Volume 6, Issue 14

A PEOPLE WITHOUT VISION WILL PERISH

Open letter to Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come and the Cree leadership, I have wanted to express my sincerest appreciation for having had the opportunity to work with each of you during my term as a Council/Board member for Mistissini these past two years. I especially wanted to thank the community ... read more ››

Bill Presnail’s rocky past

The Anglican Church should never have sent William Presnail to Waswanipi to be the community’s priest, say residents of two Lower North Shore villages where Presnail was rector for nine years. Presnail, 45, was charged April 28 with sexually assaulting a minor – a 16-year-old boy – in Chapais. Presnail has ... read more ››

Coastal chiefs break ranks on forestry

Chiefs from four coastal Cree communities have apparently complained to Guy Chevrette, Quebec’s native-affairs minister, of being penalized because of the Cree forestry lawsuit. Chief Kenny Loon of Mistissini said the complaints were apparently made at a meeting with the minister that took place during goose break. Chevrette suspended talks on funding ... read more ››

Forest fire threatens Chisasibi

As a hot south wind blew, vehicles lined the highway leading into Chisasibi. People lined the road to watch a forest fire threatening to approach Chisasibi. The fire had jumped a fire break that was cut in previous years during another dry summer. Chisasibi residents were on standby Sunday, May 16, ... read more ››

Free advice

Everyone agrees we should “hire Cree.” But why don’t the Cree entities do it? What are the costs of not hiring Cree? These issues are addressed from the students’ perspective in this article, which generated a lot of discussion in the Cree entities when it was passed around last fall. ... read more ››

H-Q SLAMMED FOR SECRECY ON DAM SAFETY

The Grand Council of the Crees has blasted Hydro-Quebec for its secrecy on dam-safety issues and emergency plans. “I don’t have any information on dam safety. What are the measures to protect people living downstream from the dams?” asked Bill Namagoose, executive director of the Grand Council. “How would they get people ... read more ››

I was sitting here in front of the keyboard…

I was sitting here in front of the keyboard for I don’t know how long wondering which of my email buddies I would write to first. Then in a true eureka moment I thought I would reply to my emails, this one time, through The Nation. It’ll save time and ... read more ››

Kitchi Meegwetch

When Alex Roslin, a member of the editorial board for The Nation magazine, called recently to tell me I had been nominated for a writing award, I was very surprised. Actually, he explained that my column, Under the Northern Sky, had been nominated for best column in the Quebec Community ... read more ››

Lost forever

Interview with Josie Sam Jr. by ernest webb My family and I were guests in Josie Sam Jr.’s hunting area during goose break. On one of our trips on the reservoir Josie pointed out the spot where they had camped. Instead of pointing off in the distance, Josie pointed down. We ... read more ››

Month of the long knives

The cries of Cree unity had barely died away before four of the nine Cree chiefs met with Minister Guy Chevrette to talk about the suspension of MOU funding (News, page 5). Chevrette was the Quebec politician who suspended essential-services funding to the Crees under the guise of “we can’t ... read more ››

Steven Bearskin named to federal advisory board

The Liberal government has appointed Steven Bearskin to Industry Canada’s National Aboriginal Economic Development Board. The board advises Aboriginal Business Canada, which has a budget of $32.8 million this year. Bearskin has been president of Cree Construction since 1992. He also worked for the Cree Health Board and the Grand Council of ... read more ››

Thoughts of violence

Violence is all around us. But where did we learn violent behaviour? And how do we overcome it. Violence is an issue that is having negative effects on us as a community in Waskaganish, with innocent children. The statement I wish to make is that the negative effect this has ... read more ››

WHEN DOGS WERE STILL USED

On one of my hunting trips during the goose break, I was reminded of one of my earliest memories of my grandfather, George Bobbish. This spring we were on the river going by Goat Island on the north side. As we made our way downriver, I saw the area where ... read more ››