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Past Issues CREE TALES
These are Cree legends told by elders that have been recorded and translated by Brian Webb. The Woman who Turned Cannibalistic The legend of Kuikuhâchâu
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15-21 ARTICLES Assessing the Assessment On the day the delegates were due to arrive from the south to attend the Grand Council of Eeyou Istchee, low-laying clouds blanketed the airstrip making it difficult for Air CreeBec’s Dash-8 to land. After two attempts, the landing was aborted. Brawn power The air was electric inside Nemaska’s fitness centre the night of August 2. A large crowd had gathered in the basketball arena to witness the strongest wrists and forearms in Cree territory vie for the right to be called Arm Wrestling Champion of the Quebec Cree Nation. As the night progressed the cheering turned into a roar accompanied by the pounding of tables and the walls. When the tough get going Nemaska. The height of summer. Johnny Cash’s “Jackson” is blaring through the speakers. Three days and many miles of swimming, biking, portaging, canoeing and running lie ahead in this community’s annual Fitness Challenge. EDITORIAL There’s black gold in them white fields I love places like Whapmagoustui. It is so far North that many of the traditional Cree ways are still intact and practiced. People are friendly and welcoming and there is not as much suspicion of the outsiders. Generosity and sharing are practiced on great scales. 15-20 ARTICLES Oh what a night! The Niskamoon Corporation honoured its newest graduating class July 15 with a golf tournament and a gala graduation ceremony for the 15 grads of two vocational programs, Automated Systems Electro-Mechanics, and Industrial Construction and Maintenance Mechanics. The spirit of the island Far out man! Those words were spoken by Khajeesit, a contestant in the 1970s costume contest at Mamoweedow Minshtuksh on Fort George Island. Those two words could perfectly describe the whole gathering. EDITORIAL The times are a’changing The Cree days of darkness imposed on us by Hydro-Quebec appear to be sliding into the past. Their electricity has made our homes and, now, some Cree lives brighter. UTNS Reconnecting with the land I grew up surrounded by the wilderness on the James Bay coast. Our isolated community of Attawapiskat sits in the middle of a large area of mushkeg, swamp and tundra. We never had far to go if we wanted to see untouched forests or tundra. Our parents may have enjoyed the wonders of living in the wilderness all their lives, but in my generation, we were the first to experience a life that is caught between two worlds. 15-19 ARTICLES Take control of your destiny Over the course of the Second Annual Career Fair, held July 8-10 in Mistissini, participants heard speeches from a number of role models on what you can do or achieve if they set their minds to it. Each one of them related a story that inspired, taught or touched us in some way. First Nations’ and Premiers’ summits produce hot air on Native issues Quebec City was abuzz with politics July 15 as the city hosted the Canadian Premiers’ summit, hosted by Jean Charest, and The Assembly of First Nation’s Council of the Federation meeting. Pow Wow heals painful past Most articles I read on the Kahnawake Pow Wow are about the Oka Crisis and how it started the Pow Wow tradition in Kahnawake. It is true that this incident revealed many prejudices against Native peoples in the Montreal area. The purpose of the first Pow Wow in 1991 was to help the Mohawk people get over and heal from what happened during the crisis. But that was 18 years ago. This year’s Pow Wow is proof that they have accomplished just that. EDITORIAL One way or another? They say in government the left hand often doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. The analogy describes situations in which one part of the government will do something that contradicts another department’s policies or statements. 15-17 ARTICLES The new commish Law enforcement in Eeyou Istchee is changing rapidly as Cree local community police forces are being merged into one regional police force to be known as the Eeyou-Eenou Police Force with Deputy Grand Chief Ashley Iserhoff to serve as its first police commissioner Will the federal government help save the loss of eelgrass? In March 4, the Crees from Chisasibi spoke in the House of Commons with the help of Yvon Lévesque, Bloc Québécois MP for Abitibi-James Bay-Nunavik-Eeyou, and members of the scientific community about the decline of the eelgrass beds in both James Bay and Hudson Bay. They requested that a study be commissioned by the federal government. National Aboriginal Day The longest day of the year. The first day of summer. The 21st of June. National Aboriginal Day. EDITORIAL Rabbit hole Shortly after midnight on June 15, a loud explosion woke up many Nemaska residents. The blast came from a house at 4 Rabbit Trail. As you can see by the photos the damage was extensive. The cause turned out to be a propane explosion. 15-16 ARTICLES I choose to forgive I was taken away from my parents at a young age to attend La Tuque Indian Residential School, situated in central Quebec, approximately 300 hundred miles away from my home community of Mistissini, Quebec. We want our school! On May 29, The National Day of Action, Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl met with three students from Attawapiskat on Parliament Hill and told them that they still cannot have the school they were promised three years ago.c. Turning 30 The Cree School Board celebrates 30 years of service to Cree students, teachers and staff. The major theme of the celebration, titled “Cree Education Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow”, showed appreciation to the past efforts of regimes. The CSB has built what has become one of the Cree Nation’s prime investors in the future of students both past and present. Blowing in the wind On May 13, Claude Béchard, Quebec’s Minister of Natural Resources, and Benoît Pelletier, the Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs, announced in a joint press conference that Hydro-Québec will hand out 500 megawatts more in contracts to Aboriginal wind-power developers and companies in remote areas.
