Issuu

The Cree IELCC Fund is designed to fund projects/activities that foster the education, Cree culture and language, as well as health and wellbeing of children 0 to 6 and their families.

their level of ability or special

All projects and activities must also ensure that no children are left behind: activities must be accessible to all children, no matter their level of ability or special need.

The history taught in Canadian schools doesn’t tell the full story.

In large part, it’s about Europeans exploring, settling and “civilizing” the New World. It doesn’t look at relationships between the newcomers and the Indigenous peoples living here. Without that it is not surprising to see how the early ideas in uenced the reality of today for most Canadians.

It started out well when in 1670 the British Parliament passed legislation which placed the conduct of Indian relations in the hands of colonial governors:

Foreasmuch as most of our Colonies do border upon the Indians, and peace is not to be expected without the due observance and preservation of justice to them, you are in Our name to command all Governors that they at no time give any just provocation to any of the said Indians that are at peace with us ... do by all ways seek fairly to oblige them and ... employ some persons, to learn the language of them, and ... carefully protect and defend them from adversaries ... more especially take care that none of our own subjects, nor any of their servants do in any way harm them. And that if any shall dare o er any violence to them in persons, goods or possessions, the said Governors do

Not the full history

severely punish the said injuries, agreeably to right and justice. As you are to consider how the Indians and slaves may be best instructed and invited to the Christian religion.

Remember at that time we were called Indians and I’ll use that in parts of this editorial. Contained in this legislation and later instructions to governors were the main elements of future British Indian policy: a) protection of Indian people from unscrupulous settlers and traders; b) introduction of Christianity; and c) an “activist” role as a protector of Indians.

Even so, the roots of Indigenous problems can be seen here. Protection would lead to the original inhabitants becoming wards of the state. Civilizing us would lead to residential schools run by churches. The activists would become Indian Agents who would gain abusive control over the people they were to protect.

In 1844, the Bagot Commission recommended promoting agricultural settlement, and implementing a system of industrial boarding schools to assimilate Indigenous children by separating them from parental in uence. Only by isolating Indians on reserves could the resident schoolteacher, agent and mis-

sionary achieve success in preparing Indians for integration.

Reverend James Coleman told the Bagot Commission that, “It is necessary the Indian youth should be prevented becoming hunters or shers, and this can be alone done by locating the village where there are no facilities for either.”

This is one of the early reasons why most reserves are located on inhospitable land.

In 1858, Special Commissioners were appointed to report on the eventual civilization and assimilation of Indians with a view to settlement of what would become Western Canada. The Commissioners suggested that amalgamating a number of smaller bands would further Indian welfare and reduce separate hunting grounds. No doubt this is one reason that Nemaska and Ouje-Bougoumou Crees were merged into the Mistissini community.

This little history lesson isn’t taught in Canadian schools. It shows why there is little knowledge of how our lives and our relationships with non-Native people came to be. We need to educate all sectors of Canadian society with more than just one point of view that ignores the original inhabitants of this land. the Nation is published every two weeks by Beesum Communications //

With the financial support of

Will Nicholls // DIRECTOR OF FINANCES Linda Ludwick // EDITORS Lyle Stewart, Martin Siberok // STORY COORDINATOR Patrick Quinn // CONTRIBUTING WRITERS X. Kataquapit, P. Quinn, J. Janke, N. Fedosieieva, J. Pashagumskum // DESIGN Matthew Dessner // SALES AND ADVERTISING Donna Malthouse // THANKS TO: Air Creebec CONTACT US: The Nation News, 918-4200 St. Laurent, Montreal, QC., H2W 2R2 // EDITORIAL & ADS: 514-272-3077 / ads@nationnews.ca / 514-943-6191 // HEAD OFFICE: P.O. Box 151, Chisasibi, QC. J0M 1E0 www.nationnews.ca // EDITORIAL: will@nationnews.ca news@nationnews.ca // ADS: Donna Malthouse: donna@beesum.com // SUBSCRIPTIONS: $60 plus taxes, US: $90, Abroad: $110, Payable to beesum communications, all rights reserved, publication mail #40015005, issn #1206-2642 // the Nation is a member of: The James Bay Cree Communications Society, Circle Of Aboriginal Controlled Publishers, Magazines Canada Quebec Community Newspaper Assn. Canadian Newspapers Assn. Les Hebdos Sélect Du Québec. Funded [in part] by the Government of Canada // ONLINE AT: www.nationnews.ca | facebook.com/NATIONnewsmagazine | Twitter: @creenation_news

