ARTICLES BY Amy German

Healthy Halloween Fun – More or less!

The world is about to get much scarier, spookier, sillier and sweeter as Halloween is creeping up on us. If you are gearing up for festivities of your own, helping out with a school Halloween party or are planning a community celebration, the Nation has come up with some top-notch ... read more ››

Hunting by bush plane? – Innu erect blockade to protest aerial harassment of caribou herds

The Innu of Matimekush-Lac John in Schefferville are blockading the access road to their territories in a protest over the practices of some outfitting companies on their traditional lands. The Innu allege that the outfitting companies are intentionally flying lower over the territories to divert the caribou so that their ... read more ››

The 500

While Robert Pickton faces trial in Vancouver, hundreds of murdered aboriginal women across Canada are quietly forgotten. Beverley Jacobs and her Sisters in Spirit are working to change that. Kelly Morrisseau was found naked and barely alive at the entrance to a Gatineau park the morning of December 10, 2006. She ... read more ››

Rupert River diversion – Hydro Quebec HQ hemmed in by demo

The movement to halt the diversion of the Rupert River gained strength September 14 with a massive protest in front of Hydro Quebec’s headquarters in downtown Montreal. Protesters lined the block Hydro-Quebec occupies on Blvd. René-Lévesque, setting up stands to hold laundry lines that featured garments painted with messages such ... read more ››

Gun safety is job one – Firearms laws also apply to Crees

Anyone who already owns a legal firearm knows that in order to obtain it they need to pass a provincial gun safety course prior to getting their weapon. Whether you are gearing up to take your first gun safety course or it’s been some time since you’ve brushed up your ... read more ››

Hunting Fashion and fashion hunting – The Nation guide to straight shooting and looking good (or invisible) in the bush

As autumn dons its vibrant colours, kids return to classrooms and days grow both shorter and cooler, our thoughts turn to stocking up on the food essentials for a long winter. Meat, for example. September is the prime shopping season for the tools and gear we need to hit the ... read more ››

Washaw Sibi election stands – Returning officer Simeon Trapper is fired Chief Billy Katapatuk will keep power

There’s a new twist to the controversial result in a vote for chief and council of the Cree community of Washaw Sibi last July 26: the community’s returning officer, Simeon Trapper, was fired during an impromptu band council meeting August 7, only two days before the community was to vote ... read more ››

Before those school bells can start ringing

Before those school bells start ringing once again, a cash register symphony will bleep and ka-ching millions of times as a world of weary parents prepare for the annual Back to School rush. On average, the two biggest shopping times of the year for parents are Christmas (obviously) and late summer. ... read more ››

Kashechewan stays put – Liberals say Tory government chose cheaper option at residents’ expense

The federal government will allocate about $200 million over seven years to rebuild the tainted water-stricken community of Kashechewan. An agreement between the disaster prone community’s Chief Jonathan Solomon and Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice was signed July 30 after negotiations began last March. But many are saying that this deal ... read more ››

History Through The Eyes of Parks Canada

Though the name “Parks Canada,” may conjure up images of lush green landscapes, mountains, rivers, and all manner of outdoor activities, the government agency has a whole lot more to offer than a nature encounter. Parks Canada accounts for a number of major cultural historical sites across the country, many of ... read more ››

Aboriginal Day

The annual National Aboriginal Day ceremony and passing of the torch between the Terres en Vues Festival organisers and the organisers of la Fête nationale du Québec went down without a hitch June 21 at the Kondiaronk Belevedere atop Mont Royal. Dignitaries from different levels of government, First Nations leaders, various ... read more ››

Festival highlights – Terres en Vue/Land In Sights

After 11 solid days of film, video, traditional cultural activities, art, songs and anything else that you can fit into a festival. Terres en Vue or Land In Sights finally wrapped up June 21. This year the festival featured various feature films, documentaries, videos and shorts in the film and video ... read more ››

Federal NDP Leader supports Aboriginal Day of Action

On the eve of National Aboriginal Day, NDP leader Jack Layton gave the aboriginal media the opportunity to chat with him informally on Wawatay Radio Timmins in a format that he described as a “virtual scrum.” Over the course of an hour, seven journalists had the opportunity to pick Layton’s brain ... read more ››

