Volume 2, Issue 9

Anti-racism day celebrated

Last March 21, the Centre Indien Cri de Chibougamau held an International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Outside, visitors could taste moose meat cooked over a wood fire. Inside, you could taste other traditional foods like bannock as delicious as fruit cake. Visitors could also admire Cree artistic work ... read more ››

Deputy Grand Chief in Europe

Canada and Quebec officials are hard at work in Europe at taxpayers’ expense spreading misnomers about how Natives are well-treated back home, reports Deputy Grand Chief Kenny Blacksmith. Kenny was in Europe for two weeks in March. He says Canada lobbied hard to water down a draft declaration on indigenous rights ... read more ››

From Plains, Pueblos and Tundra

I had the good fortune to attend From Plains, Pueblos and Tundra recently. It was a show featuring Native American music, dance and story-telling at the Sommerville Theatre in Massachusetts. This tour was presented by World Music, a non-profit group committed to world cultural exchange. The show started on Indian time at ... read more ››

From the GCCQ news desk: Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

The Government of Quebec is up to its old environmental tricks again. This time it concerns the “approval” of the proposed Chapais Dump Site. The government is attempting to railroad through Phase I by getting the GCCQ to agree that this phase of the proposed Chapais dump is technically acceptable. This seems ... read more ››

Goose numbers worry CTA, scientists

Spring has come early this year in the southern half of Quebec. And that means one thing for James Bay. The geese are coming—lots of them. Goose numbers in the Atlantic flyway have been rising steadily for a few years. Geese are doing nicely because of a decline in hunting and ... read more ››

Hockey rough in Salluit?

The hockey in Salluit is getting a little rough, say local medical workers. The mayor of another Inuit community recently suffered a serious head injury while playing in Salluit. Salluit’s own mayor, Willie Keatainak, was also among the hockey casualties this season. His ankle was broken during a lively practice. Even The ... read more ››

Membership code loopholes closed

Worried by an influx of people from other bands, the Moose Cree First Nation has amended its membership code to make it harder to join the band. From now on, anyone who gets married to a Moose Cree band member doesn’t automatically become one too. Anyone applying for membership will have ... read more ››

Miner killed in Chibougamau

A miner was killed in Chibougamau and another injured when one of them lit a cigarette in a mine that contained methane gas. Rene Gauthier, 46, died instantly in the explosion and Daniel Girard, 33, suffered a broken leg and bums to his body, said a report from Canadian Press. The ... read more ››

Mishtuk and Domtar sign $5.8-million deal

Mishtuk Corporation has signed a deal with Domtar Inc. to build a sawmill for $5.8 million. The agreement was signed March 17 in Domtar’s head office in Montreal. Construction of the sawmill could start by May, said Mishtuk president Peter Gull. The sawmill will be owned and operated by a new corporation, Nabakatuk ... read more ››

Moose Factory General Hospital now in Native hands

Mushkegowuk residents could see big improvements in their health care services as the federal government transfers responsibility of the hospital in Moose Factory to a Native-controlled health board. “We’ll be seeing an increased emphasis on patient care, the hiring of more Native staff and a more culturally relevant kind of health ... read more ››

My father healing a broken leg

(told by Job Bearskin) I can talk to you a bit about Cree medicine. My father was very old. He told of a story. Once when they where inland, a child’s leg broke. That boy already was walking when people travelled. But after travelling a long time he could not walk ... read more ››

My father helping an axe victim

(told by Job Bearskin) Again I’ll tell of my father how he was a healer. A man accidently chopped his foot—he almost chopped his heel off. He was chopping wood that was lying on the ground. His foot was on the firewood and chopped where the heel protrudes. My father said ... read more ››

Native rights not respected: report

It slipped by The Nation as it did many newspapers and magazines that 1994 marked the 25th anniversary of a critical moment in Canadian history that would’ve affected all Aboriginal peoples within Canada’s present borders. It was the infamous “White Paper.” That was a federal government statement that essentially called for ... read more ››

New election rules in MF

The Moose Cree First Nation has changed its election rules to allow any band member living on or off-reserve to run for Chief or Council. “What resulted is four years of hard work to incorporate our own ways of electing leadership, something different from the Indian Act process,” said Chief Ernest ... read more ››

Nunavut Act Steals Cree Islands

The Cree off-shore islands are currently under dispute. The recent Nunavut Act transfers all the Cree off-shore islands from the Northwest Territories to Nunavut. Currently the Grand Council is looking at two options. The first option is negotiation with the Federal Government on this issue. The second option to protect Cree rights ... read more ››

Scalpers to dancers (Or from boos to cheers)

I remember documentaries about black people and their struggles. One thing which sometimes comes up is representation in the media, be it in the news, TV shows etc. One thing which sticks out in my mind is that there always were stereotypes of black people depicted in the various media ... read more ››

Stone soup

Many moons ago, at a time when I was young in body at least, the village had a very unique and honourable tradition which fell by the wayside. Many circumstances played a role in its downfall. The village became a community and the population grew to the extent where the ... read more ››

Traditional medicine from my grandmother

My grandmother said that everything was used for healing. Even those that are eaten such as beaver, caribou and bear. When someone was aching, lungs were used as compress. The gall bladder of a bear had a very healing effect on a person, said my grandmother, when rubbed as an ... read more ››

Viva Las Vegas

Has the Las Vegas of the North lost its glitz? Is the recent human rights complaint filed by Larry House just the tip of the iceberg? (See The Nation, February 17.) That is how many people feel about Val d’Or. Val d’ Or was once the hub of most Cree business ... read more ››