The Nation | Vol. 32, No. 02 by nationmag

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Photo by Flora Otter

Election timing

by Will Nicholls

We at the Nation didn’t expect to become a controversial topic during the Cree Health Board election. In our last issue, we published interviews with two candidates, the current chair Bertie Wapachee and challenger George L. Diamond.

What is controversial is that there were three other candidates in the November 12 election, the winner of which we can’t tell you because we go to press on November 8. The same problem led to our seeming neglect of Jeannie Pelletier, Sherry Ann Spencer and Emma Virginia Wabano. We were unaware of their candidacies until the issue had been put to bed the very same day the final list of candidates was released October 23.

But it happened and some people were quick to jump on the bandwagon to make the Nation a scapegoat because it sounds and feels unfair. We did what we could with the information we had under the constraints of our publishing schedule.

So, we contacted the two candidates we knew were running for interviews in order to present some information for voters to consider in the last issue our readers will see before the election. None of the other three candidates, nor Returning Officer John Henry Wapachee, contacted us about other entrants in the race.

We are sorry that they were not interviewed but cannot take the blame for that. If any of the candidates had contacted us, we certainly would have interviewed them as well. The purpose of the Nation is to provide the Cree with as much information as we can on a given topic. It was unfortunate that in this case that did not happen.

Part of that reason came out when one candidate relayed information implying there was a bylaw prohibiting cam-

Why were candidates discouraged from campaigning before the official list?

To deny that simply gives an unfair advantage to the incumbent or current chair.

paigning before the official nomination list is released to the public. John Henry Wapachee verified that there is no such bylaw but said he had asked the candidates to refrain from campaigning nonetheless. He felt that both George Diamond and Bertie Wapachee should not have given interviews even though the issue containing the election article didn’t arrive in the communities until after the final list was released.

You may have noticed that we are using the full names of Bertie and John Henry Wapachee. This is because they are brothers, and we do not want them to be confused with each other. But this leads to one of the flaws in the election process. Having one candidate’s brother run the election is generally seen as a conflict of interest. To be sure, John Henry Wapachee is seen as a fair and honest person, but questions will still be raised.

The question remains, however. Why were candidates discouraged from campaigning before the official list? To deny

that simply gives an unfair advantage to the incumbent or current chair. Wouldn’t that person have been in the news beforehand simply as a result of his or her position?

Time is another flaw in campaigning. This is not simply a person running in a single community as a chief or councillor. There are members of 11 Cree communities (counting MoCreebec) who vote in this election – as well as those living in the south. It is physically impossible for the candidates to reach many Cree in person. The only one who can do that is the current Chair in the course of their duties, which is another advantage over challengers.

The campaign period should be extended to allow time for all candidates to reach voters in every community. Then we could all do our jobs to the best abilities we have. This is something that should be addressed to ensure the election process is fair to all.

M. Siberok, Mr. N. Diamond, E. Webb EDITOR IN CHIEF Will Nicholls DIRECTOR OF FINANCES Linda Ludwick EDITORS Lyle Stewart, Martin Siberok MANAGING EDITOR Randy Mayer STORY COORDINATOR Patrick Quinn

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS X. Kataquapit, S. Orr, P. Quinn, D. Weistche, M. Bagga DESIGN Matthew Dessner SALES AND ADVERTISING Danielle Valade, Donna Malthouse THANKS TO: Air Creebec

CONTACT US: The Nation News, 918-4200 St. Laurent, Montreal, QC., H2W 2R2 EDITORIAL & ADS: Tel.: 514-272-3077, Fax: 514-278-9914 HEAD OFFICE: P.O. Box 151, Chisasibi, QC. J0M 1E0 www.nationnews.ca EDITORIAL: will@nationnews.ca news@nationnews.ca ADS: Danielle Valade: ads@nationnews.ca; Donna Malthouse: donna@beesum.com

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Stewart,

Nicholls,

Cree Nation imposes strict moose guidelines in Zone 17 Stopping the decline

by Patrick Quinn Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Every October, Cree people have moose on their minds, with many heading to bush camps for a week or more of hunting and enjoying time with family. For the second year, Angela Ottereyes organized a moose harvest workshop at Montreal’s Dawson College for students far from Eeyou Istchee.

“This project not only brought our Indigenous Dawson community together but also allowed us to share this experience with our families,” Ottereyes said. “I’m especially grateful to have shared this day with my daughter Misha. What an exhausting but fulfilling day!”

Ottereyes thanked Bobby Patton from the Cree-Mohawk teepee project in Kahnawake for connecting her with Listiguj hunter Peter Martin, who delivered a moose from Mi’gmaq territory for students to skin and butcher. Following an opening prayer and tobacco offering, experienced teachers guided the cleaning and cutting before moose stew was cooked right outside the college.