History & “Herstory”

History took place from June 20th through 22nd as the National Aboriginal Women’s Summit took place in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, bringing together a broad cross section of Aboriginal women including First Nation, Inuit and Métis with Premiers and governmental leaders from across Canada to develop an “Action Plan.” The conference, ... read more ››

Celebrating the First People’s Fest

Since its inception 17 years ago, the Montreal First People’s Festival has gone from being the new kid on the block to being an experienced and savvy festival operator that competes with the best of big boys in the crowded Montreal festival circuit while uniquely celebrating Indigenous artists. Festival creator and ... read more ››

13th annual The Mondial de la bière

It’s become a real, authentic Montreal institution as thousands once again descended upon Windsor Station and its courtyard for the 13th annual Mondial de la bière, Montreal’s international beer festival. From foreign suds to local flavours and honey meads to iced ciders, this year’s festival was a smorgasbord of luxurious liquids, ... read more ››

Adult high school grads

The community of Mistissini is proud to announce a fresh crop of graduates of a different variety: adults who are now ready to go off to CEGERIt’s called the Ashuugan program, and its first wave of adult students in this three-year pilot project will soon enter first year CEGER where ... read more ››

Native Women Take Their Struggles to The United Nations – Canada Denounced for Ignoring Violence

The Native Women’s Association of Canada denounced Canada’s Conservative government at the United Nations May 22 for its opposition to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous people. NWAC President Beverly Jacobs was participating in a UN panel discussion on Indigenous women, lands and resources led by the Tebtebba Foundation from ... read more ››

Homelessness is a one-way ticket to jail

Montreal is finding a way to house its population of homeless people: prison. As of September 1, 2006, it became illegal to be in a public space such as a public park past midnight and punishable by fines. The Réseau d’aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal (RAPSIM), a homelessness ... read more ››

Socially conscious 12-year-old girl wins arts award

A 12-year-old Gatineau schoolgirl won the prestigious Multicultural Arts for Schools and Communities award for literature last May 10 after her teacher submitted her class assignment to the award committee. Cheyenne Macleod was shocked when she received notification of her prize. “I totally didn’t expect it!” she said. “I got a ... read more ››

Goose break 2007 finds greatly varied conditions across Eeyou Istchee

Ahhh the goose hunt! For some it’s the best time of the year, when families and friends travel together to the camps, hunker down behind the blinds and get ready for some old-fashioned hunting. Some enjoy the simple thrill of the hunt, for others it’s a time to immerse themselves ... read more ››

The Nation Summer Guide – A feast of festivals

Finally spring has sprung! The days are lengthening and growing warmer. Vacation season approaches. If you are planning to visit other regions of Quebec this summer, now is the time to start researching as this province hosts a phenomenal amount of festivals and celebrations that suit just about anyone’s tastes. For ... read more ››

The Power of Numbers – Stats Can develops aboriginal-specific training programs

Statistics Canada has developed an Aboriginal Statistical Training Program that is available to communities free of charge. In it, a series of specific aboriginal-taught training programs help native communities retrieve necessary information they can use in economic development strategies. With this program, Stats Can sends a representative into a community to teach ... read more ››

Organic food fair is a feast of discovery

With health and nutrition on the minds of just about everyone these days, we at the Nation decided to check out the Expo Sante Manger or what is quietly known in English as the Eat Well Expo, March 15 at the Palais des Congrès. Bearing in mind that a great deal ... read more ››

Lighting up winter – Montreal Highlights Fest brightens the dark months

The Montreal Highlights Festival offers up something for just about everyone, at any age, for any budget. The 2007 edition was no disappointment. This is the only fest that combines gourmet dining from visiting chefs in some of Montreal’s finest eateries with dance, theatre, performance art, family fun in a ... read more ››

The Thrill of the hunt – Outfitters expo is overwhelming

If there was one thing made clear at the National Outfitters Hunting and Fishing exhibition held this past Thursday through Saturday (February 15-18) at the Palais de Congrès in Montreal, it’s that Quebec’s outfitting industry is not just thriving but is kicking and screaming. Hundreds of exhibitors from across the ... read more ››