Volume 5, Issue 1

“The Status Quo is unacceptable”: An interview with Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come

It’s been a while since The Nation sat down and talked to the most powerful leader in the Creeworld. Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come was, as always, candid and open. His frank answers sometimessurprised me. It is no wonder that some people from the Assembly of First Nations asked when ... read more ››

Allies Once Again

The weekend of November 14 to 17 saw activists from the United States and Canada arrive inMontreal to gear up for another battle against mega-corp Hydro-Quebec. It was seen as a chance toinclude everyone south and north of the U.S.-Canada border for activists to heal the woundsbetween the two. Quebec ... read more ››

Blocking the Spirit

“We have to stop making people ask for permission for everything they do. You have to give entrepreneurs freedom.” — R. Kungl Why are there not more businesses in the Cree communities? To begin to answer this question we interviewed Mr. Rolf Kungl, a consultant with the Haida Klootraining services, who has trained Native ... read more ››

Caretakers of this planet

This story in our first issue was the first of many contributions by Margaret Sam Cromarty. Dec. 1, 1993 (Vol. 1, No.1) This is the Year of the Indigenous People, for the world to recognize this unique culture that exists today. The question is: What have we done to promote our culture here at ... read more ››

Celebrating our 100th Issue

The silence from people holding their breath was deafening. We sent the first issue of The Nation not knowing there would be a second one. Our first issue came out in December 1993, since then we have brought you 100 issues, sometimes by the skin of our teeth. In the ... read more ››

Chief Billy Diamond, PhD

Chief Billy Diamond was awarded an honourary doctor of laws degree by Carleton University at theinstitution’s 109th convocation on Nov. 16. The honourary doctorate is added to the long list of Billy Diamond’s other accomplishments. Named a Chevalier of the Ordre Nationale du Quebec in 1985, he was honoured with an AboriginalAchievement ... read more ››

Cree names should be respected: Quebec authors

Quebec authors say the original Cree names should be respected for the 101 islands in the Caniapiscau Reservoir. “It’s respect. I’m in agreement with giving back the name that was there before, just like in Abitibi I would not want someone to rename the places as if they had just been ... read more ››

cree@large (December 12, 1997)

Here it is, the long awaited and much hyped section of The Nation: cree@large! Repeat after me. Cree at large. There you go. I know what you’re thinking. Large Crees, right? In a bizarre way, you’re almost right.Large Crees. Large in the sense, I guess, that they are not necessarily obese, ... read more ››

Feds, Quebec leave CTA out in cold

Three months with no pay for the executive of the Cree Trappers’ Association and there is no end in sight for the CTA’s budget problems. “For now, we’ve exhausted everything. We don’t have many options left now,” says Edward Gilpin, CTA president. “We’re surviving. But it affects the employees. They’re not sure ... read more ››

Memories of Christmas

December 16, 1994 (Vol. 2, No. 2) I woke up feeling the crisp chilly air around me. My younger sister snuggled in close to draw warmth from my back. I could hear my father chopping kind ling on the front porch as it echoed through the cold air. The goose-feathered comforter ... read more ››

My Cousin “George”

This essay was a runner-up in our first Cree Nation Youth Essay Contest. November 18, 1994 (Vol. 1, No. 23) In English class recently, we read a story by W.R Kinsella, called “Strings.”The main character, Ellsworth, reminds me of mycousin-I’ll call him George-who lives in another Cree community. George always bosses ... read more ››

Mysterious sight

The first of many “sighting” stories to appear in The Nation. February 17, 1995 (Vol. 2, No. 5) On Nov. 7, 1991, between 5:22 and 5:24 p.m., I was turning right to the street where I live and at the same instant I saw a bright orange yellowish light travelling behind the ... read more ››

Nation Index

Number of Nation employees in 1993: 6Number of Nation employees in 1997: 15Average time for Chisasibi to run out of The Nation: 4 hoursAverage time for Wemindji to run out: 2 daysAverage number of phone calls to The Nation office in one day: 150Number of awards The Nation has received: ... read more ››

Quebec wants proof of Cree names

French names are here to stay for the islands in the Caniapiscau Reservoir, at least for now. The Quebec government is in no hurry to correct the official map after mistakenly giving new names to the 101 islands. Not realizing the islands already have Cree names, the government gave them new ... read more ››

Raising the Spirit

SOLUTION #1: MANIWAKI. This community north of Ottawa no longer requires its entrepreneurs to get a band resolution. The Band still regulates certain businesses, like transport, communications, anything that is potentially harmful to the community. But any standard business can get a licence. “People can start 20 restaurants if they want,” says ... read more ››

Read my lips. One hundred.

Read my lips. One hundred. One huuundred big ones. It wouldn’t have been possible without youawful people. Thank you. It’s all your fault we live in mansions, eat at the finest restaurants,stumble around in clubs spending the money you gave us. That is the greatest gift to give inbusiness. We ... read more ››

Respect for nature

March 17, 1995 (Vol. 2, No. 7) Just like my ancestors, my father was born in the bush when his mother still had fresh snow on her moccasins. The place he was born was called “Jack Pine’s River,” translated. Upon one of his visits during winter to the area where he ... read more ››

The Doctor Is In: A landslide, a meteorite or…

One summer night in late June of this year, some say, it might have been a meteorite or somekind of light falling from the sky. The next day, what may have appeared as a landslide on theshore of the Hudson Bay, approximately three to four kilometres north of Whapmagoostui orKuujjuarapik, ... read more ››

The first edition of Rez Notes appeared…

The first edition of Rez Notes appeared on October 6, 1995 (Vol. 2, No. 21). Greetings dear mortals. Allow me to welcome you to this page. One that, with your assistance, cooperation and blind obedience, will flourish and live on in our pages, hearts and minds for as long as humanly ... read more ››

The Good Book

In the beginning, when I was very young, it came to pass that a friend handed me a book saying itwas “Good.” I opened it, years later, one quiet evening when nothing was penciled in on my socialcalendar and I had long polished off my brothers’ and sisters’ collections of, ... read more ››

The Twilight Zone Your Horoscope

Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18) Okay. You’re okay. Don’t worry about a thing. Okay? You’re fine. So strut your stuff. Okay? As for your love life…it’s a big, swollen boil on your butt!Saturn is in the house of Pluto, whose aunt is Uranus. So this might help.So keep your fingers dry. Pisces (Feb 19-March ... read more ››

What’s in and out in ’95

Jan. 20, 1995 (Vol. 2, No. 3) OUT OJ SimpsonSuicide Order of the Solar TempleGreat WhaleNational unityClear-cutting Blockades Flesh-eating diseases NHL Spirits Redskins capsAFN Short, bald and ugly Quebec sovereignty Hello Goodbye Hydro/Nuclear powerCharlie Watt (former Makivik president) Residential schoolsCree IN OJ (the community) Blacking outOrder of friesSM-3 Aboriginal unityTraplinesOccupations Eating flesh (caribou, etc.)TournamentsSpiritualityRaptors capsANC Vertically, follically and aesthetically challengedCree sovereigntyWhenchiiAkuudaWind powerCharlie Watts (Rolling Stones drummer) Universitiesliyuu/linuuch