The rapidly declining moose population is a central issue in longstanding disputes between the Cree Nation and Quebec, and was the focus of a JBNQA treaty simulation held by the Cree Nation Youth Council in Ottawa November 8-10. With a 2021 aerial survey finding a 35%

drop in areas near Waswanipi, OujeBougoumou and Waskaganish, the sports hunt was suspended in Zone 17 and new conservation measures have been introduced.

A mandatory tag and permit system requires tallymen to complete permission forms for local hunters. The Cree Trappers’ Association then issues permits with specific conditions that must be respected at all times. There is a harvest limit of two moose per trapline and one per family. Hunters are also advised to avoid large bulls, females and calves.

“The tallyman has authority that should be respected,” asserted Allan Saganash, who made recommendations for the policies. “People are going out and killing moose at random. Let’s do our part to bring back the moose population.”

Night hunting and the use of snowmobiles or drones are prohibited in Zone 17 – “Get on your snowshoes and walk,” Saganash suggested. All parts of the moose should be used and shared, including donations to the CTA community freezers. Reporting harvests to the CTA ensures accurate oversight of the regional situation.

While he’s adamant that forestry is the main cause of dwindling moose numbers, there have also been pressures from the

increasing number of Cree hunters with ever-improving methods and equipment. In this overdeveloped region, abundant forestry roads and fragmented habitats make moose easy targets.

“A long time ago we hunted by water, but now you can drive 2 km and see a moose,” Saganash explained. “In Waswanipi, nearly 90% of moose killed are in open cut areas caused by forestry development.”

Saganash said about 400 Cree and 900 non-Native camps with authorized permits are scattered throughout Waswanipi, along with 136 illegal non-Native structures at last count. He recently encountered a non-Native camp being built in his hunting area.

“They said we’re on the list for a permit,” Saganash recalled. “I told him there’s a moratorium, you can’t build camps – he didn’t want to talk to me after. Where’s Quebec in all this? You also have poaching activities because of the roads, by Cree and non-Natives alike.”

Saganash believes every community should have a moose management committee to address their unique needs. Tallyman Paul Dixon said that 50 years ago his trapline was all female moose winter yards but today it’s mostly logged out.

“In 1993, I came out of the bush on the advice of my dad because the forest could not hold everybody so my other brothers could hunt peacefully,” Dixon said. “I tell the youth that they can’t be harassed about their rights. But in the same breath I tell them there’s too much forestry, and there’s a big decline in moose, could you please move somewhere else.”

Department of Commerce and Industry

Training tomorrow’s leaders

by Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Cree Youth Summit brought the Cree School Board and Cree Nation Youth Council to Montreal October 16. The two organizations signed a memorandum of understanding with the Cree Nation Government on how they will work together during the event, called “Building Bridges: Shaping Futures”.

“My favourite part of working for Cree youth regionally is seeing how one idea becomes a big reality,” shared CNYC special projects coordinator Tania Richmond. “I remember a youth passing a resolution at the CNYC AGA in 2023 requesting an MOU. Here it is being signed today as a commitment to work together to support student youth councils. The future gets brighter the more we empower our current young leaders now!”

The agreement will enable the CSB to better understand the services and improvements needed by youth, encouraging the development of customized resources for nurturing student success. CNYC Grand Chief Adrian Gunner took the stage with CSB chairperson Sarah Pash, who highlighted the importance of bringing Cree culture to students far from home.

“Speaking as a person who was a postsecondary student with a young family myself, it’s really difficult to take your family out of the community and know they’re missing out on important culture and language experiences,” said Pash. “I’ve enjoyed seeing our students hosted at the teepee project in Kahnawake and we’ve been looking at finding land where we could put up a mitchuap or shaptuan for students to have a little taste of home.”

After Quebec’s Bill 96 imposed challenging French requirements in the province’s CEGEPs, Pash has met with the education minister to push for an exemption for Cree students while introducing more French language instruction to postsecondary preparation programs. The CSB has also been exploring how to help graduates successfully transition to Eeyou Istchee.

“We know for students who have been living independently, it’s very hard to move back to a home that’s already overcrowded and might feel like a step backward,” Pash told Winschgaoug radio. “We’ve put into place a policy that allows graduated students hired into a position at the CSB to put them into CSB housing in their own communities.”

Numerous Cree entities and organizations hosted information tables at the Montreal event with presentations showing youth the emerging career opportunities and available resources. MC Will E Skandalz and DJ Blaster brought the evening to life, which also featured games, dancing and the Innu band Ninan.

Cree Youth Summit bridges generations to help shape the future

“The crowd was very enthusiastic, clapping along and making noise,” said Skandalz, aka Satehoronies McComber.

“We played hot potato with zombie arms for Halloween season, and musical chairs. I felt like the bingo announcer at the hall, keeping them having fun and always guessing what’s next.”

Skandalz recently collaborated with CNYC projects technician Steve Einish (aka Kong) on hip-hop track “Rez Dawgz”. While not knowing what to expect in this new experience, he said, “it fit like a shoe after about five minutes” and he’s looking forward to the next CNYC Urban Tour stop in Ottawa November 11.

“I read the room, keep it to myself I’m the event MC, then all of a sudden I appear, knowing people’s names to make it more personable,” Skandalz explained. “I’m the Mohawk coming into a Cree event, so I’ve got to make it seem like I

was there the whole time. It worked beautifully so I plan to do that again – if anyone in Ottawa is reading this, oops, the cat’s out of the bag.”

After touring northern Quebec this year, Skandalz integrated local slang and jokes to keep things lively. He hopes to spend time in Eeyou Istchee this winter and has been packaging a workshop with Kong, Violent Ground, DJ Digital Fire and Showbiz514 that combines performances with guidance for launching a music career.

This year’s events are spaced out and coordinated with other Cree initiatives. Ottawa’s stop on November 11 will not only serve as a social event for postsecondary students and other youth, but also as a celebration following a three-day treaty negotiation simulation.

As the 50th anniversary of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement is

in 2025, the event will focus on contemporary applications of this “first modern treaty” by splitting participants aged 16 to 35 into groups to simulate a treaty regarding moose management.

The initiative is hosted at Ottawa’s Shaw Centre November 8-10 in partnership with the Gordon Foundation. The foundation collaborated with treaty experts, negotiators and the Land Claims Agreement Coalition to develop its Understanding Our Treaties Initiative.

Dozens of treaty simulations have been held across Canada since 2019. The Cree version will be larger than usual, inviting 60 youth from Eeyou Istchee and 20 participants from urban areas. Notable Cree figures include Robert Kanatewat, who helpes negotiate the JBNQA.

Tributes for TRC

Chair Murray Sinclair

Murray Sinclair, the senator and lawyer who presided over the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, passed away November 4 at age 73. Tributes have poured in for his human rights legacy, bringing to light the stories of thousands of residential school survivors.

“Mazina Giizhik [the One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky] committed his life in service to the people: creating change, revealing truth, and leading with fairness throughout his career,” his family said in a statement.

Raised by his Cree grandfather and Ojibway grandmother near Selkirk, Manitoba, Sinclair said working at the Selkirk Friendship Centre following university drove him to help Indigenous people unfairly treated under the law. After growing disillusioned by the justice system, a conversation with an Elder convinced him to reconnect with his Indigenous identity.

His talent for balancing Canadian law with Indigenous legal systems led to his appointment as Manitoba’s first Indigenous judge. As co-commissioner of the province’s Aboriginal Justice Inquiry, Sinclair helped establish the 1996 Gladue Principles, which require courts to consider the backgrounds of Indigenous offenders and alternatives to prison when sentencing.

Sinclair’s friend, Anishinaabe author Tanya Talaga, said he originally declined the position of TRC chair in 2009 “because he knew the spiritual weight of

the stories he would hear and what would be asked of him. He became heavy with the stories.”

After visiting more than 300 communities and speaking to more than 7,000 people over six years, the commission concluded that Canada had engaged in acts of “cultural genocide.” Talaga said he never forgot the names of infants who died at residential schools.

Maïtée LabrecqueSaganash met Sinclair when he advocated for Bill C-262 to harmonize Canadian laws with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was introduced by her father, former NDP MP Romeo Saganash. She said his soothing presence helped her own healing journey.

“Many times he told me, ‘Anger is not a bad thing. It can get you through a lot of crap! You will find a way to turn it into something that does not hurt and consume you one day,’” Labrecque-Saganash said.

The Grand Council of the Crees praised him for inspiring many to continue his advocacy for Indigenous rights. “Murray Sinclair will always be remembered as the calm spirit who fought for fairer treatment of Indigenous People in the justice system and for being our guide through the difficult

“We want justice for the twins. We need those cops that were on scene to just get out of Nunavik and never come back”

- Mosusi Tarkirk,

but important path of giving a voice to survivors and opening a nationwide dialogue on reconciliation,” the GCC said.

Salluit reeling after police shooting

Large protests spread throughout Nunavik after a fatal police shooting in the community of Salluit on November 4. The incident is being investigated by Quebec’s police watchdog, while Nunavut MP Lori Idlout is calling on the federal government to improve policing in the North.

Twin brothers Joshua and Garnet Papigatuk were stopped by police at 4:10am after a 911 call about an impaired driver. A physical altercation erupted and police allegedly used pepper spray and a Taser “without success” before opening fire. Both twins were taken to hospital. Joshua died from his wounds while Garnet is in stable condition.

Many are paying tribute to the brothers online, who both fathered young children, and fundraising for their families.

Salluit resident Mosusi Tarkirk, who grew up with the brothers, said people don’t feel safe since the shooting.

“It should never have ended like that,” said Tarkirk. “We’re all shocked, angered. We want justice for the twins. We need those cops that were on scene to just get out of Nunavik and never come back, and we need an investigation into the Nunavik Police Service.”

