The Grand Council of the Crees is proud to congratulate the Cree Community of Ouje-Bougoumou on its recent award. Ouje-Bougoumou was informed that it has been chosen as a recipient of the United Nations 50 Communities award. The reason why they were selected was that they, out of all the world’s communities, exemplified best the objectives of the United Nations. Ouje-Bougoumou was selected because of its contributions in the category of Human Settlement.
Ouje-Bougoumou is the most recent Cree community and was the result of a long struggle. It is heartwarming that this community is not only a testament to Cree strength and endurance in the face of adversity but is now known world wide for its innovative spirit.
The unique innovations include an environment-friendly method of providing heating and hot water for all buildings in the community, and building designs that incorporate Indigenous philosophies and ways of thinking rather than the “traditional” western architecture and designing a community program to make Ouje-Bougoumou self-sufficient for its population’s housing needs.
The Grand Council believes that this is a confirmation that Indigenous people when making choices about their future can make things work.
