ARTICLES BY Steve Bonspiel

Wrestling with success – Sport of arm wrestling helps OJ man turn his life around

There are many sports available for the youth of Eeyou Istchee. Hockey and basketball are the most popular, obviously, but John Bosum is trying to change that. And his 16-inch python-like arms are helping him along the way. “I’ve been arm wrestling since I was 12,” said Bosum, 32, who is ... read more ››

Get Your Pets Spayed or Neutered free

It’s that time of the year, when the snow has melted and the pets get frisky. What better way to show that you love them and your community than by getting them spayed or neutered? The Northern Dogs Program is a partnership between the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the ... read more ››

Coon Come rocks EM-1A panel with criticism

It was the Matthew Coon Come of years gone by. When the former Grand Chief and AFN National Chief took centre stage at the EM-1A panel hearings in Montreal last week, he didn’t mince words. Coon Come gave an impassioned speech aimed at Hydro and their strong-arm tactics. He warned Federal ... read more ››

Crees look east to jump-start economy – Ten-day trip to China uncovers secrets of the Orient

Waswanipi business leaders returned from a fact-finding mission to Hong Kong April 8-19 with some solid leads for developing the Cree economy. Sam W. Gull, a key organizer on the trip who has already started his own import/export business with China, said the trip to the former British colony also gave ... read more ››

First People’s Fest develops split personality

The 16th edition of the Terres en Vue First People’s Festival comes with a twist. The festival will be split in two parts this year, in part because of the popularity of the ever-growing Francofolie Festival and their need for the same venues during the same time as the First People’s ... read more ››

Jonathan Cheechoo – Aboriginal role model

San Jose Sharks right-winger Jonathan Cheechoo has finished the NHL regular season with a league-leading 56 goals, winning the Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophy in the process. In doing so, he joins heady company. Philadelphia Flyers right-winger Reggie Leach was the last Aboriginal to score 50 goals, during the 1979-80 regular season. ... read more ››

Chisasibi planning massive wind farm

Chisasibi’s Yudinn Energy has applied for an export permit from the National Energy Board to build a wind farm that will generate up to 1,650 megawatts; and with it, the ability to sell excess energy to the U.S. and Ontario as well as other parts of Quebec. Yudinn and its project ... read more ››

Dreams can come true – Children’s Wish Foundation grants three wishes in Eeyou Istchee

Three very sick children in Eeyou Istchee are smiling today thanks to the Children’s Wish Foundation. One is on his way to Disneyland in California. And two others are also looking forward to visiting Mickey Mouse and his band of animated friends in the near future. Their dreams are coming true ... read more ››

Jurisdictional dispute pits Chisasibi against James Bay Municipality

The James Bay Municipality (JBM) has issued a warning to Chisasibi’s Cox family – halt construction on your winter camp; it’s on land we’re renting from the Minister of Natural Resources (MNR). “It didn’t actually explain why,” said Josie Cox, a spokesman for his family. “It just said to stop construction.” The ... read more ››

Grand Chief meets with Premier Charest – Great Whale to stay off the table

For the first time since his election last September, Matthew Mukash met with Quebec Premier Jean Charest. The meeting at Charest’s Montreal office on March 24 went well, according to Mukash. “It was more than I expected,” he said. “Because of my past positions on Great Whale and hydro electric development ... read more ››

Building Bridges Through Basketball – Cree youth visit TO for Raptors games and to boost self-esteem

Toronto was the latest sports scene for the Cree youth of Eeyou Istchee as they attended two Raptors games and opened their eyes and minds to a wealth of southern delights. In all, 27 youth and 24 adults from seven communities traveled to Toronto March 28 to April 1 to catch ... read more ››

Jobber

Jobs. We all need them (unless you’re lucky enough to be rich), and, by extension, we also need the cash that comes with them. Getting used to the capitalist society that surrounds us as Native people has been difficult at times, but we’re getting there. Nations no longer hunt, trap, farm ... read more ››

Canadian Idol a no go for aspiring Mistissini youth

He came and he sang his heart out, but in the end he went home empty-handed. Mistissini’s Isaac Mianscum, 25, made his second attempt to become the first Eenou to make it into the televised stages of Canadian Idol when he arrived in Montreal March 17. That Saturday, after a three-and-a-half ... read more ››

