Human rights commish visits DFC PAGE 16 NAN youth win writing awards PAGE 17 Danny Cutfeet closer to becoming a physician PAGE 3 Northern Ontario’s First Nation Voice since 1974 Vol. 36 #26 December 29, 2009 9,300 copies distributed $1.50 www.wawataynews.ca www.wawataynews.ca Sending you warm and heartfelt Sending you warm and heartfelt wishes for the New Year. wishes for the New Year. Hitting their mark Debbie Mishibinijima/Wawatay News The Grade 1 students take a bow after performing “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer” during Sioux Mountain Public School’s Christmas pageant held on Dec. 16 in Sioux Lookout. For more photos, see page 6. H1N1 outbreak learning experience for Fiddler ᑯᑯᔑᐊᑭᑯᑲᐃᐧᐣ ᑲᑭᐃᔑᐱᒥᔭᓂᒧᒋᑲᑌᐠ ᐅᑭᐅᒋ ᓂᓯᑕᐁᐧᑕᐣ ᐊᑕᑦ ᐱᐟᓫᐊᕑ ᕑᐃᐠ ᑲᕑᐃᐠ ᐊᐧᐊᐧᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐃᐧᓇᐣ ᓀᑲᐃᐧᓴᑲᐃᑲᐣ ᐅᑭᒪᑲᐣ ᐊᑕᑦ ᐱᐟᓫᐊᕑ ᐅᑭᔭᓂᒧᑕᐣ ᐊᓂᐣ ᑲᑭᐃᔑ ᐊᔭᑲᐧᒥᓯᑲᑕᐠ ᑎᐸᒋᒧᐃᐧᓂᐠ ᐃᓀᑫ ᒣᑲᐧᐨ ᐊᐱ ᐅᑕᔑᑫᐃᐧᓂᐠ ᑲᑭᐱᑕᑯᔑᓄᒪᑲᓂᑭᐸᐣ ᑯᑯᔑᐊᑭᑯᑲᐃᐧᓂ. ᔐᒪᐠ ᐣᑭᑐᑕᐣ ᐁᑭᐃᔑᐃᐧᒋᐊᐧᐠ ᑲᐅᑭᒪᐅᐨ ᒪᐡᑭᑭᐃᐧᑫᐧ ᓇᑐᑕᒧᐃᐧᑲᒥᑯᐠ ᐃᐁᐧ ᐊᐱ, ᐃᑭᑐ ᐱᐟᓫᐊᕑ . ᐁᑲᐧ ᑕᐡ ᐣᑭᐊᓂᒧᑕᒥᐣ ᑯᑯᔑᐊᑭᑯᑲᐃᐧᐣ ᒪᔭᑦ ᐃᑯ ᐁᑭᐊᐧᐃᐧᑕᒪᐠ ᐊᓂᐡ ᐃᐁᐧ ᐁᑭᐃᓯᓭᐠ ᐣᑕᓂᔑᓂᓂᒪᐠ ᐁᑭᓄᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᐁᐧᓂ ᐁᔭᓂᒧᒋᑲᑌᓂᐠ ᐸᐸᑲᐣ ᑎᐸᒋᒧᐃᐧᓂᐠ ᑐᑲᐣ ᑎᐱᒪᓯᓇᑌᓯᒋᑫᐃᐧᓂᐠ, ᓇᑐᑕᒧᐃᐧᓂᐠ ᒥᓇ ᑎᐸᒋᒧᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᓂᐠ ᐁᑲᐧ ᑕᐡ ᐣᑭᑐᑕᒥᐣ ᐁᑭᑲᑫᐧ ᒪᔭᑦ ᐊᐧᐃᐧᑕᒪᐊᐧᑭᑕᐧ ᒪᐡᑭᑭᐃᐧᑫᐧᐠ ᑲᑭᐃᔑᑲᑭᑫᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ. ᑭᐃᑭᑐ ᒥᓇ ᐁᐸᑯᓭᑕᑯᓯᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᓂᑲᓂᑕᒪᑫᐠ ᐃᒪ ᐅᑕᔑᑫᐃᐧᓂᐠ ᒋᓇᓄᑕᑯᓯᐊᐧᐨ ᓇᑐᑕᒧᐃᐧᑲᒥᑯᐠ ᐁᑲᐧ ᒋᐸᑭᑎᓇᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᒪᔭᑦ ᐃᐧᑕᒪᑫᐃᐧᓇᐣ ᐊᐁᐧᓀᓇᐠ ᐃᑭᐁᐧᓂᐊᐧᐠ ᑲᐊᑯᓯᐊᐧᐨ ᓇᐣᑕ ᒥᓇ ᐊᐧᓂᓇᐊᐧᑲᐠ ᓇᐣᑕ ᐃᐧᓂᐯᐠ ᑲᑭᐃᐸᐦᐃᑕᐧ. ᓇᑐᑕᒧᑲᒥᐠ ᓇᐱᐨ ᑭᑕᐸᑕᐣ ᐣᑕᔑᑫᐃᐧᓂᓇᓂᐠ , ᐃᑭᑐ ᐱᐟᓫᐊᕑ . ᑕᐱᐡᑯᐨ ᐃᑯ ᐁᐃᓇᐧᑌᐠ ᐃᒪ ᐁᐅᒋ ᔕᐯᐧᐁᐧᓯᒋᑲᓄᐊᐧᐠ ᑲᑭᓇ ᐊᐃᐧᔭ ᒋᐅᒋ ᐱᒥᑭᑫᑕᒧᓂᐨ ᐅᐡᑭ ᑫᑯᐣ ᑲᔭᓂᐊᐃᓯᓭᐠ . ᑲᑭᓇ ᑲᔦ ᐅᐱᓯᐣᑕᐣ ᓇᑐᑕᒧᐃᐧᓂ, ᐊᐊᐧᔑᔐᓴᐠ , ᓇᐯᐊᐧᐠ , ᐃᑫᐧᐊᐧᐠ ᒥᓇ ᑭᒋᐦᐊᐠ. ᑭᐃᑭᑐ ᒥᓇ ᒥᑐᓂ ᒥᐢᑕᐦᐃ ᐸᑲᓂᓭ ᐸᑲᐣ ᐊᑲᐧᒋᐠ ᑲᐱᐅᐣᒋᓭᐠ ᑎᐸᒋᒧᐃᐧᐣ ᐁᑲᐧ ᒥᓇ ᐊᐱᐣ ᑲᐱ ᐱᐣᑎᑫᓭᐠ ᑕᔑᑫᐃᐧᓂᐠ ᑲᐱᐃᐧᐣᒋᑲᑌᐠ. ᐃᐁᐧ ᐃᔑᐸᑲᓂᓭ, ᒪᐊᐧᐨ ᐃᑯ ᐁᑲᑫᐧ ᒪᒪᑕᐃᐧᑕᑯᒧᒋᑲᑌᑭᐣ ᑎᐸᒋᒧᐃᐧᓇᐣ , ᒥᑕᐡ ᐃᒪ ᐁᐅᒋ ᑭᐱᑎᐸᓂᐦᐅᔭᐣ ᑭᔭᐱᐨ ᐁᐃᐧᑲᑫᐧᑭᑫᑕᒪᐣ ᑲᐃᓇᑐᑌᐠ , ᐃᑭᑐ ᐱᐟᓫᐊᕑ . ᐊᑎᑲ ᐃᒪ ᐣᑕᔑᑫᐃᐧᓂᐠ ᐣᐸᑯᓭᑕᑯᐢ ᒋᐃᔓᔭᐣ ᓇᑐᑕᒧᐃᐧᑲᒥᑯᐠ ᒋᐃᐧᑕᒪᐣ ᐊᐁᐧᓀᐣ ᐊᑯᓯᐃᐧᑲᒥᑯᐠ ᑲᑭᐃᔑᐃᐧᓂᐣᐨ . ᑲᐧᓂᐣ ᐃᑯ ᐊᓂᔕ ᐁᐃᐧᐅᒋ ᑲᑫᐧᑲᑭᑫᒋᑲᑌᐠ ᐊᐃᐧᔭ ᐁᓇᓀᑲᒋᐃᐧᑐᐨ . ᑲᐧᓂᐣ ᐃᐁᐧ . ᓂᒪᐡᑲᐃᐧᓯᒥᐣ ᐃᒪ ᐣᑌᐯᐧᑕᒧᐃᐧᓂᓇᐣ , ᑭᔭᑦ ᐃᒪ ᐣᑕᔭᒥᒋᑫᐃᐧᓂᓇᓂᐠ ᓇᐣᑕ ᐣᑕᓂᔑᓂᓂᐃᐧ ᐃᔑᑕᐃᐧᓂᓇᓂᐠ , ᒥᑐᓂ ᐱᑯ ᒪᐡᑲᐃᐧᓯᒪᑲᐣ ᑲᑌᐯᐧᑕᐊᐧᔭᐠ ᓂᒪᓂᑐᒥᓇᐣ, ᐁᑲᐧ ᑭᐡᐱᐣ ᐃᔑᐊᔭᒥᐦᐊᔭᐠ ᐁᒪᐡᑲᐊᐧᐠ ᑲᐊᔭᒥᒋᑲᓄᐊᐧᐠ , ᐊᒥ ᑌᐯᐧ ᐁᑐᑕᒪᐠ ᐁᔭᓂᒧᒪᔭᐠ ᐊᐃᐧᔭ ᑲᐊᑯᓯᐨ ᑲᑭᓇ ᒋᑭᐅᒋ ᐊᔭᒥᒋᑫᑕᒪᐊᐧᐊᐧᐨ . ᐊᒥᐦᐃᒪ ᐁᐅᒋ ᑲᑫᐧᓇᑕᒪᐊᐧᔭᐠ ᑲᒪᑌᐊᔭᐨ ᐊᑯᓯᐃᐧᑲᒥᑯᐠ. ᐃᑭᑐ ᒥᓇ ᒥᑐᓂ ᐱᑯ ᐁᑭᒋᓀᑕᐠ ᐃᐁᐧᓂ ᑲᑭᐃᔑ ᐱᒪᓄᑲᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᐁᐧᓂ ᐊᑯᓯᐃᐧᓂ ᐅᑕᓇᐠ ᓂᐱᓄᐠ. ᑲᐃᐧᐣ ᒥᓇ ᐣᑐᒋᑲᑫᐧ ᐃᔑᓂᑲᑕᓯᐣ ᑭᒋᒪᒋᓭᐃᐧᐣ, ᐃᑭᑐ. ᐃᒪ ᓂᒪᒥᑐᓀᒋᑲᓂᐠ ᑲᐃᐧᐣ ᐣᑭᐅᒋᐃᓀᑕᓯᐣ ᑕᐱᐡᑯᐨ ᒋᑭᒋᒪᒋᓭᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧᐠ , ᐅᒋᑕ ᐱᑯ ᐁᐡᑲᑦ ᐁᐃᔑᓇᑭᐡᑭᑲᑌᐠ ᑲᐱᒪᑎᓯᓇᓄᐊᐧᐠ . ᒋᐊᓄᑲᑌᐠ ᑕᐡ ᐃᑯ ᐁᑲᐧ ᐃᐧᐣ ᑭᐡᐱᐣ ᐃᔑᑲᓇᐊᐧᐸᑕᒪᐠ ᑕᐱᐡᑯᐨ ᐁᑭᒋᒪᒋᓭᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧᐠ , ᐊᒥᐱᑯ ᐁᔑᓇᑲᐧᐠ ᒪᐊᐧᐨ ᐃᑯ ᑲᑭᒋᔭᓂᒪᐠ ᑫᑯᐣ ᐁᓇᑭᐡᑲᒪᐠ, ᑲᐃᐧᐣ ᑕᐡ ᐃᐧᐣ ᐃᐁᐧ ᒋᐅᒋᐃᓯᓭᔭᐠ . ᐃᐁᐧ ᐱᑯ ᐁᐡᑲᑦ ᑫᑯᐣ ᑲᐊᐃᓯᓭᓇᓄᐊᐧᐠ ᑭᑭᐃᔑᓇᑭᐡᑲᒥᐣ ᐁᑲᐧ ᑕᐡ ᐣᑕᓄᑭᓇᑲᓂᒪᐠ ᑌᐯᐧ ᐅᑭᑭᒋᔭᓄᑲᑕᓇᐊᐧ ᐁᑭᒪᒥᓄᓯᑐᐊᐧᐨ. ᐱᐟᓫᐊᕑ ᐃᑭᑐ ᐃᐧᐸᐨ ᐊᐱᐣ ᑲᓄᑕᐠ ᐃᐁᐧᓂ, ᔐᒪᐠ ᑭᐃᔕ ᓇᑐᑕᒧᐃᐧᑲᒥᑯᐠ ᐁᑭᐃᐧᒋᐊᐧᐨ ᐊᑎᐟ ᐅᑐᓇᔓᐁᐧᐃᐧᓂᓂᒪᐣ , ᐅᑕᑯᓯᐊᐧᓄᑭᑕᒪᑫᐠ ᐁᑲᐧ ᑲᐅᑭᒪᐅᐨ ᒪᐡᑭᑭᐃᐧᑫᐧ ᒪᔭᑦ ᐁᑭᑲᑫᐧ ᐊᐧᐃᐧᑕᒪᑫᐊᐧᐨ ᐊᓂᐣ ᐁᔑᐁᐧᐸᓂᐠ. ᐣᑭᐊᐧᐃᐧᑕᒪᑫᒥᐣ ᐊᓂᐣ ᐁᔑᔭᓂᒥᓭᐠ , ᐁᑲᐧ ᒥᓇ ᐣᑭᐊᐧᐃᐧᑕᒪᑫᒥᐣ ᐊᓂᐣ ᑫᑭᑐᒋᑲᑌᑭᐸᐣ ᐅᐁᐧ ᑲᐃᔑᔭᓂᒥᓭᐠ, ᐃᑭᑐ ᐱᐟᓫᐊᕑ. ᐣᑭᐃᐧᑕᒪᐊᐧᒥᐣ ᐣᑕᓂᔑᓂᓂᒥᓇᓂᐠ ᐁᐊᑯᓯᐊᐧᐨ ᐊᑎᐟ ᐊᐃᐧᔭᐠ ᐅᒪ ᑭᑕᔑᑫᐃᐧᓂᓇᓂᐠ ᐁᑲᐧ ᐊᒥ ᑕᐱᐡᑯᐨ ᐁᓀᒋᑲᑌᐠ ᐁᑯᑯᔑᐊᑭᑯᑲᐊᐧᐨ. ᐱᔾᓫᐊᕑ ᐃᑭᑐ ᑲᐅᑭᒪᐅᓂᐨ ᒪᐡᑭᑭᐃᐧᑫᐧᐣ ᔐᒪᐠ ᐅᑭᐃᐧᑕᒪᑯᐣ ᐊᐱ ᑲᑭᐃᐡᑲᐧ ᓇᓄᑕᑯᓯᐊᐧᐨ ᓇᑐᑕᒧᐃᐧᑲᒥᑯᐠ ᐁᑲᐧ ᒋᑲᑫᐧᐊᐦᔓᓱᐨ ᒋᐱᑲᑲᓄᓂᑯᐨ ᑲᓇᓇᑕᐃᐧ ᑎᐸᒋᒧᐃᐧᓀᐊᐧᐨ ᐊᐱᐣ ᐊᔕ ᑲᑭᐃᐡᑲᐧ ᐸᑭᑎᓇᐠ ᐅᑎᐸᒋᒧᐃᐧᐣ. ᒥᑕᐡ ᑲᑭᐃᓇᐠ ᐁᑲ ᐃᐧᐣ ᑫᑯᐣ ᐁᐊᔭᔭᐣ ᒋᑭᑲᑕᒪᐊᐧᑲᐧ ᐣᑕᓂᔑᓂᓂᒪᐠ , ᐃᑭᑐ ᐱᐟᓫᐊᕑ . ᐃᓯᓭ ᐱᑯ ᒋᐃᔕᔭᐣ ᓇᑐᑕᒧᐃᐧᑲᒥᑯᐠ ᒋᓇᑕᐃᐧ ᑎᐸᒋᒧᔭᐣ. ᐱᐟᓫᐊᕑ ᒥᓇ ᐃᑭᑐ ᐊᐱ ᐊᐃᐧᔭᐠ ᑫᑯᓂ ᑲᔭᓂᒧᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ , ᐊᒥᐱᑯ ᐁᓯᓭᐠ ᐸᐸᑲᐣ ᐁᔭᓂ ᐃᓂᑕᑲᐧᐠ ᒥᓇ ᑲᐃᐧᐣ ᐊᐱᐣ ᒪᔭᑦ ᒋᐃᓇᒋᒧᒪᑲᐠ. ᐁᑲᐧ ᒥᓇ ᑯᑕᐠ ᔐᒪᐠ ᐣᑭᑐᑕᒥᐣ ᐁᑭᔭᐸᒋᑐᔭᐠ ᑯᑕᐠ ᐊᐸᒋᒋᑲᐣ , ᐃᐣᑐᕑᓀᐟ , ᐃᑭᑐ ᐱᐟᓫᐊᕑ . ᐊᒥᐦᐃᒪ ᑲᑭᐅᑎᓇᒪᐠ ᒪᔭᑦ ᐃᐧᑕᒪᑫᐃᐧᓇᐣ ᑲᐃᔑᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᑌᑭᐣ ᐁᑲᐧ ᐊᒥᐦᐃᒪ ᑲᑭᐅᒋ ᐃᐧᑕᒪᑫᔭᐠ . ᐣᑭᐃᓇᐸᒋᑐᒥᐣ ᒋᐅᒋ ᑭᑫᑕᒧᓂᑕᐧ ᐣᑕᓂᔑᓂᓂᒥᓇᓂᐠ ᐁᑲᐧ ᒥᓇ ᔕᑯᐨ ᐣᑭᑭᑫᑕᒥᐣ ᐊᐃᐧᔭᐠ ᐊᑲᐧᒋᐠ ᑕᔑᑫᐃᐧᓂᐠ ᑲᐊᔭᐊᐧᐨ ᒥᓇ ᐱᑯ ᑲᓇᓇᑕᐃᐧᑎᐸᒋᒧᐃᐧᓀᐊᐧᐨ ᒋᓇᑕᐁᐧᑕᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᐁᐧᓂ ᐃᐧᑕᒪᑫᐃᐧᓂ. ᒥᑕᐡ ᑲᑭᑐᑕᒪᐠ ᑕᓱᑭᔑᑲ ᐁᑭᐸᑭᑎᓇᒪᐠ ᐅᐡᑭ ᑎᐸᒋᒧᐃᐧᓇᐣ. ᐱᐟᓫᐊᕑ ᐃᑭᑐ ᑕᐱᐡᑯᐨ ᐃᑭᑐ ᑲᐱᒥᐃᐡᑯᓄᐨ ᒪᐡᑭᑭᐃᐧᓂᓂ ᑭᐃᓀᑕᑦ ᒣᑲᐧᐨ ᑲᐱᒥ ᐊᐧᐃᐧᑕᒪᐃᐧᐨ ᒪᐡᑭᑭᐣ ᒥᓇ ᑯᑕᑭᔭᐣ ᒪᐡᑭᑭᐣ ᑲᔭᐸᑕᑭᐣ ᐁᑲ ᒋᑭᐅᒋ ᐊᑯᓯᓇᓄᐊᐧᐠ ᐊᑭᑯᑲᐊᐧᐱᓀᐃᐧᐣ. ᐃᓇᐱᐣ ᐸᑭᑭᓂᑲᓂᐠ 8 Rick Garrick Wawatay News Sandy Lake Chief Adam Fiddler spoke about handling media communi- cations during his community’s H1N1 outbreak at the Northern Ontario First Nations Communications Conference. “Immediately I went on the local radio (station) with the acting nurse in charge at the nursing station at the time,” Fiddler said. “We went on and talked about it (H1N1) because