ARTICLES BY Ernest Webb

Communicating From Heart to Heart: A Journey of the Spirit

Eric Robertson, a native student at Concordia, and some friends are hoping to organize monthly nights in Montreal where native artists can show their art, whatever form it may take. This month they displayed paintings and artwork from various artists and students from the Montreal area. Next month, they plan to ... read more ››

Is Anybody Listening?

Different segments of the “dominant” culture are now starting to feel and realize what native people have been saying for generations. I don’t want to say, “Told you so,” but we told you so. People are starting to feel the effects of near-sighted and foolish “mismanagement” of the environment. Look at ... read more ››

One of my proudest moments

I was sitting in the blind alone. I was a young man. It was a few years ago. I don’t remember exactly, but I remember that day. It was a sunny day. Not too much wind. The geese were hardly flying. So at midday everyone went for tea except me. ... read more ››

Chisasibi Kung Fu

T’he Chisasibi Shao-lin Kung Fu class drove to Montreal for the seventh edition of the Montreal International Karate tournament on April 9. It was held in Longueuil, at CEGEP Edouard Montpetit. The day started with the competitors showing their form with katas (choreographed moves). Then on to combat. There were 400 ... read more ››

Cree Health Report Card with James Bobbish

Cree health and social services are at a critical stage. Budget cuts are looming and there is a high turn-over rate due to the large number of non-Cree professionals. Also, there is the challenge of getting a more Cree approach into the health care system. James Bobbish has guided the Cree ... read more ››

A Question of Trust

There is a saying I’ve read somewhere: “A person feels at home only if he can leave the land.” A lot of our ways and customs are viewed as strange, odd or unknown. For instance, some of our hunting practices. In particular, leaving hunting gear behind at the camp when someone ... read more ››

Sharing Among Other Cultures

I had a debate one time with a fellow Cree about sharing one’s culture, particularly ours. We were debating whether the “Cree culture” gets “lessened” when other cultures adopt it. Will it be any less if “they” start adopting some of our ways and practices? It depends on which ones. Now ... read more ››

It’s Our Right To Decide

Crees don’t have to sit and watch if Quebec decides to separate from Canada. Separation may lead to big social disruptions, but it’s also a tremendous opportunity for Crees to redefine their relationship with Quebec, Canada and with each other. Crees have several options before them, each with its own merits ... read more ››

Our Language Is Who We Are

Some young people might be confused about what being a Cree means. I know, because I’ve been there. Growing up as a young man, I thought our Creeness was in name only. Seeing images on TV of Indians dancing, drumming and sometimes scalping, dressed in their feathers and paint, I thought ... read more ››

An Elder’s thoughts on Quebec and Cree separation

The following is an interview between The Nation’s Ernest Webb and Chisasibi elder Abraham Pisinaquan, 80, about Quebec and Cree sovereignty. Translated by Brian Webb. The Nation: Where do Eeyou come from? Abraham Pisinaquan: He wasn’t in one place when he was found. Wherever Whiteman found land, there were native people. ... read more ››

Discovering a New World

There is a whole new world opening up and we’re late starting. The new world I’m talking about is computers. Everyone’s seen them. You know the one sitting in your closet which you bought five to 10 years ago. You took it out of the box thinking of the possibilities ... read more ››

Seasoned Pro and OJ Cree Win Chibougamau Rallye

Remember when as a kid you were on the teeter-totter, then suddenly your friend as a joke jumps off, then you slam down hard. That’s pretty well how the Chibougamau Rallye feels, but it goes on for a couple of hours. The 28th annual Rallye in Chibougamau was held on February ... read more ››

The McDonald’s Factor

“Do you have any McDonald’s restaurants up there?” is a question I hear from time to time. Now what is that actually supposed to mean? That’s a pretty straight-forward question. But what is the meaning behind it? Does the person really want to know if we have any McDo’s back home? ... read more ››

Time To Take Responsibility

From everything we hear from people, it seems clear there is a desire for fundamental changes in the way that we, as a nation, do business. People talk about how the entities act and the problems that are created. But where does the responsibility ultimately lie? With us. The Crees who ... read more ››

Leonard Peltier Denied Parole

Leonard Peltier was denied parole once again at a hearing in mid-December at Leavenworth prison. Two examiners from the federal parole commission recommended Peltier not be considered for parole for an additional 15 years. The two examiners acknowledged Peltier’s excellent prison record but recommended further incarceration “in light of the crime.” ... read more ››

Theytus books presents: Creation legends Okanagan-style

Each society has stories and legends which explain the existence of the people, the land and animals with which we share this world. They tell of a “Dreamtime” when animals, plants and humans talked with each other. This was the time when the world as we know it was formed, ... read more ››

Tunes for dancin’ and hurtin’

Chiwhatin Productions, the record company formed in August 1992 by Earl Danyluk and Jeff Merriam, has released a series of four tapes su re to bring back memories of your wedding dance, your family at church or that party of long ago. Two fiddle tapes from Clarence Louttit and Fred Georgekish ... read more ››

Getting My Nemawon

One spring I’m standing in a typical variety store in a pre-fab town called Radisson, which sprung up in the middle of a Chi-you’s (Elder’s) hunting ground during the building boom of James Bay Phase I. Since the project, that store is one of the few places where you can ... read more ››

The Land Is Our Dictionary

When everyone else was heading off to residential school, Paul Gull’s father had something different in mind for his children. He told Indian Affairs, “I want to take care of my own children.” Gull, who has been chair of the Cree School Board since 1992, learned from his father that ... read more ››

Mexican Native Revolt

At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation took over six towns in the southern Mexico state of Chiapas, launching an uprising that has highlighted the country’s mistreatment of aboriginal people. The group, which goes by the Spanish acronym EZLN, consists of peasants descended ... read more ››

By a Song: Ties That Bind

We were just recently blessed with a beautiful baby girl. She didn’t start out that way. She started out as morning sickness. Soon, she became a lump on her mother’s belly. Growing… We didn’t know… We didn’t know what she was, or who she was… Suddenly, a KICK. Then nothing… Waiting… ... read more ››

Perceptions of who we are

Another tournament has come and gone. I hope everyone had a safe and fun time. The tournament means different things to different people. It’s a time to play hockey, to watch, to meet old friends and make new ones from around the nation, to go Christmas shopping and, of course, to enjoy Now ... read more ››