CMC A AUDITED the Nation 3

EDITORIAL BOARD

Stewart, W. Nicholls, M. Siberok, Mr. N. Diamond, E. Webb // EDITOR IN CHIEF

Scrap And Start Over

The Cree Nation joined other First Nations leaders, civil liberties groups and legal experts February 12 to condemn legislation that would establish a Quebec constitution. They expressed grave concerns during a National Assembly committee hearing over the governing Coalition Avenir Québec’s failure to recognize Indigenous rights in the proposed law.

Tabled in October, Bill 1 would implement The Quebec Constitution Act. Legal experts warn it would centralize power, weaken judicial oversight and infringe on individual freedoms.

Indigenous leaders denounce the legislation as assimilationist and colonialist, only mentioning “ancestral and treaty rights” in a brief preamble. The document states the province’s territory is the “historic homeland” of the Quebec nation with French as its only common language.

“Including Aboriginal rights in the preamble is quite meaningless,” said Cree Grand Chief Paul John Murdoch. “Their rst position was not putting anything about Aboriginal people in the constitution, so you have no reason to complain. It sounded utterly ridiculous, showing maybe you don’t know what a constitution is.”

Murdoch is a lawyer with an understanding of constitutional law. He was reluctant to attend a proposed meeting with Quebec Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette in September before seeing the draft text necessary to consultations with Cree Chiefs.

Last summer, Cree Chiefs were so concerned about the rumoured constitution that initial plans to celebrate the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement’s 50th anniversary with the provincial government in Quebec City were cancelled. As analysis of the actual legislation raised increasing alarm, Chiefs determined it was necessary to make a uni ed stand in Quebec City.

“It was an amazing experience to be the conduit for the Chiefs of Eeyou Istchee,” said Murdoch. “I believe the minister was a bit surprised [our argument] was technically very sound and

not just emotional political rhetoric. I was so glad all the Chiefs were there.”

In a brief sent the week before the hearing, the CNG’s position was made clear in its conclusion: “Both the process and the substance of the Constitution are severely awed. It should be withdrawn and this entire initiative should be reconsidered.”

Amnesty International said the “regressive” Bill 1 lacks legitimacy and jeopardizes the rights of linguistic and cultural minorities. Other groups called on the United Nations to examine it for potential human rights abuses.

Critics say sections that limit court challenges and federal intervention signal a drift toward authoritarianism. Feminists warn that a provision guaranteeing a woman’s right to abortion could lead to legal challenges.

The legislation follows a number of CAQ measures that target immigrants and anglophones to supposedly promote secularism and defend the French language.

“A constitution is supposed to protect the population, outlining how government will protect the vulnerable members of a community,” asserted Murdoch. “This is pandering to an extreme base to the detriment of the rest of the population.”

Speaking to the National Assembly committee, Murdoch contrasted the CAQ’s approach with his family’s personal history in securing Cree rights. In 1972, Murdoch’s grandfather Malcolm Diamond and uncle Billy Diamond went to the National Assembly after former Premier Robert Bourassa announced the hydroelectric “project of the century”.

When Bourassa dismissed the Crees as having no rights, insulting the Elder and ending the meeting, the young leaders launched the movement that culminated in the JBNQA. This “ rst modern treaty” spells out a speci c relationship between Canada, Quebec and the Crees.

