ARTICLES BY NATION

New Waswanipi chief squeaks in

The race for Cree Grand Chief wasn’t the only political contest that produced a razor-thin result. In Waswanapi, Robert Kitchen beat Alfred Jolly for Band Council chief by a mere six votes. “I’ll take it-a win’s a win,” said Kitchen. “I’m officially calling myself chief.” Kitchen took 253 votes to 247 ... read more ››

Mistissini Fishing Derby

Photos by Will Nicholls We the Mistissini Police, would like to present to you the official results for the 6th annual fishing derby which was held on August 23,24,25, 2002. We would like to express our gratitude to the participants for their continued support to the community. This event could ... read more ››

Sports Profile Helen Gunner on Defense

The latest Stats on Helen Gunner SILVER SEVEN INVITATIONAL in Stanstead held on august 9 toll 2002. Played 5 games had 1 goal, 3 assists and 3 penalty minutes. Total of 4 points. GP G A PIM 5 1 3 3 2002 NATION ALABORIGINAL HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP. In 7 games had 2 ... read more ››

Golf Tourney in Chibougamau

The Cree Indian Centre of Chibougamau hosted its 7th Annual Friendship Golf tournament on August 23, 2002. 135 participants registered all from the Montreal to Chibougamau area. Mr. Donald Bubar, Mayor of Chibougamau and Mr. John Longchap, Chief of Mistissini were the Co-Presidents of the tournament. On the day of ... read more ››

Ottawa to overhaul Native lending laws

The Globe and Mail reports that Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault will introduce legislation this fall aimed at helping natives create their own economic stability and independence by allowing them to borrow money from international markets. The goal of the package, a part of several initiatives made by Mr. Nault this ... read more ››

UN slams Canada on treatment of native people

The United Nations has taken Canada to task for its “most glaring human rights problem” – its treatment of First Nations people. On Aug. 5, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) denounced Ottawa’s failure to consult with First Nations about the Governance initiative, discriminatory provisions of ... read more ››

Attention Cree thespians: Go to L.A.

The American actors’ union and the group American Indians in Film and Television (AlFT) are co-sponsoring a Native talent showcase in Los Angeles Oct. 9. Pictures and Resumes will be Accepted Aug. 12-Sept. 6. CBS Television entertainment development executives and casting directors from the network’s primetime and daytime programs will also ... read more ››

NAIG ‘biggest thrill’ for Native athlete

The web journal Canoe.ca profiles Native athlete Daina Stevens in a recent story. Canoe says her participation in the North American Indigenous Games in Winnipeg may not have been the Olympic Games, but for Stevens, it felt like it. The former Ontario collegiate crosscountry star has had a dream for many ... read more ››

UN priorities for Natives: Housing, water, land and rights

The United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights held another talk-fest last week to discuss the Report of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations. Various issues, including housing, water rights, land rights and basic human rights were the focus of the Commission’s work. Sub-Commission Expert El Hadji ... read more ››

The Governance Embellishment: Still Tastes Like the Old Indian Act

(This is an edited expcert from the Assembly of First Nations Analysis of Bill C-61, Minister Nault’s new governance bill, and a legal opinion by Ojibway lawyer David Nahwegabow.) The “new and improved” Indian Act emerged from the bowels of the Department of Indian Affairs to see its first light ... read more ››

U.S. begins to repatriate Native artifacts…

The Democrat and Chronicle newspaper of Rochester, New York, reports on the bittersweet story of preserved wampum belts in the U.S. National Museum of the American Indian, part of the Smithsonian Institution. The paper recounts the experience of Rick Hill, who as a young Native activist in the early 1970s, wanted ... read more ››

The Naughty Squaw

Do you have a question that you are too shy to ask your mother? The Naughty Squaw will be your confidant. No topic is too embarrassing. Send your letters by fax to (514) 278-9914 or by e-mail to nation@beesum.ca Dear Naughty Squaw, After sex, my boyfriend always flings the used condom ... read more ››

Fast food and furious

I always been an afficianado for fine foods and wines and I have always fancied myself as someone who could cook a decent meal. Today, I have to admit that my fancies have turned to the ubiquitous poutine and double cheeseburger dripping with fat and oils of the hoofed beasts ... read more ››

