Mashteuiatsh is a First Nations reserve in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north from the centre of Roberval.
It is located on a headland jutting out on the western shores of Lake Saint-Jean known as Pointe-Bleue (French pronunciation: [pwɛ̃t blø], lit.
Before becoming a reserve according to the Indian Act in 1856, Mashteuiatsh – which means “Where there is a point” – was already for the Ilnuatsh a sector of passage and frequented gathering.
[1] In 1853, the Commissioner of Crown Lands, John Rolph, had proposed to assign the Innu living near the Peribonka River, north of Lake Saint-Jean, a reserve of 16,000 acres (6,500 ha) and the Innu residing in Métabetchouan Township, south of Lake Saint-Jean, were allotted 4,000 acres (1,600 ha).
[6] The Mashteuiatsh Native Museum was built in 1977, and transmits the history and culture of the pekuakamiulnuatsh (Ilnus du lac-saint-Jean).
The Indian Reserve of Mashteuiatsh is located at the junction of Roberval and Saint-Prime, on the shore of the Lac Saint-Jean in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec.
There are some 130 businesses on the reserve that provide services such as: food, hotel accommodations, sawmills, electrician, auto mechanics, taxi, arts and handicrafts, post office, excavation, plumbing, translation, camping, hardware, convenience store, restaurants.