“One of the most o ensive things about this constitution is there are so many parts that utterly contradict what

the JBNQA says,” Murdoch stated. “Back in 1972, Bourassa can claim ignorance – there was no such thing as Aboriginal rights. But in 2026, I don’t think Legault or Barrette can claim ignorance as to why they did not recognize Aboriginal rights.”

Finding it outrageous that Quebec would attempt to ignore the legal fact that Cree local governance supersedes federal and provincial laws in Cree communities, Murdoch said it makes no sense to adopt a constitution that would diminish established Indigenous rights.

Murdoch told the committee how former Grand Chief Billy Diamond worked to enshrine Indigenous rights in the Canadian constitution; Diamond’s relationship with former Parti Québécois Premier René Lévesque helped ensure First Nations had a seat at the table.

The friendship between Cree and Quebec leaders Ted Moses and Bernard Landry while negotiating the Paix des Braves agreement was also cited.

“If it wasn’t for that personal relationship, I’m not sure that Section 35 would be in the constitution,” said Murdoch. “How do you explain having a separatist premier who goes out of his way to ensure Indigenous rights are recognized and 40 years later you have this provincial government going backwards?”

Murdoch said there’s no way to x the legislation with an amendment. “We told the government our only recommendation is to scrap this law and start over.”

Carrying the Torch

About 200 Cree students participated in the Cree School Board’s Higher Learning, Building Capacity Conference at Rogers Centre in Ottawa February 20-22.

The theme of this year’s event was “Preparing Our niimuutaan for Tomorrow’s Journey.” Organizers chose the term niimuutaan (Cree handmade bags) to symbolize the retaining of knowledge and tools for success.

The conference was an opportunity to network with other students, meet potential employers and connect with Elders and Knowledge Keepers. It included workshops on Cree language, history and culture, and panel discussions.

One panellist was Lyric Moses of Waswanipi. Moses has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Ottawa, a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Toronto and is in her second year studying medicine at uOttawa. She is set to graduate in 2028, when she hopes to become a family doctor.

Moses said highlights were testimonies and inspiring stories from leaders and students. “It was a positive space where people felt comfortable

to share,” she said, adding that hearing from other Crees is important.

“You sometimes feel alone or isolated,” Moses explained. “You don’t feel like you belong in the environment that you’re in. Being away from your community, away from your home and away from your family can be really hard.”

She said the conference was an opportunity to reconnect with family, friends and fellow Eeyouch.

One inspirational experience from the event for Moses was hearing from Cree leaders, including James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement signatories Philip Awashish and Robert Kanatewat. “I am proud of the agreement because it has enabled us to grow as a Nation and recover from our dreadful past,” Awashish said.

He explained that before the JBNQA Crees were for the most part hunters and shers as opposed to the modern living of today where Crees work for a salary in a wage economy.

“Over the past 50 years things have changed,” Awashish stated. “Life has changed. We have determined our way of life through Eeyou Ituun (the Cree way of life). Ituun is the way we do

things. The way we govern ourselves. The way we live.

“That life has now evolved to the point where there are many, many more people working in the wage economy. Our way of life now involves the wage economy plus our hunting and shing activities. We have never abandoned those activities and, most importantly, we have never abandoned Eeyou Istchee.”

Kanatewat said that before the agreement Cree university and college graduates were rare and the federal government attempted to control Cree communities.

“They tried to assimilate us and failed. We came together as one Nation. We fought together as one Nation. Now we have the ability to run our own a airs. When I was going to school and turned 16 that was as far as I could go. Not because I wasn’t able to but because that was the end of the government’s responsibility.”

Kanatewat said he enjoys seeing the accomplishments of today’s youth.

“Someday you are going to be taking over from the present leaders, and this is what makes me proud to be a Cree.”

Caribou conservation enforcement measures are causing friction in the Innu Nation of Northeastern Quebec.

