Waswanipi, Quebec

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Waswanipi ᐙᔅᐙᓂᐲ (Cree)
Cree community
Etymology: Light over the water
Waswanipi
Coordinates: 49°41′48″N 75°57′40″W / 49.69667°N 75.96111°W / 49.69667; -75.96111
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Northern Quebec
TE	Eeyou Istchee
Government
• Type	Cree reserved land
• Chief	Irene Neeposh
• Deputy Chief	Rhonda Oblin-Cooper
Area [1]
• Land	385.83 km2 (148.97 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	459
• Density	1.2/km2 (3/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal Code	J0Y 3C0
Area code	819
Website	www.waswanipi.com

Waswanipi (Cree: ᐙᔅᐙᓂᐲ or Wâswânipî) is a Cree community in the Eeyou Istchee territory of central Quebec, Canada, located along Route 113 and near the confluence of the Chibougamau and Waswanipi Rivers. It has a population of 459 people (Canada 2021 Census).^[2] Waswanipi is a compound word composed of wâswân (a place to fish at night using a torch) and -pî (lake), meaning "torch-fishing lake" but colloquially translated as "light over the water"^[3] referring to the traditional night-time fishing method of luring fish to light by using torches.

The original location of the village was on an island in Lake Waswanipi (49°39′N 76°29′W / 49.650°N 76.483°W / 49.650; -76.483). It was the site of a Hudson's Bay Company trading post until 1965 when the post was closed. Its residents dispersed until 1978 when the new village of Waswanipi was built about 47 km upstream the Waswanipi River from the former location.