Wemindji
At the mouth of the Maquatua River lies Wemindji (”ochre hills”). The name originates from the ochre found in the hills that was mixed with grease to make paint. This small community, also known as Paint Hills, Old Factory and Vieux-Comptoir, was once located on an island on Vieux-Comptoir River. Around 1686, the North West Company and French Chevalier Pierre de Troyes deployed soldiers in the area and managed to dislodge the Hudson’s Bay Company and take control of the bay for a short time. In 1935, the Hudson’s Bay Company opened a new trading post and, in 1959, the community was relocated to the coast.