The Innu of MatimekushLac John and Uashat mak Mani-utenam carried out a communal caribou hunt in early Februrary, harvesting about 400 animals. Quebec government wildlife agents arrived by helicopter February 6 at the hunting camp and alleged the hunt was illegal.

Matimekush-Lac John Chief Pako Vachon said the community targeted only the migratory Rivière-auxFeuilles herd of approximately 136,000 caribou, which is not threatened.

Biologist Martin-Hugues Saint-Laurent noted that while community hunting conforms to Indigenous practices, caribou populations are fragile and some campaigns “can prove problematic if too many individuals are harvested at once.”

On February 23, a force of wildlife o cers and provincial police injured an elderly Innu woman while attempting to enter a cabin in Ekuanitshit to check for a boreal caribou carcass, a threatened species under federal and provincial law.

“About 20 Sûreté du Québec o cers, accompanied by wildlife o cers – all of them armed – descending on a cottage in the middle of the night for possibly one boreal caribou is not the way to do things,” said Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador Chief Francis Verreault-Paul.

After the incident, police in the Innu Nation of Pakua Shipi stated wildlife o cers

were no longer welcome in the community. Indigenous A airs Minister Ian Lafrenière said further interventions would stop “until the dust settles” and they could speak with leaders.

respecting the First Nation and all environmental regulations.

Wesley said the community doesn’t understand “why NioBay continues to pursue expensive and environmentally harmful exploration for a future mine despite knowing that it does not have our support. NioBay has never answered that question.”

and James Bay communities,” Simon said.

The three-day summit is held every four years, hosted by the Tasiujarjuaq Sheewetaganapoi Consortium, a network that works to advance environmental stewardship and community priorities for the Hudson Bay region.

The Moose Cree First Nation has noti ed NioBay Metals of its rm opposition to exploration in the North French River Watershed, described as one of the last untouched water systems in their homeland.

Last fall, NioBay was granted an exploration permit for the Wasiskaw Sipiy area, about 40 km south of Moosonee, and announced plans to conduct exploratory drilling. Chief Peter Wesley said the Moose Cree will never support mining in this area and will do whatever is necessary to prevent development of a niobium mine.

“Niobay has a history of failing to respect Moose Cree rights and is undertaking its exploration activities without our consent or cooperation,” stated Wesley. “There is simply no path forward on the James Bay Niobium Project.”

Moose Cree repeatedly rejected several iterations of this project over the past 20 years, saying company engagement is inadequate. Wesley said NioBay proceeded with early exploration drilling programs from 2021 to 2023 but failed to comply with the terms of the Protection Agreement.

Home to rare aquatic life, the watershed’s vast peatland is a carbon sink that helps mitigate climate change. The company reiterated it will carry out exploration while

The Hudson Bay Summit in Ottawa drew about 250 delegates from Inuit and Cree coastal communities, regional organizations and other institutions February 24-26. Governor-General Mary Simon emphasized the power of Indigenous stewardship during her opening address.

“I am deeply moved to see Indigenous knowledge still being passed down to youth throughout the Arctic,” said Simon. “Not only through oral tradition, but now through new networks and new technologies that help circulate that knowledge in our own Indigenous languages.”

Simon discussed how community-led expertise, lived experience and stewardship traditions are advancing sustainable development and environmental resilience in the region. She highlighted the testimony of Elders in the successful Cree and Inuit resistance to Hydro-Québec’s proposed mega-project on the Great Whale River.

“National attention on the Arctic brings resources and visibility that – when paired with strong community leadership and regional co-operation – can translate into lasting bene ts for Hudson

Cree Outfitting and Tourism Association (COTA) executive director Robin McGinley attended the event with Cree captains Henry Stewart and Stanley Shashaweskum from Wiinipaakw Tours.

“The waterways and lands of this region are a part of who we are, and our responsibility to care for them must be woven into all we do,” stated COTA.

