Volume 9, Issue 19

A few reasons to vote

You’ll notice something different about the Nation for this issue and the next. I will no longer be on the masthead as part of the editorial board. The reason for this is simple. I have accepted a nomination for Deputy Grand Chief and feel it would not be right for me ... read more ››

Algonquins and Quebec defuse logging crisis

The Algonquins of Barrière Lake and the Quebec government reached a deal two weeks ago to end the logging stand-off in Barrière Lake territory. The deal commits both partners to finish the development of an Integrated Resource Management Plan (IRMP) for the territory. Logging on the territory has been suspended since ... read more ››

Chisasibi youth say they are left out

A ten year wait for a youth centre in Chisasibi has ended in disappointment, leaving young Cree in the community asking how their Band Council managed to find the resources for a new office for themselves in less than a year. The Cree community of Chisasibi is the largest of the ... read more ››

Drug Raid in James Bay

Combined forces seem the way to go in war against narcotics in the James Bay area according to a press release from the Chisasibi and Whapmagoostui police. In what is being called the largest operation conducted by a combined force police seized $30,000 worth of narcotics from two rural camps. ... read more ››

Election Round-up

There is a Hopi prophecy that says, following the turn of this century, a Nation will be a rise from the North who bear the symbol of the goose. The goose, of course, is sacred to the Cree. And in the North of Quebec, a public notice, issued July 29, has ... read more ››

Elvis Has Crossed The River

Every July for the past ten years, the Cree side of Great Whale has transformed itself into a ghost town. Nearly everyone in town hops on their massive four wheeled scooters packed with everything but their washers and dryers, drive onto a Hudson’s Bay Company freighter, cross the mighty Great ... read more ››

Family of paraplegic fears police brutality

The Val D’Or newspaper L ‘Echo reports that the life of Maurice Mowatt is no longer in danger, as the father of two young girls recuperates in a Montreal hospital. Mowatt was found July 19 unconscious with a body temperature of 26 degrees Celsius. The doctors say it’s a miracle that ... read more ››

Gentlemen, start your engines ’cause the race is on.

Gentlemen, start your engines ’cause the race is on Ladies and gentlemen, sharpen your pencils and get ready to cast your valuable vote and choose your favourite contender for the race that can happen only twice a decade. Yup, candidates for the Grand Council of Eeyou Estchee have now been ... read more ››

Over 20,000 attend NAIG opening ceremonies

The Opening Ceremony of the 2002 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Winnipeg saw some 20,686 in attendance to take in the presentation of sports and culture. The Sacred Fire that symbolizes the Spirit of the Games, Strong, Brave and True was lit at the Opening Ceremony with a prayer and ... read more ››

The A-to-Z of vanadium McKenzie Bay mine at Lac Doré set to dig next summer

The long-rumoured vanadium mine at Lac Doré in the Ouje-Bougoumou region is taking shape. Brighton, Michigan-based McKenzie Bay International hopes to have a pilot project running by next summer and has issued a flurry of communiqués since the spring outlining the $364 million-project’s progress, most recently announcing the engagement of ... read more ››

the Dogs Ear

The White Man’s Gonna Getcha The Colonial Challenge to the Crees of Quebec By Toby Morantz McGill-Queen’s University Press 2002 Wow, double wow! This book is cool, especially if you are a Cree or want to know more about the history of the eastern James Bay Cree. It is essentially ... read more ››

Two spirits converge in Alberta

The Alberta Two-Spirit community will welcome delegates to the 14th Annual Two-Spirit Gathering at a foothills location in southwestern Alberta Aug. 12-15. The gathering will take place at the Nakoda Lodge onthe Morley Indian Reservation near Calgary. Organizers promise unparalleled Two-Spirit company and humor, great scenery, information and workshops, spiritual and ... read more ››

Under The Northern Sky The urge to travel

Travelling has always been a part of my life for as far back as I can remember. As a young boy growing up in Attawapiskat along the James Bay coast, my family always thought it was natural to be able to move from our community to other areas far away ... read more ››

Will on the Grill

It’s hot, it’s humid and what’s a poor boy to do. For myself I whip out the Best of the Best of Louisiana Cookbook and let my fingers do the walking. You can’t go wrong with this book because I picture Louisiana to be hot and muggy and full of ... read more ››