When I was a boy growing up in my home community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast, I was deathly afraid of looking at the full moon.
I grew up in a very traditional Cree environment in my home community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast in northern Ontario. In the 1980s, my family and I only spoke Inineemoon or ‘James Bay Cree’ because it was the language our parents and grandparents spoke.
I’m happy to see the ongoing support and assistance in our northern remote communities to help our people cope with so many lifelong and generational issues, trauma and pain that our people carry. It took me many years to understand that these programs or services are not a one-stop service or a single program that will provide instant resolutions or cures for the issues that plague our people. Much of the trauma that our people deal with are issues that affect our communities across generations.
Attawapiskat First Nation Women’s Hockey Team made their home community proud by becoming tournament champions in their category at the Rupert River Cup 2026, held in the Cree Nation of Waskaganish, Quebec, from March 5 to 8, 2026.
“It felt great to be with our team to win this tournament for our community. I’ve always been happy to represent our home through hockey. It is exciting for me to get all the support and encouragement from everyone back home,” said 16-year-old Nevaeh Koostachin.
She was one of the youngest players on her team, who ranged in age from 15 to 25.
I was happy to see our First Nation youth continue to speak out against proposed mining development in the far north in the so-called Ring of Fire region.
These past few weeks, it was good to see Jeronimo Kataquapit, the founder of the ‘Here We Stand – Call To Action’, continue his fight against proposed mining developments near the Attawapiskat River in the Ring of Fire mining region. I was proud to see him stand with his cousin Ramon Kataquapit, co-founder of Okiniwak, a national youth-led movement uniting First Nations youth to advocate for equity and equality.
Winter road season has finally started again on the James Bay coast. This seasonal ice road is an important transportation route for everyone because it offers a sense of freedom, allowing people to travel away from their home communities for all kinds of activities. This is the time of year when major bingo events take place in the communities and families from nearby First Nations can travel to visit their relatives. There are also major hockey tournaments that bring people together to take part in fun and exciting events.
I recently lost my cousin Joey Okimaw. We were childhood friends who had grown up together since we first entered grade school in Attawapiskat. Joey’s parents are Margaret and Peter Okimaw. Margaret is my first cousin and she is the daughter of my uncle Alex and aunt Susan Kataquapit. It was always exciting to be around Joey when we were kids because he was the first grandchild in Alex’s family. It meant that Joey and his siblings Gregory and June were always surrounded by a group of young, vibrant aunts and uncles.
I was surprised recently when I saw my relatives in my home community of Attawapiskat First Nation on the James Bay coast were still having to fetch water from a water pumping station in the community. For most people in the community, it is the only way for them to have clean drinking water. It was very surprising to me to see, because this was the reality when I was a teenager in the community over 30 years ago. I had hoped that by now, the water systems would be fixed and properly maintained to provide clean, safe drinking water to every household but that is not the case.
I lost the love of my life Michael McGrath this past Sunday December 28, 2025. He was a bright light that shone for so many people in our families but also in a circle of friends that seemed to span the world.
Christmas is just around the corner and everyone is getting into the spirit of the holidays with music, decorations, department store shopping and stocking up on food for big family feasts. Decorations are happening everywhere and this year, we had an early supply of cold and snow, so we in the north, will definitely have a picture post card Christmas filled with mounds of white, frost and crystalline snow.
On December 2, 2025 during a Special Chiefs Assembly hosted by the Assembly of First Nations, the chiefs from across Canada voted unanimously to adopt an emergency resolution tabled by British Columbia First Nations leaders to support upholding the current oil tanker ban on the pacific coast as well demanding the withdrawal of the agreement clearing way for a new oil pipeline to the coast of British Columbia.
When I was a boy growing up in my home community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast, I was deathly afraid of looking at the full moon.
I grew up...
I’m happy to see the ongoing support and assistance in our northern remote communities to help our people cope with so many lifelong and generational issues...