Two videos made by bystanders circulated widely on social media. They appear to show a man being shot at close range by a police officer. Joshua is the 10th Indigenous person to die in Canada during an interaction with police since the end of August.

“Non-lethal de-escalation methods must become standard practice, and there must be a stronger, more respectful connection between police and our communities,” said Makivvik president Pita Aatami. “When police enter our communities, they should be here to protect us – not to cause harm.”

Voices of the Wilderness

Tallyman tensions are stoked at Waswanipi AGA

by Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Tallyman tensions boiled over on the second day of Waswanipi’s annual general assembly on October 23. In the Cree community most impacted by industrial development, several tallymen delivered passionate statements following Grand Chief Mandy Gull-Masty’s presentation regarding wildlife directives.

Frustrated by Quebec’s longstanding failure to implement wildlife habitat directives included in 2002’s Paix des Braves agreement, Cree land defenders reported hearing nothing in Gull-Masty’s speech to resolve their concerns. In response, Lolly Otter Sutherland unveiled a homemade poster declaring “blinded by money,” earning applause from the room.

“On the left side is eyes and ears covered because they don’t want to see or hear what the tallymen are fighting for,” explained Otter Sutherland, the daughter of tallyman Matthew Ottereyes. “On the other side of the dollar bill is what we try to protect but it feels like nobody is listening.”

Protesting that the AGA was held when many would be in the bush for the annual moose hunt, Otter Sutherland suggested compensating tallymen similarly to consultants hired by local or regional governments. Sitting with the Cree Trappers’ Association, she hears concerns about the rising cost of living and forestry interests overriding their demands.

“Tallymen are humble and just like being in the bush but they need the material stuff too,” argued Otter Sutherland. “Everyone should be involved in a big movement, not just the tallymen. We’re trying to fight to protect what’s left.”

Among recent grievances is a transmission line passing through five traplines, which tallymen reluctantly accepted before shown a different map with a far wider passage for two lines. Tallyman Henry Pacquette Gull said he never agreed to this change, which went through his moose area two years ago and impacted 40 percent of his trapline.

“If they don’t stop I’ll barricade the road”

- Pacquette Gull

“I told the Chief that if they don’t stop I’ll barricade the road,” said Pacquette Gull. “Who signed the project? It’s me, said the Chief. The former board member told me all the compensation money was there, even separated. The Chief tells me there’s no money. I think they’re lying to us.”

Pacquette Gull felt the consultations were rushed and the damage had been done by the time another meeting was planned. He hasn’t yet agreed to another proposed

cut, arguing there’s already been too much disturbance and “consultations don’t mean anything.”

At the AGA, Pacquette Gull was accompanied by Pakesso Mukash, a Whapmagoostui band member who has spent two seasons on his trapline W21C. Previously told it was a members-only meeting and Mukash couldn’t speak, controversy erupted when he did anyways, as seen in a video later posted to social media that amassed over 13,000 views.

“I said to any tallymen affected negatively by developments, by this Council and the CNG, I’ve already spoken to lawyers and confirmed you can sue them, just tell me your stories, we’re assembling a class action right now,” recalled Mukash. “I stoke the flames and know they’re going to cut my mic. The tallymen are giving me thumbs up.”

Working as an interpreter in the courts, Mukash said an Indigenous lawyer informally suggested that breach of tallyman rights under the JBNQA justified litigation. He said that because agreements prevent tallymen from fighting Quebec, “we’re just going to fight each other because to me the CNG has become Quebec, evident based on the zero land protection they’ve gotten for the tallymen.”

Waswanipi Chief Irene Neeposh chose not to comment on Mukash’s involvement at the AGA but told the Nation his comments in another community’s meeting ahead of a planned campaign for Grand Chief next year were inappropriate and that he was a “divisive” presence.

A week after the AGA, the community’s former capital asset manager Jonathan Saganash released a public statement accusing Waswanipi leadership of misused funds, skewed priorities and favouritism in resource allocation. Next month, he intends to launch a platform called therezflags.ca to support whistleblowers advocating for transparency.

Tallyman Paul Dixon suggested Cree leaders had “eyes covered in dollar signs.”

Currently in a conciliation process with the Cree-Quebec Forestry Board over a forestry dispute on his trapline, Dixon believes tallymen have a good legal case that could be triggered if they’re forced into consultations without wildlife directives.

“It’s wasting my time to be involved in consultations without the wildlife direc-

tives,” Dixon asserted. “People are concerned about watering down our rights. It would be great to have a day in court for the voices of the wilderness.”

With Quebec blaming last year’s forest fires for once again failing to submit wildlife directives, a majority of tallymen rejected the 2023-28 five-year forestry plan. The province then rejected 34 recommendations submitted by a Cree committee as well as interim measures to protect moose habitats because they impacted the forestry industry’s allowable cut.

