“Overlapping” territories
The issue of the “overlapping” of First Nations territories is one frequently raised in government documents, judicial records and the media. In Québec, it is particularly an issue concerning the Algonquians who live north of the St. Lawrence River: Cree, Naskapi, Innu, Atikamekw, Algonquin. In light of what observers have said since the 17th century, this article explores the notion of borders, both between the territories of the Algonquian Nations and between those of the bands and/or communities and families of these different Nations. Did these borders exist? If so, of what nature were they and how did the notion of “overlap” develop which today strains the relations between Algonquians and between members of each Nation.This text is part of the reflections carried out for the programme “Indigenous Peoples and Governance” by Étienne Le Roy, Jacques Leroux and Sylvie Vincent on the representations of space and territorial rights.