Category: Rez Notes

Updating life

The clock rings loudly in the darkened room. The sun has been up since five and all the curtains are drawn tightly, lest any sunlight enter the room prematurely, awakening this grumpy old man by mistake. Yes, summer is approaching quickly and so is the longest day of the year. ... read more ››

Of volcanoes and such….

I often said that what ever happens in this world is usually caused by something, which in turn is a consequence of that other thing, which was triggered by a distant event that we aren’t even aware of until it’s too late. Take Iceland, for example. Who would of thought that ... read more ››

Is our future farming

The fax rings and another sheet appears from a Cree office somewhere, announcing the spring goose break and the fact that many Cree will go “missing” for the next few weeks. It is this rite of spring which seems to be pretty early this year. Back in the day, when ... read more ››

Islands in the stream…

I bumped into the chief electoral officer who happily announced the results of the Offshore Islands Agreement referendum held in March which favoured taking our beautiful offshore islands back to our beloved Eeyou Istchee. He showed me with glowing pride the fact that when Eeyouch stand together, they stand more ... read more ››

Spring break to the nth degree

I checked out the shells for my shotgun – all sorted by speed – and loaded my trusty all-steel Browning, the fastest last and slowest first. In another shotgun, an over-and-under Magnum, long-range loads are readily available, just in case. The gun dog, a nice hunting canine that knows all the ... read more ››

The golden ages

There was a time when Canadians athletes were just average, or in some elite games, just plain old mediocre. Last century, you could count only a handful who excelled in sports and competed in the Olympics. Those who won a gold medal were remembered for eternity, just for the simple ... read more ››

Creeepy Cccanaada…

When I was young, it was always a thrill listening to scary stories before going to bed, or around the campfire, or amongst friends over a strong cup of coffee. Certain stories really made my hair stand straight up and sent shivers down my spine, especially the “true” ones. But ... read more ››

Business and politics, a nice mixture

I recently attended a superb conference on the strengths of the northern people’s determination to do business in the harsh, unforgiving north. Appropriately the conference was called “Northern Lights” and centred on the growing momentum of northern development, big and small business and the future of the north in general. ... read more ››

Oh where has my little dog gone?

What’s furry, likes to lick anything, has claws and is really faithful? Of course it’s man’s best friend, the dog. Why do dogs merit page four of this fabulous magazine, one may ask? Because something mysterious is afoot (I really mean apaw) in some communities in the north, something so ... read more ››

The fine art of futurism

One day, when my father was a young man, the company store received a shipment of radios. A line formed with eager customers ready to spend a whole month’s wages for this newest fad. But an elderly friend of my father pulled him aside and suggested that perhaps they shouldn’t ... read more ››

50 million reasons to leave…

The national Internet headlines blared out that one person, apparently hysterically screaming, crying and laughing at a counter in a small store on a northern Manitoba reserve caused a store employee to rush from the back of the store to the front to confront what she thought was a real ... read more ››

Doing double time

Ever get that feeling that you just don’t have enough time to get things done? Whatever happened to Indian time when you had all of the sunlit day to do your work? Today, it’s 9-to-5, Monday to Friday where a whole week has to be compressed into 35 hours. Now ... read more ››

Scary, but true…

Long time ago, disco was king (for a few years at most) and for the elite dressers and high-kicking, split-sticking-to-the-floor-dance moves, fluffy hair-dried plumed shaggy-dog bangs, chest-hair-revealing dance suits, you name it, anything went, except for jeans. Jeans was the absolute no-no for fashion, anything denim was sinful to the ... read more ››

Flu or cold?

My head rocked with lightning bolts and my brain felt like it was loose inside a walnut shell. Every sound I made was amplified and laughing hurt like the cranium crazies. What was wrong, I wondered, and headed home in a daze and passed out after downing several Tylenols. Was this ... read more ››

Reservation revelations

I happened to venture into the heart of la terre québécoise, in the beautiful Lac Saint-Jean area of Innu country, to attend a meeting of other significant people like me, where I noticed something unusual about the reserve of Mashteuiatsh. It was beautiful village with nary a speck of garbage ... read more ››

Back to School Daze

Back in the day and also back in the old neighbourhood, summer time was a time of no school and long days that went on forever. Then, as suddenly as the school year ended in June, it would start over again when the first geese flew south. Some students, who came ... read more ››

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 ››