ARTICLES BY the Nation

Suicide

If you are thinking of committing suicide please think of the people you will hurt The woman who loved you from the moment you entered her womb The father who received you into this world The grandmother who held you and prayed for you The grandfather who held your hand for your first walk ... read more ››

Anti-Pig Farm Groups To Unite

Opponents of the Town of Chapais’ proposed pig farm are in for a pleasant surprise as the Sierra Club of Canada is looking to unite all opposition groups under one flag in their fight against the industrial pig farming industry. The Sierra Club is trying to bridge the gap between opposition ... read more ››

Attawapiskat woman wins second shot at Canadian Idol

Eight young hopefuls shook their booty and belted out a diverse mix of tunes in an attempt to win the hearts and minds of audience members and become the first “Cree Idol.” The contest in Moosonee March 2-3 drew over 600 audience members. Attawapiskat’s Karen Sutherland was head and shoulders above ... read more ››

Cherokees disown slave descendants

In a fit of ethnic cleansing, the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma have voted 77 per cent to 23 per cent to disenfranchise black descendants of Cherokee slaves, called Freedmen. They adopted an amendment to their constitution that strips the rights and membership of their black brethren, who until now were considered ... read more ››

Ungava election candidate forum

Why should Cree voters vote for you? I feel confident that my past experience as a political aide for the Minister responsible for Northern Quebec has prepared me to work with your communities and to serve as the Liberal Member of the National Assembly for Ungava riding. I am familiar with ... read more ››

Coddling corruption taints us all

Eeyou Istchee has been dealing with its fair share of questionable conduct and suspicious activity. The question is, where is the accountability and consequence? Here are a few cases that have made the news. Keep in mind that these are the cases known to the public. • Four Waswanipi women are charged ... read more ››

UQAT First Nations Pavilion Wins Approval

Crees will soon be able to attend university in an environment that is more culturally adapted to their needs. The Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue in Val d’Or announced last week that the much-anticipated First Nations Pavilion has been given the green light. The federal and provincial governments each contributed $3.8 ... read more ››

Bizarre death in Chisasibi

A Chisasibi man appears to have fallen to his death… from his bed. “He was found in a very awkward position,” Police Director Sam House said of Wilfred Cox, 45. His daughter discovered the body February 17 at 4 am and she phoned police. “I think he fell forward and his head ... read more ››

Aboriginals report increased racism

Urban Aboriginals are reporting an increase in racist-driven incidents in school, in business dealings and by employers and police, according to a newly released poll sponsored by Indian Affairs. The survey said that four out of 10 Indian, Inuit and Metis were discriminated against in town and cities across the country. Governments ... read more ››

Labrador Inuit membership questioned

Dozens of former members of the Labrador Inuit Association are joining forces to fight for compensation from the Nunatsiavut self-government. Over 100 people aired their grievances at a February 20 meeting in the Masonic Lodge in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Many were angry about their disenfranchisement in the 1990s. The group calls ... read more ››

Coonishish Burns Up The Snow On Racing Circuit

Oujé-Bougoumou’s favorite snowmobile-racing son, Katejun Coonishish, has been tearing up the World Power Sports Racing circuit, currently holding down second place in the overall standings. Coonishish also made his second appearance recently at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, where he finished fifth against the world’s best snowmobile racers. Although still ... read more ››

First Annual Cree Idol Competition Announced

Calling all sopranos, altos, lounge singers or rocker wannabes for the inaugural edition of Cree Idol! Whether you can sing or only think you can because you sound really good in the shower, Cree Idol wants you!For a meager $20, contestants can sign up for the latest version of the ... read more ››

AFN starts foster fight

The Assembly of First Nations will file a human rights complaint against the federal government over Ottawa’s “systemic discrimination” in underfunding Aboriginal child-welfare services. “Our children need action now, so I am announcing that we are putting governments on notice that a lack of action should be viewed as putting children ... read more ››

Chippewas evict non-Native cottagers

The Chippewas of Nawash First Nation in Hope Bay, Ontario, are taking their land back and in the process have served eviction notices to the non-Native cottagers who have built cabins on the leased-out land. The Chippewas informed the 68 cottagers that their long-term leases, administered by Ottawa, would not ... read more ››

Is climate change a crime against humanity?

