ARTICLES BY NATION

Rupert Study on Hold

The Ruperts Reverence group is pressing the Mayors’ Council of James Bay Municipality to ask the Quebec Environment Ministry for a biodiversity study on the effect of damming the Rupert River. The Mayors’ Council initially passed a resolution in favour of a study. But the council later decided to postpone the ... read more ››

Sun Peaks Protesters Face Criminal Charges

Two Elders, Irene Billy & Charlie Willard, a spiritual leader, Henry Saul and a young warrior, George Manuel Jr. are appeared in court March 12 on charges of criminal contempt for refusing to leave their home and the Skwelkwek’welt Protection Centre located at Skwelkwek’welt and on unceded Secwepemc Traditional Territory. The ... read more ››

The Late Charlie Brien May 12, 1936 – March 8, 2002

On Friday March 8, 2002, our community received the heartbreaking news of Elder Charlie Brien’s passing Charlie was a prominent figure in our community. His presence never went unnoticed. As one of the first businessmen, he broke the trail and laid the foundation to economic development for our community. When ... read more ››

Diabetes Awareness

An American Indian film company is doing its part to fight the diabetes epidemic in the Native American community. Conquering Diabetes Naturally — The American Indian Warrior Diet is currently in development by Rich-Heape Films and the Sovereign Nation Preservation Project. Rich-Heape Films president Steven Heape says Type II diabetes ... read more ››

At the Grammys

Best Native American Music Album Bless The People – Harmonized Peyote Songs by Verdell Primeaux & Johnny Mike [Canyon Records]

Native artist painted Olympic motto

Olympic organizers turned to John Nieto when they needed an artist who could capture the spirit of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games motto: Titius. Altius. Fortius. (Swifter. Higher. Stronger.) “Hopefully, I paint with some authority,” said Nieto, who claims Spanish, Navajo and Apache ancestry, although he said he is not ... read more ››

Phone Scams

Let your fingers do the walking, but use your brain to do the thinking first. The “809” telephone scam has many permutations but they all involve a message to you (either by email, phone or pager) that you immediately call or fax a number in the “809” area code or ... read more ››

An interview with a senator- The Hon. Gerry St. Germain

The Honourable Gerry St. Germain is member of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs. He has introduced a private members bill that has Canada recognizing self-government for First nations. It is a bill for land based First Nations that allows for voluntary participation. St Germain said he was inspired by ... read more ››

Cree Space Cadets, Take Note

According to a recent report in the London Daily Telegraph, space tourists are now able to purchase tickets to travel on a NASA-aproved rocket to the international space station, but liars, drunks and delinquents need not apply. NASA has reluctantly agreed to allowing more amateur astronauts make the voyage into space ... read more ››

Air Creebec, A Cree Choice

Air Creebec’s President Albert Diamond was Recently featured on RDI’s Circuit PME, a French-language television show about small business. Diamond presented Air Creebec quite well to the French speaking population. It was something that Diamond said he was glad to do. The Nation: You were on Circuit PME. How did it ... read more ››

the Dogs Ear

Reviewed by Will Nicholls The Courage to Change A Teen Survival Guide By the Leave Out Violence Youth Published by Second Story Press Courage to Change is a collection of personal stories by teens who have experienced violence from both sides: They have been both victims and victimizers. It is ... read more ››

Who let the dogs out???? Makavik did!!!

The second edition of the annual Ivakkak dog sled race is happening this February 4. Ivakkak means running at a comfortable speed. Most of the racers will be running beside the sleds in order to go faster.The race is helping to revive the tradition of dog sledding in the Inuit ... read more ››

the Dogs Ear

Our Voices: Native Stories of Alaska and the Yukon Edited by James K. Ruppert and John W. Bernet 2001 University of Toronto Press This book is great. A collection of stories and legends that’ll captivate you. The way they are written is the way that they were told and that ... read more ››

