Volume 21, Issue 18

A celebration of paradoxes: Comedian Ryan McMahon hosts National Aboriginal Day powwow in Ottawa

Louise came to the powwow from Manitoulin, but she said she didn’t want to talk to the Nation on record about her feelings about Ottawa’s third annual Summer Solstice Aboriginal Arts Festival (SSAAF). She had her reasons. Finally she said, “If there’s one thing you can quote me on, it’s ... read more ››

Chibougamau and Val-d’Or share their Aboriginal Day celebrations

National Aboriginal Day has become the time of the year in many communities to share Native pride, culture and traditions with the rest of the world and this was carried out in style for the northern communities of Chibougamau and Val-d’Or but in very different ways. Not wanting to compete with ... read more ››

Construction begins on new Mistissini youth centre

Earth has finally been turned across the street from the Mistissini band office for a new youth centre. Representatives from the Mistissini band council, including Chief Richard Shecapio and Director of Municipal Services Emmett Macleod and members of the Mistissini Youth Council joined about 100 band members June 20 for a ... read more ››

Cree youth have the experience of a lifetime in Costa Rica

Seven Waskaganish youth and their four chaperones embarked on a very special trip down to Costa Rica June 21-28 to learn about life abroad and to help out where they could. The trip, organized by three high-school teachers – Sarah Sarvis, Kylie Simard and Virginia Wabano – brought out graduating ... read more ››

Explosions in the sky

Explosions in the sky have always fascinated humankind. My Elders passed down a legend to me about lightning – Oh-mee-nee-s-koh – as originating from the west. We Cree on the James Bay coast live on flat tundra and mushkeg. We consider any rise in the land as a mountain. The stories ... read more ››

Fire it up is an A-to-Z grilling bible

As summer may just as well be synonymous with grilling, one way to get the best out of the sweeter season and amp up your time at your barbecue is to invest some time reading into why you would pick a rub over a brine and learn how to make ... read more ››

Grand Chief Coon Come discusses his whirlwind travels in June

Matthew Coon Come with Charlie Watt From a summit of Quebec chiefs in Quebec City to seeing President Obama in North Dakota to a meeting with BC leaders and finally to speaking to lawyers in Iqaluit, all in the space of a week-and-a-half, Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come has been discussing ... read more ››

Inadequate mail service has Mistissini residents going postal

Like many northern communities, the Cree Nation of Mistissini relies solely on Canada Post to provide its residents with the means to send and receive letters and packages. Private delivery companies don’t serve the community. The community’s burgeoning population means its postal needs are growing, but people in town claim ... read more ››

Melting the pounds

Nemaska reached 35 degrees C during the recent heat wave and it was simply divine. Flew to Waskaganish for a meeting and had an amazing time with Fran, Clark, Sheila and Red (thank you for the tea and bannock). My room was freezing from my singing AC. I stepped out ... read more ››

Odjick faces his final fight

Aboriginal hockey star and feared NHL enforcer Gino Odjick revealed late June that a terminal illness might mean he only has weeks to live. Odjick disclosed his condition in an open letter to his fans posted on the official website of the Vancouver Canucks. “We have shared many great moments together ... read more ››

Romeo Saganash investigates how much Ottawa spends fighting Aboriginals

After months of thwarted attempts at revealing how much Conservative government spends battling Aboriginal rights and the groups that try to enforce them, NDP MP Romeo Saganash has now turned to the Auditor General of Canada. On June 12, Saganash sent a letter to Auditor General Michael Ferguson requesting an investigation ... read more ››

The law of the land

Last month’s unanimous Supreme Court decision in favour of BC’s Tsilhqot’in people is the first time the court has ever issued a direct declaration of Aboriginal title to a First Nation in this country. This has far-reaching implications for mining, forestry, pipeline projects, resource extraction and how the Canadian government ... read more ››

Two Crees to run in Hawaii for diabetes research

Frustrated by the ever-increasing number of cases of diabetes and diabetes-related diseases in Eeyou Istchee, Joshua Iserhoff and Demerise Mayappo will be taking part in a special Canadian Diabetes Association fundraiser in Hawaii in August. The two Crees will be representing Eeyou Istchee on the island of Kauai August 31. They ... read more ››