ARTICLES BY Will Nicholls

Walking for all the Right Reasons

Health needs and services in Quebec have been slashed to the bone in the name of balancing the provincial budget. Down south the stories of social and health services being cut and hospitals closed are nothing new these days. In the past people used to fundraise to get special equipment ... read more ››

Hemodialysis

What is it? It is a process where a person is hooked up to a machine. Two tubes are attached to the person’s blood system. One is an in-tube and the other is an out-tube. The blood is “cleaned” by the machine using a special filter called a dialyzer. It rids the ... read more ››

How Crees helped Quebec pay off its deficit

Got a great idea. Let’s all just stop whining about Quebec’s desire or apparent inability to live up to its obligations and duties under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. Instead of taking them to court to get them to live up to those obligations, as for example outlined under ... read more ››

Crees See the Pope

The last time the Crees went to see the Pope it was back in 1983 and then Grand Chief Billy Diamond caused quite a stir. Canadian diplomats were running around trying to stop the visit because the Pope of the Catholic Church only met with heads of state and this implied ... read more ››

RCMP says Natives armed to the teeth

RCMP says Natives armed to the teeth So what are you hunting with this year? According to an internal RCMP document Southam News obtained under the Access to Information Act, Native “militants” may be using more than the usual hunting rifles. A brief put out by the RCMP’s Criminal Intelligence Directorate warns ... read more ››

MY DEAR FELLOW CREE!

It is my pleasure to announce in this issue of the Nation that we will be running another candidate in this year’s Grand Chief election. Surprised by the fact that Neil Diamond received 3% of the vote in the last election, I learned one thing: some people out there are ... read more ››

Blockade season on it’s way?

Long Lake Forest Products Company operations in Nakina, Ontario was shut down March 5 when the Aroland, Eabametoong and Martin Falls First Nations set up the first Native blockade of the season. The blockade came after a band meeting in which locals asked the chiefs and councils what was happening ... read more ››

Early spring GREETS NATIVE BLOCKADES

A second Native road blockade of the spring began Monday, March 16 in Temagami, Ontario, this time conducted by the Teme-Augama Anishnabai and Temagami First Nation. The beginning of the blockade has consisted of stopping vehicles and handing out pamphlets that explain the land drivers are traveling across is Aboriginal ... read more ››

“OUR LIFE, OUR WORK, OUR HERITAGE”

“OUR LIFE, OUR WORK, OUR HERITAGE” Motto of the La Coalition sur les forets vierges nordiques Not only the Crees are worried about forestry activities in the Cree territory but also a powerful coalition in Quebec recently announced they want changes to the forestry operations in the area. La Coalition sur les ... read more ››

MEANING OF RITUALS

NO RIGHTS FOR CREES? I guess the moose crap hit the fan lately with Quebec Native Affairs Minister Guy Chevrette’s letter to the Crees. Basically the letter is an ultimatum to the Crees saying they were negotiating in bad faith because they were taking Quebec to court over forestry and were ... read more ››

Cree-Quebec RELATIONS BREAK DOWN

Relations between the Quebec and Cree governments have broken down as a result of the Mario Lord forestry case. The Quebec government recently took a hard line cutting off negotiations on the Memorandum of Understanding and a potential $ 117 million in funding, saying the Crees were negotiating in bad faith. Native ... read more ››

United front on FORESTRY LAWSUIT

Cree chiefs are presenting a unified front on forestry, even as Quebec has decided to suspend the 1995 MOU and up to $117 milion in promised funding. “Quebec has always tried to divide and conquer, but in this case we’re all together,” said Nemaska Chief George Wapachee. “We’re showing you can’t ... read more ››

Youth plan inter-tribal gathering

The Montreal Aboriginal Youth Council has a lot of work ahead of it. They’re planning an inter-tribal youth gathering this June 26 in Kahnawake, complete with workshop and traditional activities. They plan to have traditional dancing and story-telling, talks by Native rolemodels and a regular dance. They’re currently on the look-out for ... read more ››

ceremonies

You always hear about musicians paying their dues. You could say Willie Mitchell paid his a long time ago. Willie, the well-known Algonquin musician and song-writer who lives in Mistissini, remembers the time he was shot by the police for stealing two spotlights. He had just started his first band at ... read more ››

NO HEROES, JUST PARENTS

In today’s society we take it for granted that Aboriginal children should be fostered out to Aboriginal foster parents. This is a lesson well-taught through the problems that arose when Native kids were adopted by non-Native parents. One only has to look at the report of the Royal Commission on ... read more ››

TIME FOR YOUR LOVED ONES

A lot of people complain about not enough quality time with loved ones. I think it’s something that you have to work for like everything else in this world. Not getting more time to do things but doing things with your time. As I started looking into time management and ... read more ››

A LONG WALK FOR A GOOD CAUSE

February I marked the day that 15 youth and two guides set out on a two-month walk called “Journey Through the Heart of Eeyou/Eenou Estchee.” The walkers will be traveling to each community starting from Whapmagoostui and ending in Mistissini. Seeing the walkers off was Whapmagoostui Chief Matthew Mukash, Youth Grand ... read more ››

Sadie’s walk

The success of Sadie’s Walk last year in raising diabetes awareness in the Cree communities has the Cree Health Board gearing up for this year already. Last year more than 10 per cent of the Cree population showed up to walk. The Health Board says its success was due to ... read more ››

BREAKING THE RULE

How does one start an editorial? It is a question that I deal with every issue of The Nation. There is always something to say, but what is important to say? This week I am going to break one of our rules for this editorial. The rule is simple; we ... read more ››

Baptism by Ice

Caribou Hunting with Mandow Agency Photos by Neil Diamond After hearing stories about the caribou hunt we felt we had to try it out first-hand and planned a totally Cree experience. We would fly in using Air Creebec, Chisasibi’s Mandow Agency would supply the guides and camp, and finally if we were ... read more ››

NO ROOM AT THE INN_ IN THE CAR

It was a cold, cold night, not unlike one that my mother had told me about a long time ago. Another holiday season when it was a chilling minus 41 degrees Celsius or more. That night, long ago, we were in the vehicle somewhere in Northern Ontario, with Dad and ... read more ››

Funding cutbacks leave shelter in a lurch

The Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal is seeing some hard times this year. The Quebec government cut $70,000 from the shelter’s budget for this year, and this while it was already $50,000 short of what was needed. Right now, more money is only a dream for the cash-strapped shelter. “If we ... read more ››

WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO DO IN 1999

Well, another year has come and gone, so to speak, and with it changes. I would mention that if you turn the 1999 upside down it looks like 6661. I imagine all the crazies, self-proclaimed prophets and doomsayers will be predicting the end of the world or the coming of ... read more ››

Protecting the past for the future

For the first time, Crees and other First Nations have met with a United Nations agency to spell out intellectual property rights of indigenous peoples. At present, protections are unclear for the intellectual property rights of holders of traditional indigenous knowledge. Cree officials held a first meeting on November 30 in Montreal ... read more ››

Flying high with Paul Rickard, Cree film director

“I …just let the images talk for themselves” Paul Rickard chose his hometown Moose Factory for the premiere screening of his film Okimah. The hometown response was very warm and positive, with 180 community members turning out. Paul opened the evening with a brief speech, along with Chief Ernest Beck and ... read more ››

What it’s all about

This Christmas I decided to let a story do the talking for me. You do not even have to be a Christian to understand the concepts of giving and sharing. Merry X-mas to everyone out there and have a safe happy holiday. Accept our best wishes for a great New ... read more ››