ARTICLES BY Ndiamon Ndiamon

An eloquent and dangerous voice – remembering John Trudell

No one can claim that John Trudell led a charmed life. His was an interesting life and he lived it well. How many people have had a song written about them while in the prime of their lives. Who of us has been described as “extremely eloquent, and therefore very ... read more ››

Man bites dog: Adventurer survives three months in the bush with help from his friend

There’s a German Shepherd in dog heaven who got there by making the ultimate sacrifice as one man’s best friend. Marco Lavoie, an adventurer, canoeist, expert outdoorsman, was lost and starving in the forest halfway between Waskaganish and Matagami when he accepted his pet dog’s gift of life. Forced to make ... read more ››

Means was mean but meant well

A powerful, eloquent voice for Indigenous peoples worldwide was silenced on October 22. Russell Means – activist, actor, musician, writer, boxer and political firebrand – succumbed to cancer at his home in Porcupine on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. He was 72 years old. Means gained notoriety in the ... read more ››

Pow Wow

  It’s time once again to get in your rez car and head down the Pow Wow highway. Strangely enough there are no Eeyou Istchee Pow Wows listed this year so you’ll have to travel far. Not all people, Native or otherwise, are Pow Wow people so a quick lesson in etiquette ... read more ››

cree@large: Boyce Richardson

One of the first films where I recognized Native people as being genuine was Boyce Richardson’s Job’s Garden. Job Bearskin, the grandfather of one of my classmates, was exactly the way I saw him in Richardson’s documentary. Smiling, kindly, friendly and dignified, even as he limped, by our playground on ... read more ››

Beads of sweat

I’m a summer sweater. You wouldn’t believe how much I sweat on a sweltering summer’s day. Disgusting. No woman wants to snuggle with me, I sweat so much. Which is why I prefer the shade and the leisurely amble to the driven gait, all the while breathing deeply, slowly, Jedi-like. ... read more ››

Razzle dazzle in TO

The very first Gemini awards ceremony took place in Toronto in 1986 and were hosted by, get this, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas and Andrea Martin stars of SCTV and countless Hollywood movies. Some would charge that the night has been all downhill from there and they could be right when ... read more ››

From Hero To Zero

Toronto’s 10th annual ImagiNative Film & Media Arts Festival in 2009, had as its opening film, Reel Injun. Film festivals usually put up their guest filmmakers at fine hotels, get them rides to all the happenings, ply them with drinks all night long and make them feel like what Johnny ... read more ››

Farewell to the Chief

Even in death Billy Diamond still had the ability to hold a crowd in thrall. The moment came early during the funeral service, at the end of a hastily cut film celebrating the man’s many achievements. “I told my sons what I want written on my headstone,” he said in ... read more ››

Hockey’s Cool in Mist

For seven grueling weeks this summer Cree boys and girls from ages 8 to 17 were taught how to get in deep, get in on the fore-check and, of course, get the puck in the net. And from the sounds of it, our young people gave it 110% every shift. Carl ... read more ››

Mixing sound under the stars

There were times when Nemaska’s music festival felt like a good karaoke night in some lonesome out-of-the-way dive. Which was fun because, who doesn’t love dives and karaoke? Nothing would happen in Cree land if it didn’t start late. Which is why Roger Orr is nervously prowling the stage 45 minutes ... read more ››

Oh where has my little dog gone?

What’s furry, likes to lick anything, has claws and is really faithful? Of course it’s man’s best friend, the dog. Why do dogs merit page four of this fabulous magazine, one may ask? Because something mysterious is afoot (I really mean apaw) in some communities in the north, something so ... read more ››

The fine art of futurism

One day, when my father was a young man, the company store received a shipment of radios. A line formed with eager customers ready to spend a whole month’s wages for this newest fad. But an elderly friend of my father pulled him aside and suggested that perhaps they shouldn’t ... read more ››

A rivers end

Next summer the Rupert River’s flow will ebb. Its shores will grow. Its fish will thrash about and die on the exposed rocks. Its many falls and rapids will no longer churn and cool the air along its banks. The river will breathe its last grasp and expire. Oceans, lakes and ... read more ››

Election 2009

Here we are again. The fight for the most powerful office in all of Creedom begins. The names and faces are all familiar from campaigns past, albeit with a few more lines on their faces. But what’s important is that they’ve gained wisdom. Or have they? Your candidates, in no particular ... read more ››

cree@large: Melisa Pash

There is just a hint of French in singer Melisa Pash’s speaking voice. I heard this when I caught up with her by phone in Val-d’Or. Melisa was born on Fort George Island and was raised in Val-d’Or, and makes the city her home. Balancing these two different worlds, the ... read more ››

Old Man River

A year ago my brother and I made a pact to travel down the river our father and grandfathers worked for many summers. They paddled up and down the Rupert in the service of the Hudson’s Bay Company several times a summer. My father George Diamond started when he was ... read more ››