peo- ple were getting information from the media, television, radio and newspaper and we wanted to go on and provide the accurate information from what the nurses knew.” Fiddler said there is an expectation from the community that the leader- ship goes on the community radio sta- tion and shares accurate information about people who are ill or have been medivaced to Sioux Lookout or Win- nipeg. “The radio is … quite an important tool in our community,” Fiddler said. “The radio is like a public address system. Everybody is listening to the radio, right from the small children to the men and women to the Elders.” Fiddler said there is a big difference between the mainstream media and how the community shares informa- tion. “One of the differences is … what makes news is sensational stories, something that grabs your attention,” Fiddler said. “In my community the expectation is there that I go on and talk about someone who is sick at the hospital. It’s not because we have this morbid curiosity about somebody else’s suffering. That’s not it at all. We have a strong faith in prayers, whether it’s traditional or Christianity, we have a strong belief in a higher power, and if we pray there is strength in prayer, so we go on and we talk about somebody so we can pray for them as a commu- nity. We send positive energy to that person that is in hospital.” Fiddler said he is proud of how his community dealt with the H1N1 out- break this past June. “I was trying not to call it a crisis,” Fiddler said. “In my mind it wasn’t a crisis, it was a fact of life. We were dealing with an issue but if you talk about it as a crisis, it sounds like some- thing major that is happening and that wasn’t the case. We just had a situation we needed to deal with and our staff worked very hard.” Fiddler said as soon as he had infor- mation, he went on the community radio with some of the band council- lors, health staff and the nurse in charge to explain what was happening. see DON’T page 8 TELL US WHAT YOU THINK Send your comments to: [email protected] or send to: Wawatay News 16-5th Avenue North P.O. Box 1180 Sioux Lookout ON P8T 1B7
Transcript
Human rights commish visits DFCPAGE 16
NAN youth win writing awardsPAGE 17
Danny Cutfeet closer to becoming a physicianPAGE 3
Northern Ontario’s First Nation Voice since 1974
Vol. 36 #26 December 29, 2009 9,300 copies distributed $1.50
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Sending you warm and heartfeltSending you warm and heartfelt wishes for the New Year.wishes for the New Year.
Hitting their mark
Debbie Mishibinijima/Wawatay NewsThe Grade 1 students take a bow after performing “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer” during Sioux Mountain Public School’s Christmas pageant held on Dec. 16 in Sioux Lookout. For more photos, see page 6.
Sandy Lake Chief Adam Fiddler spoke about handling media communi-cations during his community’s H1N1 outbreak at the Northern Ontario First Nations Communications Conference.