The CMEB Aims to

Facilitate the development of mineral exploration enterprises with Cree Entrepreneurship while respecting the Environment and Culture.

Help the Crees and Cree Enterprises to benefit from Quebec’s regular funding programs as well as other provincial assistance allocated to mineral exploration activities.

Act as the main intermediary between the Exploration companies and the Cree Leadership & Tallypersons in matters relating to mineral exploration.

Medicine ontheMove

The Cree Health Board and the Canadian Red Cross held a winter exercise in Chisasibi February 18 to demonstrate how the Nâtimâchâukimikw Mobile Health Unit (MHU) can improve medical response in northern communities.

The exercise included the Canadian Rangers, Waswanipi’s public safety team and rst responders from Chisasibi, where the initiative rst originated in 2018. Chief Daisy House emphasized that working together helps ensure that Cree cultural perspectives are integrated into regional healthcare solutions.

The MHU builds competency in winterized infrastructure, equipment and clinical setups that can respond to medical emergencies in extreme subarctic conditions. A newly acquired tent can withstand temperatures below -60°C and winds up to 120 mph.

“We were testing all that equipment while also providing training for the local capacity of human resources,” said Jason Coonishish, the CHB Director of Emergency Measures and Disaster Planning.

The simulation combined two healthcare scenarios. First was treatment for smoke inhalation resulting from a house res, which are ve times more common in Indigenous communities. The team then received snowmobile accident victims transported from 10 km away by the Canadian Rangers.

“One patient came from the ambulance service here and another from a bush call that the Canadian Rangers responded to,” explained Dr. Kavi SinghGosal, who manages clinical operations for MHU deployments. “The Rangers had packaged the patient in the eld, then we initiated therapy and made plans to transfer the patient.”

As climate change and geopolitical instability heightens the North’s strategic importance, the Red Cross wants to improve healthcare access and capacity for disaster preparedness. Knowledge ows between the Rangers, a Canadian Army Reserve unit known as the “eyes and ears” of the North, and the CHB.

“We have supported the development of a MHU that is locally guided, culturally grounded and designed to meet the realities of northern and remote communities, especially in times of crisis,” stated Canadian Red Cross CEO Conrad Sauvé.

For the CHB, the MHU provides valuable exibility during emergencies. The concept already proved bene cial in 2021 when three tents were used to house Chisasibi Elders for eight months after a re destroyed their housing.

During the pandemic, tents outside the regional hospital supported triage, with rapid tests deployed in a wait-

ing room, preventing Covid-positive patients from entering the main building. With the nearly 50-year-old building needing frequent renovations, the MHU can provide missing services until Chisasibi’s new hospital opens.

“Covid showed us that when things go o the rails you can’t count on help coming fast,” said Singh-Gosal. “We may require help from outside, but we need to respond to our own emergencies. The partnership is for the Cree Nation to build self-su ciency and resilience.”

The team can mobilize supplies and sta as required. When the Waswanipi health clinic was ooded a few years ago, they used a temporary building and only needed the MHU to house supplies. In the event of wild re smoke, tents could use HEPA lters and fans to create a clean air shelter.

“When Wemindji evacuated about 200 people to Chisasibi [in 2023], that was phase one,” said Coonishish. “If we

had moved to the other two phases, I’m sure the sta of their clinic would have served the Wemindji people at the mobile hospital, so they do not disturb the local clinic or hospital.”

At the rst full-scale deployment during the 2024 Eeyou Istchee Summer Games in Mistissini, the MHU provided on-site care for 129 patients, ensuring the local clinic wasn’t overwhelmed. Just as fans successfully kept the tent comfortable on hot days, the new winterized tent was tested for air circulation to allow for improvements.

“Our vision has remained, where access to care is never out of reach, even across a territory as wide and weather as unpredictable as ours,” said Coonishish. “When we deploy the MHU, we always include a teepee with a team that takes care of the cultural and psychosocial components.”

