Sheshatshiu, Newfoundland and Labrador
Encyclopedia
Sheshatshiu is an Innu
Federal Reserve in the Canadian
province of Newfoundland and Labrador
, located approximately 20 kilometres north of Goose Bay. (Some references may spell the community's name as Sheshatshit — the t spelling is more traditional in the Innu-aimun
language, but the u is used more commonly in English to avoid inappropriate connotations. The name means "a narrow place in the river".)
The community is inhabited by the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation
, whose current chief is Sebastien Benuen.
In November 2000, the community, along with Davis Inlet
, took the unprecedented step of asking the Canadian federal government to step in and assist with a local addiction
crisis. Due to a variety of factors, including economic adversity, alcoholism
and gas sniffing
were both rampant in the community, in some cases affecting children as young as five years old.
Innu
The Innu are the indigenous inhabitants of an area they refer to as Nitassinan , which comprises most of the northeastern portions of the provinces of Quebec and some western portions of Labrador...
Federal Reserve in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, located approximately 20 kilometres north of Goose Bay. (Some references may spell the community's name as Sheshatshit — the t spelling is more traditional in the Innu-aimun
Innu-aimun
Innu-aimun or Montagnais is an Algonquian language spoken by over 11,000 people, called the Innu, in Labrador and Quebec in Eastern Canada...
language, but the u is used more commonly in English to avoid inappropriate connotations. The name means "a narrow place in the river".)
The community is inhabited by the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation
Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation
The Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation is located in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The First Nation is centred around the community of Sheshatshiu....
, whose current chief is Sebastien Benuen.
In November 2000, the community, along with Davis Inlet
Davis Inlet, Newfoundland and Labrador
Davis Inlet was a Naskapi community in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, formerly inhabited by the Mushuau Innu First Nation.-Settlement:...
, took the unprecedented step of asking the Canadian federal government to step in and assist with a local addiction
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
crisis. Due to a variety of factors, including economic adversity, alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and gas sniffing
Inhalant
Inhalants are a broad range of drugs whose volatile vapors are taken in via the nose and trachea. They are taken by volatilization, and do not include drugs that are inhaled after burning or heating...
were both rampant in the community, in some cases affecting children as young as five years old.