Elders' Biographies
Etuat Mistenapeo (Mishta-Etuat)
The son of Mistenapeu and Unapatum, Etuat was born on January 1, 1935, on a brook west of Kameshkiamats, about 15 km south of Kakushtikuak (Tasisuak Lake). He was baptized in Davis Inlet by Father Edward O'Brien who had to act as his godfather because all the other Innu were in the interior at the time. His mother, Unapatum, was made his godmother.
In 1956, he and Mani-Shushet Noah were married by Father O'Brien in Old Davis Inlet, and thereafter raised eight children. In his youth, Etuat saw Mushuau-shipu (George River) and Mishta-nipi in what is now northern Quebec. These were very important areas for the Barren Ground Innu people because they brought them into contact with migrating caribou from the George River herd.
"Life in the country was a lot of hard work in the old days. Life was harsh. In the past, before there was modern machinery, everything was done by hand. People walked. Travelling was long and difficult. There were no dog teams to pull gear. We respected our Elders in those days. We listened to them and obeyed them. That's how we survived. After they were all gone, we followed their footsteps. We do the things they did in the way of hunting and surviving on the land."
"I would like future generations not to abandon the traditional Innu way of life, that they remember their survival skills on the hunting grounds, to keep the culture alive and strong, because I always taught my grandchildren these things. I tell them to continue to remember the hunting skills and to teach their own children what I taught them."
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