The Laughing People, translated from the award-winning Le peuple rieur, conveys the richness and resilience of the Innu while reminding us of the forces – old and new – that threaten their community. This memoir and tribute tells the tale of the very long journey of a very small nation, recounting both its joie de vivre and its crosses borne.

Readers follow Serge Bouchard, a young anthropologist in the 1970s, as he arrives in Ekuanitshit (Mingan, Quebec) and comes to know its residents. His observations and questions document a community weathering yet another season of change – skidoos replace dogsleds and forests are bulldozed for prefabricated housing – while nonetheless defying external pressures to assimilate or disappear altogether. Returning to these texts fifty years later, Bouchard moves beyond platitudes of strength and dives into wide-scale injustices to present the sacrifices and beauty of the Innu people on individual terms.

Whether recounting the impact of the residential school system on Georges Mestokosho, the wave of Innu activism inspired by An Antane Kapesh, or the uncelebrated work of women like Nishapet Enim, The Laughing People presents an opportunity for readers to be part of the preservation and proliferation of these important stories.

Serge Bouchard (1948-2021), a renowned broadcaster with Radio-Canada and a prolific French-language author, received the Governor General’s Literary Award for non-fiction for Les yeux tristes de mon camion and the Prix Victor-Barbeau from the Académie des lettres du Québec for Le peuple rieur.

Serge Bouchard's profile page

Marie-Christine Lévesque (1958–2020), Serge Bouchard's partner, was an editor and regular contributor to his books.

Marie-Christine Lévesque's profile page

Craig Lund's profile page

"The Laughing People is an endearing account of a life spent amongst the Innu of the Quebec/Labrador peninsula. Reflecting back over a half-century of travelling with and living amongst the Innu makes for not only a fascinating story but an insightful look at the changes these nomadic people have had to face time and time again." The Miramichi Reader

"Serge Bouchard charmingly shares his exceptional journey into the inner life of the Innu. He shows us the beauty of their culture: their profound spirituality, their relationship to nature, their temple, the large family circle, their resilience, their humour – all qualities still observed despite centuries of chipping away by missionaries and government officials." Toby Morantz, McGill University and author of The White Man's Gonna Getcha: The Colonial Challenge to the Crees in Quebec

"In a way this book is a gift that Serge Bouchard and the Essipit community are giving to the Innu people. Like a mirror, like a lake whose shores disappear into the horizon, it gives back to those who behold it an image of great depth. As far back as memories go, the Innu were there; they are still there, and will continue to be there until memories cease. And for them to remain, their fire must be maintained." Martin Dufour, Chief, Essipit Innu First Nation Band Council