Tag: Cree Nation

Outrage over wasted caribou

“Oh my gosh, it was a complete disgrace,” said Nadia Saganash, describing her initial reaction to photos of caribou carcasses left to rot along the highway near Chisasibi. “It’s hard to look at, especially for Elders and community members; these are edible and consumable parts.” Saganash is the Wildlife Management Administrator ... read more ››

A Quiet Revolution: Cree Shoppers go elsewhere

As December dawned and Christmas approached, posts on social media showing pictures of the streets of Val-d’Or began to multiply: the streets, reported post after post, were empty. The boycott was working. The economic impact clearly influenced Val-d’Or municipal council to reach an agreement with nearby Cree, Anishnabe and Algonquin communities ... read more ››

Boycott dropped: Cree Nation, Algonquins strike deal with Val d'Or

As the Truth and Reconciliation Commission delivered its final report in Ottawa Dec. 15, the Cree Nation Government and chiefs of three local Anishnabe and Algonquin communities were joining forces with the city of Val-d’Or in their own “historic” effort to fight abuse and promote healthy coexistence. The alliance resulted from ... read more ››

Hometown Dream – Melisa Pash talk about opening for country star Johnny Reid in Chisasibi

I have been performing since I was a little girl. It has always been a part of who I am. First it was piano recitals, then cello, orchestra, lip-synching and then finally singing my own songs with my guitar and a full band to crowds so large, it still blows ... read more ››

Time for self reflection: Val d'Or working to improve race relations says Mayor Corbeil

Val-d’Or Mayor Pierre Corbeil says the city is working to improve the safety of its Aboriginal residents following the bombshell allegations of abuse by local Sûreté du Québec (SQ) officers against Aboriginal women. He said he is working in concert with the Grand Council and MP Romeo Saganash to improve ... read more ››

A lifesaving conversation: Dialogue for life conference focuses on suicide prevention

“We were once a very strong, powerful and loving people,” said Chisasibi healer Harry Snowboy. “We need to get that spirit back. I saw a glimpse of it in the old people I grew up around – how strong we are. It’s not something that is lost. It’s only something ... read more ››

Driving the deadly winter roads

It is again the time we have to deal with snow, icy roads, freezing rain and sometimes blizzards. I love the north and enjoy all that winter offers but I also realize just how deadly the roads and highways can be this time of the year. More and more people I ... read more ››

Celebrating 40 years since the JBNQA: the Cree still protect their land

This year marks the 40 anniversary of the signing of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA). According to Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come the moment is an important milestone and a time for reflection. “In celebrating the 40th anniversary of the JBNQA we have looked both backwards, to remind ... read more ››

Band-aid solutions: Grand Chief critiques Quebec's response to Val d'Or crisis

A month has passed since the Radio-Canada program Enqûete aired stunning allegations of abuse by SQ officers against Aboriginal women in Val-d’Or. Though the initial upheaval has passed, discussions about the matter among politicians are continuing. As this issue of the Nation goes to press, the Chiefs of the Assembly ... read more ››

Special Assembly for Wildlife and Habitat

A special assembly in Chisasibi November 3-5 discussed wildlife and habitat issues in the James Bay region and heard about the Cree Nation Government’s vision for land use, marine habitat and protected areas in Eeyou Istchee. Isaac Voyageur, Director of Environment and Remedial Works and Regional Environment Administrator, told the Nation ... read more ››

Remembrance

It has been 40 years since the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA) was signed. I remember those days, which had a vast influence over how Cree economics, politics and culture have developed to this day. Something precious was taken from us that wounded the spirit but made us ... read more ››

Of Spies and Men

A lot has happened since the last time I checked out the social climate of the world. In a whirlwind month of November, Friday the 13th became a day known worldwide for terrorist attacks against the people and values of France. Terrorism has been going on for some time now ... read more ››

Mistissini business owner says development conference produced no plans

The Eeyou-Eenou Economic Development Conference brought together business people and government workers to discuss ways to improve economic prospects in E­eyou Istchee. But one businessperson who attended the November 10-11 event at the Neoskweskau Sports Complex in Mistissini came away disappointed. Calvin Blacksmith, the owner-operator of Cree Source for Sports in ... read more ››

Val-d’Or allegations throw Quebec into a crisis

Twenty five years ago this month, a 17-year-old Cree man named Neil Stonechild was picked up by Saskatoon police, driven out to the edge of the city, and left there. Temperatures were below minus 25ºC, and Stonechild’s frozen body, wearing a light jacket and one shoe, was later found in ... read more ››

Fly the Healthy Skies – Cree Health Board's medical shuttle takes off

The population of Eeyou Istchee is roughly 17,500 – and according to Cree Health Board Director Bella Petawabano, between 7,000 and 8,000 Crees travel every year for healthcare reasons to destinations outside the Cree Nation. For that reason, on October 26, the CHB partnered with Air Creebec to launch a ... read more ››

Regional diabetes conference gets at the root causes of a Cree epidemic

by Amy German – When the first Cree Regional Diabetes Conference was held in 2006, the plan was to make it an annual event, said organizer Janis Neeposh. Unfortunately it would take until 2015 and for the community of Oujé-Bougoumou to pick up the reins to make this happen, resulting in ... read more ››

The ins and outs of the Cree Nation's 2015 AGA

Oujé-Bougoumou hosted this year’s Grand Council/Cree Nation Government Annual General Assembly in a beautiful setting marred only by the on-and-off rain. More than a few members thought we would be flooded out but thanks to quick thinking, plastic and sand banks it didn’t happen. Numerous local entrepreneurs provided home-cooked country ... read more ››

Fontaine To Head ICC

Former National Grand Chief Phil Fontaine has been named as the new Chief Commissioner of the Indian Claims Commission. The appointment, announced August 29, had the full support of acting co-chairs Daniel Bellegarde and P.E. James Prentice. “We were originally appointed co-chairs on a temporary basis until a Chief Commissioner ... read more ››

R.I.P. Mordecai

Montreal author, columnist, wit, man about town, and scourge of Quebec separatists, Mordecai Richler is dead. Richler passed away the day after Canada Day, July 2nd. He was best known for his novel “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.” He also wrote the screenplay of the same name and earned an Academy ... read more ››

Nation Interview: Deputy Grand Chief Matthew Mukash

Deputy Grand Chief Mukash was one of the instrumental people involved the campaign to save the Great Whale River from hydro-electric development back in the early nineties. He is also a past chief of Whapmagoostui. What are some of your earliest memories of Whapmagoostui? The place was practically barren of buildings. There ... read more ››

Burnt Church

Lobster season is officially over for the Mi’kmaq of Esgenoôpetitj (Burnt Church) First Nation, but their struggle with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans continues. “We closed the lobster fishery on October 7 and went straight into salmon fishing,” hereditary chief Lloyd Augustine explained in a telephone interview, “And already we’ve ... read more ››

Article Sparks Strong Reactions

The reactions ranged from sadness, to anger, to confusion. Some were left scratching their heads. Many tried to figure out what was going through Billy Diamond’s mind as he trashed the Cree leadership in L’Actualité. “Hogwash, man,” is how one Cree responded. “What a guy! I think he’s jealous of Matthew.” (The ... read more ››

IN HONOUR OF UCHIMAAU PAAUSHTIKUU

I was about five years old when I actually saw these great magnificent rapids named “Uchimaau Paaushtikuu,” but for many years I never knew its location. Throughout my life I never saw these rapids again with my own eyes, but only in memory would I often see them again. In ... read more ››