Volume 17, Issue 16

Barriere Lake Algonquins to be assimilated?

Once again the Barriere Lake community members are up in arms. They say Minister of Indian Affairs Chuck Strahl is trying to abolish Barriere Lake’s customary governance system. They say Strahl and Indian Affairs are once again trying to do this unilaterally without consulting the band members. Barriere Lake is one ... read more ››

Cree Indian Centre in Chibougamau Relays for Life

The Cree Indian Centre in Chibougamau (CICC) is proud to announce that their team managed to surpass their fundraising goal at this year’s Relay for Life event put on by the Canadian Cancer Society. The Relay for Life is a national event that sees groups of teams embark on a 12-hour ... read more ››

Cree Youth Symposium Draws Near

The Cree Nation Youth Council Inspire Hope Youth Symposium will be held at the Hotel Forestel in Val-d’Or June 22-24 and for those interested in attending, it is not too late to register. This year’s three-day symposium is jam-packed with inspiring speakers, workshops, award shows, a public-speaking competition and live entertainment. Former ... read more ››

Dear People of Mistissini and Eeyou Itschee

As the summer is coming in and that the next and final hearing for the Matoush project will be at the end of September, it is important that as many people as possible in Mistissini and elsewhere in Eeyou Itschee are aware of this possible uranium mine and its consequences. ... read more ››

From missing to murdered

Bones found by a construction worker near the Mercier Bridge linking Montreal to the South Shore have been identified as those of Tiffany Morrison, a Mohawk woman who disappeared on June 18, 2006. “The body was found in the bush, a good 100 feet off a roadway along the 132-138 service ... read more ››

In loving memory of Matthew Neeposh, Jr.

“They that wait upon the lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 This was one of Matthew Neeposh’s favourite Bible verses. An active church member, Uncle Matthew died suddenly in ... read more ››

In memory of Shannen Noella Jane Koostachin

At the tender age of 15, youth leader Shannen Koostachin, who garnered national and international attention for standing up to Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl on Parliament Hill, has passed away as a result of a May 31 car accident. Koostachin, originally from the Attawapiskat First Nation on the Ontario side ... read more ››

Indigenous images

Here are several films to watch out for at the First People’s Film Festival, organized by Land InSights / Terres en vues. Films will be screened from June 16 to June 23, and to check out the detailed schedule, go to www.nativelynx.qc.ca. Pudana: Last of the Line Anastasia Lapsui & Markku Lehmuskallio (Finland, 83 ... read more ››

Return to New Zealand

The visit made by my son Thom and me to New Zealand in May coincided with a visit to Australia by Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond, who has just directed a full-length documentary called Reel Injun, about the way Hollywood has treated Indians historically. Neil is a close friend of my son, ... read more ››

Safety during the blaze

During the last week of May, with soaring temperatures and no rain for a succession of days, forest fire season began early and with a big bang. According to Éloïse Richard, an information agent from SOPFEU, Quebec’s forest fire protection agency, though the fires were in the Mauricie region, with southern ... read more ››

Summer events

Here’s a list of activities happening in various communities this summer Now that people have put away their goose-break gear until next season, we can look at what we are going to do during the summer months. Each community hosts different events ranging from tournaments to fishing derbies to camp meetings ... read more ››

Tapping the gusher

As I write, the price of crude oil on the world market is roughly $75 CDN a barrel. That means, according to best estimates, that between $1.5 million and $2.25 million worth of oil is bursting out of British Petroleum’s ruptured underwater well in the Gulf of Mexico every single ... read more ››

Upcoming Mistissini Elections

Band council elections in Mistissini will be held on Wednesday, July 14 (8am to 8pm), at the Emmet H. Macleod Conference room in the Issac Shecapio Sr. Administration Building. Advance polls are set for July 6 and 7 (8am to 8 pm), plus there will travelling polls set up on July ... read more ››

Walking to the General’s beat

Chisasibi is gearing up for a big 10-km community walk on June 23 for diabetes awareness and in doing so they will be honouring the memory of Alan “the General” Neacappo, a community member who could be found at just about any of these types of walks in the past. As ... read more ››

Where energy meets environment

Amidst a May heat wave that had the entire population of Quebec practically melting, Crees, members of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue business community and a series of experts in everything from wind power to mining to environmental protection converged for a two-day meeting of minds. With energy and natural resource development being a ... read more ››

Where Has All The Water Gone

Over the past two weeks I have had the opportunity to do a lot of highway driving. When you live in northern Ontario a road trip means roaming across vast stretches of mostly remote pine forests, marshlands and by pristine freshwater lakes studded with rocky shorelines. It did not take ... read more ››

You Should See 'Reel Injun'

Recently, I viewed a documentary titled ‘Reel Injun’ a production by Cree film maker, Neil Diamond, who is originally from Waskaganish, Quebec on the James Bay coast.  This was one of the most informative documentaries on First Nation people I have ever watched concerning myths about Natives.  I have always ... read more ››