Behind the scenes of N.L.'s failed attempt to rename Red Indian Lake
A push to change the offensive name of a Newfoundland lake began with apparent plans for public consultation but ended in a flood of angry emails and a government about-face, emails show.
The Newfoundland and Labrador government announced on April 21 it was renaming Red Indian Lake to Wantaqo'ti Qospem, which means "peaceful lake" in the Mi'kmaq language. But the government reversed its decision within a week, citing public discontent.
"What right is there to name any traditional Beothuk territory using a Mi'kmaq, Inuit, Innu or Metis name? Indigenous nations are not interchangeable," said one email to the government on April 22.
"I am L'nu (Mi'kmaw) and very proud of my nation .... Indigenous people, especially local Mi'kmaw people, are finding themselves the target of hateful comments and backlash because of this decision." The sender's name was redacted.
The note was among nearly 170 pages of emails obtained from the province following an access to information request by The Canadian Press for all correspondence about the lake's name in the past year.
Red Indian Lake sits in the central-western interior of Newfoundland, about 530 kilometres northwest of St. John's. The Beothuk people, who were among the island's original inhabitants, hunted and overwintered on its shores. The last Beothuk is believed to have died in 1829. Last year, the remains of two Beothuk people, Nonosabasut and Demasduit, were returned to the province from a museum in Scotland.
Emails show planning is underway to lay their remains at a site on Red Indian Lake. "Might want to search up anything you can find about Red Indian Lake," writes Peter Hearns, director of the provincial mapping office, on March 2, as a provincial election campaign was underway.
"Apparently once the new government is sworn in, this is one of the first things they want to rename. There is supposed to be a public consultation as well."
That consultation didn't happen. Instead, Minister of Indigenous Affairs Lisa Dempster tabled a motion in the legislature on April 21 to change the name to Wantaqo'ti Qospem, which she said was suggested by Chief Mi'sel Joe of the Miawpukek First Nation.
Emails opposing the move began hitting government inboxes almost immediately, with 19 landing within two days. Internal government emails indicate people were also phoning the premier's office with complaints.
Ingeborg Marshall, a Beothuk history scholar in whose name Memorial University recently introduced an award for Beothuk studies, wrote in, saying "a Mi'kmaw name would be an insult to the Beothuk."
"Choosing a Mi'kmaw name does not serve justice, any more than choosing an English one, and in this case it fails to remember and honour the Beothuk," Marshall wrote. "Historically, the lake has been the home of the Beothuk while the Mi'kmaq have resorted to Grand Lake, with no significant attachment to Red Indian Lake."
Most of the people who wrote in agreed the lake needs a new name, though there were some who didn't grasp why the current name is offensive. Most wanted to know why the public wasn't consulted and asked for a name more closely related to the Beothuk people.
That seems to have been part of the initial plan, and there is no indication in the correspondence why it was abandoned.
Emails show the issue of the lake's offensive name came up in a late December virtual meeting between Premier Andrew Furey and the province's Indigenous leaders. Following that meeting, the deputy minister of Indigenous affairs, Aubrey Gover, asked a colleague to find out what the Beothuk had called the lake. Failing that, he asked if there is a known Beothuk word for homeland.
"The closest word we can think of is water: ebauthoo," responded Gerry Osmond, the province's director of arts and heritage. He said the word was apparently learned from two of the last known members of the Beothuk people. Osmond recommended they contact Ingeborg Marshall for advice.
About a week before the name change was announced, it was still unclear what the new name would be. "The premier would like to get moving on this ASAP," Gover wrote to a representative of the Miawpukek First Nation on April 15, while asking for the Mi'kmaq name for Red Indian Lake.
The discussion about the lake's name seems to have been sparked in part by an email from a teacher, who wrote to the government on Dec. 19, 2020. The email note was forwarded through the ranks and mentioned in a virtual meeting between Furey and Indigenous leaders later that month. The search for a new name began the next day.
"I am teaching a young generation that is, rightfully, sensitive to issues like this one," the teacher wrote. "I fear it is only a matter of time before the name Red Indian Lake becomes a national embarrassment. As a proud Newfoundlander, I desperately hope we can address the issue with some manner of dignity before that time comes."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 2, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Robert Pickton to remain in medically induced coma until later this week: police
Serial killer Robert Pickton will remain in a medically induced coma for at least the next few days following an attack in a Quebec prison Sunday, according to police spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
'Five feet nothing': Pickton's safety likely behind Quebec transfer, says ex-prison judge
When serial killer Robert Pickton was transferred from British Columbia's Kent Institution to a maximum security prison in Quebec about six years ago, correctional authorities gave no public explanation or confirmation at the time, citing privacy.
'I feel betrayed': Ottawa-area customers out thousands of dollars warn of bad faith contractor
A group of people from eastern Ontario and western Quebec is issuing a warning about Dennis Walker and his company Vue Windows.
Fancy pigeon outfitted in custom diaper has free rein in B.C. family home
When Chrissy Chin volunteered to take in a fancy pigeon abandoned on a park bench, she never imagined she would one day be ordering custom-made diapers for the bird – who lives in her house and has become a member of the family.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
5 dead and at least 35 hurt in Iowa tornado: officials
Five people died and at least 35 were hurt as powerful tornadoes ripped through Iowa Tuesday, with one carving a path of destruction through the town of Greenfield, officials said.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.