Xavier Kataquapit

Most mornings, one of the first things I do is to read the various online media that I prefer.
A lot of it is mainstream and some of it would be considered alternative. I noticed a story the other day in Wawatay News, an Aboriginal newspaper that serves northern Ontario, that featured coverage of a group of walkers from Attawapiskat. They were on a mission to walk to the parliament buildings in Ottawa to lobby the federal and provincial governments to meet with First Nations and address the issues concerning housing, suicide, education and health care.

There is an epidemic happening in First Nation communities.
I know first hand that this epidemic is a killer and it is debilitating for many of my people. The epidemic is diabetes.
When I was a child growing up in Attawapiskat, I knew nothing about good nutrition or healthy eating.
My mom and dad made sure that we always had food on the table and at the best of times, it was nourishment from the land. At the worst of times, it was a sugary cereal, processed meats, canned foods and way too many chocolate bars, cookies, pastries and chips.

Making a living as an artist is not an easy thing to do but most of the time the rewards are amazing.
As a writer I understand that money is not the big motivation to write. Most writers in this country just get by. However, even if the monetary rewards are not great I find there is a lot of satisfaction in being able to work at something I have a passion for. I believe that is the case for most artists whether they are writers, visual artists, performance artists, dancers or musicians.

Janelle Golinowski, a member of Mattagami First Nation, will be showcasing her talents as a traditional dancer at the Miss North Ontario Regional Canada Pageant 2014.
The 18-year-old explained that she is proud yet humble to have been selected to represent her community for the pageant scheduled to be held May 1 to 3 at the Fraser Auditorium, Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario.

These days my mind is filled with worry.
I have been watching the events unfolding in the news concerning the Ukraine. I find it unbelievable that major super powers are taunting each other on Russia’s doorstep in the Ukraine.
This current major conflict wouldn’t be so bad except for the fact that many of the countries involved have nuclear weapons. The only time I am aware that tensions have been so high among super powers with nuclear arms was during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. It is alarming and upsetting that we are at the precipice of the Third World War again.