15-15 ARTICLES SDBJ ready to invest in Cree business This is not your father’s Société de développement de la Baie-James. In the not-too-distant-past, the SDBJ, which was formed in 1971, did little or nothing for Crees to help bolster the Eeyou economy and foster a better relationship for Cree business. Things are changing these days. Reasonable accommodation Quebec Native Women is disappointed to see that the Bouchard-Taylor Commission report and the leaders of Quebec’s political parties did not acknowledge the place of Aboriginal culture, values and language in Quebec. Remembering Sam An amazing old man, Sam Blacksmith, the central figure in the National Film Board film, Cree Hunters of Mistassini, died May 14, at the age of, at least, 97. 2008 Pow Wow Listings June 7-8:
15-14 ARTICLES Aboriginal judge chairs new Residential School body The newly formed Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission (IRSTRC) has appointed an Aboriginal chairperson to oversee its responsibilities for the next big step towards healing for Residential School survivors. UTNS Waking up with the gulls I have been waking up every morning for the past two weeks to the sound of gulls in my backyard. Every day I hear the same squawking, jeering and yelping cries of a group of gulls that have made the growing pool of water in the backyard their home. REZ NOTES It’s a dog’s life Back in the day, before petroleum products were common in the north, the dog team got us around. Remarked an old friend of mine who asked if I still remember those days, I reply yes, I do. Those dog team days were quite something, another time, another generation… EDITORIAL It’s time to implement the Declaration Politics is one of the most amazing and confusing things human beings ever invented. The world political stage vis-a-vis the United Nations on September 13, 2007 voted overwhelmingly for the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It’s a document that was in the making for over 30 years. A record amount of time for that august body but Canada voted against it and refused to implement it. 15-13 ARTICLES Preserving our tradition Tamarack decoys, snowshoes, spruce baskets and moose-hide mitts, gloves and slippers are all products that were traditionally made by the Crees but their production has seen a decline since colonization and the intrusion of the modern world. The floods return The troubled northern Ontario Cree community of Kashechewan is dealing with uncertainty once again as several hundred residents had to be evacuated April 25 due to imminent flooding. The Cree Health Board celebrates its 30 years of operation. The Cree Health Board has just hit the big 3-0 and to celebrate it held a big bash in Chisasibi April 19-20 to commemorate three decades of accomplishments, commitment and diligent service and to honour the individuals who made it possible. UTNS Lesson of the frozen geese It is 1930 on the James Bay coast and spring has arrived on the frozen tundra. After weeks of warm weather, the Niska, the Cree word for geese, have finally arrived after a long hard winter. The Cree of the James Bay coast are leading their nomadic and self-sufficient lifestyle as they have for thousands of years. REZ NOTES Decoy making for dummies The wind bellowed out its fury over the small man-made pond, the waves cascaded over the rim of the sod dikes, the goose decoys posted rock-solid in the pounding wake of your average south-wind spring day. The conditions were beautiful only to the hunter, as the clouds loomed low in the sky, limiting the flying level of the geese to less than a hundred feet. 15-12 ARTICLES Covered by Love Hundreds of men, women and children living below the poverty line in 16 countries are a little warmer these days thanks to the Quebec Native Women’s Ministries in Chapais and their Covered by Love project. Digging up the past The heat has been turned up on Ottawa and the Catholic, Anglican and United churches as a new group, called the International Human Rights Tribunal into Genocide in Canada (IHRTGC), has been launched as a response to the approximately 50,000 missing children’s bodies from the dark days of the Indian Residential School genocide. Call for contributions to healing quilt She is creating a quilt to help Native communities across Canada heal from the devastating effects of residential schools. Assessing accountability On March 31, Indian and Northern Affairs minister Chuck Strahl announced First Nations communities across Canada would be subject to a new audit clause which will be added to all 2008-09 funding arrangements, much