Sheshatshiu youth Ocean Pokue holds a starfish in the palm of her hand.
“You know what it feels like? A worm with sugar all over it,” she said. “You know what I mean?”
Before that day in June, Pokue had never held a starfish. But, as one of two dozen Innu youth aboard Innu Nation’s Uinipeku Expedition, Pokue’s days are full of firsts.
Jenny Hurley, another participant from Sheshatshiu, shares that sentiment.
“Every morning when I get up, I’m excited for something brand new, every day,” said Hurley. “I’m very thrilled.”
Now in its fourth year, the Uinipeku Expedition is an annual ocean science research journey, travelling through Innu Nation marine zones between Sheshatshiu and Natuashish. The expedition takes place in two legs, over a period of about two and a half weeks.
Held aboard the MV Polar Athena — described by organizers as a “floating classroom and science lab” — the ship hosts a crew of researchers and educators from organizations like Students on Ice, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Innu Nation and more — along with Innu elders, guardians and youth participants.
Uinipeku Expedition co-lead Gioia Montevecchi said two main goals are at the heart of the program: ocean science and education.
Co-lead Michael Hannaford adds the project began for Innu Nation as a search for scientific data around conservation and economic opportunities.
“So that was really the impetus for this work, is to try and actually learn about these areas and describe them,” said Hannaford.
Seeing the mountains is ‘such a gift,’ says Innu youth
In late June, the Polar Athena is docked just outside a beach known as Amishku-Shipiss in Innu-Aimun — or Swallow Harbour in English — which is part of the Akami-Uapishk- KakKasuak−Mealy Mountains National Park Reserve.
Inside the ship’s main gathering space on the fourth deck, researchers and youth casually watch underwater footage filmed that morning.
A “floating classroom and science lab” has been sailing through Innu Nation marine zones this summer, carrying a crew full of Innu youth, scientists and educators. It’s all part of Innu Nation’s Uinipeku Expedition, now in its fourth year. After leaving Sheshatshiu, the expedition headed towards the Mealy Mountains. That’s where CBC reporter Andrea McGuire caught up with the group during a sunny day at the beach.
Claire Goodwin, the expedition’s dive team lead and a research scientist, explains the footage on display is a rock wall in Lake Melville that’s “absolutely covered with animals.”
“You’ve got those bright yellow flat patches of sponges, these round globes of sponges. We’ve got these bright pink anemones that are really beautiful,” she said.
Carla Jourdain, a youth apprentice with the Uinipeku Expedition program from Sheshatshiu, said it’s amazing to watch the underwater footage. This is Jourdain’s second year with the Uinipeku Expedition and her second year sailing into the national park reserve.
“Seeing the mountains is always surprising and such a gift,” said Jourdain.
While the dive team gathered footage in the depths of Lake Melville, an array of Innu cultural activities began on Amishku-Shipiss beach.
Throughout the day, Innu youth could take part in an archaeological dig, a foraging workshop or a hike into the park. They could also try their hand at painting traditional Innu designs on caribou coats in a workshop led by Innu Cultural Guardian Jodie Ashini.
“Caribou was everything to the Innu people,” Ashini said, explaining due to religious influences, caribou-painted coats haven’t been painted or designed in more than 100 years.
Jack Penashue, Innu Nation’s superintendent, working in collaboration with Parks Canada on the national park reserve, said this area of the park is very significant to the Innu because it was used for hunting and traditional ceremonies.
He also said this area was the birthplace of Pien Penashue, a master Innu canoe-maker.
“That is why it’s so important to us, to maintain it and protect it and tell that story,” Penashue said.
Penashue believes in the past, Innu have been fairly quiet about sharing cultural practices and principles but it’s shifting.
“We want to protect our history, we want to protect our culture, we want to protect the environment,” said Penashue.
“We want to share that and transfer that information to the communities, to the public, and especially to our young people because, you know, it’s not very often that you get an opportunity to take youth on the land.”
Uinipeku Expedition organizers say over the last four years, interest in the program has grown exponentially. While they struggled to find enough applications at first, this year over 120 Innu youth applied.
Montevecchi said ultimately, she hopes youth view the program as a pathway towards further education or careers in conservation.
“We’ve seen youth from this expedition go into related careers, change careers, start doing further training to really share the story of Nitassinan,” she said, referencing the Innu-Aimun word for “our land.”
Eighteen-year-old Hayden Gregoire is one of the latest youth bitten by the science bug. After focusing on ocean science during the expedition, the Sheshatshiu youth said he’d love to pursue a career as a researcher.
“I’ve been really loving [the expedition] so far,” he said. “I learn, like, five different things every day.”
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