Nemiscau is a semi-permanent Cree

Cree

The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...

 settlement in northern Quebec, Canada, on Lake Nemiscau

Lake Nemiscau

Lake Nemiscau is a lake in north-western Quebec, Canada, on the Rupert River. The abandoned settlement of Nemiscau is on the north shore, but in recent years, Cree people have been re-establishing Nemiscau as a summer residence. The nearest village is the town of Nemaska, about 60 km northeast....

. There is no road or airplane access.

Nemiscau is the former site of a Hudson's Bay Company

Hudson's Bay Company

The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...

 post until 1970. The settlement was abandoned in the mid 1970s when Hydro-Québec

Hydro-Québec

Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....

 proposed hydro-electric development on the Rupert River

Rupert River

The Rupert River is one of the largest rivers in Quebec, Canada. From its headwaters in Lake Mistassini, the largest natural lake in Québec, it flows west into Rupert Bay on James Bay. The Rupert drains an area of . There is some extremely large whitewater on the river, but paddlers can avoid...

, which would have resulted in the flooding of the area. Its residents were dispersed to Waskaganish

Waskaganish, Quebec

Waskaganish is a Cree village of about 2000 people at the mouth of the Rupert River on the south-east shore of James Bay in the Eeyou Istchee territory in Northern Quebec, Canada...

 and Mistissini

Mistissini, Quebec

Mistissini is a Cree town located in the south-east corner of the largest natural lake in Quebec, Lake Mistassini . The town is inside the boundaries of the Baie-James Municipality, and is the largest Cree community with a population of around 4000 people...

 until the new community of Nemaska

Nemaska, Quebec

Nemaska is a small Cree community located on the shores of Lake Champion, in Quebec, Canada. It is the smallest Cree village with a population of 560 people...

was built. Since the development plans have been canceled, the Cree originally living here have started to return to Nemiscau, using it as a summer encampment. There are only a handful of year-round residents in Nemiscau.