to the dismay of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL). EDITORIAL UN Declaration Adopted There are those who talk about the benefits of a minority government. Usually you don’t see the benefits as one of the problems is that they aren’t around that long. REZ NOTES Decriminalizing the Indian Our people have always had some sort of stigmatism, such as lazy drunken Indians, welfare recipients, and burdens to society. And this is often used as an excuse to garner more moolah from taxpayers to wrong rights and this becomes the state of mind for many who are familiar to past and present Aboriginal communities’ problems with alcohol, especially for those who live on reserve and in many cases off reserve, namely: us. 15-11 ARTICLES Looking for recognition The Washaw Sibi Eeyou have struggled with many issues since the 1960’s when the federal government placed them on lands belonging to a different nation and in doing so, effectively abandoned the people and their needs. KI in dire straits The tiny Ojibwa/Cree community of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI), Ontario, is losing more control of its traditional territory as the exploration company Platinex has garnered support from Ontario and the provincial justice system. The latest saga in the battle for mining on KI’s land has ended in a six-month jail term for its chief.
The Return of Canada goose It is early May and the sun is setting to the west and painting the landscape to the east with reddish and yellowish colours. There is no sign of cloud and not a breath of wind. Somewhere over the ancient land of the Cree, a squadron of Canada Geese fly in a V-shaped formation towards their breeding grounds north. As each goose flaps its wings it increases uplift for weaker geese behind and they add 71 percent more flying range. Something’s sparkling There have been various minerals discovered and mined in Eeyou Istchee over the years and the Nation has now learned that diamonds could be added to the list after a recent announcement that Stornoway Diamond Corp. is trying to get a road built to access an area known as the Foxtrot Property. EDITORIAL Politics, Racism and Corporate Prisoners In this issue we have photos showing anti-racism and the progress that has been made in northern Quebec in the Val d’Or region. Unfortunately we also have photos of what I would describe as selective racism as well. 15-10 Chantiers Chibougamau erects Route 167 blockade The Paix des Braves Agreement is being called into question by forestry company Chantiers Chibougamau as it held a protest blocking Route 167 in mid-March. A looming cut in wood allocation had protestors citing the 2002 Quebec-Cree deal as the primary reason for their troubles. Creating comics Inuit style To promote literacy and help kids develop strategies against bullying, Montreal journalist and comic-book artist Rupert Bottenberg travelled to Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik in northern Quebec this past February to teach high school students the fine art of creating comic strips. FOUNDATIONS What makes a good leader? With all the campaigning and media coverage happening in the U.S. right now, I can’t help but keep the idea of elections and leadership on my mind. Nothing seems to disappoint people more than campaign promises that aren’t met. We tend to gauge a successful term for an individual by asking: what did he/she do and where is the change or continuity? Platform promises are impractical, and I will tell you why. EDITORIAL The blockade effect The word blockade is most often associated with disgruntled Native groups who are getting nowhere through the usual channels of negotiating with the government, or in the form of a court case snaking its way through the painfully slow judicial process. UTNS One baby at a time Adam Had'em is known as the shortest poem ever written in the English language. It was written in 1904 by American poet Strickland Gillilan. Oddly enough it was given the title “Lines on the Antiquity of Microbes”. This little bit of writing was once a small series of words but it has since grown to encompass many ideas. REZ NOTES International Woman’s Day Rocks A nurse popped into my office one cold winter day and asked whether I was interested about writing a story for the Nation covering the events of International Woman’s Day in Whapmagoostui. She went on to explain that the women and the social leaders of the community had a vision they wanted to present to the community, a vision so powerful that people would actually think about it for some time after.