The MHU can be up and running 48 hours from getting a call. Kepa Transport

will move it from Chisasibi on 18-wheeler trucks. Coonishish said the company is familiar with the territory, and even predicted the precise arrival time at the isolated Mirage camp this fall for land-based training workshops.

Participants learned operating procedures and how to overcome challenges of the northern climate and limited resources. A key part is planning selection and layout of equipment that’s su ciently rugged yet lightweight, easy to transport, stock and store.

“It’s kind of like when you y in a helicopter,” observed Singh-Gosal. “We choose our equipment very carefully because there’s a weight and space limitation. Everything you carry has to be analyzed for how big it is, can we use it if it’s dark. That kind of mindset developed in the North helps the Red Cross be more e cient.”

Singh-Gosal said basic emergency response isn’t that di erent in Eeyou

Istchee from what it would be at the North Pole or the moon. An exercise with the Canadian Space Agency next month will explore healthcare similarities between a hunter in the bush and an astronaut in space.

The Red Cross will soon help treat tuberculosis patients in Nunavik, and Coonishish believes the MHU could deploy to assist with mass testing and containment.

“It has been amazing working with the Canadian Red Cross,” said Coonishish. “My regional department, Pimuhteheu, means ‘we walk together.’ And throughout this project, that is what we have done. It meant a great deal to see how genuinely they listened and learned from the Cree way of doing things.”

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Celebrating Cree Language Month

March is our annual Cree Language Month – a time for iiyiyiuuch everywhere to celebrate our Cree Language. This special month gives us the opportunity to reﬂect on our accomplishments as a Nation in enriching, revitalizing, and strengthening our Cree Language.

Like many other Indigenous Nations across the globe, we have faced colonization that threatened our Iiyiyiu way of life and our Iiyiyiumuwin. The preservation of our language today is a living testament to the strength and resilience of our people.

With the signing of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement 50 years ago, we asserted our rights as a Nation through the establishment of our Cree organizations that continue to serve our communities today. The Cree School Board empowers our children to learn through a curriculum taught by our very own Cree teachers and knowledge keepers.

With the Cree Language Commission, Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute and the James Bay Cree Communication Society, we continue to build meaningful programs that ensure our language ﬂourishes for generations to come.

As we celebrate this signiﬁcant month, let us remember that language preservation begins with each of us. We encourage you to do your part to help our language continue to thrive.

May the next 50 years of Iiyiyiumuwin be as strong and vibrant as the last.

Happy Cree Language Month!

Poetic Dreams

As a symbol of creation and wisdom, the turtle is a natural character to introduce young audiences to First Nations cultures. In La Plume et la Tortue (The Feather and the Turtle), Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain (OM) accompanies selected stories from a collection published by Wendake-based Indigenous publisher Éditions Hannenorak.

Wolastoqey director Dave Jenniss, who served as artistic director of francophone Indigenous theatre company Ondinnok from 2017 until recently, was asked to develop the family show two years ago. The central tale revolves around a clever turtle who takes a magical eagle feather, which grants both the power and responsibility to pass down stories.

“The project is drawing inspiration from this collection to create accessible poetic stories around the themes of courage, transmission of oral traditions, and collective memory,” Jenniss told the Nation. “We have a long oral tradition and this show is proof that we can share our stories and memories for a long time.”

Working with an orchestra was a new experience for Jenniss, who had only one rehearsal with the entire group before the performance at Montreal’s Maison Symphonique on February 22. After two school matinees o ered the following day there are currently no further shows planned.

The Nation attended the premiere along with two children aged 8 and 12, the target market recommended by OM. The young audience was captivated by the hour-long show, featuring only teenaged Innu and Anishinabe actress Emma Rankin and the turtle puppet, brought to life by Innu actor René Rousseau.