“Immediately I went on the local radio (station) with the acting nurse in charge at the nursing station at the time,” Fiddler said. “We went on and talked about it (H1N1) because peo-ple were getting information from the media, television, radio and newspaper and we wanted to go on and provide the accurate information from what the nurses knew.”
Fiddler said there is an expectation from the community that the leader-ship goes on the community radio sta-tion and shares accurate information about people who are ill or have been medivaced to Sioux Lookout or Win-nipeg.
“The radio is … quite an important tool in our community,” Fiddler said. “The radio is like a public address system. Everybody is listening to the radio, right from the small children to the men and women to the Elders.”
Fiddler said there is a big difference between the mainstream media and how the community shares informa-tion.
“One of the differences is … what makes news is sensational stories, something that grabs your attention,” Fiddler said. “In my community the expectation is there that I go on and
talk about someone who is sick at the hospital. It’s not because we have this morbid curiosity about somebody else’s suffering. That’s not it at all. We have a strong faith in prayers, whether it’s traditional or Christianity, we have a strong belief in a higher power, and if we pray there is strength in prayer, so we go on and we talk about somebody so we can pray for them as a commu-nity. We send positive energy to that person that is in hospital.”
Fiddler said he is proud of how his community dealt with the H1N1 out-break this past June.
“I was trying not to call it a crisis,” Fiddler said. “In my mind it wasn’t a crisis, it was a fact of life. We were dealing with an issue but if you talk about it as a crisis, it sounds like some-thing major that is happening and that wasn’t the case. We just had a situation we needed to deal with and our staff worked very hard.”
Fiddler said as soon as he had infor-mation, he went on the community radio with some of the band council-lors, health staff and the nurse in charge to explain what was happening.
see DON’T page 8
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2 Wawatay News DECEMBER 29, 2009 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ
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Chris KornackiWawatay News
As part of Meno Ya Win Health Centre’s training process for new health service and care-giver employees, they offer a workshop called Bimaadiziwin, which means Way of Life.
The workshop is aimed at educating people who are new to the north about First Nation traditions, history and culture.
Esther Vangennip, honoured fellow at the Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution, said the workshop is held in partnership with Elders, leaders, healers and survivors of the residen-tial schools as well as Meno Ya Win staff, other members of the community and representatives from the Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution.
“The purpose of the program is to create a deeper under-standing of cultures and tradi-tions so that the service provid-ers and the caregivers offering health care services for Meno Ya Win are able to get a better and deeper understanding and appreciation of the culture and traditions they are serving.
“This way they can honour the traditions as well as move towards a place of cultural com-petence thus improving client safety and client care,” Vangen-nip said.
The workshop training that takes place at Bimaadiziwin looks at conflict resolution tools and principles, which emphasize dignity and respect. “Through dignity and respect it establishes a foundation of trust. With that foundation of trust we are able to get to a place of truth. And when you are speak-ing from a place of truth there is a greater level of commitment and a greater sense of working
together collaboratively,” Van-gennip also said.
Since Meno Ya Win supports community members from remote northern communities there was a need to create a system that supports these com-munity members and supports their health care services and traditions. Bimaadiziwin is an attempt at filling that need.
Roger Walker, former CEO of Meno Ya Win, shared his vision and the vision of Meno Ya Win with the participants at the lat-est Bimaadiziwin workshop held at the Moose Horn Lodge in Sioux Lookout.
“We’re trying to move from an area of cultural destructive-ness to an area of cultural safety. We can work together with the people that need our help, so all of us can be safe. The best way to do this is to get knowledge and information of people and this will build awareness in us,” said Walker.
“We try and bridge cultures and traditions in such a way that honours the beliefs and val-ues to move towards a path of healing. This program (Bimaa-diziwin) highlights cultural competency in the workplace by honouring diversity.
For example you may have an elder come into the hospital from a northern community and he chooses to use a smudge or a feather as part of his heal-ing process. Meno Ya Win wants to have their staff not only accommodate that need, but also respect it too,” Vangennip said.
“This program is raising cul-tural awareness to avoid conflict and to respect cultural diversity. Its goal is to give the caregivers and service providers a deeper understanding of their patients needs,” said Vangennip.
Meno Ya Win holds Bimaadiziwin workshops
Chris Kornacki/Wawatay NewsRoger Walker, former CEO of the Meno Ya Win Health Centre shared his vision of the hospital at the latest Bimaadiziwin workshop held at the Moose Horn Lodge in Sioux Lookout. Bimaadiziwin means Way of Life, and the workshops are aimed at raising First Nations cultural awareness and understanding with the caregiving staff at Meno Ya Win.
