Volume 1, Issue 8

“Hidro Must Paid”

Police are investigating a doomsday cult in connection with the bombings of Hydro pylons near Montreal. Three pylons suffered minor damage in attacks in mid-March, one in Ste-Basile-le-Grand on the South Shore, one in the Mohawk community of Kahnawake and one near Cornwall, Ont. At first, media reports said the bombings ... read more ››

>Who’s Seceding From Whom?

Crees are not cattle to be traded from one government to another, says Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come. If Canada is to split apart, it’s up to the Crees to determine their own future, he said. Cree lands would not automatically go with a sovereign Quebec. Crees have inhabited their lands for ... read more ››

A Question of Trust

There is a saying I’ve read somewhere: “A person feels at home only if he can leave the land.” A lot of our ways and customs are viewed as strange, odd or unknown. For instance, some of our hunting practices. In particular, leaving hunting gear behind at the camp when someone ... read more ››

Academics Support Native Rights

Quebec should recognize that aboriginal peoples have as much right to self-determination as the Quebec people, say a group of prominent Quebec academics. “For a nation to be sovereign, it must be able to recognize other nations. Quebec cannot become fully sovereign if it is not willing to recognize other nations ... read more ››

Actions against SM-3

Opposition to the Sainte-Marguerite-3 hydro-project is mounting. The Coalition for Nitassinan plans to launch a civil disobedience campaign aimed at reversing Premier Johnson’s decision in February to go ahead with SM-3. The situation is “ominous,” said Gilbert Pilot, a spokesman for the Coalition for Nitassinan. “Our community has suffered numerous human rights ... read more ››

Canada Has Double-Standard

Ambassador Ted Moses of the Grand Council of the Crees is one of the few aboriginal representatives recognized by the United Nations. In fact, there are only 10 aboriginal people accredited in the world. They are consultants to the United Nations without voting status. But the UN’s recognition “gives us a ... read more ››

Chief Seeks Debate

It should happen in the high schools, in homes and in every community. Mistissini chief Henry Mianscum says there should be a full public debate about the future of Cree society as the possibility of Quebec separation approaches. “The issue of sovereignty has yet to be fully debated,” said Mianscum. “Let’s ... read more ››

Coon Come Says Wehindji Should Redo Vote For Chief

After months of controversy about last fall’s election in Wemindji, Matthew Coon Come says Chief Walter Hughboy should listen to demands for a new vote. Wemindji has been divided since the election was held last fall. Long-time Chief Walter Hughboy was re-elected by a wide margin. But there have been persistent ... read more ››

Hydro-Quebec Gets Into Scraps At Home And Abroad

It’s been rough going for Hydro-Quebec in recent weeks. The embattled utility was left black and blue after scraps both at home and abroad over its energy policies, including a clash with Christos Sirros, Quebec’s Minister of Natural Resources. The tough times started on March 23 when Reed Scowen, Quebec’s representative in ... read more ››

It’s Our Right to Decide Say Inuit

When it comes to Quebec sovereignty, the Inuit agree with the Crees. It’s their right to decide their future, and no one else’s. “I think the Inuit certainly have the political and legal capacity to decide for themselves,”said Paul Bussieres, coordinator of Quebec government relations for Makivik, the Inuit administrative body. The Inuit ... read more ››

Maclean’s Probes Watt’s World

Did Maclean’s do in Charlie Watt? Maclean’s published a two-page report on Watt entitled, “Boss of the North,” just days before he got demolished in an upset election to choose the president of Makivik Corp. last week. Maclean’s said Senator Watt was facing “growing discontent” from fellow Inuit for “a high-flying ... read more ››

Man fights bear with chainsaw

A man kept a starving grizzly bear at bay in northwest Alberta by wielding his chainsaw. Bruno Graw found himself under attack by the aggressive bear close to the B.C. border. The bear approached a camp despite the presence of people. It wasn’t scared by the sound of the saw. The ... read more ››

Mistissini Embarks on Justice Reform

Justice may soon be back in Cree hands in Mistissini. After three years of study of how the justice system has failed Crees, Mistissini is well on its way to creating a parallel, Cree-run system of dealing with crime. “We want to revert back to how people used to render decisions ... read more ››

