Volume 12, Issue 12

Accused Drunk Driver Opts For Trial By Jury

Irene Pepabano, charged with seven different counts including three counts of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol causing death, has renounced her right to a preliminary inquiry. She is facing charges in a drunk driving incident that took the lives of three people in Chisasibi in June 2003. “While she ... read more ››

Andrew Shecapio’s Body Found

Andrew Shecapio’s has finally been found. The body of the man, who has been missing since November, was spotted April 12 in a river in La Sarre after a lengthy search. An autopsy in Montreal, which could take several weeks, will determine the cause of death. Shecapio was a prospector who worked for ... read more ››

Chisasibi Kids Part of Video Pilot Project – Linguists Say Filming the Kids in Their Early Years Helps to Identify Discernible Patterns

In an innovative new study, children from Chisasibi are being videotaped as a way to improve the way the Cree language is taught and absorbed at the earliest levels. The project aims to capture on video the child’s most important learning years from ages one to six. After several years, the ... read more ››

Dammed If You Do, Dammed If You Don’t

I know a bit of what it’s like to be chief. I feel their pain. I first realized this while trying to enjoy a night of cordials at the Cabarrete night club in glamorous Chibougamau several weeks back. There I was, settling in with a cold drink, getting ready for the ... read more ››

David Ahenakew: Protector of Native Values or Blithering Fool?

David Ahenakew, the former Assembly of First Nations Chief, is making headlines in a trial that has some Native people hanging their heads in shame. Ahenakew has been testifying in Saskatchewan court after being charged under the Criminal Code with spreading hatred against Jews. His off-the-cuff remarks were made when he ... read more ››

EM-1 Murder Trial Set To Begin

Emmanuel Blacksmith is now awaiting trial by jury after renouncing his right to a preliminary inquiry April 14. Blacksmith, 21, was charged May 21 with the second-degree murder of 48-year-old Mario Fortin of Chicoutimi after the man was found stabbed outside a bar at the EM-1 hydroelectric project. “His file has been ... read more ››

Former AFN Head Ahenakew Testifies in Court

David Ahenakew, the disgraced former Assembly of First Nations Chief, is at it again. This time he used the courts as a platform to have his voice heard. “Thousands of Canadian people – they should be answering questions about hatred towards Indians,” he testified. Ahenakew is being charged in Saskatchewan court under ... read more ››

Home Sweet Home

There was less snow this year as compared to others and this was an obvious fact to many hunters on the James Bay coast. Normally, goose-hunting season starts in early April and lasts until the middle of May. This year many hunters were disappointed to find out that the hunting ... read more ››

How Does Suicide Affect You?

In this issue The Nation asked people about suicide, how it affects them or the Cree Nation. Lillian M.H. Angatookaluk, Chisasibi: Life is very important! Suicide causes great pain to loved ones who are left behind. Our creator has given us great wisdom to look forward to and accept his blessings. ... read more ››

Minor’s Murder Trial Set for Fall

A 17 year-old Waswanipi youth has waived his right to a preliminary inquiry and will prepare to stand trial for murder in a few months. He is currently being held in a Val d’Or youth detention centre after he was charged with first-degree murder. His file will be called July 6, during ... read more ››

O-J Police Officer Takes Own Life

Ouje-Bougoumou Police Officer Henry Wapachee was dead at his house in Chibougamau on April 4. “The SQ investigating officer determined that it was a suicide,” said Ouje-Bougoumou Police chief George Gunner. “It’s very hard for us (to deal with). It’s a good thing we have other officers from other communities like ... read more ››

Residential School Victims Need New Claims System

Residential school survivors might be in for a nice surprise, according to the Montreal Gazette. “Parliament has narrowly accepted a report that recommends the government kill its controversial program for victims of residential school abuse and send it to the auditor-general for an investigation,” said the report, by Sutton Eaves of ... read more ››

Taima Wins Juno

Taima is flying high after bringing home the Juno award for Aboriginal Recording of the Year. Elisapie Isaac and Alain Auger make up the multiethnic duo that won the award for their self-titled debut album. It was presented at the annual Saturday night gala at the Winnipeg Convention Centre, on ... read more ››

Take It Easy

The days whizzed by into weeks and then months drifted by in a haze of nonstop administrative fervour, numbers crunching into the millions drifted past my screen in the oblivion I call work. Twenty moons circled the earth before my brain told my body to stop before I dropped into ... read more ››

When Cree Adopt Cree: The Adoption Story of Waskaganish’s Stacy Moses

Adoption is one of those topics that no one wants to talk about. When the word comes up, people tend to shy away from it. Stacy Moses, on the other hand, wants her story to be told to the Cree Nation. Stacy, now 32, was adopted at the age of 3 ... read more ››

Who Killed the First Goose?

Every year the Nation desparately phones around to see who gets the kudos for killing the first goose in their community. Geese represent the beginning of spring for many Crees. It is also the end of winter and the lean times for trappers living on country food. So here’s the ... read more ››