Volume 15, Issue 17

A Connection To The Land From Birth

I met someone new this week and it was a very special introduction. For the first time, I set my eyes on my new nephew Landyn Charlie Kataquapit. He is the brand-new baby of my brother Joseph Kataquapit and his wife Lynda. Little Landyn was born on June 14 at ... read more ››

Composting

In Quebec, 1/3 to 1/2 of the garbage we throw out each week could be composted. Gardens, lawns, trees and shrubs all benefit greatly from compost. Composting reduces the environmental impact of having to spend fuel and energy driving the garbage to a landfill and incinerating it. The organic waste, which ... read more ››

Drawing a new map: The Grand Council is against changing the current electoral map

The political landscape of Eeyou Istchee may be in for another change. The Commission de la representation electorale du Quebec is looking at changing the Ungava electoral map. The Grand Council of the Crees made a presentation to the commission in Montreal on June 12, as to how the revision of ... read more ››

Money shuffle: INAC responses to NDP accusations that its reallocation of funding is too liberal

In the last edition of the Nation (Vol. 15, No. 16), Charlie Angus, NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay, accused Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) of misspending and shady reallocations. While Marc Brooks, INAC’s Director General of Community Development, will confirm the reallocations, he could not say where the money ... read more ››

Moosonee moms receive literacy reward

Two Moosonee moms, Connie Hergott and Theresa Crown, were honoured on May 26 for their contributions to literary development in their community. The James Bay Chapter of the Ontario Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists (OSLA) presented the award to Hergott and Crown for their work with The Dolly Parton ... read more ››

National Aboriginal Day

The longest day of the year. The first day of summer. The 21st of June. National Aboriginal Day. I have a problem with National Aboriginal Day. I can never remember when it is. Unlike Christmas (Jesus’ birthday) or Hallowe’en (Satan’s day), I would like to remember. Then I could go to ... read more ››

New Youth Grand Chief

On June 17, Stacy Bear was elected Youth Grand Chief. The 28-year-old from Waskaganish won with over 35 percent of the votes. Candidate Charly Washipabano came in second with 30 percent while Jeremy Diamond garnered 22 percent of the votes. Bear is the first woman to be Youth Grand Chief in the ... read more ››

Propane explosion in Nemaska

On Sunday, June 15, at 12:30 in the morning, five teenagers, between the ages of 13 and 18, were injured following an incident involving a propane explosion in Nemaska. Some of them were sniffing propane which led to the devastating explosion after it was ignited by the flame of a lighter. ... read more ››

Rabbit Hole

Shortly after midnight on June 15, a loud explosion woke up many Nemaska residents. The blast came from a house at 4 Rabbit Trail. As you can see by the photos the damage was extensive. The cause turned out to be a propane explosion. Five teenagers, between the ages of 13 ... read more ››

Remote control

On one of my many forays to the south, I was fortunate enough to be entertained in Mohawk country – something I encourage others to think about. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived within a kilometre of the Akwesesne reserve, St. Regis, Cornwall Island, Turtle Island. It’s ... read more ››

The longest day of the year. The first day of summer. The 21st of June. National Aboriginal Day.

The longest day of the year. The first day of summer. The 21st of June. National Aboriginal Day. I have a problem with National Aboriginal Day. I can never remember when it is. Unlike Christmas (Jesus’ birthday) or Hallowe’en (Satan’s day), I would like to remember. Then I could go to ... read more ››

The new commish: Regional police force will change law enforcement in the north

Law enforcement in Eeyou Istchee is changing rapidly as Cree local community police forces are being merged into one regional police force to be known as the Eeyou-Eenou Police Force with Deputy Grand Chief Ashley Iserhoff to serve as its first police commissioner. Though the bylaw for the new police organization ... read more ››

The shrinking beds: Will the federal government help save the loss of eelgrass?

On March 4, the Crees from Chisasibi spoke in the House of Commons with the help of Yvon Levesque, Bloc Quebecois MP for Abitibi-James Bay-Nunavik-Eeyou, and members of the scientific community about the decline of the eelgrass beds in both James Bay and Hudson Bay. They requested that a study ... read more ››

Where’s the money?: Government agency cuts its funding to aboriginal film festival without notice

Just four weeks before the First Peoples’ Festival kicked off on June 12, the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, the federal ministry that annually grants the event $50,000, told the festival it was not going to get the money nor would it get any in ... read more ››