Wawatay News DECEMBER 29, 2009 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ 3
Irene DubeSpecial to Wawatay News
Danny Cutfeet is finishing his fourth year at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) and well on his way to becoming a doctor. His jour-ney wasn’t an easy one, and is far from being over, but this KI band member knows the jour-ney is just as important as the destination.
Born in Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) this 34-year-old father of two started his jour-ney into medicine with goals of coming back to the north.
“I was looking at being a paramedic and then a nurse. I didn’t realize I could get into med school,” Cutfeet said. “My mother was a nurse and a huge influence. I wanted to do some-thing to contribute and be help-ful in some way.”
He recalls his childhood in KI, Wunnumin Lake and Sum-mer Beaver where he grew up like any other kid and witnessed first-hand what the communi-ties needed, and figured out he wanted to do something to help.
“A lot of it really, and I guess everyone has to ask themselves this, was what I wanted to do with my life and what will make me happy.”
“I have very fond memories of living up north. It was a good time to be living up there. It was before power, before genera-tors, before running water,” he said.
“I still remember going down to see the planes come in and seeing who was coming in.”
Cutfeet can identify strongly with the challenges that youth in First Nations communities struggle with every day, and he knows that educational goals can sometimes seem hard to reach.
“I think it’s hard for them to think ‘what is my future and what can I accomplish?’ My feelings are to turn that around
and look around your commu-nity and see what’s needed,” Cutfeet said.
“It requires looking around
you in a different way. No one else is going to do this but you. Don’t wait for other people to do it, no one else can do it quite
right or as good as you. Espe-cially when you’re from that community and you know how things need to get done.”
In May 2009, Cutfeet will be finishing his time at the Thun-der Bay campus of NOSM and is already applying for resi-dency, which will take two to three more years. He is apply-ing at both NOSM, as well as the University of British Colum-bia. While he wants to work in northern Ontario, he is excited about the opportunities in BC also.
“I just want to work in other First Nations communities and see how they’re managing their selves and see their problems and solutions,” he said
Cutfeet is also preparing to study emergency medicine in his third year of residency, as he wants to better prepare himself for working in isolated commu-nities.
“Working in isolated com-munities means I’ll have limited resources and backup. In terms of comfort level, a year in emer-gency would really help.”
Cutfeet also has an interest in international work and thinks of medicine globally.
“Canada has one solution to health, and there are other places in the world that have a different mindset. I’m curious about that. What I’d like to do ultimately is to provide a better health strategy for the north and northwestern Ontario. I don’t think what is occurring is adequate. The inadequacies, health or not, are quite appar-ent.”
And it was these apparent inadequacies that inspired Cut-feet to overcome his hurdles and work hard to do something about it.
“Becoming a doctor and get-ting into med school wasn’t easy. My education background
was fine arts. I had to go back to school. I had to re-educate myself. I had to take classes I hadn’t taken in awhile. It was hard and it was a struggle at times,” he said. “I wasn’t nec-essarily born to be a doctor and actually I hadn’t really thought of it early on. I was a late bloomer so to speak.”
His background in fine arts still plays a large role in his life, but comes second to his family and of course his career path.
“Art definitely gets sidelined. I’d like to delve into that, and I will. But I’ve got other priori-ties,” said Cutfeet.
Danny treats his education like a job, taking time to go to school and study, and his other part of the day is for his family.
“I always try and find some time to spend with family. It’s very important.”
“It’s also very helpful and has given me strength through all this. Sometimes I’ll be on call and coming home late at night, but it’s nice to just be home with them.”
His advice to youth living in a remote community like the ones he grew up in is to start thinking about what they want to do and not be afraid to ask.
“Approach people you know. Approach people you don’t know. Doctors and nurses are always open to answering ques-tions. “
Cutfeet also recommends job shadowing to see what’s really done.
“Try to get an idea of what is out there. Maybe you don’t want to be a nurse or doctor, but there’s EMS or a paramedic. There are a lot of different careers in health. Even admin-istration.”
Article appears courtesy of Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority
Cutfeet preparing for medical residency
photo courtesy of James CutfeetDanny Cutfeet sits with his son Nodin, in Thunder Bay. Cutfeet, a Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug band member, will soon complete his fourth year of medical school in Thunder Bay.
Rick GarrickWawatay News
Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninu-wug Chief Donny Morris said Platinex Inc.’s agreement to drop its lawsuits and surren-der its mining claims is a “good Christmas present for the com-munity.”
“I have to say I’m feeling happy about it,” Morris said, about 10 minutes after reading the Dec. 14 press release issued by the Ontario government stating Ontario had reached an agreement to settle litigation with Platinex that will provide greater certainty to the com-pany and allow the province to continue to build its relation-ship with KI.
