There are a million stories in the naked bush and we have here for you a mere fraction of them. Yes, they cover a wide spectrum; from the ridiculous to the sublime. Ok, so they’re mostly ridiculous, but who cares, right? That’s why we have Rez Notes.
A spooky tale from our Chisasibi desk: It was no doubt a dark and stormy night when the night watchman of the Mitchuap Community Centre went into one of the toilets and saw a shadow from under one of the stalls. Apparently, he thought nothing of it and continued on his rounds. When he got to the teepee-shaped part of the building, the firewood near the fireplace had been neglected and wasn’t piled up as it should be. He figured he would come back after his round and pile it up. When he got back, the wood was… well, I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.
People are saying that a worker died there during construction.
The Raid Des Braves racers made a pit stop in Nemaska at the beginning of race. The band garage was transformed into, as Rog put it, “mechanic’s heaven.” At one point there were 23 snowmobiles crammed into the building. A banquet was held for the participants and community members. The Eastmain team, looking hungry and ragged after several hours on the trail, arrived just as dessert was being eaten and received a near standing ovation. I guess people were too stuffed with the roast beef to stand. There was a scheduled dance but it was cancelled due to, I guess, physical and mental exhaustion. Let’s see… what else happened… Oh yes, someone’s dentures were found outside the garage after it was all over. I’m afraid to ask.
Photographers of the Cree Nation needed. Send in your photos. Call us at 514-272-3077 and ask for yours truly. Photography’s an expensive hobby so why not get paid for your pix.
Many of our readers wanted to know who the couple on our Valentine’s Day Issue cover was. Mary Jacob Katapatuk and the late David Katapatuk were married on the 12th of July, 1945 in Waskaganish. After 51 years Mrs. Katapatuk saw her wedding photo for the first time in the Nation. She laughed, I was told.
Recently we received a note which disturbed us. It was from a young person who was contemplating suicide. That young person took the first step. The next step is to bring it out and talk with someone. Try talking to someone you know, a friend, a parent a teacher or any other human being. You can also call a community clinic in some communities and talk to trained people who care like Paul Linton at 819-753-2511 or at home, 753-2625. In talking about it with someone, you might find that people do care and you are not alone in your pain. We’re all on this journey we call life together. To that young person who wrote in. We are asking you to write in again to give us a better understanding of what you’re going through.
The Nation
