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Abstract / Resume
The Cree Nation of Oujé-Bougoumou had concerns about the impact of mining on the environment; thus, a traditional land use study was initiated to document potential sites of concern (SOC) in the Ouje-Bougoumou territory. SOC refers to any site that an individual and/or their family had observed and felt concerned about from an environmental health perspective. Seventy-two head-of-household participated; 42 identified at least one SOC in their interview. A total of 90 SOC were identified corresponding to 73 environmental concerns, and 66 unique SOC; some were identified by more than one person.
La nation crie d'Oujé-Bougoumou est préoccupée des incidences de l'exploitation minière sur l'environnement. C'est pourquoi on a entrepris une étude de l'utilisation traditionnelle des terres afin de documenter les emplacements inquiétants potentiels sur le territoire de la nation crie. Un emplacement inquiétant fait référence à tout endroit observé par une personne ou sa famille qui se préoccupe de la salubrité de l'environnement de l'emplacement. L'étude a engagé la participation de 72 chefs de ménage, dont 42 ont indiqué au moins un emplacement inquiétant au cours d'une entrevue. Les entrevues ont permis de recueillir 73 préoccupations environnementales qui ont cerné un total de 90 emplacements, soit 66 emplacements distincts (certains ont été indiqués par plus d'une personne).
Introduction
The Crée Nation of Oujé-Bougoumou is located in the south-eastern James Bay region of northern Quebec, Canada. Since the early 1950s, the mining industry has extensively explored the traditional territory of Oujé-Bougoumou for various metals (e.g., gold, copper). The result of these explorations has been the establishment of more than 20 mines in the area and seven major relocations of the Oujé-Bougoumou community (Frenette, 1985). After many years of turmoil, the Oujé-Bougoumou community negotiated an agreement that provided for the construction of a permanent village in a location of their choice; construction of the village commenced in 1990 and was completed in 1992. Within 10 years of living in their new community, the Oujé-Bougoumou people became concerned about the health of the fish and animals in a number of their traditional harvesting areas. The people believed that past and present mining activities were having a detrimental effect on the environment and consequently all organisms. As the Oujé-Bougoumou people still practice subsistence harvesting,...