ARTICLES BY Xavier Kataquapit

Gathering Nokoom’s Snow

It is 1988 in my home community of Attawapiskat on a bright beautiful winter morning. The sun is high in the sky and warms the cold weather to a more bearable minus 20. Nokoom, my grandmother Louise, has called my mom asking for help to fetch snow for her drinking ... read more ››

Waste Not Want Not

It is nine o’clock in the morning on a bright, beautiful, cloudless day in the middle of February. The temperature is about minus 30. As the day wears on it will warm up to minus 25 and then dip down again by evening. I am packing up my snowmachine for ... read more ››

This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land

The James Bay lowlands have been home to my people since the dawn of time. My ancestors never really called any one place their permanent home but considered this vast area of land their territory that was shared with others. Moving from one place to another throughout the year was ... read more ››

Local Heroes

Recently I had the opportunity to watch a great little video dedicated to John Mercier of Porcupine, Timmins who served the Whitney Volunteer Fire Department for 40 years. The video really captured the Johnny that I have come to know over the past few years. It made me feel lucky ... read more ››

Celebrating the Holidays With a Bang

The holiday season is an exciting time in remote Native communities up the James Bay coast. This period is anticipated and celebrated in the same way as most southern non-Native communities but with just a few differences. The day leading up to Christmas Day or New Year’s Day was always a ... read more ››

Looking at Weather From a Native Point of View

The weather is an important part of life to my people, the Cree on the James Bay coast. Many of the elders have a great understanding of changes in the weather. This is due to the fact that during their early lives they lived a traditional life out on the ... read more ››

Adventures on the Winter Road

It is the middle of February on the winter road and I am travelling with my brothers on our way back home to Attawapiskat from Moosonee. We are bringing back a load of furnace oil, gasoline, lumber and plywood to keep our contracting business in the community operating. One of ... read more ››

Seeing is Believing

Most people I know who have spent a lot of time up north on the land have a very good sense of sight. With little effort, they are able to pick out birds or animals while out on the land. This has always been difficult for me as I wear a ... read more ››

Walking on water

Winter has arrived early this year. The snow is on the ground and the cold weather has settled in for the season. Everyone up north is excited to see the cold and the snow return again. It is a time of year when there is a lot more freedom to ... read more ››

Standing Up For Our Rights

Over the past few years there have been some unsettling developments taking place that could affect myself, my home community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast and other First Nations people across the country. There are new political movements at the provincial and national levels of government that are ... read more ››

Under The Northern Sky The first day of school

The beginning of a new school year is an event that involves everyone in a small remote First Nation community. Parents and Elders in First Nation communities believe in teaching and exposing children to our people’s traditional and cultural practices. They also understand that youth need a good education in the ... read more ››

Under THe Northern Sky Sleeping Under The Stars

It is September 1992 and we are on the open waters of the great James Bay on a freighter canoe heading south to Attawapiskat. We have just wrapped up a moose hunting trip along the Opinigau River about 200 kilometres north of Attawapiskat along the James Bay coast. I am ... read more ››

Under The Northern Sky Diversity is a good thing

I enjoy the experience of learning about new cultures and people when I travel. Sometimes I do not have to venture very far from home to be able to mix with other cultures. Recently I enjoyed a visit to Toronto, which is famous as a multicultural city that is home to ... read more ››

Under The Northern Sky A tradition in sports

You might not know it, but we First Nation people have played and enjoyed our own sporting activities for hundreds of years. Summer activities and games were part of life as they were times to use up extra energy and to spend time with family and friends. It was a ... read more ››

Under The Northern Sky The urge to travel

Travelling has always been a part of my life for as far back as I can remember. As a young boy growing up in Attawapiskat along the James Bay coast, my family always thought it was natural to be able to move from our community to other areas far away ... read more ››

Under The Northern Sky Memories of another time

Most First Nation elders I know like to be out on the land. They have followed a very traditional lifestyle from early on in their lives. It has been difficult for many elders to adjust to a different pace of life in our modern First Nation communities. I have talked ... read more ››

Under The Northern Sky Some Like It Hot

Hot weather was never a problem when I was growing up in my home community of Attawapiskat. During most of the year dealing with the weather meant putting on more clothes to keep warm. We Cree from the James Bay coast have grown accustomed to the cold weather of the ... read more ››

Under The Northern Sky First Nation Culture Online

One of the most important ways for we First Nation people to keep our culture strong is through the preservation of our traditions, language and history. The culture and traditions in my home of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast is passed down from generation to generation by our Elders. ... read more ››

Under The Northern Sky Dealing with Homelessness

Homelessness is a big problem that most people recognize as taking place only in large cities. I never could imagine someone in a small town being without a home or a roof over his or her head. In remote Native communities this is almost impossible as everyone is related to ... read more ››

Under The Northern Sky The Right Combination

Thanks to a friend of mine, RoseAnna Campbell, I recently got the chance to listen to a new music production that was created by her brother Vern Cheechoo and his friend Lawrence Martin (Wapistan). They are both well known First Nation musicians from the James Bay coast. Both Lawrence and ... read more ››

Under The Northern Sky Memories of Spring

I have a lot of memories of getting wet this time of year. As the warmer weather melts the large quantities of snow our world here up north turns from frozen snow and ice to slush and water. Before my home community of Attawapiskat developed a proper drainage system for the ... read more ››

Under the Northern Sky Just in Time

People in southern and mid Ontario have packed away their snowmobiles for the year. However, many along the James Bay coast ride their machines right up until the last patch of snow in mid ApnE In my home community of Attawapiskat, there are still people risking the ride over the frozen ... read more ››

A Chip Off The Old Block

Recently I was fortunate to receive some moose meat from my cousin Ron. I remembered several ways that my mom, Susan, had prepared moose back home in Attawapiskat when I was young. The other day I tried one of mom’s recipes and cut up some moose meat and fried it for ... read more ››

Under the Northern Sky Remembering My Teachers

Recently I heard from an old teacher of mine. Rhonda McKay dropped me an e-mail from Thunder Bay where she is now teaching and living. Her contact reminded me of just how important teachers are in my life. I mean all the teachers, those who do it as a profession ... read more ››

Under The Northern Sky Too Cold to Forget

Snowstorms are [ust another part of life during the winter season in my home community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast. I have many memories as a young boy playing in the snow outside our front door in the middle of a blizzard with my young brothers. Most of ... read more ››

Under The Northern Sky The Heart of the Matter

Sometimes life throws you off balance. Just recently we got the sudden news that my dad had a heart attack. My dad, Marius, had been complaining of several ailments that had been affecting him for the past several months. One morning he felt weak and disoriented and visited the local ... read more ››