, fishing, trapping and gathering, on a full time basis. They are beneficiaries of the Cree Hunters and Trappers Income Security Program which was established pursuant to the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement to provide an income guarantee and benefits, and other incentives for Cree who wish to pursue the traditional harvesting activities as a way of life.
Although our community is deeply rooted in the traditional ways, we do embrace the new technology in the way we practice our traditional and cultural activities.
As an example, instead of living nomadic lives, a trapper’s family has a cabin or two from which the harvesting is done using skidoos, all-terrain-vehicles, canoe and outboard motors. All bush camps are equipment with a high frequency radio and some have a satellite phone, satellite television, generators, ice drills, television, VCR/DVD equipment. Access to a family’s traditional hunting territory, depending on the distance from the community, can be made by skidoo or by plane. The most common aircraft equipment used is the Twin Otter, which is capable of landing and take off on a 1200-foot landing strip.
Additionally, a cultural camp has been established at the edge of the community where our people celebrate their culture in various ways and where the visitor may experience that culture in a living and vital way.
To better address the needs and interests of the community members, various interest groups have been established by previous local government administrations. These groups make recommendations to the chief and council regarding the delivery of services and programs, and in fact some entities administer the programs themselves. These entities include a local youth council, a local council of elders, a women’s association, a local trappers committee, a housing committee, a health and social services committee, a school committee, etc. 
The community’s uniqueness and geographical location makes it very interesting and appealing for visitors.  Visitors can experience the beauty and majesty of Hudson Bay, wooded hills, and the transition to the tundra, depending on the time of the year, a variety of wildlife can be readily seen within a short distance from the community.

David Masty