I wanna wish… excuse me, force of habit… Wajyeh, or greetings for the Cree-challenged.
We have some good, bad and ugly news. Let’s start with the bad. Ernesto tells me The Red Hot Chili Peppers have postponed their Forum date due to their guitarist’s broken wrist. Good news from above. The Almighty has revealed to me that his favourite rock ‘n’ roll band, AC/DC, are playing the Forum March 31st. Highlight that date on your soon-to-be-released Nation calendars. Don’t forget to get one for every room in your house. Montreal’s hottest all-girl rock group, Falling Grace, are playing at the Boomerang on St Laurent and St. Viateur December 1st. There you have it, all the rock ‘n’ roll news that matters.
Our always informative Nemaska operative tells us that the dance of the first wedding in four years was stopped after only 15 minutes because of some obscure law that says you can’t dance on Sunday. There was a performance of some sort that Saturday night so the happy couple had to wait until 11:45 p.m. for their turn for the dance hall to have their wedding dance.
Rez Notes’ eye on Chisasibi says a new restaurant, Metchuup, has opened its doors in the new community centre and is serving up fine food for a hungry public. A competing restaurant even passed a petition around in an effort to stop the upstart resto. Call Chisasibi for reservations. ASAP.
It’s official, the fiercely independent Wemindji band members voted to open a bar in the community. What I want to know is how the referendum question was worded. It’s become a hobby of mine.
A most disturbing tale from our man in Waswanipi. Hearing the itinerant dentist was in town, a trapper decided to go for his first-ever dental appointment-–a routine gum-cleaning. The next day, he awoke to discover his lips fully puffed out and his gums completely infected. “My head felt like it was going to explode,” he warbled over the phone. At press time he was still on the pills. Waskaganish residents had a visit from the world famous purple dinosaur, Barney, and his good friend Baby Bop who put on a dance and skating party for the kids this past week.
Also the National Addictions Awareness Week started Sunday the 19th. There was a religious gathering where for the first time in recorded history the four major religions in Waskaganish assembled at a neutral site, in the school gym of all places. This was followed by a placard carrying “friendship walk” through the village. The 20th anniversary of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement was “celebrated” at the Cree Lodging (Sheraton Centre) in Montreal with a veritable who’s who of dignitaries in attendance. In the crowd were John (“CIA-CIA”) Ciaccia, Claude Ryan, the Ryans Claude and John, HQ chairman Armand Couture, Mainville and associates, publisher William Nicholls, Ambassador Ted Moses, Coon-Come’s right-hand man Kenny Blacksmith, Robert Kanatewat, Henry Mianscum, Lawrence Jimiken, Romeo “D” Saganash, Bertie Wapachee, James Shecapio. You get the idea. A highlight of the evening for many was, no doubt, the enormous chocolate cake which was wheeled out and cut ceremoniously by three dignitaries who shall remain anonymous. Once the cake was served a “Bob” in the throng refused to eat, saying, “It wouldn’t be politically correct.” I doubt if he was alone in his protest judging from the left-overs at the end of the night.