“As long as Quebec has control over what should be in the directives, we’re never going to have them the way Cree want,” said Allan Saganash, Waswanipi’s joint working group director. “We ask the government, if you’re going to delay the wildlife directives for another year, stop cutting in our damn wildlife interest areas.”

While a 35 percent moose decline prompted an indefinite closure of the sports hunt in Zone 17, Saganash believes forestry is the primary culprit. Key habitat has been fragmented and clear cut with forestry roads opening access for resource developers, non-Native camps, poachers and predators.

Although some forest is left standing, moose become an easy target when coming to the open areas to feed. Silvicultural processes like scarification and brush cutting damage soil and food sources, aiming only to prepare another round of timber. A lack of protective measures leads to overharvested mixed forests and further loss of wildlife habitat.

As economic interests repeatedly overshadow Cree concerns, Saganash has realized consultations are a mere formality for Quebec. Harmonization measures do little to reconcile fundamentally opposed priorities when the province attempts to resolve issues with “ridiculous proposals” that demonstrate no understanding of the Cree way of life.

“Quebec is dismantling the agreements just so the forestry industry can have their wood,” asserted Saganash. “I want my Cree government to work more with the Cree people. Quebec influences them too much – do they understand what the tallymen want? Sometimes I get the feeling I’m being shoved aside because it’s not what they want to hear.”

While a 35 percent moose decline prompted an indefinite closure of the sports hunt in Zone 17, Saganash believes forestry is the primary culprit

ClayClayTherapy ClayTherapyTherapy clay

Innovative nurse treats mental health issues during pottery workshops

by Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

With files from Darren Weistche

Pottery workshops organized by Eastmain’s Maanuuhiikuu (mental health) department are giving community members a new way of connecting with the land. Mental health nurse Nathalie Mai Duong began hosting workshops at the Community Miyupimaatisiiun Centre (CMC) last November with clay from the Eastmain River.

“The process is all land-based,” Duong told the Nation. “It comes from earth, the mud turns into stone. We use the water and I’m looking to find minerals in nature to do colours. Then we fire it, so all the elements are there.”

Born in Quebec City, Duong started working with ceramics at age eight and quickly became her teacher’s assistant. Moving to Montreal’s artistic community, she specialized in sculpture at Concordia University before working many years as a makeup artist for movies, magazines and fashion shows.

Seeking a more meaningful career, Duong became a mental health nurse but grew disenchanted with the institution’s rigidity and the city’s noise and congestion. Coming to Eastmain last summer was a transformative change of pace, despite arriving during the community’s wildfire evacuation.

“It brought me closer to the people,” recalled Duong. “The community almost burned down but people were still making jokes in the plane. I really liked the humour and resilience. The fireweed was blossoming – it was so beautiful; I just fell in love.”

Duong notes that mental health issues in the Cree Nation are most often related to trauma, which invite more open therapeutic approaches. Working closely with Maanuuhiikuu therapist Dennis Windego, Duong learned the importance of the spiritual connection in land-based treatment.

She discovered natural clay on the banks of the Eastmain River that needs little or no processing – and which demonstrate the land’s healing power. In her workshops, Duong integrates

sage and tobacco ceremonies. While clay is offered in Duong’s private sessions with mental-health clients, her small-group workshops are open to everyone.

“It could be to develop a new hobby, meet people, have a wellness moment of relaxation,” Duong suggested. “I’m hoping people find a new passion, maybe even a new career in art. I want people to just be in the moment and relax and let their hands speak for them.”

The therapeutic benefits of pottery are recognized for alleviating stress, fostering mindfulness and self-confidence and for bolstering self-expression. Working with clay helps overcome trauma, as clients are able to transform their pain through this tactile medium, reclaiming their sense of agency and natural abilities.

Duong hosts wellness sessions for CMC staff on Friday afternoons, when incense and music enhance the ambience. One participant said it brought back memories of going out to the teepee with her grandmother to make bannock.

“When you’re handling the clay it’s like kneading the dough, keeping that connection to the land and traditional movement,” observed Eastmain CMC director Leslie Tomatuk, who has created household items during Duong’s workshops. “We’re looking at it as a land-based approach to self-reflection.”

Tomatuk said the meditative clay-making process opens doors for participants to explore whether they have issues that are suppressed or inherited. In another application, Micheline Cheezo and her daughter Michelle created a cast of their hands clasped together to represent their familial bond.

“People are working on themselves without realizing that they are,” explained Tomatuk. “It’s created an opportunity to gather emotions and feelings. Nathalie is there for support if for whatever reason somebody should be triggered.”

Duong provides a safe space for people where “Everybody knows everybody.” She says art is a coping strategy for processing difficult emotions. She is motivated to share its healing powers from personal experience.

“When my friend was dying from cancer, he asked me to make an urn for him because he knew it used to be my passion,” Duong said. “He passed away before I finished it. I went through with it anyway and it helped me process my grief. That’s how I got inspired to bring that healing process to help others.”

