ARTICLES BY Xavier Kataquapit

Supporting the Arts

There is a vibrant and thriving Aboriginal arts community in Canada. We have some magnificent writers, musicians, dancers, storytellers and visual artists. Many of these artists are familiar with the Canada Council, which is a federal government body that provides support to Canadian artists. In Ontario we also have the ... read more ››

Let the Music Lift our Hearts

Not long ago I discovered a fantastic initiative in Nibinamik First Nation, north of Thunder Bay, Ontario. A music program has been running that is making a difference in the lives of young people in the community. This program is basically set up with instruction by two professional musicians to ... read more ››

Timmins Cultural Centre 25 Years Young

The Ojibway and Cree Cultural Centre in Timmins, Ont., celebrated its 25th anniversary October 25, basking in the encouraging words of a host of dignitaries and old friends. The event drew participants from all over the province. Highlights of the ceremonies included an official cake-cutting and guided walking tour. The cultural centre ... read more ››

Once I was a Pirate

I see the signs of Halloween just about everywhere I go these days. I mages of ghosts and goblins are stalking the neighbourhoods. Many front yards are miniature stage settings that feature spooky characters in the familiar orange and black colours of this ancient and festive time. All this reminds me ... read more ››

Far From Home

Many people from First Nations communities along the James Bay coast spend a lot of time out on the land at their traditional hunting and trapping grounds. These trips vary in time and can last for a few hours or for several weeks or months. The traditional areas that are ... read more ››

Tah-Kwah-Kah-N Eh-Ah-Shi-Eh-Kah-Noh-K – Fall Hunt

I have been driving all day long and, although it is September, today was warm and the sun followed me north. In southern Ontario the trees were just beginning to turn with shades of red, yellow and orange here and there. By the time I reached North Bay the roadside ... read more ››

Using the Internet

Well, I finally got hooked up to the World Wide Web, or the internet. The experience has been incredible and although I am happy to be plugged in and on-line there are pros and cons to this technology. I notice that much more of my life is centered around the ... read more ››

First Nation Roots

Hundreds of years of settlement by Europeans still has not managed to make people set aside or forget who the original inhabitants were here. It is impossible to forget who the inhabitants were here simply due to the historical reminders or evidence in the names of many Canadian and American ... read more ››

Sa-ka-eh-woon

Sa-ka-eh-woon, love, has been the theme of my weekend, here on my visit to the Six Nations area to attend the wedding of my friends Rob Vokes and Brooke Bradley. Just about everywhere I looked this weekend I ran into that word, “love.” It really feels good to see people ... read more ››

Prairie Days

Tonight I am writing this from my room in the historic St. Regis Hotel in downtown Winnipeg. For the last couple of hours I have been entertained by the awesome light show of a passing thunderstorm. I am happy that we were smart enough to make the decision to stop ... read more ››

Best Kept Secrets

Another one of my life dreams has come true. I have just crossed the country from Ontario to British Columbia by motorcycle. I am happy to say I completed the first half of this trip on my Yamaha 650 Maxim accompanied by my friend Mike on his old Honda Goldwing. Tonight, ... read more ››

Graduation 2000

Graduation from high school and elementary school in Attawapiskat this year is taking place despite a more or less chaotic situation. The chaos comes as a direct result of an environmental disaster that has closed the J.R. Nakogee Elementary School and disrupted the regular schedule at Vezina Secondary School. For weeks ... read more ››

Time to Recycle

I recently rediscovered the joy of riding a bicycle. Over the past few years I have been taking some time during my week to go for a ride down a country road or through town. It is an enjoyable and easy way to get some exercise. It is also a ... read more ››

Healthy Choices

If you have ever tried to lose weight or change anything else about yourself, you probably know how difficult it is. Last week, I had the good fortune to meet up with a friend of mine, Jennifer McLeod, health director at Wabun Tribal Council in Timmins. She looked great and ... read more ››

For Linda

Most of the time I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. I have a great family who are very supportive of the road I have chosen. I have wonderful friends who guide me and care a lot for me, and everyday is a gift. One of the most ... read more ››

Snow Cruising

A week ago, while on my walk in the wilderness nearby, I was surprised there were no fresh tracks from snowmobiles. To people up the coast the early spring is the best time of the year for snowmobile riding. The days are a little longer in March and early April, and ... read more ››

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I have been noticing a lot of coverage lately about the mistreatment of First Nation people at the hands of some police forces. This issue really came to a head with the deaths of two First Nation men in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Apparently these men were taken by the police in ... read more ››

Frozen Freedom

Winter months in remote communities, like Attawapiskat, are hard on people in terms of severe weather, but they are also a time of freedom. Temperatures of minus-40 and minus-50 Celsius are common in powerful blizzards that often hit the community. This can be a dreary time of year for many ... read more ››

Weather Reports

I had the opportunity to spend a few days with my parents lately. They ventured down from Attawapiskat to do some shopping and a little visiting. While they were here we got into a conversation about the weather. It seemed to be an appropriate subject considering that the temperature in ... read more ››

Flu Season

What you don’t know about the flu could seriously harm yourself or someone you love. The flu virus is a real epidemic this winter and has been affecting many people I know from up the James Bay coast and around my circle of friends in northern Ontario. People are getting ... read more ››

Mary Wabano

With the passing of Mary Wabano in Attawapiskat recently, the traditional Cree way of living has also slipped away. Mary, who was 98 years of age, was born in the James Bay lowlands in 1901 when the James Bay Crees were still living a nomadic way of life. Her husband ... read more ››

Getting Online

Just imagine what it would be like if you couldn’t make a telephone call to anyone outside your local block. What would it be like if your community only had one telephone line to the outside world. Of course, this all seems silly in a modern age of incredible telecommunications ... read more ››

We will remember

This is dedicated to my great-grandfather John Chookomolin who, with 23 other young Crees from Attawapiskat, went off to war in the summer of 1917. He never returned and until only a few years ago his family had never known his fate. I am giving him a voice with these ... read more ››

One heck of a hunting story

I just finished a great meal. A moose roast cooked slowly at low temperatures for a few hours and surrounded with potatoes, onions and carrots. It has been a while since I had a taste of wild meat and this moose was just the fix I needed. As a matter ... read more ››

On the Greens

The last place I expected to be this past week was following a whole bunch of people around a golf course. In the past when I thought of golf courses this image did not really include First Nations people in Northern Ontario. In my mind golf has always been one ... read more ››

Helping Each Other

I am realizing more on more than one of the main ingredients for success in life is having work that is meaningful and rewarding. Lucky for me I have had a lot of help in learning how to write, how to interview people and even put together a newspaper. I ... read more ››