Volume 10, Issue 21

Blackout of the Century!

Darkness fell over 50 million plus people in six major North American cities on August 14. It was called the biggest blackout in history and days later they were still trying to trace the exact cause. The United States blames Canada for it, and vice versa. Nation Editor-in-Chief Will Nicholls was trying to ... read more ››

Eyewitness Report

Hicham: We just got back from The Empire State Building to have our supper at Applebee’s just next door to our hotel room at Hilton Times Square when the power went off. It was around 5 pm, at first I thought it was just a power off for a few ... read more ››

Forest Fires Quelled Near Chisasibi

A forest fire that had been burning for three weeks north of Chisasibi was finally contained with Mother Nature’s help. Heavy rains helped to stamp out the fire, and the water bombers helped to keep it away from the community. When most of the fire was extinguished, the firefighters were able to ... read more ››

Good ol’ St. Nicotine

I could hardly wait until I unwrapped my 13th birthday gift from my mother. Her eyes glowed proudly as I held up the can of Export tobacco and Vogue rolling papers. Yes, I was a man now and could smoke in public. My mother sent me off to my grandfather ... read more ››

Guatemala: Primal Beauty – Part 2 of 2

This is a continuation of last weeks focus on eco tourism of the Indigenous peoples of Guatemala. CDRO – Totonicapan CDRO (cooperacion para el desarollo rural de occidente) was set up to support Indigenous projects in the Totonicapan area of Guatemala in the early 1980s. At the time, Guatemala’s civil war was ... read more ››

Home Again

I was back home in Attawapiskat recently. The flight with Air Creebec was in a new Dash-8 aircraft. This aircraft was a big change from the noisy and rattling Hawker Sidley planes that I remembered from past trips home. This flight was quiet and happily uneventful except for the fact ... read more ››

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, 2003….wha?

How many people knew that August 9th was the International Day for the World’s Indigenous Peoples? And how many people are aware that at this moment we are almost at the end of the International Decade for the World’s Indigenous People? Do not confuse it with the National Aboriginal Day ... read more ››

Let’s End the Waste

It’s good to be back. I’ve been in South America for the last few weeks, arriving home only to travel to Ottawa for another week. Traveling back was a trip and a half. The airplane I was supposed to come back on developed problems with its landing gear. After a couple ... read more ››

Mistissini Fish Study

There has been an interesting find in Mistissini in recent months, and we’re not talking about another Mistissini Lake monster sighting! There are a couple of ongoing projects called the Mistissini Lake study. One is on speckled trout, and the other is on walleye. Dr. Louis Bernachez of the Université de Laval ... read more ››

Mistissini Lake Monster Sighting

In a related story there was a sighting recently of the infamous Mistissini Monster. Compared to its counterpart, the Loch ness Monster, the Mistissini Monster is a whole lot smaller, and not quite as elusive. “It looks black, and is about half the size of a car,” according to the manager ... read more ››

Robert Weistche-Against All Odds

There comes a time when a leader must take a stand. The Chief of Waskaganish, Robert Weistche, did just that when he opposed the signing of the Paix des Braves a year and a half ago. Needless to say, this was not a popular stance in the eyes of the Cree ... read more ››

Waskaganish Mobile Treatment Centre Evacuated

A traditional healing centre located on an island at the mouth of the Nottaway River 12 miles from Waskaganish was evacuated on August 22 after a heavy storm that flooded a number of the lodges. The centre was formed in collaboration with the Waskaganish wellness centre, and deals with alcohol and ... read more ››