ARTICLES BY Xavier Kataquapit

MacMartin’s diary sheds new light on Treaty #9

Recently, I have heard news that greatly affects the First Nations of Nishnawbe-Aski Nation territory in northern Ontario. This news involves the discovery of a 100-plus year-old diary by Daniel MacMartin, a treaty commissioner who represented the government of Ontario. His diary is providing a new perspective on the signing ... read more ››

The magic light box

Television was never a big part of my early childhood. In the early 1980s, TV was a new phenomenon that had just been introduced to our community merely a decade before. Even though mom and dad furnished our living room with a new TV set we had nothing to watch. ... read more ››

A lesson from Cuba

I recently came back from a vacation to Cuba. In the three weeks that I was gone, I managed to lose about five pounds. It was relatively easy to lose that weight. Since Cuba is not a wealthy country, food is not as abundant as we see in North America. ... read more ››

Giving is not always a good thing

This year, just before Christmas, while I was travelling in some bigger city centres of southern Ontario, I noticed just how crazy this holiday season has become. There were long streams of traffic going from mall to mall and every store I visited had line ups of people at the ... read more ››

Merry Christmas to one and all

Christmas is a stressful time of the year. It has always been that way for me. From the time I was a child I have more or less endured the coming and going of Christmas. Back home in Attawapiskat in the 1980s, when I was a kid, Christmas revolved around ... read more ››

Sometimes life seems unfair

Sometimes life does not seem fair. That’s how I felt when I heard the news about my friend Audrey Allaire on November 4. I was shocked to hear that she had passed away at the young age of 44. All I could think of was that this was really unjust. Audrey ... read more ››

All's Well That Ends Well

In November 1993, a group of eight students from my high-school English class in Attawapiskat agreed to collaborate on a Christmas play. We wrote our own script which we presented at a combined elementary school / high school Christmas concert at the JR Nakogee Elementary School gymnasium. Our group of ... read more ››

Of mice and men

It’s four in the morning, the room is dark and quiet as I lie still in my bed. I am in a cabin in the wilderness and in complete silence except that I can hear scurrying and scratching in the walls. The sounds move from the ceiling to my right, ... read more ››

Waging war on diabetes

I got good news this weekend thanks to my visit to the Diabetes Expo in Timmins. The Wabun Tribal Council health department set up an information booth at the event with a community health nurse who provided on the spot glucose level blood tests for visitors. As an Aboriginal person ... read more ››

The story of the dream catcher

I was lucky to meet some very interesting traditional First Nation people this summer. I always learn so much when my walk leads to someone with a lot of knowledge about my people and their traditions and culture. When I was growing up in Attawapiskat I rarely had the opportunity to ... read more ››

Feed the good wolf

Elders and traditional people are special in that they are capable of handing down their knowledge in the simplest ways. I was reminded of this simple, patient way of teaching recently when I attended a gathering this summer. I took part in the Fourth Annual Wabun Youth Gathering in Elk Lake, ... read more ››

Digging for gold

Matachewan First Nation welcomed a host of dignitaries to a groundbreaking ceremony of the $1.5 billion Young-Davidson mine on their traditional lands September 10. Northgate Minerals Corporation officials were joined by provincial, federal, First Nation, regional and municipal leaders in officially celebrating the rebirth of the historic goldmine destined to ... read more ››

A Visit From Mikisew

I spent some time in the deep forest this past week. It felt great to breathe in the fresh air and to stir the coals of a fire while the weather turned cool and wet. One morning, a young eagle (or mikisew in Cree) glided overhead and began to screech ... read more ››

Far Back Along The Trail

I enjoy listening to my dad Marius reminisce about his early life on the land around Attawapiskat. His family settled along the banks of the Attawapiskat River and they travelled regularly along the shores, tributaries and mushkeg surrounding the community. He grew up in a big family of seven brothers ... read more ››

Keep On Trucking

I drove the half ton back to the house today. This old Ford is a beat-up work horse of a truck that serves mainly as basic transport these days rather than something I would take on a long trip. Tonight I didn’t have far to go and it was a ... read more ››

Grant Me The Serenity

It’s raining outside and the temperature is hovering around 10 degrees. The clouds are hanging low and there is a steady stream of cold droplets falling from the sky. To most, it could be described as a very miserable summer day. It is one of those unsettling days when everything ... read more ››

Too Much Of A Good Thing

There is only one real dessert in the Cree culture – and that is bannock. It is a baked mix of mostly flour and water with variations that sometimes add some sugar. To many, it might seem very bland but there is more to bannock than just plain white dough. ... read more ››

You Should See 'Reel Injun'

Recently, I viewed a documentary titled ‘Reel Injun’ a production by Cree film maker, Neil Diamond, who is originally from Waskaganish, Quebec on the James Bay coast.  This was one of the most informative documentaries on First Nation people I have ever watched concerning myths about Natives.  I have always ... read more ››

Where Has All The Water Gone

Over the past two weeks I have had the opportunity to do a lot of highway driving. When you live in northern Ontario a road trip means roaming across vast stretches of mostly remote pine forests, marshlands and by pristine freshwater lakes studded with rocky shorelines. It did not take ... read more ››

The Fire Season Is Upon Us

Chances are it’s going to be a long hot dry summer in northern Ontario. Much of winter was like early spring. After a very warm spring that felt like a mild summer, I predict we are in for a hot one this year. This is great news for most northerners. ... read more ››

The Evening Blue

I was getting ready one evening to head out to visit friends. Before leaving the house I turned the lights off. I paused in the kitchen to think if I had forgotten anything. Suddenly, I realized a soft-blue light had surrounded me. The sun had gone down but there was ... read more ››

Historic Cree Books Hidden In The Internet

I like to do my research on the Internet. I guess I have always been a geek when it comes to computers. The Internet is a vast wealth of knowledge for me as a writer. I can find just about anything on any topic. I have heard it said that the ... read more ››

A Lesson In Love And Devotion

I met a new friend about a year ago. Her name is Jessie and she is a big, long-haired golden retriever with a very quiet nature. She is part of the Vokes family who live near Six Nations in southwestern Ontario. Jessie seems to be always at the feet of ... read more ››

High Speed Comes To The James Bay Coast

Attawapiskat is on its way to having better access to the information highway.  A recent announcement by the Western James Bay Telecom Network, a community based entity that was established to bring broadband service to the James Bay coast, has stated that a new fibre optic cable has been launched ... read more ››

Digging for gold

Northgate Minerals Corporation announced the start of construction of its Young-Davidson mine at a flag-raising ceremony near the Town of Matachewan on March 4. The event was attended by David Ramsay, Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Timiskaming-Cochrane, local municipal representatives, government officials and First Nation leaders. The new development ... read more ››

Feeling Like A NEWB

The Cree that younger people speak today is different from the old style of Cree used by our Elders. Much of this has to do with the fact that our people have been drifting away from the traditions and culture of the Muskego people for the past 100 years or ... read more ››