Volume 6, Issue 15

A BOY AND HIS FISHING CAN

I always admired the bigger and more daring kids. They were the ones perched atop the old pilings of the docks. A pop can in hand with a length of fishing line tied and wrapped around it. At the end of the line was a simple hook. Maybe there was ... read more ››

A LITTLE BOY WITH A BIG HEART

I am learning more of more about this world and sometimes an insight or special piece of knowledge comes to me from the least expected places. When I attended the wedding of Maurice and Darlene Lafontaine recently, I met a lot of great people and I saw first-hand the wonderful ... read more ››

Charly Washipabano drafted into QMJHL

Charly Washipabano of Chisasibi got drafted third in the 10th round in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League draft on June 5 in Quebec City. Washipabano was recruited to play for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens next season. He was approached by scouts from six QMJHL teams. Ryan Weistche, of Waskaganish, was approached by ... read more ››

Chiefs seek to shut out Grand Chief

Five Cree chiefs have sent a letter to Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come saying they – and not the Grand Council of the Crees – are the ones who will negotiate with Hydro-Quebec on the proposed Rupert River Hydro Project. The May 5 letter – signed by chiefs Kenneth Gillpin, Kenny ... read more ››

Chisasibi has extra hour to evacuate

Chisasibi residents have 3 hours and 10 minutes to evacuate if the Robert Bourassa (LG-2) Reservoir busts open, according to newly released Hydro-Quebec documents. The community of 3,500 has about an hour more than we previously reported. In Aug. 1997, The Nation reported that Chisasibi would be flooded after only 2 hours ... read more ››

Chisasibi pool champs

Allan Matthew, 19, was one of four Chisasibi residents who made it to the finals of a recent Val d’Or regional pool tournament. Matthew won second place in the tournament, winning a prize of $500. The first-place winner went on to provincial pool championships broadcast on the RDS television sports network. The ... read more ››

Free Leonard Peltier fight heats up

The campaign to free Leonard Peltier is heating up, but he needs support from the public. Amnesty International calls Peltier a political prisoner. He has spent 23 years in prison for the murders of two FBI agents killed on the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1975. Human-rights groups say the FBI knowingly ... read more ››

H-Q KNEW GRID WAS VULNERABLE TO STORM

Hydro-Quebec knew as early as 1980 that its power grid had ultra-fragile components that snapped too easily in a storm, according to a document obtained by The Nation. The brittle components were later to crack in droves in the 1998 ice storm, causing numerous Hydro-Quebec high-voltage transmission towers to collapse prematurely. The ... read more ››

My father celebrated his birthday a few days ago.

My father celebrated his birthday a few days ago. My sister baked him a cake, decorated it and we lit the tiny candles that covered the entire cake. His lungs are still powerful, considering he’s been a smoker for most of his adult life, and he blew out all 78 ... read more ››

Native News: Aboriginal Day

In honour of National Aboriginal Day, we bring you Native-related news from around the world. Some of these items were taken from Native News, a listserv that sends free news items by email to anyone who wants to sign up. Native News can be contacted at ( ishgooda@tdi.net ). Environmental ... read more ››

The Nation scores at QCNA awards

The Nation won three first-place awards and five other prizes at the annual convention of the Quebec Community Newspapers’ Association. The award banquet was held in picturesque Mont St. Gabriel, north of Montreal. Chisasibi Elder Sally Matthew won first place for Best Feature Story for her piece called Names of Lakes, which ... read more ››

Well, blow me down

Mistissini residents got a surprise when a tornado touched down in town two weeks ago, causing havoc in the community. The strong winds sent a large wooden garbage dumpster flying into the air, chasing two kids down a street. The out-of-control twister ripped trees out of the ground and sent a ... read more ››

What does everybody want?

The backrooms are filled to capacity and the deal-makers, shakers and would-be kingmakers have sat down to feast on the remains of the Cree land and culture whilst battling among themselves for the choicest pieces. It’s the Valhalla of politicians and bureaucrats on Mother Earth. They don’t even have to die ... read more ››

Will, el Présidente

William Nicholls, an editor of The Nation and vice-president of Beesum Communications, was chosen as president of the Native Friendship Centre of Montreal on June 7. The centre serves about 45,000 Native people in the Montreal vicinity. Will had served on the centre’s board since last fall and was previously on its ... read more ››