With ancient Cree ceramics found in Waskaganish and other parts of the territory, Duong hopes to revive the ancestral tradition of making everything from the land. Collaborators from the Cône10 pottery shop in Montreal who guided Duong’s ceramic experiments with raw materials are interested in analyzing Cree artifacts to learn more about traditional processes.

Working with her ex-boyfriend, who accompanied her to Eastmain and is now a teacher with the high school’s Mikw Chiyâm arts program, Duong aspires to fire up talented youth with this passion. She envisions art exchanges with other international pottery hotspots, perhaps even a project to help develop tourism.

Although Duong can fire clay to high temperatures outdoors, she needs a sheltered shaptuan in winter to prevent ceramics from breaking due to thermal shock. Tomatuk is looking for a space to install an electric kiln. A potential location is the old Band Office that the Health Board has purchased and is in the early stages of renovating.

“A dedicated place with an electric kiln to fire at higher temperatures can make it impermeable,” said Duong. “We could make bowls and mugs we could drink from. The possibilities would be endless. This project could become big, touching different dimensions – archaeology, tourism, a centre of artists.”

Troilus Mining Project Participant Funding Available

November 1, 2024 — Funding provided by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) is now available to help Indigenous Peoples and the public participate in the impact assessment for the proposed Troilus Mining Project, a new open-pit gold and copper mine located about 76 kilometres northwest of the Cree community of Mistissini and about 170 kilometres north of Chibougamau, Quebec.

Funding is available for eligible individuals and groups to support their participation in the upcoming steps of the impact assessment process. These steps include reviewing and providing comments on the proponent's Impact Statement or the summary thereof, and IAAC's draft Impact Assessment Report and potential conditions.

Applications received by December 2, 2024, will be considered.

For more information about the Funding Program, including eligibility criteria and the application form, please visit the project home page, reference number 83658, and click on "Participant Funding." You can also contact the Participant Funding Program by writing to fp-paf@iaac-aeic.gc.ca or by calling 1-866-582-1884. Details about the project can also be found on the project home page.

The federal impact assessment for the Troilus Mining Project is being conducted by a Joint Assessment Committee consisting of representatives from IAAC and the Cree Nation Government. As a next step, IAAC will announce the start of a public consultation period on the summary of the proponent's Impact Statement at a later date.

Stay updated on this project by following IAAC on X (previously Twitter): @IAAC_AEIC #Troilus

For media inquiries, contact IAAC's media relations team by writing to media@iaac-aeic.gc.ca or calling 343-549-3870.

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Remembrance and Action

The US government apologizes for mistreatment of Indigenous peoples

by Marek Bagga

US President Joe Biden delivered an historic apology October 25 for his country’s Indigenous boarding school system. It was a first for any American president, and came 16 years after former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s apology.

“The federal Indian boarding school policy and the pain it has caused will always be a significant mark of shame, a blot, on American history,” said Biden. “It is horribly, horribly wrong. It’s a sin on our soul.”

Biden then thanked Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, America’s first Indigenous cabinet member. Her years of work toward this apology were in part motivated by the recent discovery of unmarked graves at a former residential school in Kamloops, BC.

The following day, on October 26, Rear Admiral Mark Sucato of the United States Navy, presented an apology to the Tlingit people of southeast Alaska for the 1882 bombardment of the village of Angoon.

According to the oral and written histories of the Tlingit peoples, the US government claimed that Tlingit fishermen were holding a white whaling crew hostage on a fishing vessel, demanding 200 blankets in compensation from the whaling company for the accidental death of their shaman Tith Klane in an explosion onboard the vessel. The whaling company refused their demand and called on federal support for a naval intervention. Government authorities felt the Tlingit weren’t owed anything and in turn, fined them 400 blankets for

the supposed insurrection, and ordered them to return to work.

Historical accounts state that the Tlingit struggled to come up with the 400 blankets they needed to keep warm during harsh winter months on the Admiralty coast. They delivered only 81, which prompted the US Navy to attack. Six children lost their lives in the initial shelling. Once the shelling destroyed the village, sailors landed and burned what was left of the clan houses, food caches and canoes. As a result, an unknown number perished of starvation and exposure.

According to Rosita Worl, president of the Sealaska Heritage Institute, living conditions got so dire that village Elders “walked into the forest” – meaning they chose death, so that remaining supplies could sustain younger survivors. Tlingit historical accounts maintain that the boat’s crew likely remained with the vessel out of respect for their dead leader. The descendants of those who perished in the atrocity maintain that the Tlingit would have never demanded compensation so soon after their leader’s death.

“The United States Navy recognizes the pain and suffering inflicted upon the

Tlingit people, and we acknowledge these wrongful actions resulted in the loss of life, the loss of resources, the loss of culture, and created and inflicted intergenerational trauma on these clans” he said, in a live-streamed ceremony from Angoon. “The Navy takes the significance of this action very, very seriously and knows an apology is long overdue,” said Rear Admiral Sucato.