15-09 ARTICLES $1.4 billion deal signed Many may say it’s been a long time coming but Crees are pretty much looking at the final implementation of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA). Signed in 1975 the JBNQA was considered the first modern treaty. However, it was never fully implemented and this led to numerous court cases in an attempt to get the Quebec and Canadian governments to live up to the provisions in the JBNQA. Interview with Grand Chief Matthew Mukash and the press scrum with Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl The Nation: You signed the deal and as Cuba Gooding Jr. said ‘Show me the money.’ It should be in on March 10?
Eastmain Chief resigns In a strange twist to an increasingly bizarre story, Eastmain Chief Lloyd Mayappo has tendered his resignation after originally asking for Deputy Chief John Brown to quit after calling into question his conduct. Chisasibi mushrooms offer economic boost The Cree Nation is always looking for a way to bolster its economy and protect traditional territory at the same time. With a new pilot project currently in the development phase that would see trappers harvesting and selling mushrooms down south and abroad, it could soon be meshing both worlds together in perfect harmony. 15-08 ARTICLES Pregnant teens For as much as the schools, the health board, the media and parents can stress the importance of safe and healthy sexual practices and delaying sexual activity until such time that an individual is mature enough to make decisions, teens will be teens. In trying to get an understanding for what the experience of being a teenage parent is like, the Nation sought out those who were willing to share their stories. Chapais mayor tries green spin on hog factory Chapais Mayor Jacques Bérubé is not letting go of his dream to create a massive,100,000-strong pig farm outside his northern community despite Cree and environmental opposition.
the BIRDS and BEES of BIRTH CONTROL As of 2005, almost one of every five babies in the Cree communities was born to teenage mothers aged 15 to 19. The numbers speak volumes about the lack of birth control being used in the communities despite its widespread availability. The White Ribbon Campaign The Cree campaign to end violence against women may have been conceived as a two-week effort last fall, but many Cree men are saying it should last 12 months of the year. 15-07 ARTICLES Proposed solutions to vandalism and violence Mistissini is actively working to curb youth violence and vandalism. At a community meeting on January 23 these two issues were the hot topics of the evening. Spotlight on churches Defrocked United Church Reverend Kevin Annett is challenging Canada’s churches to acknowledge and surrender the remains of an estimated 50,000 children who never returned home from residential schools. EDITORIAL See no evil, hear no evil… The dictionary definition of transparency reads: The full, accurate, and timely disclosure of information. Transparency is one of the most important words everywhere in the world, but it seems especially pertinent these days in Eeyou Istchee. UTNS Extreme challenges are a serious business I shovelled the driveway on a recent afternoon just to get some exercise. It was one of those bright, sunny January days with a temperature at a bone-chilling minus-30 degrees Celcius. The dry, cold air made it difficult to work. The harder I worked, the more air I had to breathe in. The more I breathed in, the more my nose had to work to heat up the cold air I was drawing into my body. 15-06 ARTICLES Violence in Cree schools The Cree School Board is not going to take the growing problem of youth violence lying down. In partnership with the Northern Quebec Teacher’s Association, the CSB will kick off a one-day violence-themed awareness campaign February 15. Wemindji leads country in fight against diabetes If they gave an award out for kicking butt for a great cause, Wemindji would win it hands down. The Cree communities of Wemindji, Waskaganish, Eastmain and Chisasibi have risen to the top in the uphill battle against diabetes by selling paper reindeer and sleighs to raise almost $35,000. UTNS We all share Planet Earth Television is our window into the greater world. It is a view of our planet that we may never get to see in person during our lifetime, showing us places we may have read about or heard of from other people. LETTERS Education in crisis The Cree School Board is not going to take the growing problem of youth violence lying down. In partnership with the Northern Quebec Teacher’s Association, the CSB will kick off a one-day violence-themed awareness campaign February 15.
