ARTICLES BY Alex Roslin

Bill 1 called a “shameful declaration”

“I ask: How can people who claim these rights deny these same rights to us? Where is the logic?” With those words, Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come went on the attack against Bill 1, the Quebec government’s Declaration of Sovereignty, at hearings of the Cree Eeyou-Astchee Commission in Montreal. The Grand Chief ... read more ››

Violet Pachanos says gender cost her votes / New Chief stresses value of church

Charles Bobbish is just settling into his new job as Chief of Chisasibi and already he’s swamped. “There are a lot of files I have to look at,” he said. “I’m not too sure where everything is right now.” In an interview with The Nation, Bobbish admitted he didn’t expect to ... read more ››

Kevin Gilpin missing since July but police hopeful

Police aren’t giving up hope that Kevin Gilpin is alive. The Chisasibi teenager went missing July 30 after he went to Radisson to celebrate his birthday with friends. After a night of partying, he was separated from his companions. Kevin, 19, was last seen the next day at noon at Radisson’s community centre ... read more ››

Killed protester shot twice in back?

Ontario Provincial Police wanted blood at Ipperwash. So say Natives monitoring the standoff in which police shot two protesters on Wednesday, Sept. 6, killing one. After looking on for a month as members of the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation occupied disputed land in southern Ontario, police decided to muscle ... read more ››

Health bd., doctor sold for $153,600

Three years ago, Kenneth Weistche walked into the health clinic in Waskaganish complaining of a pain in his back. He walked out with a bunch of pills. Forthe next three months, he kept going back almost every day, trying to get treated. The pain got worse and worse, but the doctor ... read more ››

N. Quebec fire flurry

Forest fires raged in parts of James Bay in the middle of August. For a few days, people in Waswanipi could smell the smoke in the morning air and see a hazy cloud on the horizon. A fire was blazing about 50 kilometres south of Miquelon. Another fire came close to Chibougamau, ... read more ››

Standoff at Gustafsen Lake

At press time, the situation at Gustafsen Lake was still tense. The Defenders of the Shuswap Nation remained surrounded by heavily armed RCMP officers and bloodshed at times seemed imminent. Percy Roseget, a Shuswap hereditary Chief, has a cabin at Gustafsen Lake and has hosted sundance ceremonies there for many years. A U.S. ... read more ››

Elijah Harper Overcoming Mystery Illness

Elijah Harper is showing signs of recovery from the mystery illness which has left him physically exhausted and 60 pounds lighter. After months of being unable to keep food down, he is now eating more regularly and putting on weight. “He is much more himself now,” said Lome Hanks, a spokesman for ... read more ››

Cree kids cruise on down info highway

Are video games the key to your children’s success? Unless they want to become fighter pilots, probably not. But many experts say a computer can help get children plugged into the so-called information highway at an early age, when it counts most. Computers today play a central role in many businesses, and ... read more ››

Makivik prez steps aside

In a surprise move, Simeonie Nalukturuk has resigned as president of Makivik Corp. just 17 months after taking over the job from Charlie Watt. Makivik spokesman Steven Hendrie said Nalukturuk resigned for “personal reasons.” In April, Nalukturuk went on Inuit radio to apologize for a drinking-and-driving accident he had been involved ... read more ››

Chief has accident

Chief John Kitchen of Waswanipi was taken into police custody the morning of July 21 after a van he was driving went off the highway near the Band Council office and local grocery store. Kitchen was taken by Waswanipi police to Chibougamau for a breathalyzer. Sources said he registered over the ... read more ››

Cree campaign bogus, claims forest exec

The owner of one of the largest logging companies in James Bay says Cree complaints about clearcutting don’t worry him and are probably just a ploy to get more money. “Let them come,” said Yves Barrette, owner of Barrette-Chapais Ltée, when told that Crees have launched a campaign to change forestry ... read more ››

Mohawk pot plowed

Kanehsatake’s lush fields of dope are no more. After several days of controversy about the marijuana last month, Mohawk police and the Sûreté du Québec moved in on the weed and plowed it under. The plants were apparently being grown by Kanehsatake residents for sale to the Hell’s Angels in St-Hyacinthe. Police ... read more ››

