Category: Under the Northern Sky

Under The Northern Sky Some Like It Hot

July 12, 2002  •  By  •  Categories:
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 ››

Badabineiyou students win awards

June 28, 2002  •  By  •  Categories: ,
At the First People’s Festival 2002 in Montreal I came across some old friends from Whapmagoostui selling their pottery. They were the students of the Whapmagoostui Art Factory and had won an award or two. These students are looking forward to continuing and you can see the improvement and interest ... read more ››

Under The Northern Sky First Nation Culture Online

June 28, 2002  •  By  •  Categories:
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

June 14, 2002  •  By  •  Categories:
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 ››

Community mourns three of their own

May 31, 2002  •  By  •  Categories: ,
The small Inuit community of Kuujjuarapik is reeling from three suicides within 30 dtys. Two 18-year-olds and one adult, all male, took their lives for reasons known only to them. Why? This question was raised many times among the Inuit and in the adjacent Cnee village of Whapmagoostui and voices of ... read more ››

Under The Northern Sky The Right Combination

May 31, 2002  •  By  •  Categories:
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

May 17, 2002  •  By  •  Categories:
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

May 3, 2002  •  By  •  Categories:
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 ››

Dakota Tipi First Nation Takes Minister Nault to Court

April 19, 2002  •  By  •  Categories: ,
The Dakota Tipi First Nation in Manitoba is filjng a legal challenge to Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Robert Nault’s decision to place an Indian Agent to run the First Nation’s affairs. On April 5, solicitor Norman Boudreau filed Chief Dennis Pashe’s action in Federal Court to have Nault’s action quashed ... read more ››

A Chip Off The Old Block

April 19, 2002  •  By  •  Categories: ,
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

April 5, 2002  •  By  •  Categories:
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 The Heart of the Matter

March 8, 2002  •  By  •  Categories:
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 ››

The Doqs Ear

March 8, 2002  •  By  •  Categories: ,
Tales of the Cherokee 1 & 2 Adapted and Illustrated by Gene Gonzales Published by Mandalay Books, P.O. Box 4761 Johnson City, TN. 37602 United States I have to say Wow! I have to say Great! I have to say once again that Crees should be doing this. Tales of ... read more ››

Under the Northern Sky A Gold for First Nations at the Olympics

February 22, 2002  •  By  •  Categories:
I watched the opening ceremonies of the 11th Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah this past week and like everyone I was amazed at the music and theatrical show that took place. The Olympics is a major world event that is very popular in the remote First Nation northern ... read more ››

Lets Take Our Time

February 8, 2002  •  By  •  Categories:
There have been some major developments taking place over the last several years with First Nation politics at Nishnawbe-Aski Nation (NAN). NAN is a regional political body that represents First Nation people in Northern Ontario. For some time now NAN has been involved in a Self Governance negotiation process with ... read more ››

Dealing with the Cold

January 25, 2002  •  By  •  Categories:
I went out for a walk today with a friend of mine and got my first blast of freezing winter weather. We were both prepared for the weather and were bundled up in warm winter ackets, an extra layer of clothes, toques, mitts and heavy Boots. It has always been ... read more ››

Suspicious fire at Badabin Eeyou school

December 14, 2001  •  By  •  Categories: ,
On the quiet morning of Sunday December 2 in Whapmagoostui, the predawn darkness was interrupted by the shrill siren of a warning system designed to go off in extreme heat or cold. At first look, it seemed to be either at the band office or the school. Two hours later, ... read more ››

Things Are Looking Up

November 2, 2001  •  By  •  Categories:
Last night I was out with some friends of mine at three in the morning in anticipation of the annual Orionid meteor shower that takes place during the fall. I read about this celestial event on CBC’s internet news website at www.cbc.ca. I discovered that the best time to view ... read more ››

Breaking the Myths

October 19, 2001  •  By  •  Categories:
When I was growing up in my community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast, television was our window to the outside world. Sometimes this window provided a different image of the real world. As a boy I watched a lot of movies and regular television shows. I saw programs ... read more ››

An Innocence Lost

October 5, 2001  •  By  •  Categories: ,
These past few weeks literally made us stop and reflect; about our families, about our friends, about our enemies, about the children of the world. I don’t know about you but all I could hear when that tragic event took place was the distant sound of a child crying. The ... read more ››

In the Swing of Things

October 5, 2001  •  By  •  Categories:
When I was growing up in Attawapiskat, I never had access to a wide variety of sports. Like most northern communities, hockey was the prominent sport that everyone took part in. During the winter just about every youngster in the community played hockey at the local outdoor ice rink. Even in ... read more ››

The Bear Facts

September 21, 2001  •  By  •  Categories:
This morning I headed out with a friend on a long bicycle ride. Our goal was to complete 24 kilometers of riding on a back road. It was warm and it felt good to be moving under my own power with the wind in my hair. At one point on our ... read more ››

Keeping an Open Mind

September 7, 2001  •  By  •  Categories:
There are many differences between life in First Nation communities as compared to living in the non-Native world. One thing I notice is how badly the non-Native world treats those people who are different or who may have mental problems in a negative way. I notice in the cities and ... read more ››

Native Suicides Spread in Northern Ontario

August 24, 2001  •  By  •  Categories: ,
The suicide rate across northern Ontario may hit record levels as the epidemic of youth suicides has now spread to communities that were previously untouched by the tragedy. Out of the 49 northern reserves in the area, 16 suicides have been recorded so far this year. Last year’s total of 26 ... read more ››

On Top of the Water

August 24, 2001  •  By  •  Categories:
It has been very hot for the past few days. I have been doing a lot of summer things that are new to me, like sailing and recreational swimming. I do not do too well in the heat so I have been seeking relief from the scorching sun by going ... read more ››

Remembering My Mooshom

August 19, 2001  •  By  •  Categories:
One of the fondest memories I have of growing up in Attawapiskat is of my grandfather, James Kataquapit, who lived with our family for a few years when I was a young boy. We called him Mooshom, which is the Cree word for grandfather. Before he came to our home, Mooshom ... read more ››