Drawing Traces

Phil Einish
March 1, 2011
Kawawachikamach

"It's fascinating to see how well our ancestors knew the land."

Phil Einish, Naskapi

Phil Einish holds a map. Red lines to mark caribou trails; dots to indicate fishing lakes, campsites and burial sites. In syllabic characters, the names of mountains and rivers. Here, the border where friendly peoples lived side by side, without a treaty. On the left, the Cree, on the right and bottom, the Innu neighbours and in the centre, the Naskapi, cartographers of an immense territory bearing traces of a long-lasting presence. Memory work that Phil Einish would like to leave to future generations so that they can also draw a map of their roots and identity.