Native youth converge on Waswanipi

Waswanipi is hosting the first-ever gathering of First Nations youth from across Quebec Aug. 15 to 17. The gathering is expected to draw 300 youth from across the province. They will be joined by Elders and speakers from across Canada. The speakers will include filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin, athlete Waneek Hornmiller, Elders Robbie ... read more ››

Memories of the Cree fur brigade

ON JULY 18 two Waswanipi youth set out to follow the path of their ancestors. They planned to follow the canoe route used for many generations of Waswanipi Crees. Their guide was David Diamondan experienced trapper and the father of one of the boys. The group set out in two ... read more ››

Don’t Ban Native fur, Europe told

European politicians should resist pressure from the animal rights people and leave Natives out of a ban on fur imports from Canada, says Deputy Grand Chief Kenny Blacksmith. Kenny was in Brussels in late May to discuss the proposed fur ban with members of the European Parliament. The ban is likely to ... read more ››

Elders’ councils will protect culture

The Elders of the Cree communities are deciding to get organized to help strengthen the Cree culture and provide advice to the Cree Nation. “The Elders are the foundation of the Cree culture, and they hold the key to the revival of the culture and need to get organized,” said Robbie ... read more ››

The case of Mumia Abu-Jamal

Time is running out for Mumia Abu-Jamal, a black journalist in the U.S. whose supporters say he was falsely charged with murdering a police officer. Jamal’s case is an educational example of Euro-American justice. He is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on August 17 after 13 years on death row. ... read more ››

Northern is “killing us”: Native stores

Kevin Hatt worked at the Northern Store in Whapmagoostui for two years. He saw how Northern works from the inside. He says management limited the amount of money in the safe so when people brought in their cheques, they couldn’t get cash. All they could get is credit to buy products ... read more ››

Price wars not our policy, says Northern

Northern Stores used to have a monopoly over Cree customers and their money. But those worry-free years for Northern are a thing of the past, a victim of the realities of the marketplace. Now for the first time Northern faces competition from Native businesses and it’s fighting back with everything it’s ... read more ››

Holy blazes!

In one of the driest years on record, 57 forest fires have struck the James Bay area north of the Broadback River so far this season. Fifteen blazes have been put out and firefighters have contained or brought under control another 16. Twenty-eight other fires are being observed from a distance and pose ... read more ››

Crees launch anti-logging campaign

After battling Hydro-Quebec to a standstill, Crees are fixing their sights on the logging companies. With frustration about clearcutting running at an all-time high, southern Cree communities and CRA are busy planning a campaign on forestry. Thanks to Quebec’s notoriously lax rules on logging, forestry companies have already clearcut 50 per cent ... read more ››

Toxic site in limbo as Northern leaves

After 200 years in Mistissini, the store now run by Northern is packing it in. The North West Co. decided to close its store after Mistissini decided July 1 to turn down the company’s request for $1 million to keep the store open. Chief William Mianscum said Northern can’t be bailed out ... read more ››

The spirit is going full force

There is a revolution going on at Makivik Corp. and her name is Sheila Watt Cloutier. Elected Corporate Secretary on March 31, Sheila is already planning big changes. She is honest, direct and has no use for the “games” and “political lingo” we sometimes see in organizations like hers. The sister ... read more ››

Bikers in on Winneway dam deal?

Corruption at the Winneway dam is at the centre of a government inquiry ordered by Premier Jacques Parizeau May 30. Disturbing revelations have surfaced about bribes possibly being paid to government officials, drug money-laundering and even the involvement of bikers in the Winneway dam. The inquiry will probe the sale of the ... read more ››

Jail an eye-opener for Chief Rich

Ten days in the Stephenville Women’s Correctional Centre was an eye-opening experience for Chief Katie Rich. Jailed for helping throw out a judge from Davis Inlet in 1993, she saw firsthand how badly the justice system treats Natives. “I certainly got to see how our people go through the system,” she said. Chief ... read more ››