Nation’s analysis of Inuit deal on Great Whale: Makivik ripped off in Hydro deal

The Inuit are getting a lot less compensation for the Great Whale River project than first expected, according to an analysis by The Nation. In media reports, the compensation figure has been put at anywhere from $555 million to $1 billion. But the actual figure in today’s dollars is about $100 ... read more ››

On the Right Side of the Law

Could Crees really break off from a sovereign Quebec and form their own country? How could the Cree Republic survive with such a tiny population—only 12,000 citizens? Not to worry. That’s still two times bigger than Tuvalu. Tuvalu, a 6,000-person Polynesian nation in the South Pacific, was recognized by the UN ... read more ››

PCBs Affect Inuit Women

Inuit women in northern Quebec have five to 10 times more PCBs and insecticides in their bodies than the Quebec average, according to a study by researchers at Laval University. The deadly chemicals come from marine mammals, which are an important part of the Inuit diet. The researchers are currently studying ... read more ››

Reform Broaches “the Untouchable”

The Reform Party doesn’t have the greatest reputation among aboriginal peoples. Reformers recognize our right to self-determination, but then again, for them native communities have as many national rights as a city like Hull. In an interview with The Nation. Reform MP Dave Chatters denied his party is racist and said ... read more ››

Sharing Among Other Cultures

I had a debate one time with a fellow Cree about sharing one’s culture, particularly ours. We were debating whether the “Cree culture” gets “lessened” when other cultures adopt it. Will it be any less if “they” start adopting some of our ways and practices? It depends on which ones. Now ... read more ››

The Pogues ELECTRIFY THE FIDDLE

Imagine a fiddle plugged into an amplifier. Imagine that fiddle pumping out traditional folk with a Metallica edge, throw in an accordian, and you’ve come up with the sound of the Pogues. On tour away from their homes in Ireland, this six-piece band is now touring Canada with their punked up renditions ... read more ››

Violence Traditional-Style

It is no surprise to anyone that there has been an increase in violence within the Cree communities during the past few decades. We all hear about family violence, wife battering, fights during parties, etc. People are concerned as this is a relatively new phenomenon within our culture. It seems ... read more ››

Wapistan Wins Juno

When Lawrence Martin heard the announcement that he had won a Juno, he thought of how proud it would make his eight kids, three grandchildren and the folks back home in Moose Factory. Then he got on stage. Martin, 38, realized he was before thousands of people and TV cameras ... read more ››

Watt’s up, doc?

Charlie Watt is out of a job. In an upset defeat, Watt has been tossed out of his job as president of Makivik Corporation after a concerted anti-Watt campaign by the Inuit of the five communities closest to the proposed Great Whale River hydro project. “He’s gone!” said a jubilant Harry Tulugak, ... read more ››

What the experts say

♦ “There is no precedent for a state being refused admission to the UN on account of its size.” —Sureda, The Evolution of the Right to Self-Determination: A Study of United Nations Practice, 1973 ♦ “In my opinion, the fact that [aboriginal peoples] constitute peoples who are self-identified as peoples would give ... read more ››

What’s it like to be a Native leader in Canada?

Do you ever wonder what it’s like to be a Native leader in Canada? Do you ever think beyond those demeaning and unjust stereotypical representations of the “corrupt, ruthless, and self-centred Native leaders?” Personally, I think that being a Native leader must be a pretty thankless job and I sure ... read more ››

Working for the Future, Studying Today

Kenny Loon is the sort of realistic dreamer that the Cree Nation needs more of. He is a father of five who is willing to sacrifice a little to make his dreams come true. He says the size of your family should never deter you from making and attaining your goals. ... read more ››

Zapatistas an inspiration

The Zapatista indigenous rebellion in Chiapas is inspiring other aboriginal and impoverished Mexicans to make similar demands for social change. Peasants throughout Chiapas have followed the Zapatista example by forcibly taking over lands owned by wealthy ranchers. Wherever they have encountered resistance from death squads hired by the ranchers, they have ... read more ››