Diabetic children suffer as young adults, study finds

People who develop adult-onset diabetes as children – a once-unknown condition whose prevalence is rising rapidly -can have severe and occasionally fatal complications as early as in their twenties, the Washington Post reports. The problems, according to research on a group of about 80 Cree and Ojibway children in central ... read more ››

Chief refused entry with eagle bonnet

U.S. authorities forbid a Canadian chief from entering the country with his traditional eagle feather warbonnet. Kainaiwa First Nation Chief Chris Shade was on his way to a Blackfoot Confederacy gathering in Montana. He provided documentation of his Indian status but wasn’t allowed through with the head dress. At the Sweet ... read more ››

Logging halted by Native protest

The Penticton Indian Band has shut down logging by Weyerhaeuser around Apex Mountain by blockading an access road. Chief Stewart Phillip says the company failed to consult with the band council before logging in its traditional territory. “We set up a blockade at the entry point to serve notice the logging ... read more ››

Nunavut premier Paul Okalik visits Alaska

As the featured guest at a recent Anchorage press conference, Paul Okalik was asked by a TV reporter to pronounce his name for the camera so the reporter might say it correctly, later, on the air. The first premier of the three-year-old Canadian territory of Nunavut obliged, pleasantly. “Okalik,” he said, ... read more ››

Dean’s Honour List

List of Graduates at Val d’Or: Cree Literacy Program 2002 Lilllian Atsynia Bessie Blackned Helen Blacksmith Gloria Bosum Diane Brien-Coon Annie Cheechoo Adrian Cheezo Margaret Cheezo Nancy Danyluck Pauline Dixon Louise Charlotte Etapp-Neeposh Patricia Georgekish Eva Grant Emily Anna Gull-Mianscum Lily Gull Sutherland Sarah Herodier Jimmy Iserhoff Pat Iserhoff Hannah ... read more ››

“One Dead Indian” by Peter Edwards

One Dead Indian By Peter Edwards Published by Stoddard 2001 One Dead Indian is about the Ontario Premier, the OPP and the Ipperwash Crisis. The book takes you back to September 4, 1995, when Stoney Point Natives went into Ipperwash Park to reclaim an ancient and traditional burial ground. Within 72 hours ... read more ››

“A No Good Cree Cop”

You say I’m a No Good Cree Cop. When you see me, you tell your children in front of me, “If you don’t behave, that cop will throw you in jail.” Then you wonder why your children are afraid of the police and don’t think there is anything wrong in stealing ... read more ››

Inupiat stunned by IWC decision

U.S. delegates at the IWC meeting in Japan, including Inupiat officials from Alaska, failed to reverse a ban on subsistance whaling by the International Whaling Commission. The final effort fell one vote short on the 48-nation commission, a delegation spokesman said. “We were right in the middle of a political football ... read more ››

Native fishery program extended

OTTAWA — A federal initiative to bring native communities into the fishery is being extended an extra two years, Fisheries Minister Robert Thibault said Friday. Thibault said the government has decided the program will run until 2006 in an attempt to avoid driving up the price of licences that are ... read more ››

UN: Address problems of urban Natives

The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues should discuss the situation of indigenous peoples living in urban areas, an indigenous representative told the Forum as it continued its review of United Nations activities relating to indigenous peoples. According to the representative from the Ainu Association of Sapporo (Japan), many Ainu had settled ... read more ››

Native water managers to be certified

OTTAWA – The federal government is set to announce new mandatory training and a funding review that will curb “serious liabilities” posed by unqualified staff and aging water plants on reserves. Indian Affairs Minister Robert Naulttold The Canadian Press announcements will come as early as June. “I think it’s important for ... read more ››

Reserves threatened by poor water systems

TORONTO – First Nations chiefs in Ontario want the federal government to heed warnings in the final report of the Walkerton Inquiry which they say could prevent a water disaster on a reserve. The Walkerton report noted that 83 reserves across Canada, including 22 in Ontario, have water systems at ... read more ››

the Dogs Ear

Pain: The Fifth Vital Sign By Marni Jackson Random House, Marni Jackson’s obsession with pain was sparked by a minor mishap. While biking through the mountains in Banff, Alberta, she was stung by a bee in the back of her throat. As she languished in bed nursing her puffy, aching mouth, ... read more ››