Waswanipi is a Cree/Iynu (Cree being an English exonym) community in the Eeyou Istchee territory of central Quebec, Canada, located along Route 113 and near the confluence of the Chibougamau and Waswanipi Rivers. It has a population of 1,473 people (Canada 2006 Census).[1] Waswanipi is a compound word composed of wâswâ- (to fish at night using a torch) and nipî (water), and is usually translated as "light over the water"[2] referring to the traditional night-time fishing method of luring fish to light by using torches.
The original location of the village was on an island in Lake Waswanipi (). It was the site of a Hudson's Bay Company trading post until 1965 when the post was closed. Its residents dispersed until 1978 when the new village of Waswanipi was built about 47 km upstream the Waswanipi River from the former location.
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