Volume 10, Issue 7

Becoming a Documentary Filmmaker – Part Three: Directing Your First Project

As part of Beesum Communications involvement with the Weeneebeg Aboriginal Film and Video Festival, we will be printing various articles about the filmmaking process by Paul M. Rickard, the Executive Director of the festival. What does a director do anyways? According to the Internet Movie Data Base (www.imdb.com/Glossary), a director is: “The ... read more ››

DIAND Supports Moose Cree Sustainable Forestry Venture

The Moose Cree First Nation has received $650,800 from the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs to pursue a sustainable forestry license. This is in response to the Northern Boreal Initiative, which provides First Nations communities with opportunities “to take a leading role in the development of new sustainable commercial ... read more ››

Feds Looking For Triple Whammy

Three national bills affecting First Nations are now before Parliament. The Minister of Indian Affairs has introduced the first three of his so-called “suite” of bills in Parliament that will have tremendous impact on First Nations. C-6 (Specific Claims Resolution Act), C-7 (First Nations Governance Act- FNGA) and C-19 (First Nations ... read more ››

Get Rich Fallacies

Bulldozers clanked by on the rough snowy road hewed out of the Nemaska hinterland as truck after truck rolled by in succession, all in a hurry to get the job done and get back to haul the natural gravel. I looked from the back of a heavy duty pickup and ... read more ››

Natives Picket 24 Sussex to Protest Exclusion From First Minister’s Meeting

Native leaders waving signs rallied outside the prime minister’s residence two weeks ago to protest their exclusion from the first ministers’ summit on health care. Aboriginals were shut out of the meeting at 24 Sussex Drive that ended with a healthcare deal worth billions of dollars. About 60 protesters representing ... read more ››

Natives Take Insurance CO.’s to Court

Discrimination is, unfortunately, common in our society. Whether it be motivated by race, religion, or gender, it tends to rear its ugly head in all facets of life. Arguably the worst kind of which is blatant discrimination based on race. Ronald Bonspille, a member of the Kanesatake Mohawk band, has, like ... read more ››

Pabineau Pushes Ahead With Casino

The Pabineau First Nation near Bathurst, New Brunswick, says it won’t wait for the results of a plebiscite on casino gambling before opening a gambling centre on reserve. Bathurst city council voted this week to hold a referendum on whether to build a casino in the city. Pabineau Chief John Henry ... read more ››

Paix Des Braves: One Year Later

Peace and Prosperity in Troubled Times: The “Paix des Braves” one Year Later, A Message to the Cree Peoples from Grand Chief Ted Moses It is now one year since the New Agreement with Quebec, come to be known as the Paix des Braves, was signed by Premier Landry on behalf ... read more ››

Rewrite Native Logging Rules: Judge

A New Brunswick court ruling has opened the door for natives to harvest Crown timber for personal use, and ordered the government to rewrite the laws to reflect native rights under a 200-year-old treaty. Provincial Court Judge Murray Cain found two Woodstock men not guilty of illegally harvesting timber on Crown ... read more ››

S’all Relative Baby

Albert Einstein once said that the only source of knowledge is experience, which means that we can only really truly know something to the extent that we can relate it to, or remember, the experiences we have had. Which would allow that there will be things that some of us ... read more ››

Shooting in Great Whale

A shooting incident in Great Whale January 22 left a hole in the community’s gymnasium, but fortunately no one was hurt. One eyewitness, who wished to remain anonymous, said that he heard a “loud noise,” but he didn’t know what it was at first. There were a number of children in the ... read more ››

The Importance of Being Cree

Not long ago while visiting a friend outside of Eeyou Istchee, I was looking through her pile of magazines and noticed a book nestled in among her many copies of People and Vogue. The words on the cover immediately drew my attention: “The Eastern James Bay Cree.” I said, “that’s ... read more ››

This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land

The James Bay lowlands have been home to my people since the dawn of time. My ancestors never really called any one place their permanent home but considered this vast area of land their territory that was shared with others. Moving from one place to another throughout the year was ... read more ››