ARTICLES BY Amy German

Youth AGA celebrates its 25th anniversary by planning the future

From cost-cutting measures to setting priorities for the Cree Nation Youth Council, this year’s AGA was a celebration of what youth can do, according to Youth Grand Chief Joshua Iserhoff. The 25th Annual General Assembly of the Cree Nation Youth Council took place July 14 in Whapmagoostui. Iserhoff said that because ... read more ››

Burgoo: A Canadian cookbook that is all about comfort

While the blueberries may still be ripening on the bushes and the kids are making sandcastles on the shores of Eeyou Istchee, cooler, damper weather is on its way and with it will also come the desire for heavy comfort foods. That’s when you’ll need to brush up on health cooking ... read more ››

Preventing Cree Encephalitis and Leukoencephalopathy

While there are still many Crees who might not have ever heard of Cree Leukoencephalopathy (CLE) and Cree Encephalitis (CE), for the families whose lives have been touched by it, the scars may never heal. Both genetic disorders caused by a mutated gene, CLE and CE are serious brain (neurological) diseases ... read more ››

Canoe brigade to head down the Broadback River

As the 40th Annual General Assembly of the Crees winds down in Waswanipi, about 16 youth and four guides will prepare for a canoe adventure down the Broadback River from Waswanipi to Waskaganish. The expedition is a project organized by the Grand Council’s Department of the Environment and Remedial Works and ... read more ››

Cree youth depart for Regina’s North American Indigenous Games

Almost 50 Cree athletes, coaches and staff travelled to Regina July 19 to for the 2014 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG). 2014 NAIG mascots Buffalo and Young Buffalo alongside Stan Bobb, Chair of Community Development Corporation show off the medals NAIG winners will receive in Regina The Cree last participated in the ... read more ››

Behind the making of Nunaaluk: A Forgotten Story

Cree Outfitting and Tourism Association’s (COTA) latest film, Nunaaluk: A Forgotten Story, showcases the sustainability of life on Cape Hope (Nunaaluk), a James Bay island near Wemindji, while exploring the rich history of its former Inuk inhabitants. An Inukshuk on Cape Hope Island This 29-minute documentary, directed by Louise Abbott and produced ... read more ››

Oujé-Bougoumou finally obtains formal recognition

Ouje Crees were forced to relocate their villages seven times over fifty years, with the last relocation occuring in 1970. Community members dispersed throughout their territory, establishing small encampments that consisted of makeshift dwellings, often just simple tent frames. A decades-long struggle finally became reality May 16 when Canada’s Privy Council ... read more ››

Two Crees to run in Hawaii for diabetes research

Frustrated by the ever-increasing number of cases of diabetes and diabetes-related diseases in Eeyou Istchee, Joshua Iserhoff and Demerise Mayappo will be taking part in a special Canadian Diabetes Association fundraiser in Hawaii in August. The two Crees will be representing Eeyou Istchee on the island of Kauai August 31. They ... read more ››

Cree youth have the experience of a lifetime in Costa Rica

Seven Waskaganish youth and their four chaperones embarked on a very special trip down to Costa Rica June 21-28 to learn about life abroad and to help out where they could. The trip, organized by three high-school teachers – Sarah Sarvis, Kylie Simard and Virginia Wabano – brought out graduating ... read more ››

Romeo Saganash investigates how much Ottawa spends fighting Aboriginals

After months of thwarted attempts at revealing how much Conservative government spends battling Aboriginal rights and the groups that try to enforce them, NDP MP Romeo Saganash has now turned to the Auditor General of Canada. On June 12, Saganash sent a letter to Auditor General Michael Ferguson requesting an investigation ... read more ››

Grand Chief Coon Come discusses his whirlwind travels in June

Matthew Coon Come with Charlie Watt From a summit of Quebec chiefs in Quebec City to seeing President Obama in North Dakota to a meeting with BC leaders and finally to speaking to lawyers in Iqaluit, all in the space of a week-and-a-half, Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come has been discussing ... read more ››

Construction begins on new Mistissini youth centre

Earth has finally been turned across the street from the Mistissini band office for a new youth centre. Representatives from the Mistissini band council, including Chief Richard Shecapio and Director of Municipal Services Emmett Macleod and members of the Mistissini Youth Council joined about 100 band members June 20 for a ... read more ››

