ARTICLES BY Amy German

Movin’ bodies

  In the year and a half since the Lemon Cree fitness programs first reared their head in the Cree communities, founder and instructor Theresa Ducharme said she has seen a lot of change. At the same time she wants to remind all of you that exercise is for everybody. “Some people ... read more ››

The disease remains the same

It is no secret that the instance of diabetes is significantly higher in Eeyou Istchee than in non-Aboriginal communities just miles away from Cree territory, but with the suffering so prevalent, why does this trend persist? This was something that the Nation discussed with Sol Awashish, the Chronic Disease Prevention Program ... read more ››

Six years on and still burning at both ends

October 4 is no longer just a day when Canada’s Aboriginal peoples bow their heads to mourn the loss of over 582 documented missing/murdered Native women as larger portions of the nation are mourning with them. Despite this, the number of victims is increasing and we may never see an actual ... read more ››

Hellbent on Halloween

Whether you’ve already ordered Halloween costumes online for the whole family or are still planning out the ultimate in costume craziness to outdo your neighbours, that spooky season is once again right around the corner and it’s time to get cracking. What is Halloween about if not the costumes and setting ... read more ››

Rookie of the year

After only eight months of operation, Val-d’Or’s Quality Inn & Suites, a joint venture between CREECO and Trahan Holdings, has already been awarded for outstanding performance and quality of service, beating out other hotels in the Choice Hotels Canada chains. According to the hotel’s general manager, Michael Prince, every year ... read more ››

Cree women summit

Celebrating their own leadership, determination and courage, the Cree Women of Eeyou Istchee Association (CWEIA) congregated for the fourth consecutive year for their Annual General Assembly in Val-d’Or on September 17 and 18. According to Regional Coordinator Holly Danyluk, a good time was had by all, though, by holding elections for ... read more ››

Illustrated stories

In the past Comic-Cons, or comic-book conventions, have been synonymous with nerdy and marginal types obsessed with comics and movie characters to the point of extremes. But that ain’t exactly the case anymore. The love for all things superhero has without a doubt gone mainstream. Montreal’s Comic-Con 2011 (September 17-18) brought ... read more ››

Reaching for the top

Since outgoing Cree School Board Chairman Gordon Blackned resigned from his position after being elected Chief of Waskaganish this past summer, the question being asked throughout the communities has been: who will serve out the remaining year of his term? This is why Crees will be heading back to the polls ... read more ››

Saganash for PM?

Having already blazed the trail to become the first-ever James Bay Cree to hold a seat in Parliament, Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou New Democratic Party MP Romeo Saganash has decided to take his political career even further by announcing his candidacy to become NDP party leader. If he wins, Saganash will become the first-ever ... read more ››

“This is our moment”

Even before Quebec’s Plan Nord for northern development was fully unveiled this spring, Crees had already been looking at how to best take advantage of the unbelievable employment opportunities that will come with the development of so many major projects. The biggest sector for the Crees will no doubt be mining, ... read more ››

Grads at last

Geraldine Shecapio and Jessica Jolly got their own special graduation bash in Mistissini on September 2 when teachers and staff pulled out all the stops for the two teenagers. While the community may have only been celebrating two graduates, according to their principal they were the first two grads to ... read more ››

Supporting community and traditions

While it has been around for over 30 years, the Cree Indian Centre in Chibougamau (CICC) has just recently pulled off a major first in a long time: a traditional powwow. While the city of Chibougamau has not seen a traditional powwow in several generations, CICC director Jo-Ann Toulouse explained that ... read more ››

What’s in a lunchbox?

As families are finally getting back into the groove of back-to-school rituals a few weeks into classes, what children should and shouldn’t be eating come lunchtime really can make a difference in their overall health. A new U.S. study by the Harvard School of Public Health has suggested that eating two ... read more ››

Honing medical skills

For any First Nations, Inuit or Métis working in the medical field who has wanted to brush up or enhance their knowledge from the comfort of their own home, free of cost, Saint Elizabeth may just have something to offer you. According to Saint Elizabeth program assistant, Suzanne Stephenson, Saint Elizabeth ... read more ››

A clan in the hundreds

When my husband Will Nicholls told me that he had hundreds and hundreds of cousins many years ago, I found it hard to fathom just how many he meant. As it turns out, he was talking about 500 family members, a fact I only discovered recently. A few months ago, an ... read more ››

Good times in Tremblant for a good cause

For the second year in a row, hundreds of Crees and partners of the Cree world descended upon Mont Tremblant for a massive golf benefit to raise funds for the Cree Nation Achievement Foundation. Setting off in teams of four, on August 26, Crees and various sponsors and other business partners ... read more ››

Celebrating the berries

According to the Oujé-Bougoumou Traditional Blueberry Gathering Festival’s event emcee, Jonathan Saganash, this year’s fest was just about the best ever. Running from August 14-21, this major community event brought in over 1000 visitors to check out the daily activities and nighttime entertainment as well as to sample the celebrated gastronomic ... read more ››

Reelected and it feels so good!

Having been reelected by acclamation on July 29, Mushkegowuk Grand Chief Stan Louttit hasn’t skipped a beat, continuing to work diligently on the major projects that are most important to his people. From the way it sounds, he is hardly even taking time to celebrate. While he laughed at the notion ... read more ››

A First Nations presence

One of the biggest concepts behind the Terres en vues/ Land InSights festival is to bring not only local but international Indigenous culture into the spotlight for the purpose of cultural sharing and learning. After undergoing a complete and total rebirth last year, moving from June to August and repackaging the ... read more ››

The divide between two solitudes

Environmental protection, sacred land, fears of water contamination and feeling the ends justifying the means were some of the reasons Crees gave for why they didn’t want to see the development of an exploration ramp. However, the folks over at Strateco, who are adamant to get the project off the ground, ... read more ››

Inspiration at the AGA

As Crees from all over Eeyou Istchee congregated in Eastmain for the Annual General Assembly, one local man went about meeting as many delegates as he could simply to raise money for Parkinson’s disease. But, why Preston Gilpin does this is a whole different story. Gilpin doesn’t have Parkinson’s and, for ... read more ››

NWAC talks back

Just when it thought it was going to be able to make some headway, the Native Women’s Association of Canada has found itself without the means to participate in the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry in British Columbia – and they are not alone. According to Executive Director Claudette Dumont-Smith, NWAC ... read more ››

Youth cinema fades to black

Despite an eight-year production record that has yielded more than 450 completed film projects, the federal government has pulled the lifeline from Wapikoni Mobile, Quebec’s successful and celebrated First Nations youth cinema program. Just as Wapikoni Mobile’s three trailer units were set to hit the road in mid-July, Human Resources and ... read more ››

Road warriors

Some folks never give up. People like Gladys Radek and Bernie Williams, who are both missing female family members that the rest of society appears to have forgotten. That’s why, since 2008, Radek and Williams have organized annual provincial or national walks to raise awareness for Canada’s murdered or missing women. Reached ... read more ››

The road to economic development

The momentum for Quebec Premier Jean Charest’s cherished Plan Nord received a big boost Aug. 1 with the announcement that Stornoway Diamonds will contribute $44 million to help extend Route 167, which will eventually lead to the company’s planned diamond mine in the Otish Mountains. Stornoway President and CEO Matt Manson ... read more ››

Barriere Lake project on ice

After all the struggles, disappointments and broken agreements, Barriere Lake can finally celebrate a victory. The Algonquin community, with the help of Mining Watch Canada, has managed to get a copper mining exploration project put on hold for at least two years. The Rivière Doré copper mining project that Cartier Resources ... read more ››