Xavier Kataquapit

Is A Pandemic On The Horizon?

Create: 03/03/2020 - 06:20
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

I have had a few very bad flu bouts over the past few years and come to think of it almost once a year for the past 10 years. Some of these respiratory issues were probably colds but most of them were flus due to viruses.

Often when I am sick, doctors prescribe an antibiotic because they believe I have also developed some bacterial infection. Some of my friends experience strep throat and pneumonia often these days and I have been stricken with these complications a couple of times.

The Power Of Language

Create: 03/03/2020 - 06:19
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

I am very lucky to be able to speak Ininimoon, my traditional Cree language. The word starts with the word Ininew, which is the word for ‘people’ and the last part ‘moon’ refers to the action of speaking words or phrases. To me, Ininimoon literally translates as ‘the people’s language’. This is a very big deal for me as I have found over the years in wandering around Canada that not many Indigenous people like me in this country can speak their mother tongue.

A Great Year To Get Sober

Create: 03/03/2020 - 06:06
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

A Great Year To Get Sober

Maybe 2020 would be a good year to get sober. If you think you have a drug or alcohol problem or an addiction that is affecting your life and also the lives of loved ones, family and friends maybe getting sober would be a good idea. I fully realize that many people can have alcohol in their lives and that medical marijuana is proving to have some benefits in health care so I am directing these words to those who are negatively affected by alcohol and drugs.

Annual Wabun Youth Gathering teaches tradition

Create: 08/14/2019 - 02:34
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

The 13th Annual Wabun Youth Gathering was held July 22 to August 2, 2019. The event brought together junior youth aged 11 to 14 during the first week from July 22 to 26 and senior youth aged 15 to 19 from July 29 to August 2. The annual event brings together Indigenous youth from the Wabun Tribal Council First Nations in northeastern Ontario for a two week long gathering that provides educational workshops on culture, heritage, outdoor activities as well as presentations on mental health and wellness. Wabun First Nations are situated primarily near Timmins, Kirkland Lake and Chapleau.

Indigenous Resort Offers Escape To Northern Wilderness

Create: 07/19/2019 - 03:42
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

First Nation owned and operated, Sunset Lodge, near Brunswick House First Nation and the town of Chapleau, has enjoyed a successful first year of operation and is quickly developing as a first rate wilderness experience venue in Northern Ontario.

The lodge, owned and managed by Kevin Tangie, former Chief of Brunswick House FN and current Economic Development Officer (EDO) for Chapleau Cree FN, had a good first summer season 2018 with only word of mouth promotion and is developing as an easy escape to the northern wilderness.

Indigenous Language Gathering Held At Dorothy Lake

Create: 07/11/2019 - 22:48
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

The Temiskaming Native Women’s Support Group (TNWSG) hosted a weekend Language Gathering at Dorothy Lake near Kirkland Lake on July 6 and 7 to promote and encourage language speakers in the north to share their knowledge. The event brought together First Nation Elders and language speakers from the First Nations of Beaverhouse, Matachewan, Temiskaming, Wahgoshig and citizens of the Metis Nation. They came together for the event with community citizens and their children who wanted to learn the language of the Ojibway dialects of Matachewan and Beaverhouse.

Tangie and Flood attend National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in Yukon

Create: 07/02/2019 - 08:03
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

Two Indigenous youth from Northern Ontario were selected to compete in the 2019 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC) held this past May in Whitehorse, Yukon. Kira Tangie, a citizen of Brunswick House First Nation (FN) and Tanner Flood from Matachewan FN joined more than 400 elite Indigenous hockey players from across Canada to compete in the week long event.

Summer Time Blues

Create: 07/02/2019 - 07:59
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

Like that old song says “there aint no cure for the summer time blues”. I remember very well what it was like being a teen in summer back home up the James Bay coast in Attawapiskat. I always had to work and that was good in a way because it kept me busy and out of trouble more or less. Still, when I was 16, 17 and 18 I wished that I could leave my dusty, remote rez and head out to the big world where cities with sky scrapers, thousands of people, cars, trains and planes captivated my imagination.

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