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Innu - Mishtamishku-shipu: Giant Beaver River
Note: This story explains how a river that flows into the west end of Shipiskan Lake, Labrador, got its name. The mouth of the river is located at N54.657, W62.409 degrees.
From Puniss Nuk. Sheshatshiu. Fall 1994.
Joachim Ashini was still a little boy when he lived there (at Shipiskan Lake). After his parents died, he was taken care of by another Innu family. At the place they lived, one of the elders was a shaman. The shaman was the only person who could kill giant beavers. The shaman did not want anyone to go with him to the river. He killed two giant beavers. They were much bigger than seals. This is why the river is called Mishtamishku-shipu. The beavers were eaten because they were eatable. If these beavers had not been killed, there would have been many more of that kind. There is still a beaver lodge there.
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