English Translation, Letter to Grand Chief Ted Moses

Dear Grand Chief Ted Moses, I am writing to formally give you my comments about the Agreement in Principle (AIP). In my opinion this act is what Robert Kennedy, Jr. referred to in the movie Power; One River Two Nations: “(a) re-enactment of what has happened to First Nations for 500 years.” ... read more ››

the Dogs Ear

Lakota Woman Written by Mary Crow Dog and Richard Erdoes. Published by Harper Perenial, 1991 -Reviewed by Will Nicholls This is the story of a Lakota woman, hence the title, who started life as Mary Brave Bird. She was born into a reservation world that Crees know well. When she was born ... read more ››

Indian Band In British Columbia Taxes the Government

On December 7,2001 the Supreme Court of Canada handed down a ruling in a case called Osoyoos Indian Band v. Oliver (Town) whereby the Court recognized the ability of Aboriginal bands in Canada to tax the government for using or occupying portions of reserve lands. It seems that in the ... read more ››

Various facts on this year’s C.N.I.T… 20th Edition

(formerly known as Cree Hockey Tournament, Algo-Cree Tournament) Co-ordinated by John Boudrias (18th year of involvement with annual event) • 48 teams participated=approximately 600 players • $15,000 in sponsorships from Val d’Or business • $5,000 in Cree Nation Sponsors • All Mistissini final, with overtime winner going to Trappers • ... read more ››

Deputy Chief of Nemaska First Nation Throws Support behind Mukash and Iseroff

Shortly after Deputy Grand Chief Matthew Mukash made his public announcement concerning the AIP, Deputy Chief Josie Jimikin of Nemaska attacked the agreement. According to some residents, who wish to remain anonymous, resistance to the AIP is starting to be organized. Jimikin told the Nation that he had “plenty of volunteers” ... read more ››

Burnt Church: Learn From Us

We in Wisconsin have been following the Mi’kmaq treaty conflict at Burnt Church, N.B., very closely. The Maritimes dispute has close echoes of the intense conflict over Chippewa (Ojibwa) spearfishing in northern Wisconsin in the late 1980s and early 1990s. If you substitute “walleye” for “lobsters” it all sounds regrettably ... read more ››

Free advice

Everyone agrees we should “hire Cree.” But why don’t the Cree entities do it? What are the costs of not hiring Cree? These issues are addressed from the students’ perspective in this article, which generated a lot of discussion in the Cree entities when it was passed around last fall. ... read more ››

Accident on Route du Nord

Four Crees from Mistissini were seriously injured in a single-vehicle accident on the Route du Nord on October 31. The driver lost control of the vehicle at KM126, between the Troilus Mine and Nemaska. Trappers called for assistance in Nemaska after discovering the accident, and the local police was informed, which ... read more ››

Kuczer charged

Peter Kuczer, a Montreal businessman who owned the hydro-electric dam in the Algonquin community of Winneway, is among four people charged with 124 counts of bankruptcy fraud. The bulk of the fraud charges relate to about 30 cheques worth $2.35 million that were withdrawn during a five-month period from his company, ... read more ››

Mohawks duty exempt

The Mohawks of Akwesasne have a right to cross the Canada-U.S. border without paying duties, the Federal Court of Appeal confirmed this month. The federal government had appealed a lower court ruling that Mohawks have the constitutional right to move purchased goods over the border without paying duty. “We anticipate Canada will appeal ... read more ››

Native art auction welcomes all

The Odawa Native Friendship Centre and Aboriginal Art Leasing have announced theThird Annual Aboriginal Art Auction, to be held December 5. All proceeds from this “exciting dinner/ auction” (so says a press release) areto help support Odawa. For 22 years, it’s provided services for the 30,000 Aboriginalpeople in the Ottawa region. ... read more ››

Skal Ball Crees rock the joint

They said it couldn’t be done. There just wasnl enough time. The naysayers were busy saying their nays and everyone involved was understandably nervous. The James Bay Cree Nation had been invited by SKAL, an international tourism body, to open its week-long conference at the Palais de Congrès in Montreal. We proudly ... read more ››

James Ray to become a mine!

When we hear “James Bay,” the first things that come to mind are “immense hydro-electric resources,” reports La Presse in its Les Prospecteurs mining column. But one day, who knows, we will maybe be talking about “Baie James” as a… mine. The column tells of the explorations of Virginia and other junior ... read more ››