Volume 20, Issue 22

AGA gala honours five Cree students

Five young Cree students were recognized for their hard work recently when they were named the inaugural recipients of Academic Excellence awards for the secondary sector. The Cree Nation Achievement Awards Foundation (CNAAF) honoured the five bright academic stars at an honorary banquet August 7 in Wemindji for their work during ... read more ››

Archeological dig breaks new ground

An archaeological team began a two-week excavation in late August on a Waskaganish site that is believed to contain artifacts up to 7,000 years old. The Saunders Goose Pond site was identified last summer after local resident Christopher Wesley found rough stone blades and arrowheads there. The site claims historical significance ... read more ››

Blueberry fields forever

Recently, a cousin of mine appeared as a guest speaker at a conference in Whapmagoostui. Having known him as a young man, the encounter made me realize how quickly time flies. His greying hair reminded me that my own hair, which is turning transparent, and really didn’t match our youthful ... read more ››

Cellphones have changed my world

Cellphones are a big part of our lives these days. Although the technology is rather young it is probably true that most of us would be lost without our cellphones. I recall first-generation cellphones in the early 1990s. In remote Attawapiskat, we were so far removed from modern technology that ... read more ››

CHRD taking human resources to the people

Cree Human Resources Development (CHRD) will soon hit the road to promote programs they offer to improve our lives. While this Cree entity has been around for some time to assist Crees with issues like financial aid for their studies, employment initiatives, and to provide skills and development training, it has ... read more ››

Confronting racism in social and traditional media

It seems to be happening everywhere. Whether in anonymous attacks on Twitter and in website comments, in semi-public forums like Facebook, or in signed letters and columns in mainstream newspapers, public expressions of anti-Aboriginal racism are appearing on a more regular basis. It’s gotten so bad that most people think ... read more ››

Courses coming to you: Eeyou Istchee’s upcoming career programs

If you’ve been thinking about a new career but can’t figure out just what might be the best choice for you or wonder if the course is something that you would enjoy, read on. To look at what will be offered between now and March 2014, the Nation spoke to Joanie ... read more ››

Cree football team participates in 6 Nations Challenge

“Believe and achieve is our motto this year.” This is the message that Chisasibi’s Trevor Monaghan delivered loud and clear to the players and supporters of the James Bay Eagles 6-A-Side football program. For the fourth consecutive year, the Eagles represented Quebec at the recent 6 Nations Challenge in Brandon, Manitoba. The ... read more ››

Cree hockey players to watch for this season

It may still feel like summer outside, but don’t let that fool you. With junior hockey and Midget AAA training camps opening across the country in mid-August, hockey season is upon us once again. Cree hockey is well represented this season at all levels, from minor hockey to the pros, and ... read more ››

Geographer “discovers” Cree territory

The “discovery” of seven waterfalls along the Again River in the Hudson Bay Lowlands by Canadian geographer Adam Shoalts was met with the confusion and disdain of some members of Moose Cree First Nation in August. Shoalts received considerable praise from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society for being the first to ... read more ››

New police cadet program to engage with teenagers

The Eeyou Eenou Police Force (EEPF) is accepting candidates for a new cadet program that could get underway this fall. The pilot project will initially focus on the communities of Whapamagoostui, Eastmain and Oujé-Bougoumou. The program is the brainchild of EEPF managers, who want to diminish the teenage idleness that can ... read more ››

Sharing experience: A Freedom Writer in Mistissini says, ‘Never give up!’

On June 1, 1990, a 13-year-old Secondary 2 student at Voyageur Memorial School in Mistissini received a letter from the then-Commissioner of the Cree School Board, Kenny Blacksmith. The typewritten note of congratulations commended Betty Anne Forward for her choice of a powerful public-speaking topic, Women and Violence; a speech ... read more ››

Study suggests drinking pop leads to bad behaviour for kids

While most people know that soft drinks are not a healthy beverage choice, a University of Columbia study now suggests that these beverages may induce violent, withdrawn and distracted behaviour in children as young as five. The study – written by researchers Shakira F. Suglia, Sara Solnick and David Hemenway – ... read more ››

Theresa Spence wins second term in Attawapiskat

Nationally celebrated Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence won a second term to lead her embattled community in elections last month. But Spence, who galvanized the country, gained massive media coverage and helped create a movement during her six-week hunger strike last winter, nonetheless won only 42% of the 507 votes cast ... read more ››

Values? More like a crass election strategy

Living in Montreal, I’ve often gazed up the defining geographical feature of this city, Mount Royal, and wondered why in this day and age it should be topped by an illuminated Christian cross that is paid for by all residents here, no matter our religious faith or lack thereof. This attitude ... read more ››