Volume 4, Issue 20

“Can I Have Two Million? Nemwii!!”

Ouje-Bougoumou. The blueberry bushes were straining from carrying the weight of their fruit. The Crees had convened for the 23rd Annual General Assembly of the GCC (EA) August 12-14. It was the 20th Annual for the CRA. The opening prayer was conducted by Jimmy Mianscum, former chief of Ouje-Bougoumou. The first ... read more ››

“Why don’t you speak Cree?” she asked…

“Why don’t you speak Cree?” she asked over the din of the bar. I couldn’t help thinking she was challenging me. Without telling her I decided I would answer all her questions in Cree whether they were in Cree or not. Not too long during the conversation she reverted to English. ... read more ››

92% Say No to Diversion of Great Whale

The Crees of Whampagoostui have voted in a referendum to reject any development project that would affect the Great Whale River. In the July 29 referendum, 92 per cent of those who cast a ballot voted No to hydro development of the Great Whale River. “This is a very strong mandate for ... read more ››

A Safe Choice

This is a hard editorial for me to write as it concerns something private and personal. It concerns a decision that my girlfriend and myself made a while ago. We decided to enter into a serious monogamous relationship. One that involved a lot of trust on each others’ part. Let’s face ... read more ››

Above the Rim – Basketball Camp • 1997

RICHMOND QC. 1— The air in the gym was thick with sweat and heat. Basketballs pounded the gym floor. It was deafening. The Nation had arrived in time to witness 50 Crees pulling the last stretch of an intensive week-long basketball bonanza in the heart of the Eastern Townships. “We’ve been working ... read more ››

Air Creebec Woos Chisasibi-Mtl Market – But Health Board Luke-Warm About New Schedule

Buy Cree. It’s a message most people agree with, but do they always put their money where their mouth is? Air Creebec is about to test people’s commitment to “buying Cree” by introducing a direct flight from Montreal to Chisasibi in September. The flight will be faster and cheaper than the ... read more ››

Back to School

You know it’s going to be a bad school year when… -You wake up for your first day of school and realize that it’s the middle of November -You get lost on your way to school -You walk around all day with your fly open -Your parents decide to become extremely ... read more ››

Chisasibi Has 2h14 if LG-2 Bursts

For the first time since the dams were built, Hydro-Quebec has released information about what would happen if LG-2 burst open and the water spilled out. Also for the first time, HQ has released a report on safety and security problems in the La Grande hydro network. Six of the 20 ... read more ››

Citizens of the State

Ye gods, the Parti Quebecois must be burning with jealousy! Some Crees have done it once again with another high referendum result. In Whapmagoostui, 92 per cent of Cree voters said they oppose any development projects that would divert the Great Whale River. This referendum was in response to reports that ... read more ››

Eastmain to Meet Miners

The most active mining company in Iyiyuuschii will be hearing from the Crees during a mining convention which is to be held in Rouyn Sept. 10-12. Eastmain Chief Kenneth Gilpin and two tallymen whose land is being explored by Virginia Gold Mines will meet the company’s president, Andre Beaumont, during the ... read more ››

Guatemala Alert

An alert has been issued by human-rights groups in Guatemala. Two workers at a radio station which serves the poor mostly Native peasants were killed by unidentified assailants. The July 16 killings claimed the lives of Haroldo Escobar, 18, and Norman Hernandez Perez, 30. They bring back memories of the bloody repression ... read more ››

Innu Denounce Quebec Double-Standard

Innu leaders have gone to the United Nations to denounce Quebec for its “double-standard” in dealing with Native peoples. “On one side, the premier of Quebec and his predecessor Jacques Parizeau loudly proclaim that Quebecers have a sacred right as a people to decide their future,” said Innu lawyer Armand McKenzie ... read more ››

Inquiry Starts into Innu Deaths

An inquiry into the mysterious deaths of two Innu men in 1977 is under way. Quebec police said the Innu men, Moise Regis, 26, and Achille Voilant, 20, got drunk, fell into the Moisie River and drowned. But families of the men in Maliotenam believe they were killed in a fight with ... read more ››