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will examine a request to consider whether climate change due to environmentally unfriendly practices constitutes a human rights violation. Only two months ago, the organization had rejected a petition filed by Sheila Watt-Cloutier and 65 other Inuit in 2005. The U.S.’s failure to sign or ... read more ››

Cree miners hit subsidy lode

Quebec is seeding the Cree Mineral Exploration Board with $600,000 to help grow Cree participation in Northern Québec’s mining industry. The cash will be spread over two fiscal years, 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. “Northern Québec has great mineral potential,” Natural Resources Minister Pierre Corbeil said in a press release announcing the pre-election ... read more ››

Watt Cloutier up for Nobel Peace Prize

Former US Vice President Al Gore has some tough competition for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize: Sheila Watt Cloutier. Makivik President Pita Aatami expressed the pride of the Inuit of Nunavik for Watt Cloutier’s nomination. “We believe that Sheila’s hard work has brought the attention of the globe to the importance ... read more ››

Wemindji, Chisasibi Race for Supremacy – Annual Diabetes Fund Drive

For the second Lime in the last three years, the Northern Store in the smaller community of Wemindji has outsold its counterpart in Chisasibi in a race for diabetes awareness and, hopefully one day, a cure. The two stores battled it out last year for diabetic awareness supremacy in Canada by ... read more ››

A sobering experience – Family Life course graduates share a special bond

Eeyou Istchee is a little smarter after nine women graduated from a thought-provoking and insightful three-year Cree Family Life Education course that helped them to grow as people and as educators of Cree youth. Shirley Sandy, Daisy House, Bessie Tomatuk, Marlene Matoush, Brenda Sam, Margaret Pachanos, Margo Mianscum-Cooper, Shirley Cooper, and ... read more ››

James Bay Highway Opens

The winter road is open to light traffic. In this case light traffic means the vehicle and contents including passengers must not be over 4500 kg (or 10,000 lbs). Caution is urged as construction equipment is still on the highway and flooding crews are working near the water crossings. Slow ... read more ››

Shaman story

The critically acclaimed follow up to the highly successful Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner is coming to Eeyou Istchee. The Journals of Knud Rasmussen looks at a Danish explorer’s journals and along with it, the unique journey of his Inuit guides. The Nation spoke to Jacquie Carpenter, Audience Events and Tour ... read more ››

Weeneebeg Aboriginal Film and Video Festival

The Weeneebeg Aboriginal Film and Video Festival is an annual five-day festival happening in Moose Factory on March 7-11. Festival organizers say it is a community driven festival drawing on northern experiences. This year they will be presenting works by established and emerging international Aboriginal artists with featured youth workshops ... read more ››

Northern CEGEP adapts programs to Native cultures

If you’ve ever dreamed of getting a post secondary education but you felt that there were no CEGEPs that were feasibly adapted to the needs of aboriginal people coming from the north, your luck has just changed. The province announced January 19 that the Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue would be receiving an ... read more ››

Rupert River goes to gallows – Diversion construction begins immediately

The only thing left was the funeral procession as politicians from Quebec, the Cree and other non-native James Bay communities congregated in a roomful of media types to witness the surreal scene of a river being executed. After a 20-minute delay, the January I I Hydro-Quebec press conference in Montreal with ... read more ››

A social club for Mistissini? – Former police chief lobbies council for first-ever bar license

If one ambitious band councilor has his way Mistissini might soon be adding a social club, making it only the second community – behind Whapmagoostui – to have a bar on category one land. Former Police Chief Calvin Blacksmith was quick to point out that his establishment would serve to educate ... read more ››

Mirabel lands set to be stolen all over again

Stephen Harper’s Conservative government missed a chance to right a wrong in the Mirabel Airport fiasco when it announced that the land will be sold back to the Mirabel farmers who were paid for it in the 1969 federal expropriation. That land belongs to the Mohawks. As the massive Mirabel Airport ... read more ››