ARTICLES BY Sonny Orr

Pent up Crees

The pain of every breath clung to the dried-out windpipe leading to my lungs that were grasping for relief from the ordeal called the pentathlon. However, this particular pentathlon was done all at the same time, with no breaks in between events. Each gulp of air I took had the potential ... read more ››

Let’s just text together

“Excuse me, got to get this one,” Buddy tells me. Furtively he talks to someone in another part of town, pulling his hood over his head to block the wind from messing up his cell call. My phone rings too and soon we’re both busy talking to others, our conversation punctuated ... read more ››

Here we go again…

Drum roll please… Get the red carpet out and shine the lights on the new leader for the next four years. Yes, the “Nice Guy” campaign might actually work for Matthew Coon Come, with a higher than usual rating, and yes, of course, a spinoff election is looming. Yep, another ... read more ››

Green’s the way to go… if you’re colour blind

I often wondered when we Cree crossed over the fine line of being natural environmentalists and leaving virtually no carbon footprint to leaving a telltale trail of empties and white plastic bags while driving by in big SUVs. I also wonder why we often tout ourselves as being champions of ... read more ››

The temperature’s rising

It was hard trying to lap up the ice cream before it dribbled down onto my hands, overcoming the little napkin often used to prevent such gooeyness happening in the first place. The temperature, still rising, was accented heavily with dust driven up from the windless gravel streets, making everything ... read more ››

Getting votes that count

Another election to decide who gets to be top dog or head honcho is looming. This can’t be my fourth time writing about this or is it my third? Whatever the number, it still seems that it was just yesterday when Mukash of the North squeaked in over Ted the ... read more ››

Waiting for a tan

The snow geese called from above, getting my two puppies all excited. The two looked around and barked back at the unseen creatures passing by only as shadows on the ground. I looked up and watched the 50th flock fly back south for the umpteenth time, as my neighbour commented ... read more ››

Hunting in 2025

I often wonder what it will be like in the future. Will it be high-tech or low-tech? Green everywhere or polluted? Animals past the brink of extinction or a plentiful bounty to feast upon? These questions sometimes wander through my mind. Sitting in a blind for days on end can have ... read more ››

Momma dear

Checking out the latest thing on the net and in the papers, listening to the chatter on the usual lines, it’s hard not to notice that Mother’s Day is upon us. Sometimes people forget, like I do once in awhile, about their mommas and what all mothers do best, be ... read more ››

Sockumentaries

Once in a while, a documentary comes along and just blows you away with its in-depth research, incredible scenic shots, and something that just hits you right in the jaw with its truths of life. I think that those types of documentaries should be renamed for their sock-it-to-you style and ... read more ››

It’s tourney time again

The crowd roared as the intrepid goalie made another spectacular save. The blaring music filled the arena as people settled back down into their seats. The score was 8-0 for the home team and every shot made on their favourite goalie sent screams resonating throughout the cold, steel structure of ... read more ››

Northern Plans

Every time I look south for news and anything interesting, I find the south staring right back at us with great interest. Sometimes it feels like a major move is coming and it’s going to take us by surprise, just like it did in the ’70s. It’s this feeling I get ... read more ››

The Rezolution’s sharper

I am admittedly a television junkie. I like to watch just about everything, except soap operas. They, I do declare, have a profound effect on the opposite sex’s opinion of life in general, at least in the early afternoon. When they are broadcast, nary a sound is heard or a ... read more ››

The ides of March is coming

The wind swirled the newspapers around in a funnel-shaped cloud of debris in the poor section of Montreal. These newspapers work as good insulation if stuffed in the ragged, cast-off summer jackets that can be found at the Sally Ann or at one of the numerous jam-packed shelters for the ... read more ››

Couching it

First, I tuned to the weather network and cackled watching the tons of snow heaping down on the south along with freezing temperatures in the minus-30s, then the rains that washed out the remnants of winter, then watch the weather repeat itself in another section of the continent. Meanwhile, the local ... read more ››

Looking Back

Some were noticeable and others never made it to the headlines. Looking forward, I see certain things that might just become reality. The past year brought us some flicker of hope for our future, as a new trusteeship was established for our $1.4 billion, since the funds had to be controlled ... read more ››

Succeeding in a tough world…

I recently attended a conference centering on excellence in economics; learning from, teaching to and awarding smart people; winning big one small step at a time, that sort of stuff. All that, condensed into four short days – albeit they sure felt like four long, long days. What surfaced is ... read more ››

Music to my ears

The beat goes on throughout the night, the spirits have been sated by loving subjects, songs that have been passed on for millennia, thoughts that have rung out for generations, tradition remains unbroken… Then one day, thousands of years after the first primal beats of the chest, Ed Sullivan brought out ... read more ››

In the beginning…

In the beginning there was Chief Billy Diamond, Chief John Kitchen, Chief Walter Hughboy, Chief Kenneth Gilpin. They tumbled down like a string of dominoes. Who’s next? Chiefess Violet Pachano? Chief George Wapachee? Chief Kenny Loon? Noted and much beloved warmonger and mass murderer Henry Kissinger came up with The Domino Theory ... read more ››