Category: 2008-08-29

There’s black gold in them white fields

I love places like Whapmagoustui. It is so far North that many of the traditional Cree ways are still intact and practiced. People are friendly and welcoming and there is not as much suspicion of the outsiders. Generosity and sharing are practiced on great scales. A recent Grand Council/Cree Regional Authority Annual ... read more ››

Money matters

I often thought about other people and sometimes I wonder how they do it. How do they get all the things that they have? What kind of money does it take to get what they want? So I did a little research on the topic and discovered a few surprising ... read more ››

The war on pigs: As the town of Chapais enters into a new phase with its projected hog farm, abattoir and meat-processing plant, tempers flare amid confusion.

Since 2004 Chapais has been vying to set up a $100 million high-tech hog farm on Category III lands but in the wake of a public outcry the town managers are now looking to relocate the project to lands owned exclusively by the municipality. Town Manager for Chapais, Laurent Levasseur, was ... read more ››

And the Beat Goes On…: Hot off of the heels of their second annual Native Women’s Summit, NWAC’s Beverly Jacobs rehashes what went down but more so what still needs to happen

Violence against Canada’s Indigenous women, the overrepresentation of Aboriginal women in the judicial system, Kelowna, the trafficking and prostitution of Aboriginal girls and the general population’s belligerent indifference to all of it. These were just a handful of topics that were discussed when 150 First Nations women congregated in Yellowknife ... read more ››

New CRA rep in Mistissini

John Matoush has won the election to replace Matthew Coon Come as the Council Board Representative for the Cree Nation of Mistissini. The election, held June 25-26, was made necessary when Coon Come stepped down to fill a new position in the Cree Regional Authority’s Trust Board. Matoush won with ... read more ››

Moose Cree Elections

Moose Cree First Nation held its elections on August 9. Norman Hardisty was voted new Chief of Moose Cree First Nation with a total of 338 votes. Right behind him were candidates Patricia Faries-Akiwenzie with 227 votes and Vern Cheechoo with 103 votes. Also newly elected as Deputy Chief, Charlie Cheechoo won ... read more ››

Fitness Challenge 2008: When the tough get going: The Nemaska Fitness Challenge attracted a good crowd, but a challenge goes out to other communities to participate.

Nemaska. The height of summer. Johnny Cash’s “Jackson” is blaring through the speakers. Three days and many miles of swimming, biking, portaging, canoeing and running lie ahead in this community’s annual Fitness Challenge. The 13th annual competition brings together some old faces from races past: John Gunner, Stanley Neeposh, Lena Petawabano, ... read more ››

Brawn Power: Cree arm-wrestling champs need support in order to attend the world championships in Kelowna, BC

The air was electric inside Nemaska’s fitness centre the night of August 2. A large crowd had gathered in the basketball arena to witness the strongest wrists and forearms in Cree territory vie for the right to be called Arm Wrestling Champion of the Quebec Cree Nation. As the night ... read more ››

Assessing the Assessment: Though shortened by a day, the Grand Council’s annual General Assembly was able to cover all the issues faced by the Cree Nation.

On the day the delegates were due to arrive from the south to attend the Grand Council of Eeyou Istchee, low-laying clouds blanketed the airstrip making it difficult for Air CreeBec’s Dash-8 to land. After two attempts, the landing was aborted. The same thing happened to the two charters destined for ... read more ››

The 6th Annual CreeFest!

Music entertainment, workshops, contests, activities, a Pow Wow and a feast were all part of the 6th Annual CreeFest which took place in Cochrane, Ontario August 14-16. Taykwa Tagamou First Nation, the town of Cochrane, the Mushkegowuk Council and Abitibi Projects joined together and organized three days of festivities that brought ... read more ››

Ideas for Aboriginal economic development

The federal government wants the general public to know that everyone, Aboriginal or not, is welcomed to give his/her input to Indian and Northern Affairs on how to set-up a new framework for Aboriginal economic development. The public is being asked to submit suggestions directly to INAC via its website, telephone ... read more ››

Public Art Competition for First Nations Artists

The Ministere de la culture, des Communications et de la Condition feminine and the Universite du Quebec en Abitibi-Temiscamingue will be integrating a piece of Native art with the First Nations Pavilion building on the UQAT campus in Val-d’Or They are looking for pieces of art to make into a mural ... read more ››

Taxing reserves

According to the Institute on Governance (IOG), the Ottawa-based non-profit think-tank that specializes in governance, more First Nations communities should be taxing themselves as a means of solving on-reserve economic problems, such as housing and water quality. The 46-page report, In Praise of Taxes: The Link Between Taxation and Good Governance ... read more ››

Who need the Olympics? Though they may not have come home laden in hardware, the Eeyou Istchee’s finest young athletes made their debut at the North American Indigenous Games and a lasting impresison on the world

For the first time since the games inception back in 1990, a delegation of Cree youth made their way to the 2008 North American Indigenous Games in the hopes of bringing back gold in honor of their people. The seven-day event, held in Cowichan, B.C., saw more than 4,500 Aboriginal athletes ... read more ››

All creatures great and small

There is nothing like spending a hot summer day near the water’s edge. I enjoy as much time as I can swimming but there are many responsibilities that keep me from cooling off in a crystal clean northern lake. Recently I took on the job of fixing an old lake-side ... read more ››