Volume 9, Issue 10

A Walk to Remember

When I stepped off the plane in Chisasibi my first thought was I should’ve put the longjohns on back in Montreal. It was a chill wind grabbing at my warmth. I hurried into the terminal with Neil. We arrived to watch the end of an extraordinary walk across 1400 km ... read more ››

AFN study reveals extraordinary gov’t obfuscation, deceit and slieght of hand in regards to aboriginal policy

A legal study endorsed by the Assembly of First Nations of the federal government’s much-disputed policy requiring that all Indian claims, titles, and rights be extinguished as part of any land claims settlement, establishes an extraordinary existing situation. The study says the federal policy has been outflanked by a series ... read more ››

Canadian courts say tax exemption is not there to benefit people economically: Appeal rejected, Fights wears on for the weary

Roger Obonsawin is in the seventh year of a fight for values, culture and beliefs. This month he found out that his battle could likely carry on for another seven years – not only at his expense, but also for the thousands of Aboriginal peoples in Canada who earn income ... read more ››

Caribou condoms put flavour into Inuit sex life

IQALUIT, Nunavut – For all you rugged outdoorsmen out there, have I got a “treat” for you. Condoms flavored with traditional foods such as caribou, musk ox and arctic char have become the favorite collectible from this year’s Arctic Winter Games in Iqaluit. The first 2,500 condoms, given away at ... read more ››

Easter Fallacies

As Easter approaches, I wonder of how the bunny ever got into the scenario of a usually somber and religious ceremony of the rebirth of Jesus Christ and how the transition to modem day chocolate bunny personification began. As far as I can remember back to my childhood days, Easter ... read more ››

Feds defend slow pace of residential school settlements

The Canadian press reports that government officials will move faster to compensate those abused in Indian residential schools. But critics warn victims caught in a sluggish process are dying off. “We’re making a lot of progress out there,” said Shawn Tupper, director general for Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada. Since the ... read more ››

Make bands accountable, says Indian Affairs report

Changes to the Indian Act should require all native bands to adopt a financial management and accountability code with minimum standards approved by their members, says a ministerial report prepared for Robert Nault, the Minister of Indian Affairs. “The Indian Act is silent on the subject of financial accountability,” says the ... read more ››

Memories of the Past

The year was in the 1970’s and the village expanded from what was a small intimate group to a larger diameter, giving room for growth to young people. The young children who survived the transition from a purely Native to a modern non-Native culture now lived and raised their young in ... read more ››

RCMP kept secret ‘Red Power’ file on dissident natives

The RCMP monitored and compiled lists of potentially violent, politically active native Indians for inclusion in a secret “Red Power” photograph album during the 1970s, according to newly released intelligence documents. Canada’s spy agency of the day, the RCMP Security Service, feared “armed confrontation” between the government and native activists, and ... read more ››

Some Ways to Improve the Parent/Teen Relationshipnts

For anyone who remembers being a teenager, you would remember that it was your parents and other adults who were the problem. They wanted you to come in “on time,” help with chores at home, do your school work, and be a little “goody-too-shoes.” And what was so wrong with smoking ... read more ››

State college president dumps Mohawks nickname

The president of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, Mass., has decided its sports teams will no longer be known as Mohawks. President Thomas Aceto’s decision came after two years of debate that included a vote by city councilors urging the school to keep the nickname. Aceto had ... read more ››

Under the Northern Sky Remembering My Teachers

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 ››

Underdogs to Rec Dawgs!!!!! Who let those Rec Dawgs out?

Hard to believe that the 2001-2002 Hockey Season in Waskaganish is almost over. Still, theres’s lots of hockey excitment left to play as the Recreational Hockey League playoffs are well under way. However, I reckon that by the time this will be printed, the Finals will be over and the ... read more ››

Will on the Grill: Spaghetti Sauce Cook-off

We had been talking about an in-office Will On the Grill Spaghetti Sauce Cook-off for a while and finally all the contestants were in town and ready to go. The contestants were Nation Photographer Neil Diamond, Ad Manager Aaron MacDevit and Art Director Richard Lawson. They would be judged on ... read more ››