Life is an Expedition

Old Factory River is our ancestral highway, where our grandparents and great-grandparents traveled inland to trap for the winter and to Old Factory Island to trade in the summer time. We hear many stories of their expeditions from the past and now we have our own stories to tell our ... read more ››

Miners Abuzz About Huge Gold Finds

Gold prospectors are packing their tin pans and flocking to Iyiyuuschii in hopes of finding the next Klondike and striking it rich. Mining activity has doubled in Cree lands in the last three years thanks to a new Quebec government program aimed at promoting the development of the “Middle-North.” Cree lands were ... read more ››

NASA Denies Its Own Existence

Bizarre news from the “men in black” at NASA. An official of the space agency has told The Nation that NASA has not sent any of its personnel to Whapmagoostui to study the “alleged” meteorite that created a new bay 10 miles north of the community. Cree band officials in the community ... read more ››

O.J. to be in Expo 2000

Ouje-Bougoumou has received yet another international honour. The community was informed on August 20 that it has been selected as an official project of the Universal World Exposition, EXPO 2000, to be held in Hannover, Germany from June 1 to Oct. 31, 2000. The community was chosen to present an exhibition ... read more ››

Ouje-Bougoumou Computer Camp

When a frequent visitor to Ouje-Bougoumou was told that the community was holding a computer science camp, she exclaimed, “Wow, the first time I visited here, which was only a couple of years ago, the community didn’t even have telephones, and now the kids are making their own web pages ... read more ››

Protest Camp at Voisey’s Bay

The Innu and Inuit of Labrador are staging a joint protest at the massive mining development at Voisey’s Bay. Inuit are arriving from Nain to set up a protest camp, and more than 250 Innu from Davis Inlet and Sheshatshiu are heading over to join them. “Development at the site has gone ... read more ››

Raid to Kick Off in Quebec City

A first for the Raid des Braves. Next year, the eighth annual Raid des Braves snowmobile race will start in Quebec City. The race will take place Feb. 14 to 21, starting off from Old Quebec during the Carnival festivities. It will then continue to Saguenay-Lac St. Jean and Iyiyuuschii, organizers ... read more ››

Taking Education Seriously

The Cree School Board is working on a Cree Education Act that would give local communities, Elders and the Cree Nation control over our schools. The Cree Education Act will bring many changes to the communities. One of them is that local schools will be put under the authority of local communities. ... read more ››

The Bear Necessities

Quebec’s Environment and Wildlife Department announced that the Quebec is going to prohibit the possession and trade of bear gall bladders that are used in traditional Chinese medicine. This will start in 1998, according to Quebec’s Minister of Environment and Wildlife, David Cliche. Cliche also said there will also be ... read more ››

The corporation met in OJ two weeks ago…

The corporation met in OJ two weeks ago. Being full and equal shareholders, we went to find out what was happening and what the big fuss would be this time. Would it be Great Whale? Mining in Cree territory? Hidden millions? We could only guess as we hadn’t been supplied ... read more ››

The Truth Is Still Down There

Case #00001 – Diamond, Roslin on duty 10:14 a.m. July 30, 1997 Whapmagoostui. We have landed in this former military base now home to a Cree community. We are investigating “The Incident.” Crack researchers from The Nation have been dispatched with utmost secrecy to check into reports of a meteor, a ... read more ››

Traditional Ways Take on Diabetes

More proof that traditional lifestyles are better for your health. An Australian Aboriginal community is taking on diabetes by going back to the land. The program was started by two grandmothers. It focused on boosting physical activity among people who have diabetes and their families. Older women started playing basketball. People went ... read more ››

Ups and Downs at the Cree Entities

A slew of annual reports has been released by the Cree entities. Here are some of the highlights. CREE CO.: Sales at the Cree Construction and Development Company Ltd. slumped dramatically last year to less than half the previous year’s level. But the company still somehow managed to make a $700,000 net profit in ... read more ››

Val d’Or Opening

The Val d’Or Native Friendship Centre is hosting an official inauguration of three Native Training Centres for Native people living in urban locales. The new centres will be in Val d’Or, La Tuque and Montreal. The opening is August 28 at 2 p.m. at 1272, 7th Street, Val d’Or. Info: (819) ... read more ››