{"id":6638,"date":"2025-02-14T11:53:16","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T16:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/museedelacotenord.ca\/?p=6638"},"modified":"2025-08-19T13:58:45","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T17:58:45","slug":"ush-the-canoe-of-shapatesh-manek-bellefleur-at-the-musee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/museedelacotenord.ca\/en\/ush-the-canoe-of-shapatesh-manek-bellefleur-at-the-musee\/","title":{"rendered":"Ush, The Canoe of Shapatesh-Manek Bellefleur"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Film screening\u00a0<\/strong>Ush \u2013 The Canoe of Shapatesh-Manek Bellefleur<\/h2>

\"\"Presented by Eddy Malenfant and Productions Manitu Mani-Utenam inc., Ush \u2013 The Canoe of Shapatesh-Manek Bellefleur<\/em>, a 24-minute film, will be screened continuously in the youth room on March 2nd<\/sup>, 2025. This will be a free screening accessible to all.<\/p>

Film screening from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM.<\/p>

Special at 2:30 PM <\/strong>: family conference – making a traditional Innu canoe<\/span> with Eddy Malenfant in attendance.<\/strong><\/h4>

Date :<\/strong> Sunday, 2 March 2025
Time :<\/strong> 2:30 p.m.
Refreshments and snacks will be served.
Cost :<\/strong> Free for all<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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EXHIBITION<\/b><\/h1>
Date :<\/strong> 2 March to 25 May
Launch :<\/strong> 2 March at 2:30 p.m.<\/div>
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In Innu-aimun (Innu language), \u201cush\u201d means \u201ccanoe\u201d. It is at the core of Innu culture. Before even thinking of entering their land, an Innu had to make a canoe perfectly suited to their size. As an invaluable tool, it had many uses, including for subsistence and transporting equipment. Traditionally, it was made of tree bark. In 2005, Jean-Baptiste Bellefleur, also known as Shapatesh-Manek, made one the same way his ancestors did, under the fine eye of Eddy Malenfant.<\/p><\/div>

Shapatesh-Manek is now together with his ancestors. To pay tribute to him, Eddy Malenfant wishes to exhibit his works and show them to the public. Starting at the Mus\u00e9e de la C\u00f4te-Nord, the exhibit Ush \u2013 Tribute to Shapatesh-Manek<\/em> shows one of the last traditional Innu canoes made on the C\u00f4te-Nord, accompanied by photos and video excerpts specially chosen by Eddy Malenfant.<\/div>
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Tshinaskumitin Shapatesh-Manek, rest in peace.<\/strong><\/div><\/div>
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Shapatesh-Manek Bellefleur<\/h2>

\u201cI was a child. To take away my fear, at night, I was asked to listen out for the noises in the woods. For example, branches crackling in the cold, or two trees rubbing together; for me, it was as if someone was whistling at me.\u201d<\/p>

Shapatesh-Manek Bellefleur died in 2024. He was 84. Born in Unamen Shipu on the Basse-C\u00f4te-Nord, in Qu\u00e9bec, Shapatesh never went to a residential school; he was one of the rare people who was able to continue living the traditional life while other youth left the community for the residential school in Mani-Utenam. Shapatesh learned a lot from his culture. As one of the only youth who could accompany the Elders into the forest, he was taught a lot of things.<\/p>

He was taught about the land and the ways to move around it. He was taught fishing, hunting, shelter building, as well as making canoes, snowshoes, a sled, etc. Later, he would give traditional snowshoe and canoe making classes in many Innu communities. Through his father Penashue, a traditional drum player, and his mother Madeleine, guardian of the drum, Shapatesh was raised around a traditional way of life and would later become a traditional drum player himself.<\/p>

More information about Bellefleur Jean-Baptiste Manek.<\/a><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Eddy Malenfant : an artisan of Innu memory and culture
A commitment to Innu culture<\/span><\/h4>

Since its inception, Productions Manitu<\/em> has taken on the mission of promoting Indigenous knowledge through cinema, television and digital platforms. One of the company\u2019s first projects was producing the very first music video of famous Innu group Kashtin. Eddy Malenfant and his team have since produced more than 50 audiovisual documents, helping to preserve and disseminate the collective Innu memory.<\/p>

In partnership with the NFB and the Mus\u00e9e de la C\u00f4te-Nord, he has also worked on large-scale digital projects, including the Nametau innu (\u201cKnowledge and memory of the land\u201d) website, which is part of Canada\u2019s digital museum network.<\/p>

A creator of educational and digital tools<\/strong><\/h4>

Over the years, Eddy Malenfant has been able to adapt his approach to the digital age, developing a collection of e-books in French, English and Innu, available on iTunes. These interactive books cover essential Innu culture topics, such as Traditional innu drum<\/em>, Innu snowshoes<\/em>, and The innu canoe<\/em>\u00a0. His work has helped democratize access to Indigenous knowledge and raise awareness among a broad audience.<\/p>

A filmography devoted to knowledge transfer<\/strong><\/h4>

Through a rich filmography, he has explored various aspects of Innu identity and heritage. Here are some of his prominent productions :<\/p>