15-05 ARTICLES Debate rages over Nunavik land claim deal The passing of Bill C-11 through the House of Commons this fall gives effect to the Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement, but it has been hotly debated as either helpful or hurtful on both sides of the Inuit/Cree spectrum. Moosonee welcomes Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Moosonee is set to launch Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library February 9. The project funds books for kids under five years old with the support of the Dollywood Foundation, the Invest in Kids organization and local Moosonee sponsors. EDITORIAL Our children’s health For many of our readers, especially those of you who are parents, this will be a difficult issue of the Nation to read. At least, it should be. Too often we find ourselves reporting on stories that involve drug and alcohol abuse, broken families, violence and suicide – or combinations of all of the above. This edition of your newsmagazine seems to go beyond our average line-up of depressing stories involving the Cree Nation’s young people. 15-04 ARTICLES Never say die Chapais Mayor Jacques Bérubé says he has found new European backing in his never-ending quest to establish an industrial-sized hog farm in his town. The Polish investment firm Lopata Investment Holding is currently funding a pork operation in Siberia, among many other ventures in 17 countries. The Invisible Nation Filmmaker Richard Desjardins chronicles the near extinction of the Algonquin people and the squalid living conditions of their few remaining descendants REZ NOTES Of bears, birds and caribou The radio crackled with urgent news: polar bears were in town, scrounging for any scrap of food they could find; perhaps a dog or two or some leftovers at the local garbage dump. Keep the kids off the streets and close your porch doors, we were told, just in case one bear is brave enough to drop in for a visit and a snack.
15-03 ARTICLES Lust for life Since 2001, Dialogue for Life, the First Nations and Inuit Suicide Prevention Association of Quebec and Labrador has been congregating annually to work on strategies for suicide prevention, support frontline community workers and to facilitate group healing. Grand Council labels MBJ chair a ‘racist’ The chairman of the Municipalité de la Baie James doesn’t think Crees have what it takes to police their own territory. “They absolutely don’t have the competence right now for the work that we want to give them,” Lemoyne said in the December 3 edition of the Journal de Montréal.
All for one and one for all December 5 saw the Fifth Annual Cree Nation/Abitibi-Temiscamingue Business Exchange Day held by the Secretariat to the Cree Nation Abitibi-Temiscamingue Economic Alliance. If you think that’s a mouthful, it was also an eyeful to see all the networking going on. REZ NOTES The Christmas Hunt The battle ensued for the last Wii game in town. Angry, stressed parents and virtual golf addicts were jostling like NHL enforcers in a popular downtown store in Montreal, beating the heck out of each other in the name of peace, cheery spirits and goodwill to all mankind. UTNS Stewing over my memories Winter seems to have arrived early this year. The big freeze hasn’t hit us yet but there sure seems to be a lot more snow than last year. I recently spent some time finishing up some pre-winter chores that I was not able to complete before the snow fell. 15-02 ARTICLES The cheapest deal Difficult to obtain, slow to arrive and under-calculated: for many, residential school survivor payments are too little, too late. Chief David Masty, Sr. in Memorium Former Whapmagoostui Chief David Masty Sr. has died after his snowmobile plunged through lake ice while on a hunting trip. Masty had been missing from his brother Robbie’s hunting camp, where he had been staying with his family, since the morning of November 28. The camp is approximately 100 km northeast of Whapmagoostui.
O-J Chief Wapachee sworn in during emotional ceremony Former Chief Sam Bosum passed the reigns of leadership to Ouje-Bougoumou’s first female Chief, Louise Wapachee, in a special inauguration ceremony held November 20. EDITORIAL The silent crime of child poverty In 1989, an unusual thing happened in Canada's House of Commons. Members briefly forgot about party lines and unanimously voted to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000. UTNS It’s a small world after all Television is an old friend. I was born in Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast at the same time as the first television signals were being beamed into our small isolated community during the 1970s. So TV has been part of my life as long I can remember. We had access to only three, or sometimes four, channels, but as far as we were concerned that was normal.
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