Category: Under the Northern Sky
For my people, the James Bay Muskego Cree, spring represents hope, change and replenishment. This is the time when the geese will begin to fly back to us so that we can eat. It is also the time when the animals and the land are on the move.
It has been ...
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I had the chance to spend some time with my older brother Anthony this week. He is the traditional person in our family and every time I visit him I learn a little bit more about the traditional Cree way of life. It doesn’t matter where I meet my brother, ...
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There is almost always a perception that as a Native person from the James Bay coast, I have seen my share of freezing weather, so therefore I am immune from the cold. People think that because I have been exposed to severe winter weather from the time I was born ...
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Everyone loves a plate of French fries. We all know how bad they are for our health, but we inevitably convince ourselves that one serving won’t do us that much harm. At least, this is what I tell myself whenever I sit down to enjoy my favourite fried food. A ...
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I met a new member of the family this past week. My younger brother Paul and his partner Theresa are proud parents of a new baby they named Lynniah Lacy Victoria Stephens. Lynniah was born at 8:48 am on January 19 and she weighed eight pounds and six and a ...
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I always feel great relief to see January arrive after the holiday season. There are many happy and merry moments during the Christmas season, but there are times when most of us might just want to stop and get away from it all.
I like the idea of Christmas being a ...
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Hi, my name is Xavier and I am a video game addict. Now of course I am joking but video games can be addictive. I broke away from video games for many years because I considered them childish. After all, I was getting older and I thought I would grow ...
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I took a short drive through town the other day to pick up a few groceries. I went to put the brakes on but to my surprise, my truck did not respond. Being a northerner, I quickly realized I was slowly gliding along on a sheet of ice. My mind ...
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Recently, I went walking with a friend in the Northern Ontario town of Iroquois Falls. There isn’t much going on at night in town. Most of the buzz is happening around the arenawhere games of hockey always seem to be going on. There is little traffic and very fewpeople on ...
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As I finished having a meal of roast pork recently, I got the bright idea to turn my leftovers into a meat pie. However, I had to deal with the fact that I have never made a pie crust before. I was not afraid to try. My mom Susan baked ...
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I try to spend as much time in the woods as I can. The feeling of being surrounded by the familiar sights and sounds of the forest brings back my childhood on the James Bay coast. Every memory I have of being in the wilderness with my family, friends or ...
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When you take part in a traditional Pow Wow, the first thing you notice is the rhythmic beat of the drum. It is difficult to miss the deep, resounding pulse of the drumbeat. When it is played, it fills the air with an energy that attracts people to move closer ...
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Someone informed me the other day that there is a Women’s History Month designated by the Government of Canada. Women are celebrated during the month of October for their contribution to Canadian society. This got me to thinking about all the strong women that I have known in my life.
The ...
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Cookies have always been a big deal to me. In southern non-Native communities, a treat like cookies is taken for granted as being a simple pleasure that anyone could enjoy at any time.
To us in the north, cookies were considered a very special treat that were hard to come by. ...
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Now that winter is on the way people are starting to think about what to do when the cold weather arrives. Anyone who has spent time in the north knows that winters can be very hard if you are not prepared. We are like the animals in the forest: as ...
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This summer I had the opportunity to participate in events surrounding the Treaty #9 Centennial Commemorations with communities in the Wabun Tribal Council area. I had the chance to meet many people and to listen to what our First Nation leaders are saying about the past 100 years of the ...
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Recently, I took part in Treaty #9 commemoration ceremonies at Matachewan First Nation. I met with Barney Batise, an Elder and political figure in the community who has done much for his First Nation over the years. Barney is a kind and patient person who enjoys sharing his knowledge about ...
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This has been a week of many firsts for me. It has also become a week of memorable first time happenings for people around me.
I enjoy going out on the land to take in the fresh air and to enjoy quiet moments or even just to listen to the sounds ...
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I never had a lot of privacy when I was growing up. Privacy wasn’t always possible in a crowded three-bedroom home with eight siblings and two parents.
Sufficient and adequate housing on First Nations is a problem. People are happy merely to find any place to call a home for their ...
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Gardening is very new to me. No one ever took the time to grow flowers, shrubs or trees up north. The closest thing to gardening in Attawapiskat was a sort of potato farm on Potato Island, a small island in the Attawapiskat River. This island has plenty of trees and ...
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One Saturday morning I heard of some local yard sales taking place and decided to head into town to see what I could find. Whenever anything goes up for sale for a good price I am ready to have a look. I think this comes from the experience of living ...
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There is lots of excitement today. We have spent the past week cribbing an old building across the street from our home. It is one of the original two-story houses built decades ago when the town was just a small settlement. Dad is leading a work crew consisting of my ...
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Break up has just finished and every traditional hunter and gatherer in town is anxious to head out on the land to get in a few more days of hunting. It is 1982 and a good part of the community has come out onto the high riverbank to look at ...
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Spring has always been a time reserved for the excitement of the goose hunt. Everyone ventures out on the land to take part in a long tradition of gathering food and to take part in cultural activities with family and friends. However, this period also has another side that is ...
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There is nothing like the sound of a goose (Niska) to stir deep emotions and memories in a Cree person from the James Bay coast. Recently, I heard the first sign of spring in the distant calls of geese high in the sky. I think I am like most people ...
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There is a reason why my people are called the Mushkego Cree. We reside on the James Bay lowlands, a region that starts about 100 kilometres from the western coast of James Bay. This region stretches from Hudson Bay in the north and down to the southern tip of James ...
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