Gold has arrived. Here in the north of Ontario we see vast streams of gold shimmering across the landscape as autumn is here and the the leaves are turning...
I am the product, evolution of many thousands of years as are you. I grew up on the land in the remote far north of Ontario following in the footsteps of my...
Chief Jennifer Constant, Mattagami First Nation was celebrated as one of the guests of honour at the inaugural Women In Mining Sudbury awards gala which was held on November 21. She was recognized as an Indigenous Trailblazer during the event in honour of her years of service and advocating for her First Nation as related to the mining industry.
I was raised knowing many people in my circle of family and friends who have had to deal with troubles and problems that they had no control over. As I grew up in my home community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast, tragedy and trauma just seemed be a normal part of life for everyone.
Every year at this time myself and my partner Mike have to deal with the devastating losses our families have had to live with due to war. The November 11 Remembrance Day commemoration has always been a day of great sadness in remembering the veterans of the First World War and the Second World War as well as other wars. Those memories have been compounded with more sad truths through the research we have been doing over the past few years. We are working on media projects concerning the two world wars and some of our discoveries have been shocking.
My family and my home community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast has always enjoyed Halloween. The idea of the whole thing just perfectly fits into a lot of our traditions of scary stories, spirits, other worldly beings and monsters that are part of the legends that our parents and Elders taught us. The whole idea of Halloween celebrations being just a holiday for children and to have fun was also something that my parents and many of our Elders thoroughly enjoyed.
I’ve been trying to catch a glimpse of the Wawatay lately. Wawatay is the Cree word that describes the northern lights or Aurora Borealis. I use an app on my phone called My Aurora Forecast these days to keep track of the lights but I never seem to have much luck. When the Wawatay are out, there are clouds blocking my view or I am in the wrong place at the wrong time. Most times, the Wawatay are overhead but they are just too faint to be seen because of the all the light pollution surrounding me. To see them it takes time and it is something that requires patience and persistence.
It seems these days that anyone protesting against the war in Ukraine or Gaza is challenged with push back from governments, various security forces and those in power that for some insane reason feel that conflicts that are killing many thousands of people are something we should all accept. Politicians, academics and media people are discouraged from questioning these wars and when they do the result can be sad as they are discredited, branded as unpatriotic in some way and in some cases actually fired from their jobs.
Faye Naveau, an Indigenous actress, artist and performer from Mattagami First Nation has a vision that revolves around the creation of an Indigenous Theatre reality that features a venue, programming and a place where First Nation people can showcase their art in all forms. Currently she is taking part in a leading role as ‘Sybil’ in the upcoming play ‘Witches In The Woods’ during the inaugural Tamarack Festival in Timmins from September 13 to 15.
There is this new duck on the lake here at my far north wilderness camp. I am sure that Shee-sheep, the Cree word for ‘duck’ is a mallard and so I decided to call her Daisy. She seems to be frantically searching the lake for something. I am guessing that she is looking for her partner and ducklings. She likes to sit on my freshly renovated dock. I sent her away the other day and now I regret it.
Wabun Tribal Council hosted the 17th Annual Wabun Youth Gathering for senior Indigenous youth in Beaverhouse First Nation. The gathering which was held from August 12 to 15, 2024 is the second half of this annual gathering which is meant for youth from the ages of 14 to 18. The first part of the event was held in Mattagami FN on July 15 to 17 for junior aged youth. These annual events are hosted and organized by the Wabun Tribal Council Health Department with the support of the tribal council’s member First Nations.
I have been working in media as an Indigenous journalist, columnist and videographer for more than a quarter century at this point. This has been such an incredible experience and continues to be for so many reasons. Perhaps the biggest reason I love this work is because I continually learn from every story I must research and all of the amazing Elders, Chiefs, council members, Indigenous and non Indigenous people that I interview.
Gold has arrived. Here in the north of Ontario we see vast streams of gold shimmering across the landscape as autumn is here and the the leaves are turning...
I am the product, evolution of many thousands of years as are you. I grew up on the land in the remote far north of Ontario following in the footsteps of my...