EEYOU ISTCHEE

in a small boat. They were never seen now bears his name. Fortunately, there’s Homes in Waskaganish, near the again, at least by white men. no chance of us making a wrong turn mouth of the Rupert River (above). St. Of course, Hudson was looking for today. In addition to the latest GPS tech- Peter’s Anglican Church and cemetery, the fabled Northwest Passage, so he only nology and several experienced Arctic in Waskaganish (left). ended up here when he made a wrong Kingdom guides, we’ve also got local left turn at the top of the huge bay that wisdom in the form of three Cree marine of the history is personal. His grandfa- captains. One of them, 52-year-old ther served as a custodian on Charlton, Anderson Jolly, has been travelling here and his father was born here. As we since he was young, and he steers us to walk inland, some sandhill cranes fly our first destination, Charlton Island. overhead and land not far away. I want Charlton is the second largest island to see them, but Jolly doesn’t want to in James Bay, and for many years it approach too closely. One of his rela- served as the location of a major fur- tives is buried nearby. trading depot. (It’s also rumoured that Around an hour after leaving Charlton Henry Hudson may have spent his final and heading farther out into the bay, we days here.) But now it’s home to a num- see our next objective ahead: Trodely ber of small buildings used by Jolly and Island. At first glance, it doesn’t look like his relatives, primarily during the spring anything special — a sparsely treed, goose hunt. Jolly explains that for genera- beach-encircled outcrop in the middle of tions, Charlton has been the site of his this vast saltwater bay. But still, every- family’s trapline. one’s excited as we slow down and drive We pull ashore for lunch, and take a closer toward shore. stroll along the wide beach. Jolly points to Almost immediately, somebody yells the remains of an old wooden pier that is out “Beluga!” And sure enough, we see partially submerged at the water’s edge, a one of the small white whales gliding up remnant, he thinks, of the Hudson’s Bay ahead, and then another. For half an depot. A minute later he finds a rusty hour, we track the pair from a discreet James Little is the former editor of Explore. metal relic in the sand. Neither of us can distance as they cruise along the shore, Roland Bastarache (rolandbast.com) is a tell what it is. their backs gleaming above the water. travel and wildlife photographer. There’s obviously been a lot of his- It’s a wonderful sight, but even while tory on the island. And for Jolly, much following them, we’re still scanning the

58 CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC MAY/JUNE 2018 JAMES BAY

island, hoping for something else. has been working on for years come into Four Wemindji locals setting out with their That’s because Trodely, though officially being. “It has been a slow process, but now fishing gear (above). On James Bay across uninhabited, has been known to host there’s a lot of local interest,” she says. “We from Wemindji, polar bears wander the members of the world’s most southerly have momentum.” South Twin Island shores (below). polar bear population. And it’s the big And then, at last, someone notices white predator, known in Cree as something moving along the shore. It’s been a short but exhilarating show. waapaskw, that we’ve really come to see. Something white. We all grab binoculars Afterward, I look over at McGinley. She As we circle the island, I keep thinking excitedly and zoom in on the spot. It’s a has a huge smile on her face. I spot one, but every “bear” turns out to polar bear. A big one. be a boulder or a log. Though we are a long way off, the AS IT TURNS OUT, that bear is only the For a while I’m sitting beside McGinley, bear is obviously aware of our presence. opening act. In the following days, dur- and I can tell she’s anxious. “I really hope It walks quickly along the shore, and ing a tour to the distant North and South we see a bear,” she says. McGinley has then climbs inland to the top of a bluff. Twin islands — about two hours across been with COTA since its creation — “It’s It stops for a moment and looks back at James Bay from the community of my baby,” she explains — and she’s eager us as though posing for photographs, Wemindji — we encounter six more, to see some of the tourism projects that she and then disappears into the trees. including a mother and cub in the mid- dle of what must be a 40-kilometre swim, and another two adults that thrill us by nearly getting into a scuffle. But we spend our final day in Chisasibi, the northernmost community on James Bay’s eastern coast, located on the south bank of the La Grande River. The town’s residents originally lived at Fort George, on a nearby island at the mouth of the river, but had to be relo- cated here 40 years ago thanks to Hydro- Québec. Not surprisingly, the town looks much younger than the other coastal communities, with new buildings still sprouting up throughout. One of the newest is the handsome Chisasibi Heritage and Cultural Centre,

60 CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC MAY/JUNE 2018 EEYOU ISTCHEE

which houses an extensive collection of artifacts and displays. We spend the morning touring through it — learning not only about Cree culture and tradi- tions but also about the history of resi- dential schools and the effects of flooding from the hydro dams. Just as we are about to leave, a group of 10 tour- ists — real tourists — arrives at the door. We are surprised to discover that most of them have driven their vehicles all the way from Michigan to this community at the end of the road. McGinley is delighted to see them, and for a few minutes she makes the tell them about what we’ve been doing. A polar bear splashes into James Bay from most of this instant focus group. She They are surprised to learn about the a rocky islet near North Twin Island — an asks them a number of questions: Why polar bears not far out in the bay. I ask auspicious sight for the growth of did they come here? Where are they stay- one of them if he would have gone on a tourism in Eeyou Istchee. ing? What adventures would they like to bear-viewing trip if it had been available. pursue in the area? The tourists are “Absolutely,” he says. See more photos that showcase the land- happy to share their experiences and Once again, McGinley has a huge scape, wildlife and communities of Eeyou their thoughts, and then it’s our turn to smile on her face. Istchee at cangeo.ca/mj18/jamesbay.

62 CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC MAY/JUNE 2018 For your guide to the adventure of a lifetime: 1-855-NUNAVIK | NUNAVIK-TOURISM.COM