The Innu of Davis Inlet in Labrador are finally moving to a new government-built town, after an international outcry was raised over their living conditions and the deeply entrenched social problems the small island community has long faced. The 680 Mushuau Innu received international attention in 1992 when six children died in a house fire while their parents were getting drunk. Soon after, Simeon Tshakapesh, a local police officer, videotaped Innu children sniffing gasoline from plastic bags and discussing suicide to show the world the depth of despair in the Canadian community. The resulting media spotlight led to a government plan to build an entirely new town for the people of Davis Inlet. In the words of Tshakapesh, now the band chief, “People had to die. Kids had to get high to get the government to listen.” Though the government contractor failed to meet many deadlines, 30 houses in Natuashish are now occupied, with about 100 homes still to be completed.
A traditionally nomadic society, the Mushuau Innu band settled in Davis Inlet in 1967, under alleged pressure from the government and Catholic Church. The government denies pressuring them to settle. Life in Davis Inlet was hard from the beginning: small plywood houses lacked proper insulation and were quickly overcrowded, running water and sewage systems were never installed, and the Innu are unable to reach hunting and trapping grounds for five months of the year when the ice between the island and mainland is melted. The island’s rocky ground has rendered attempts at installing water or sewage systems almost futile - only 15 houses have running water. Alcoholism among adults and gasoline sniffing among children has become shockingly widespread, and deep despair and anger have permeated the town. As the Washington Post put it, “the words ‘Davis Inlet’ have become synonymous with misery” in Canada.
In 1993, the people of Davis Inlet voted to move to the mainland, where hunting would be easier and where modern sewage and water systems could be built. The government agreed in 1994 to fund the move, thanks to the intense media and public opinion pressure Tshakapesh and others helped create. The plan was supposed to take five years and $82 million (Canadian). Now, after $152 million and seven years of work, only 30 houses were completed by the December 14, 2002 deadline, though only a few weeks ago the government estimated as many as 100 would be completed. Citing problems with weather, transportation, and labor, Davis Engineering, the government contractor, maintains that the 133 houses will finally be completed by the spring. However, the Innu population has doubled in the 10 years since the plan was made, and they are pushing for the government to build additional houses to avoid a repeat of the overcrowding in Davis Inlet.
Because of the fiasco of construction delays, the Mushuau Innu Band Council was faced with a difficult decision. Should all the Innu stay another winter in dismal Davis Inlet, waiting until everyone could move together, or should the community be split in two? Despite fears of the effects of such a social division, it was ultimately decided that thirty families would move over the December 14 weekend, with the rest to follow in the spring. The government has promised adequate policing and healthcare availability in both towns while Natuashish is finished, but this could be tricky. The health clinic has moved to Natuashish, and a vehicle called a Snow Cat will be purchased to transport those left in Davis Inlet to Natuashish for emergencies. Of even greater concern is education, since it will be extremely difficult to find enough teachers to maintain both schools. When the relocation is complete, Davis Inlet will most likely be razed. A few residents would like to keep their old houses as storage sheds, but others are concerned that keeping any part of Davis Inlet intact will simply give teenagers and children unsupervised areas to go sniff gasoline or get into other sorts of trouble.
The new residents of Natuashish were thrilled to move in over the December 14 weekend in spite of terrible weather. After bringing family goods over the frozen sea in komatiks, wooden sleds pulled by snowmobile, many spent time simply turning faucets on and off, flushing toilets, and enjoying the warmth of well-insulated homes. Canadian government classes have taught residents how to use modern appliances and indoor plumbing. Eric Rich explained to a reporter, “running water is like a dream to me.” Elder Angela Rich, the first to receive a house key in a small ceremony, explained through a translator that her home in Davis Inlet had always been cold and she was very happy to be in Natuashish. Rent for the new homes is $300 a month, though that may change.
The priest who ministers to Davis Inlet has expressed concern that no church has yet been built in the new community, but there seems to be little interest. Many consider the Catholic Church partly responsible for their social problems, as it worked for years to convince the Innu to give up their traditional nomadic lifestyle.
The larger challenge for the Mushuau Innu will be building a healthier society in Natuashish, but there is tremendous hope mixed with an awareness that it will not be easy. John Olthuis, a lawyer who has long represented the Innu, called the move the “foundation” for social change, noting that “[change] doesn’t happen all at once, but they’re headed that way.” Tshakapesh has expressed hope that the new surroundings will help change how people feel about themselves. There is a growing belief that gas- and glue-sniffing in children is linked to parental alcoholism and that both will have to be addressed. Government programs aimed at social change and reducing drug addiction will continue. Ted Gear, one of the new Natuashish residents, says that residents “had better take pride in these houses…I do know that I will. This is something very special.”
