ARTICLES BY Joel Barde

Indigenous compilation album up for Grammy

The next Grammy Awards gala will see an album featuring a number of Cree and Indigenous artists from Canada competing in the Best Historical Album category. Mistissini’s own Willy Mitchell is featured on Native North America, Vol. 1, an album of songs by Indigenous rockers from the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. ... read more ››

Time for self reflection: Val d'Or working to improve race relations says Mayor Corbeil

Val-d’Or Mayor Pierre Corbeil says the city is working to improve the safety of its Aboriginal residents following the bombshell allegations of abuse by local Sûreté du Québec (SQ) officers against Aboriginal women. He said he is working in concert with the Grand Council and MP Romeo Saganash to improve ... read more ››

Mistissini business owner says development conference produced no plans

The Eeyou-Eenou Economic Development Conference brought together business people and government workers to discuss ways to improve economic prospects in E­eyou Istchee. But one businessperson who attended the November 10-11 event at the Neoskweskau Sports Complex in Mistissini came away disappointed. Calvin Blacksmith, the owner-operator of Cree Source for Sports in ... read more ››

Redesigning Cree Education at the Cree School Board Symposium

The Cree School Board regional education symposium kicked off two days after the federal election on Oct 21-22. And the symposium’s special guest – former Prime Minister Paul Martin – lamented the lack of attention for Aboriginal issues during the long campaign, noting that not one question in five campaign ... read more ››

Montreal Vigil for Val d'Or Women Celebrates their Courage

Hundreds gathered at Montreal’s Place des Arts October 29 to show their support for the women of Val-d’Or and call for an end to violence against Indigenous women. Participants, both Native and non-Native, held large signs with the youthful faces of missing Aboriginal women. A Mohawk prayer was followed by a performance ... read more ››

Mohawk Chief pushing for Treaty between Nations

At a recent rally in downtown Vancouver, Serge Simon introduced himself to a largely First Nations audience. “My name is Serge Simon, the Grand Chief of the Mohawk of Kanesatake,” said Simon, pausing for a moment. “You may know us as the Mohawks of Oka.” The 1990 conflict at Oka remains a ... read more ››

First Nations participation in federal election helps elect record number of Native MPs

Ten days before the October 19 federal election, a group of about 100 First Nations gathered in Montreal’s Cabot Square, where they underlined the importance of voting and highlighted issues facing Indigenous people. The group then marched down Ste-Catherine Street, waving plaques and banners stressing the high suicide rates of Aboriginal ... read more ››

Election 2015: Hope defeats fear and division

For the most part, First Nations issues received little attention in this campaign cycle. Candidates focused largely on Canada’s middle class and inconsequential, inflammatory topics, like whether to allow a woman to wear a niqab during her citizenship ceremony. No questions were asked on Aboriginal topics over the five leaders’ debates, ... read more ››

Dorothy Grant blends Haida culture into her fashion designs

For over 30 years, Dorothy Grant has created extraordinary fashion designs that meld Haida art with contemporary trends. Her new creations include a light-blue, silk evening gown with eagle prints and a smart, black suit with a wolf design embroidered on the lapels. Grant said that many of buyers over the years ... read more ››

The Nation spends several days getting back to basics at Mamoweedow

It is early morning on Fort George Island, and 87-year-old Jade Matthew is building a teepee with her husband. Grabbing two long birch poles tied together at one end with bright red rope, they place the bottoms in the soil, forming an inverted V. Jane moves deliberately, methodically placing the rest ... read more ››

Whapmagoostui’s financial pain: Report harshly criticizes overspending

Whapmagoostui’s Band Office An internal report on Eeyou Istchee’s northernmost community is raising doubts about its approach to tackling a sizeable budget deficit. The Whapmagoostui audit draws a picture of a community that is redirecting Cree Nation Government funds to expensive capital projects that lack financial documentation. Whapmagoostui Chief Stanley George, however, ... read more ››

Centre encourages a love for science in Whapmagoostui-Kuujjuarapik

Alanah Heffez was impressed when she heard that the Centre d’études nordiques was building a new community science centre in Whapmagoostui-Kuujjuarapik. It was 2009, and she was organizing science activities for the Cree Health Board. She saw enormous potential in the new project, which was about to be constructed. The Community Science ... read more ››

Meechum’s annual fundraiser spreads the holiday spirit in Mistissini

Christmas brings families together throughout Eeyou Istchee. For most, a turkey dinner with all the fixing and gifts under the tree are an integral part of the holiday. Yet for a small minority, those things are out of reach. Putting any food on the table and paying the bills takes precedent ... read more ››

Trio of Quebec First Nations to contest 1970s northern Quebec agreements

Three Quebec First Nations say that their traditional territory partly overlaps with land included in the 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA) and the Northeastern Quebec Agreement (NEQA), signed in 1978. They are now asking for the federal government to step in to negotiate a settlement over the ... read more ››

Cree singer Mariame Hasni is in the final stages of recording her debut album

Mariame Hasni has been singing for as long as she can remember. And it shows: she has an outstanding, powerful voice, one that has been mesmerizing Cree and non-Cree audiences for years. But that voice may have remained hidden, as Hasni once tried to hide her talent. “I got discovered in the ... read more ››

Barrier Lake residents are leading a spirited battle for the forest

First Nations families in the Laurentian Mountains are fighting in court to stop logging in Parc La Verendrye. Area resident Tina Nottaway is seeking an injunction to stop multinational forestry giant Louisiana Pacific from tearing up her backyard. “The cutting is happening 24 hours a day,” she told the Nation. “I see ... read more ››

Métis 11-year-old on the right track to auto-racing glory

The last race of Xavier Dorsnie’s season saw some of the most challenging conditions he has raced in. The rain was torrential, obscuring the view of the tight, Formula-1-inspired turns of the Mont-Tremblant karting circuit. The course was slippery, “like a sheet of ice,” said the 11-year-old. “I just focused on the ... read more ››

Women challenge unelected, non-Native chief

Kari Cobiness, Helen Cobiness, Brittany Cobiness and AndreaCamp (from left) A recent Buffalo Point council meeting saw the arrest of four community members, including an 86-year-old Elder. The four are opposed to the unelected chief of the 140-member nation, and were arrested for breaking a court order that bans them from entering ... read more ››

Dealing with the contentious 10-year clause

Jenna Newton at her convocation with her mother and grandparents. Jenna Newton is difficult to peg down for an interview. Aside from working up to 45 hours a week at three part-time jobs, she’s a full-time student, completing her teaching certificate and master’s in elementary education at San Francisco State University. A member ... read more ››

Grassy Narrows demands apology for mercury dumping

Right to left: Judy Da Sliva – Grassy Narrows Mother of 5 & grassroots mercury justice activist, Stan Beardy – Ontario Regional Chief, Roger Fobister Sr. – Grassy Narrows Chief From 1962-1970, a paper mill upstream of the Grassy Narrows First Nation – an Ojibwa community located 80 km north of ... read more ››