Following Shimun

Translated from French by Howard Scott

A young woman arrives in Quebec from France and one day embarks on a journey along the north shore of the St Lawrence River. Beyond Tadoussac, well into Innu territory, she stops at Ekuanitshit. Here she meets two sisters, Penassin and Nuenau, and their father, Shimun, who invite her and make her one of their family. She learns of Innu folklore, their way of life, their joys, and their attachment to the north. She joins Shimun and others into the heart of the Quebec-Labrador Peninsula. ＂We walk, we paddle, we admire the lake, the mountains, we hunt, we cut our wood, we don’t stop for a moment,＂ says Nuenau. ＂You have to come with us to understand.＂

Following Shimun paints a stirring picture of the Innu people, for whom the call of the land exerts a magnetic pull and the spirit of hospitality still dictates how they treat unexpected guests.

Originally from Brittany, France, Laure Morali is the author of several short story collections, novels, and poetry collections. She lives in Montreal. Her anthology Aimititau! Parlons-nous! (2017) helped strengthen the ties between Quebec’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous writers.