Chibougamau and Val-d’Or share their Aboriginal Day celebrations

National Aboriginal Day has become the time of the year in many communities to share Native pride, culture and traditions with the rest of the world and this was carried out in style for the northern communities of Chibougamau and Val-d’Or but in very different ways. Not wanting to compete with ... read more ››

Fire it up is an A-to-Z grilling bible

As summer may just as well be synonymous with grilling, one way to get the best out of the sweeter season and amp up your time at your barbecue is to invest some time reading into why you would pick a rub over a brine and learn how to make ... read more ››

How to optimize your pregnancy for you and your baby

Whether it is a shock or a happy surprise, finding out that you are pregnant is a life-changing event, even when it is not your first baby. From that moment on, habits good or bad have to change. But those changes don’t have to be difficult just so long as you ... read more ››

Montreal’s Aboriginal festival overcomes threat of funding cut

Place des Festivals (photo Andreanne Lemire) Much like the many Quebec Native communities it represents to the world, Présence Autochtone, Montreal’s First Peoples’ Festival, has seen its fair share of struggles. And yet, this remarkable showcase of Indigenous arts of all kinds has managed to weather the storm once again to ... read more ››

Stan Louttit, 1950-2014

After fighting cancer for two years, Mushkegowuk Grand Chief Stan J. Louttit has succumbed to the disease at 64 years old. He leaves behind his wife, Sharon, four daughters and nine grandchildren. According to Mushkegowuk Deputy Grand Chief Leo Friday, Louttit’s passing came as a shock to his coworkers. While it ... read more ››

Chisasibi woman overcomes brain tumour to complete PhD studies

You would never know it to look at her now but not even a year ago Sarah Pash was so debilitated by a brain tumour that she couldn’t manage to get through her workday. Now on the other end of her journey, the 42-year-old mother of four has just graduated from ... read more ››

Governments meet to devise solutions for Val-d’Or’s homeless

The Val-d’Or Native Friendship Centre along with other stakeholders in the city’s homelessness issue met with representatives from three levels of government – federal, provincial and municipal – on May 26 to discuss various city proposals for its most vulnerable citizens. It was also an opportunity for those working on ... read more ››

N’we Jinan : The story behind the music

Soulful song goddesses, cutting-edge rappers, precocious kids, metal dudes, scribes of prose and poetry, rockers with a cause, unlikely hip-hop heroes and community activists are some of the labels for Eeyou Istchee’s newest superstars; the youth whose voices, songs and souls made it to N’we Jinan, a new Cree album ... read more ››

Devotions to Dad: Three Crees talk about life, love and learning from their fathers

For most of us, Dad was the first man that we really get to know and love. He was often our childhood hero and the man we rushed home to every June with our homemade Father’s Day cards. Whether or not this is an apt description of your relationship with your ... read more ››

Saganash reacts to the Anaya report, looming FN crisis

Last October, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples James Anaya visited Canada to see how its First Peoples were faring. Not well, it appears. His report released May 12 highlighted a looming “crisis.” Citing the “jarring manifestation” of human rights problems that “have reached crisis proportions in ... read more ››

Inviting the world into N’we Jinan: Cree collaborative album hits iTunes

While rapper/singer/speaker David Hodges may have worked with youth all over the province at everything from anti-bullying workshops to musical projects; there was absolutely nothing on earth that could have ever prepared him for the wealth of talent and what would come of it as he toured through the communities ... read more ››

A discussion with Grand Chief Coon Come on the Quebec election

As voting day in Quebec looms amid rumours of a referendum and whether First Nations issues are being addressed or if treaty lands would even stay part of the province, the Nation felt that it was time to check in with Cree leadership to get an official perspective from Eeyou ... read more ››

How to recognize the difference between the blues and depression

While the holidays are hyped as a time for tidings of comfort and joy, there are those who tend to get a little down during the Yuletide season and then those who slip into severe depression. But just what is the difference between the two and when should someone get help? ... read more ››

Roger Orr chronicles the rough-and-tumble life of the homeless in Val d’Or in an online video series

Confronted with the brutal side of Val d’Or, Nemaska drug counsellor Roger Orr decided not to turn away. Instead, he decided to record an intimate glimpse at the City of Gold’s impoverished underbelly. While staying at the city’s Native Friendship Centre last summer, Orr said that he heard a scuffle not ... read more ››