Xavier Kataquapit

Maachestan, the Cree word for the annual spring river ice breakup, is happening all along the James Bay coast. This is a very important time of year for remote communities along the coast.

Over the past few weeks, my family has been sharing regular reports of what is happening on the Attawapiskat River. I was happy to hear them all talk about this time of year, as it reminded me of hearing my parents, Marius and Susan Kataquapit, talking and discussing Maachestan with other community members many years ago.

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.

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.

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 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.