Gabriel Commanda
Prominent Figure in Mining Development
In the Abitibi region, the Algonquin Gabriel Commanda has recently become a symbol of the cooperation and friendship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. The annual Gabriel Commanda Walk, an initiative of the Val-d’Or Native Friendship Centre, is the central event of the annual Awareness Week for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. A legendary figure, Commanda was born in 1891 in the Anishinabe community of Kitigan Zibi and was a trapper, fisher, guide and prospector. “In 1920 he was the first to report to prospectors the location of the famous Lamaque gold deposit, which was the origin of the gold rush in northern Québec.” (Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council 2016) Commanda died in 1967 and would be recognized many years later by the city of Val-d’Or “where he is now considered as one of the founders of the city.”