The orchestra is an integral element, prominent throughout the story as the actors wan-

der between musicians on stage, with a little fort even constructed under the piano. Portraying the “Council of Animals”, some orchestra members hold animal masks and utter sounds at certain cues.

Jenniss worked with OM conductor Thomas Le Duc-Moreau to nd music aligned with the legends, including selections from Anishinaabe composer Barbara Assiginaak and Métis composers T. Patrick Carrabré and Karen Sunabacka. Assiginaak said she’s “deeply grateful” that her work Eko-Bmijwang is used in this context.

“I imagined this short work as a journey through a dream-memory of time, beginning with a canoe entering the calm waters in thick fog just under the light of Nokomis [Grandmother Moon],” said Assiginaak. “Soon, with the coming dawn, the mists rise and the waters dance under the light of Giizis [Grandfather Sun] and enliven those many creatures who dwell within and around.”

Assiginaak envisions this music as a reminder to protect the waters for future generations of living beings. It’s a tting accompaniment for these tales, which teach respect for Mother Earth and ancestral languages.

In the hour before the show, multidisciplinary artist Aïcha Bastien N’Diaye narrated 11 Tales of the Turtle, which is available on Télé-Québec’s website. These include the story of Pieshish, the Eeyou musician who ventures to the heart of the Earth, the Inuit origin of fog, and the seven Kanien'kehà:ka dancers who became stars.

“It’s important to tell the young generation that our ancestors telling our stories is the reason we exist,” said

Rousseau, who exudes wisdom, compassion and humour as the Turtle. “Our power comes from the memory and stories we tell. It’s important for us to talk about us, to tell the people who we are – laughing and imagining.”

Rousseau and Rankin bring playful energy, making full use of the stage to tell stories that are given colour and ight by the majestic soundtrack. Rankin forms an immediate connection with the children watching, imbuing her portrayal with wonder.

“The ambience of it all for the kids, the songs and the decorations, is really dreamy,” Rankin expressed. “It really makes me proud. A big door is opening for Indigenous artists and it’s exciting to see that.”

Integrating narration with music and lighting, Jenniss sets a meditative pace that allows audiences to gently absorb the words and emotions. He hopes La Plume et la Tortue stirs conversations among the whole family on their way home.

“Audiences receive your truth,” said Jenniss. “It’s the key to my work. Sometimes I repeat this to my actors, please stay true on stage. This project is completely di erent in its approach to the way I work – it’s fabulous to make music with the orchestra and Aboriginal legends.”

As a proli c actor, director, playwright and screenwriter for over 20 years, Jenniss’ plays explore identity, cultural transmission and Indigenous spirituality. With Ondinnok, he was the rst to introduce Indigenous children’s theatre to Quebec.

Founded in 1985, Ondinnok is the rst francophone Indigenous theatre company in Canada, named after a

Wendat word meaning “a theatrical healing ritual that reveals the secrets of the soul.” To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Jenniss brought together creators from other Indigenous theatre companies to produce Tupqan, which opens March 4.

Jenniss said his script, written with colleague Xavier Huard, “talks about the wampum that’s inside everyone,” drawing on political thriller elements to explore how collective histories can help understand the present. He called it “a mélange of poetry with dreams.”

“The main character Polam reconstructs his own wampum, whose beads had been scattered, re-establishing the lost link with his family,” explained director Soleil Launière. “We want the audience to feel that they too are beads on a common thread, and that together we participate in the construction of this collective wampum.”

She’s well-known for her award-winning music, but Launière’s theatre roots run deep. She launched Auen Productions in 2019, and her play Akuteu was a Governor General’s Award nominee. Ahead of directing Tupqan, she’s directing her own play, Pakuneu.

“Ondinnok paved the path for us and now there are four Indigenous companies in Montreal,” Launière remarked. “Coming together as a community can make such strong work. There are many generations of non-actors and experienced actors on stage together, supporting and elevating each other. There’s no hierarchy – that’s anti-colonial.”

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