Tlingit leaders were apparently stunned when they learned of the proposed apology during an online conference. Elder Eunice James of Juneau, a descendant of Tith Klane, said she hopes the apology helps her family and the entire community heal.

That October day in the gym of the Angoon High School, clan Elders spoke, led by Deisheetan leader Dan Johnson Jr. “None of us in this room will ever forget,” he said. “We will take it to our graves, we will teach it to our children. For our house we accept the apology that you have provided.”

Then he added, “You can imagine the generations of people that have died since 1882, who have wondered what had happened, why it happened, and

wanted an apology of some sort, because in our minds we didn’t do anything wrong”

After a compensation settlement of $90,000 from the Department of the Interior in 1973, Angoon has held an annual memorial for the children killed during the bombardment. Every year leaders ask those in attendance if anyone from the US Navy has apologized. Angoon school teacher Shgendootan George, who grew up with this story, has taught students about the destruction of the village. His efforts were a principal part of the commemoration.

The Navy issued an apology a month earlier for the bombardment and burning of the southeast community of Kake in January 1869. It is expected they will do the same for the neighbouring community of Wrangell. The attacks were deadly escalations of a series of conflicts between the US military and Alaskan Natives in the years after the US purchased the territory from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million.

It is that time of year when we mark Remembrance Day. Being among those who have served our country, I have taken this day to heart over the years. But every time I wear the poppy, I think of late Montreal playwright David Fennario, who started the white poppy movement.

Fennario would point to the Cenotaph and other war memorials to explain how commemorative plaques have become smaller and smaller because there is little space left for new ones. He spoke about our soldiers’ valour, and of how we glorify war and its martyrs without a thought for the carnage it leaves to future generations. He described the women working in Canadian munitions factories, a large percentage of whom would later become fatally ill from chemical exposure. He explained how soldiers returning home would pass on their trauma to the generations that followed.

“How do you restore a human being? How do you restore a family? How do you restore a community who have been the target of annihilation?” asked Barbara Cadiente-Nelson, an Angoon teacher who maintained the memorial practice of the Tlingit people’s history.

Phil Fontaine, the former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, was one of the first to publicly decribe the abuse he experienced at the Fort Alexander Residential School in Manitoba. Fontaine maintains that Canada has had a “tremendous influence” on the American effort to face their own parallel history.

Fontaine said the US should launch its own Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Currently, there is a legislation before the US Congress to would establish such a commission. Deb Haaland has been working towards a “Truth and Healing Commission” that would document the history of boarding schools and spearhead government action.

During Remembrance Day commemorations, let us remember the Canadian war effort and the Indigenous veterans who served. More importantly, celebrate the efforts of Indigenous leaders and communities to foster life after war.

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Here’s another edition of the Nation’s puzzle page. Try your hand at Sudoku or Str8ts or our Crossword, or better yet, solve all three and send us a photo!* As always, the answers from last issue are here for you to check your work. Happy hunting.

PREVIOUS SOLUTION: Solution to Crossword:

IAs our world spins

by Sonny Orr

didn’t watch all the hoopla about the US elections as I knew that the American public, no matter how much it shows to be a grand circus, can elect someone worthy enough to be their chief honcho. As the masses collided and a fairly transparent voting system showed the world that, hey, democracy does work when it needs to.

Given the fact that half the world is in some sort of turmoil – at least that’s how the mainstream media depicts the planet today – it was good to see that in all the messy methods of voting and counting, it seemed clear who the people wanted as their next top guy.

I spent quite a bit of time reading different types of comments, some crazy, some rude, some generous and kind. Most were informative and revealed that many people do have sense to post stuff that is understandable.

I tended to agree with most posts, as I guess I am just like everyone else, somewhat normal and in the group of people who think the same way… normal. This to me confirms that I sit near the centre of everyone and I’m not too close to the edge of insanity or outrageousness. Nor on the other side of the spectrum, being

someone who would rather be unseen and working secretly in the background, influencing everything and nothing at the same time.

Sadly, I guess I’m just mainstream and not as different as I would like to think I am. I could just spit it out and say, “Hey I’m boring.” But I back that boring stuff with good-natured, hard-working straight-as-a-nail common sense and actions that don’t require the entire world to express their appreciation for a few moments, only to be overshadowed by the next fad or scam. No, I prefer slow and steady progress and a stable life.

As for our southern neighbours across the border, I guess they will settle in comfortably knowing that most people voted for their most liked or needed presidential candidate. I wondered when the chief executive for the past four years would be able to do a normal day’s work, much less stand upright for more than 10 minutes without collapsing. Sometimes I feel the same way after a long week of work, thanking every god and demi-god for the invention of Friday.