Healing our youth through sport

Eeyou Istchee needs individuals like Gordon Hudson in Mistissini. Hudson puts in a tremendous amount of hard work and overtime as Mistissini’s Director of Youth Services with the Cree Health Board. But the best part is he also opens various activities up to all nine communities. I first met him at ... read more ››

For better or worse: Waswanipi can’t divorce Domtar, Quebec Supreme Court rules

The wording of a recent Quebec Superior Court ruling on a Waswanipi sawmill’s attempt to break with Montreal-based Domtar was simple and direct: no way. The 12-page ruling, handed down February 16, states that the shareholders’ agreement between Waswanipi’s Mishtuk Corporation and Domtar has no expiration date and must be respected ... read more ››

Waswanipi dominates Chapais hockey tourney

If they had entered a midget team, it might have been a clean sweep. Four Waswanipi teams in the Novice, Atom, Pee Wee and Bantam categories absolutely dominated the competition at the 10th annual Chapais Minor Hockey Invitational Tournament, held January 25-29. “The feeling was good,” said the Novice Waswanipi Little Chiefs ... read more ››

La Tuque residential school razed – Demolition is closure for hundreds of abducted Cree children held at the school

Paul Dixon bought a sledgehammer with the little money he had left once he arrived in La Tuque on February 1. His sole purpose: to demolish the building that swallowed the lives of many of his Cree brothers and sisters and in some way use the tool to help him ... read more ››

Four years after liver transplant, Waskaganish boy now faces cancer

Eight-year-old Norm Blacksmith has been through what amounts to a lifetime of ailments. He underwent a liver transplant in September 2002 to overcome being born with liver sclerosis. Then, in January of this year, doctors discovered a tumor riddled with lymphoma near his rectum. They removed most of it, but ... read more ››

Cree companies sign multi-million dollar deal with De Beers

Air Creebec has made a bold move on the west side of the James Bay coast, announcing a $10.3 million, three-year transportation contract with De Beers Canada to service the new Victor Mine Project near Attawapiskat. Fourteen jobs are to be created on the Air Creebec side, although it’s still too ... read more ››

Jonathan Cheechoo talks to the Nation about the new NHL, Sweden and moose…

The Nation had a chance recently to talk with Jonathan Cheechoo, one of the NHL’s exciting young wingers. We sat down with the rising San Jose Sharks star at the Bell Centre in Montreal to get his view on many things and ask him questions about his stardom in Native ... read more ››

Cree youth meet and greet Cheechoo in Ottawa

They came, they saw, they cheered, and in the end they jumped into their vehicles for the long ride home to reflect on their encounter with a young Cree role model and the only Eenouch hockey player in the NHL. On January 12, over 100 youngsters and adults alike made the ... read more ››

Wemindji, Chisasibi lead way in fight against diabetes

If the hard work of Northern Stores employees in Eeyou Istchee is any indication, diabetes might be a thing of the past thanks to ambitious fundraising to fight the disease. The chain’s workers are once again fundraising by selling paper snowmen, with the proceeds going towards research and treatment. This year, Wemindji ... read more ››

Mistissini child survives third open-heart surgery – Even though the Cree Health Board shows it has no heart

A seven-year-old child from Mistissini has already gone through more pain and suffering than most people go through in a lifetime. Dancing Water Binette-Wapachee underwent open-heart surgery at Ste. Justine’s hospital in Montreal in mid-December for the third time in her short life. Her mother Alice was with her every step ... read more ››

North West Company walks for diabetes in Hawaii

The message from the Northwest Company is clear: if you walk enough and eat right, nothing can stop you, not even diabetes! For the fifth consecutive year, Team Diabetes walked to raise awareness of the debilitating disease on December 11 in Hawaii. Five members of northern communities joined six employees from North ... read more ››

Renewal Commission says all Natives should elect AFN chief

The Assembly of First Nations Renewal Commission (AFNRC) has released its nearly 300-page report containing 47 recommendations for reorganizing the AFN. The commission was formed 18 months ago to examine the purpose and structure of the national organization representing nearly a million First Nations citizens across Canada. Among other recommendations, the report ... read more ››

Another Dead Indian

The 1990s were a tumultuous time for Native people in Canada. The Oka Crisis changed this reporters’ life at the tender age of 14 while serving as a call to the outside world. Another important protest against the colonial takeover of Indian land happened in 1995 at Ipperwash Provincial Park in Ontario. A ... read more ››