Obedjiwan is an Atikamekw First Nations (Indigenous) reserve in La Tuque Region, Mauricie, in the province of Quebec.

The Band Council and the Scierie Opitciwan (lumber manufacturer) are the main employers on the reserve. This reserve is inhabited by the Atikamekw band of Opitciwan. Its population is 2019 people.

Understand

Geography

Enclosed in the agglomeration of La Tuque, this reserve is the most isolated of the Attikamek reserves in Quebec.

This 9.27 km² (3.58 sq mi) reserve is located on a peninsula attached to the north shore of Gouin reservoir, extending southward between the lake Kamitcikamak (to the west) and Wapisiw Bay (to the east). Apart from the outfitters, this native village is the only community to live on the edge of the Gouin reservoir.

The highest mountain peak in the reserve is 532 m (1,745 ft); it is located in the center of the peninsula, ie 3.5 km (2.2 mi) from the centre of Obedjiwan village. Three other vertices amount to 520 m (1,710 ft), 510 m (1,670 ft) and 490 m (1,610 ft). The access road from the north passes on the east side of this mountain, along the coast of the Gouin reservoir.

The many bays and islands around the village are refuges for sailors in the event of high winds on the Gouin reservoir. In summer, because of the intensive activity of outfitters, boating and seaplanes are popular on the Gouin reservoir.

The main road exit from the village of Obedjiwan is the forest road RO212 leading to the northeast in order to bypass the Gouin reservoir, either passing near Lake Mathieu, Baie Natcickweciw, Lac du Principal, Lac Dubois and the Obatogamau lake, to join route 167 (connecting Chibougamau to Saint-Félicien). Option B is to bypass the Gouin reservoir from the west, either by road R2046, in order to go south to the village of Saint-Michel-des-Saint].

The locality of Seskatciwan is located off reserve at the mouth of the Toussaint river (on the east bank), that is to 6.1 km (3.8 mi) north of the center from the village of Obedjiwan.

The outfitter Ganipi 2006 inc. turns out to be closest to the village of Obedjiwan; it 13.4 km (8.3 mi) further south, on the edge of Ganipi bay which is part of a large peninsula attached to the south shore of Gouin reservoir.

History

During its history, the spelling of the toponym has changed several times depending on the sources or the authors. The name atikamekw "Opitciwon" means "the river that rises the current of the strait". Opitciwan is the name of Obedjiwan in the standardized Atikamekw spelling. The spelling "Obedjiwan" was formalized in 1968 by the Commission de toponymie du Québec.

The Hudson's Bay Company established a trading post there in 1825; it was an outpost of Mégiscane, established further north-west and Kikendatch, located further downstream on the Saint-Maurice.

At the end of the construction in 1948 of the Gouin dam, the impoundment of the reservoir engulfed the old village of the community of Obedjiwan, located 130 km northwest of the dam. Thus, the village of Objedjiwan has been relocated to the current site.

Get in

The village of Wemotaci is accessible by water (via Saint-Gouin Reservoir), road, VTT and snowmobile.

By car

• From La Tuque (424 km (263 mi). Time: 6 hours 23 min. Take route 155 (northbound) to Métabetchouan-Lac-à-la-Croix; take route 167 (north-west); take the road leading to Obedjiwan, to the village of Obedjiwan.
• From Chibougamau (263 km (163 mi). Time: 4 hours 14 min. Take the forest road 167 (south-east direction); take the road leading to Obedjiwan, to the village of Obedjiwan

Get around

• 1 NAPA Autopro, 22 rue Amisk, Obedjiwan, ☏ +1 819-974-1296, dclary@opitciwan.ca. Service station for motor vehicles. Provision of auto mechanic services. (updated Nov 2021)

See

• 1 Chapelle Sainte-Étienne, 12, rue Niska, Obedjiwan. Catholic chapel. (updated Nov 2021)

Do

• Snowmobiling. (updated Oct 2021)

Buy

• 1 Épicerie Opitciwonok (Opitciwonok grocery store), rue Tcikatnaw, Le Haut-Saint-Maurice. General grocery. (updated Oct 2021)

Eat

• 1 Casse-croûte Sakiwapan, rue Manikan, Obedjiwan, ☏ +1 819-974-1382. Take-out orders. (updated Oct 2021)

Go next

• 1 La Tuque This Haute-Mauricie territory has long been travelled and inhabited by Indigenous communities. The first to visit this Atikamekw territory was Father Jacques Buteux in 1651. Since the middle of the 19th century, Haute-Mauricie has experienced considerable economic development thanks to forestry and recreational tourism (vacationing, hunting & fishing, snowmobiling, mountain biking , nautical activities, observation of flora and fauna, boating, etc.).
• 2 Wemotaci 33.3 km² (12.9 sq mi) Indian reserve managed by the Atikamekw council with a population of 1280 individuals in 2019. The Atikamekw community of Wemotaci also manages the Indian reserve of 0.06 km² (0.023 sq mi) of Coucoucache; this territory is located on the north shore of Réservoir Blanc which constitutes an enlargement of the Saint-Maurice River, between Rapide des Coeurs Powerhouse and the Rapide-Blanc Powerhouse.