| This is one of the oldest handwritten documents containing information about the Innu. "Innu" is the name they choose for themselves, but they are called Montagnais and sometimes Naskapi by the non-Innu. They live in the eastern and northern areas of Quebec and in Labrador. The dictionary exemplifies one of the very first contacts between the French and the Native peoples. It was impossible for the newcomers to establish a lasting relationship with the Native peoples without first learning the basics of their languages. For two centuries, the fur trade was the basis of that relationship. MG 18, C 10 |