LA ROMAINE

What to KNOW

La Romaine, located near the mouth of the Olomane River, consists of a small French-speaking population and a larger Innu community called Unamen Shipu. The name La Romaine comes from the Innu word olomane or oromane, meaning red ochre, from the reddish waters of the river in spring runoff. In the early 18th century the French established a fishing and trading post at the mouth of the Olomane River. This post became the place of contact between the nomadic Innu and the more coastal Europeans. The British took control of the post in the 1760s, followed by merchants from Quebec City.

Around 1850, French Canadians from elsewhere in Quebec began to settle the area, and gradually moved to La Romaine when several small outposts closed. Today many residents work in the commercial lobster fishery and private sport-fishing camps.