I look forward to a country that isn’t as divided as it has been, to be a good neigh-

bour and calm down the rest of the world from all that warlike chest-beating and settle into a more peaceful rhythm without having to threaten the use of nuclear weapons just to make a point. Remember the world needs stability, strength and global cooperation and that should keep us alive for another generation.

Aside from trying to make sense of the world today, it’s clear as mud on a snowy day, frozen in time and rigid as a brick that hurts when it hits you. But that’s our tiny planet spinning away in the universe and traversing through space like there’s no need to rush and end in a few billion years.

Yep, soon we will be engulfed in the world of Christmas commerce and purchasing much less for more money. Though Christmas is still six weeks away, who can’t help but be swept up in all this holidaying and merry making anyways?

Alas, but not least, winter weather is here, as predicted last summer. The weather is one of the only things you can depend on. So happy November everyone!

Under the Northern Sky

Remembering those who served

by Xavier Kataquapit

Every year at this time my partner Mike and I recall the devastating losses our families have suffered from war. Remembrance Day is always a sad day when we honour the veterans of both world wars and other conflicts. 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.

So many of us have been hurt by these wars as these violent conflicts affect generations. My great-grandfather John Chookamolin and grandfather James Kataquapit were both more or less kidnapped by a recruiter from the Canadian military who travelled by canoe to Attawapiskat in 1916. Nobody but fur traders and religious missionaries visited the James Bay coast back then. The area was completely cut off from the rest of the world. But 23 young men were taken from my home community by this recruiter, with promises of money for their service to the Kitchi-Okimaw (The King) and that they would be taken care of.

My great-grandfather Chookomolin contracted the Spanish Flu on the voyage by ship to England and died just outside of London. John Chookomolin was never heard from again. He left behind his wife Maggie and baby daughter Louise who became my grandmother. What happened to him remained a mystery until the 1980s, when a family member did some research and found out.

My grandfather Kataquapit managed to return, but his family never received the money that was promised. At the end of the war, he was simply dropped off at a rail stop near Kapuskasing and told to find his way home to James Bay.

Think of these young men leading quiet lives until they were suddenly thrust into military organizations, taught to fight and pushed onto the frontlines. Most of

them found this new reality difficult and lived through horrible violence, death and destruction. Many were wounded while others lived with psychological scars known as “shell shock”.

I think most of us in the past thought shell shock meant that a person had been shocked by a large explosion. Today, we understand that “shell shock” is PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a mental health condition caused by extremely stressful or terrifying events. War veterans are often severely traumatized for the rest of their lives.

In our research we discovered that many veterans suffered from addictions. Men were often supplied amphetamines so that they would not require as much sleep or food. These drugs also gave them the strength, stamina and ability to rush headlong into battle without fear. To calm the men down after a stressful period, they were given alcohol to wash away the horrors of war. The walking wounded developed addictions to opioids like morphine to ease their physical pains.

By the end of the war, these men were living with a combination of PTSD, drug withdrawal or addiction, alcoholism –with little or no help from the country they served. Some managed to cope while others couldn’t lead normal lives; many committed suicide.

In Mike’s family, his father James McGrath and uncle Patrick McGrath served in the Second World War. James was wounded in the Canadian-led Battle of the Scheldt in Belgium. During that same battle his brother Patrick was killed. Mike never knew his dad, who suffered from “shell shock”. He never recovered from the trauma of war and spent his life in and out of prison. In the late 1970s, James was killed by Ontario Provincial Police officers during a confrontation.

My Mohawk family came through Patty, Mike’s sister who married into the Bradley family. I grew close to the family

and the patriarch, John Bradley Sr. He was a veteran of the D-Day landings in June 1944 and fought in the most terrible battles. He survived but when he returned to Canada he was not treated with the same dignity and honour that was given to non-Native veterans. Nonetheless, he fought against racism to rise up and enjoy a rewarding career while raising a wonderful family.

Chatting with my friend Paul Lemieux recently, I learned that his father, John F. Lemieux, was a mechanic for the Royal Canadian Air Force 406 Squadron during the Second World War. He had to deal with the loss of many young fighter pilot friends who never returned from their missions. It helped me realize that even those who didn’t see active combat still faced the horrors of war.

I pay tribute to all our veterans on Remembrance Day. The greatest remembrance for me is that war is not waged for the reasons we are told – our young people are used as expendable fodder to serve the interests of the wealthy and powerful.

This continues today in conflicts around the world, as in the Middle East and Ukraine. We owe it to veterans to question every conflict and work towards peaceful solutions. The war machine is brutal – a recent example are the efforts to discredit journalist David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen. He was accused of being a Russian spy by former Conservative Immigration Minister Chris Alexander. Journalists like Pugliese who question war face pushback by government and media corporations. If we do not allow journalists to be critical and question conflict, we are only served propaganda and that does not bode well for democracy.

I will honour the memory of our veterans by always questioning war and encouraging our governments to negotiate rather than kill and destroy.