Volume 4, Issue 15

21st Odawa Pow-Wow

As Pow-Wows go, this one met all the expectations and then some. A Pow-Wow is a gathering of the people. A time to renew… old friendships, new beginnings. A time to trade, a time to dance and ultimately a time to rejoice. The winter is gone and summer, a time ... read more ››

An Interview with Matthew Coon Come – Election Season

The rumours were flying for weeks, even months. Was Matthew Coon Come going to go for Ovide Mercredi’s job as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations? Ovide had announced he was going to step down when his term expired this summer. Matthew was touted by some as the ... read more ››

Forestry Deals Could Cost Tallymen

It’s a classic give-with-one-hand-take-with-the-other situation. Encouraged by their chief, tallymen in Waswanipi agreed to take money from forestry companies that were cutting their land. The money offered was no great sum, a pittance compared to the profits earned by the companies. But 20 years of clearcutting has left the land so ... read more ››

I Must Tell You About My First Goose…

It had been about fours years since I last hunted geese in the spring. It felt important to me as this was traditionally a time of celebration for the Crees. The harsh reality of the winter was over and the arrival of the geese was important to survival but also ... read more ››

I’m sooooo tiiiired…

I’m sooooo tiiiired. My last vacation, if it can even be called that, was no help. My brain and my body need to get away together, to rest and rejuvenate. My typing speed has slowed to about three words a minute. Why did I not get a warning on what ... read more ››

Jurors Cry After Gustafsen Trial

The Gustafsen Lake standoff was the biggest RCMP operation in the history of British Columbia. Maybe even Canada. Now the verdict is in on the 60 charges faced by the defendants following the 1995 standoff over a Native land claim. After a $1-million, 10-month trial, most of the charges have been ... read more ››

Mario Lord vs. Norbord

“Before our hunting ground was cut I felt like a millionaire. Now I feel like a shoeboy.” Mario Lord has lived in the bush since he was 8. At 29, he is now tallyman of the W-11B trapline. Mario says his trapline has changed since the days when his late grandfather ... read more ››

Our Song Will Be Sung

…nothing I say helps, and being silent does not calm my pain. Job 16.6 There was once a Cree shaman who dreamt of a rock island with tall trees appearing in the distance, with thunder booming in the sky. A week following the dream, the Shaman’s people heard the same ominous thunder. It ... read more ››

Presence Autochtone ’97

Presence autochtone 1997 invites the Aboriginal community to take part in this grandiose event. We call on everyone (Aboriginal organisations, artists of young and old) to come and celebrate with pride our national day of peace, joy and friendship. In addition to attendance prizes, Presence autochtone 1997 will give out prizes ... read more ››

Three Views on Forestry

The debate continues about the deals between tallymen in Waswanipi and the forestry companies. Chief John Kitchen, who promoted the deals, says the tallymen have no choice. The land is being destroyed and the regional Cree leadership has failed to address the problem of forestry in other ways. The CTA ... read more ››