The ancestral territory of the Innu people is called “Nitassinan” (our land), covering the entire St. Lawrence River watershed between the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region and Labrador. A nomadic people living from hunting, fishing, and berry-picking, the Innu travelled across this vast territory in accordance with the seasons and its resources. Today, there are 9 Innu communities in Quebec and 2 in Labrador. In Quebec, Innu communities are on the North Shore and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean regions.

Innu-Aimun, the Algonquian language of the Innu people, has approximately 11,000 speakers. Like other indigenous languages, it has been spoken for thousands of years. It has an 11-letter alphabet and is distinguished by its polysynthetic structure: a single word can contain the information of an entire sentence. Dominated by verbs (75% of the vocabulary), the language reflects a descriptive and dynamic view of the world. Elders have a perfect command of the language, but a decline is noticeable among those under 40. Efforts are being made to preserve this linguistic and cultural heritage.