ARTICLES BY Sonny Orr

All Kinds of Country

I wandered into the smoke-filled bar and heard the familiar songs of Conway Twitty crooned out by the svelte voice of Gordon Poison, who was in town the other weekend. To my surprise, he immediately recognized me and incorporated my name in one of those famous megahit Country and Western ... read more ››

Oh, the Opulence…

I awoke this morning with a minor headache and a minor government. Let’s just hope that this doesn’t turn out to be a major headache for us. As for other misquoted minor politicians, who reportedly claimed, then later disclaimed, that we as Cree live in opulence. Sixty grand for a ... read more ››

$hock and Awww

The digital readout kept on climbing and climbing and my excitement level rose to an all time high. The numbers rose past 100, 150, 195, and edged over the $200 mark. Hands shaking, I reached for my pocket, my adrenaline soaring. No, I wasn’t at the casino or in front ... read more ››

Where Have All the Hunters Gone?

The geese approached the small pond, and everything was silent. They swooped in gracefully and gave the complementary thankful honk, before landing on the calm water. Sound familiar? Yes, it’s Stanley Cup fever again and all sane hunters have abandoned their blinds in favour of rooting for the sun-drenched hockey ... read more ››

Useless Parts

The hypodermic syringe neared my skin and I anticipated its puncture. Oh… yes…, and the pain slipped away. No, I am not shooting up heroin or cocaine; it’s my doctor applying anesthesia to my swollen big toe. It has been a constant pain for the last year or so and ... read more ››

All You Can Eat

On one of my rare forays to the south, I chanced to eat food that I didn’t have to cook for myself. This is a rare indulgence for me, and I thought of how our people enjoy the meals prepared for others, (not to mention not having to do the ... read more ››

Bush Radio Mama

It’s that time of the year again, where towns seem to be emptied of the people who once made the community a thriving beehive of activity. The streets are strangely quiet and the local stores are only filled with the barely audible sounds of elevator music, as the cashiers limply ... read more ››

Justice Is Blind

Sometimes when you hear of repeated incidents of local yokels continuously breaking the law, you wonder, just what the heck do they have that ordinary citizens don’t have. Is it diplomatic immunity, or just the plain sense of not knowing that there are laws in this world? When so called ... read more ››

Glory Days…

I happened to fork over $21 for my entrance to a tourney in the Whap’ over the last weekend and witnessed just how violent the sport of hockey can be. As one team from Kangiqsujuaq (formerly Wakeham Bay) questioned the referee’s decision, the dispute turned nasty. First, the lights were ... read more ››

No Pain, No Gain

As I was growing up, and learned the values of right and wrong, I often wondered what type of person I would be today, if I hadn’t been taught what was the difference between right and wrong. I know that for many parents today, the idea of restricting your child’s ... read more ››

Of Machines and Giggly Girls

My hands soiled with grease and grime, I mutter things that could send me to hell into the next eternity. Why do machines have to break so easily? Oh the humanity! Why have we grown more dependent on machinery to take over nearly all aspects of the work we used ... read more ››

I Am Not Phat

I read in dismay the so-called journalistic reaction to the way we tend to absorb poutine by the ton and how many of us practice unhealthy ways, thus leading us down coronary alley which ends at the heart attack hotel. I kid you not, I felt guilty to be a ... read more ››

Valentine Pour Vous?

The red rose that symbolizes many things, especially around St. Valentine’s day, seems to pop up more and more in the North. I suppose that this is good for those who are naturally romantic at heart, but for those who don’t think romantically, who would rather the red flower be ... read more ››

To Be a Snowbird…

I scraped the ice hoar off the window at 7:30 in the morning to squint at the thermometer and my eyes slowly widened with disbelief. The shock I received worked faster than the coffee I usually brew as I looked a little harder, trying to see the mercury. It had ... read more ››

Looking Back 12 Months…

As I can see into the near future, sometime before February, I forecast that the winter will be cold and dreary and that for this year, it will be a leap year. However, I tend to think that looking back is a lot easier than trying to forecast anything, even ... read more ››

Ho Ho Ho

I always wished that Santa Claus was a real person when I was a kid, and in many ways, I wish he was real today. Not that I really want to believe in Santa, but mainly so that he could take on the responsibilities of giving out those expensive gifts ... read more ››

Mommy Why Does it Hurt When I…

I was watching this TV show, which many people already have had their share of, namely America’s funniest home videos. I laughed hysterically when the golf ball bounced back and nearly became the third one on the unlucky golfer. I nearly peed in my shorts when the entire choir collapsed with ... read more ››

10 Years After – The Little Magazine That Could

I saw something extraordinary happening at the James Bay Eeyou School in Chisasibi in the early 1980s. It was a sight that impressed me: Ernie Webb breakdancing like a pro and the circle of astounded students and adults alike crowded around the whirling dervish. I happened to be one of ... read more ››

Whapmagoostui Art Factory: A Success Story

How old do you have to be, to be in business? How many years do you have to try before you succeed at a business venture? Why would anyone want to go into business in the first place? These are all questions one usually asks oneself before going into business. The ... read more ››

The Coming of Age…

Many of us go through various stages of life, some happy, some sad, some serious, some funny. Of all the various stages of my life, none struck me as much as when I left home to go to school down south. Every fall, as I can recall, we would all ... read more ››

Why I Like Dab Iyiyuu

Dab Iyiyuu or Real People, are hard to come by these days. Sometimes I wonder if they are still around. They are scarce and I hope, not a dying breed like some people may claim, and say we are losing as a people and a nation. The francophone used to ... read more ››

Making the Grade

Some days it just seems like when you wake up and listen to the local gossip, life is as near to soap opera as you can get, without getting the local bill from the cable or satellite network. All calls are local and usually from just across the street or ... read more ››

Weather Or Not

We, as Canadians (iens), view bad weather with the usual yawns of disappointment when near white-out conditions prevail only for a day or two. The average temperature hovers usually around zero on a brisk October morning and creeps up to about five degrees or so by noon hour. I am ... read more ››

Where Have All the Old Guys Gone?

I happen to be a smidgen over 40 and the hill is not in sight yet, at least for a young man like me. My looks haven’t changed for 20 years now but I’ve noticed that many other men my age look quite a lot older than I. No, I’m ... read more ››

Good ol’ St. Nicotine

I could hardly wait until I unwrapped my 13th birthday gift from my mother. Her eyes glowed proudly as I held up the can of Export tobacco and Vogue rolling papers. Yes, I was a man now and could smoke in public. My mother sent me off to my grandfather ... read more ››

I often wondered how communities and the people who live in reserves managed without having a bar…

I often wondered how communities and the people who live in reserves managed without having a bar where alcohol is served. I live in a community where there are two bars. When the community of Kuujjuarapik opened the second bar, stories and predictions of the downfall of society rose with ... read more ››