Volume 5, Issue 16

Acting Chief

I had the honour of meeting Michael Lawrenchuk, a Manitoba Swampy Cree, in a military prison cell so to speak. Lawrenchuk was the actor in a one-man play called The Trial of Kicking Bear as part of a Montreal Native festival leading up to National Aboriginal Day. It was put ... read more ››

Between Friends Friends-in-law

What do you do when you just can’t STAND your “Friends-in-Law”? Otherwise known as friends of a friend, friends by association, step-friends. People who aren’t directly your own friends, but they are a part of your life anyway. Here’s a sticky situation for you. I was going to Ottawa to visit ... read more ››

Chief repays centre for misspent funds

Did John Kitchen use a corporate credit card for personal expenses in the days when he was director-general of the Cree Business Development Centre? Before Kitchen became chief of Waswanipi, he was the top administrator of the centre, which got funds from the federal government to support Cree businesses. Three individuals who ... read more ››

Chisasibi man held in Ontario after police chase

A Chisasibi man in his pick-up truck led Ontario Provincial Police and a local squad car on an 80-kilometre chase before being arrested on 12 charges near Kirkland Lake, Ont., according to police. Tom Henry Rupert, 31, was able to evade officers for some time until his tires were blown out ... read more ››

First victims of nuclear age want justice

The Slavey people of the community of Déné in the NWT say they are “the very first victims of the nuclear age.” They want Canada to acknowledge its responsibility for the nightmare of radiation poisoning that has hit the community and clean up radioactive waste in their area. Government-sponsored uranium and radium mining ... read more ››

Kahnawake issues ultimatum

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake has warned the federal and Quebec governments it is asserting its sovereignty over the community’s territory, taking control of highways, railways and waterways, and declaring the community a duty-free zone. The move was prompted by Quebec’s recent changes to its tobaccco-tax laws and has been described ... read more ››

Lubicon score victory

The Lubicon Lake Cree Nation have scored a major victory in their long fight to protecttheir land. After a 10-year Lubicon campaign, the Japanese forestry giant Daishowa hasfinally agreed not to harvest or purchase timber from Lubicon lands until a land-claimagreement is worked out with the governments. Daishowa obtained logging rights ... read more ››

Rez Notes

There comes a time when even the most modest of publications such as The Nation, one of the most feared and loathed magazines in Cree territory, Quebec City and Ottawa, must toot its own horn. What made this Nation horn tootin’ possible was this past weekend’s Quebec Community Newspaper Association awards ... read more ››

School Days Under the Northern Sky

It is the end of the school year and memories of my school days come flooding back, as I watch the kids in the neighbourhood with more free time on their hands. My early school days in Attawapiskat had a great effect on me. You see, the school and its ... read more ››

We’ll see you in court: lawsuit okayed

The news spread fast. The Cree court case against the forestry industry and governmentsis a go. Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come traveled to Waskaganish to discuss the courtcase earlier this month. With him were Chief John Kitchen and lawyer James O’Reilly.Waskaganish was the last of the five Cree communities affected ... read more ››

Welcome to TOTAL Insanity

Cancer (June 22-July 22) Happy BirthdayCancerian brethrens, a word of warning to you on this joyousoccasion of yours: You might consider picking up some holy waterand a few stout wooden stakes. They’ll come in handy soon, although we arestill trying to figure how…(?) Leo (July 23-Aug 23) PLEASE!?! Sometime soon you ... read more ››

Who will be Chief?

This is a first for The Nation. It is the first time we have been able to reach the candidates for chief in a Cree community. In this case it was Mistissini. Normally the time between the nominations, acceptance and actual voting doesn’t allow for much time for the candidate’s ... read more ››

World Wide Webb: Who are you? Who sent you? And what is your directive?

Who are you? Who sent you? And what is your directive?… Just kidding.I do want to know who you are. What are your computing habits and what youwant to read about? I want to know whether you’re on the Net or just learning whatalt-f4 does. I want to know if ... read more ››