“I consider the decision of Platinex to not proceed with mining exploration in our terri-tory as a major victory,” Morris said later in a KI press release, dated Dec. 14. “My community was determined to stop Platinex and the Ontario government from arbitrarily imposing a mine at Nemeigusabins Lake.”
Morris said his community had been concerned about pos-sible environmental issues stem-ming from the development of a mine so near to the lake from which they have always derived their livelihood.
“Our concern was the site contaminating the (Big Trout) Lake,” Morris said, noting the community uses the lake for fishing and hunting. “It was too close. It was more of an environ-mental issue.”
KI’s chief and council pre-vented Platinex from continu-
ing with its mining exploration activities in KI’s traditional territories on two occasions, including an Aug. 26 attempt by Platinex to land a float plane on Nemeigusabins Lake which was disrupted by Morris as he oper-ated a boat on the lake.
The first incident eventually led to the March 2008 imposi-tion of six-month jail sentences by Justice Patrick Smith on Mor-ris, Deputy Chief Jack McKay, Head Coun. Cecilia Begg, coun-cillors Sam McKay and Darryl Sainnawap and band employee Bruce Sakakeep for contempt of court for breaking an October 2007 court order which allowed Platinex to begin exploratory drilling at Nemeigusabins Lake.
The KI 6, as the imprisoned KI leaders became to be known, were released May 28, 2008 after serving more than two months of their six-month sen-tences.
After his release, Sam McKay said he made good use of his time in jail by reading books and documents on his community’s situation and was prepared to serve his whole sentence.
“We believed we had a good chance of getting out,” McKay said at the time.
“But we were not ready to change our views and beliefs to do. We were all prepared to serve the entire duration of the sentence.”
John Cutfeet, who was also charged with the KI 6 but chose to follow a different path and was never jailed, said in a Feb. 2009 presentation to a class of Exploring Human Diversity stu-dents at Confederation College that his community was still in negotiation for lands which they had not received but were enti-tled to under the 1929 Adhe-sion to the James Bay Treaty 9, so the community had placed a full moratorium on the lands until the land claim process was settled.
“Because our people have not given up their consent to give up all their rights, Aboriginal title still remains in that territory,” Cutfeet said. “In the eye of our community, those lands we talk about, the traditional lands, are not officially Crown lands until the people say they are giving up those lands.”
KI is now planning to meet with the Ontario government early in the New Year to work on developing a memorandum of cooperation.
“The memorandum of coop-eration will become a model of how future problems like this will not happen again,” Morris said in the press release. “The province needs to know that mining is a very serious issue for us. We went to jail to protect our land and we are prepared to go
back to jail if necessary. I think the province needs to recognize that our free prior informed consent is necessary or mining development in the north could become a very expensive fail-ure.”
Aboriginal Affairs Minister Brad Duguid said the Ontario government has been enter-ing into a number of bilateral agreements with First Nations to build a new relationship.
“We are working with KI to establish a better relationship, a more open and trusting rela-tionship,” Duguid said, explain-ing he has already had a num-ber of good discussions with KI’s chief and council. “I visited KI over the last number of months. We have a get together planned for January.”
Duguid said the province and KI are working towards a more progressive relationship that will lead to improvements in the quality of life for the people of KI.
“We’re working towards a brighter future,” Duguid said.
Ontario reached the agree-ment with Platinex to settle on-going litigation over the company’s Big Trout Lake Prop-erty in return for $5 million and potential future royalty interest on the property. In addition, the government will withdraw those lands from staking and mineral exploration.
“This is a unique situation, and I am pleased that we were able to reach a fair and reason-able negotiated settlement that will provide greater certainty to Platinex while allowing our gov-ernment to continue working
with KI to strengthen our rela-tionship and to pursue future opportunities,” said Michael Gravelle, minister of Northern Development, Mines and For-estry.
The settlement will assist Platinex in moving forward with exploration and develop-ment of its other mining proper-ties in Ontario, and responds to KI’s past concerns.
“Platinex is pleased to be able to recover value for the Big Trout Lake property,” said Jim Trusler, president and CEO of Platinex. “It became apparent that the company was not going to be able to access the prop-erty. We can now focus on our other PGE and Gold properties and the money will enable Plat-
inex to execute its business plan. Should the Ontario g o v e r n m e n t allow future e x p l o r a t i o n on the former property we would expect to benefit from
the future development of the very significant platinum poten-tial. The company is excited to be moving forward with explo-ration and looks forward to announcing a drill program on its Shining Tree gold property for the winter months.”
Should the province, at its discretion, issue new mineral tenure on the lands in the next 25 years and a mine be devel-oped, Platinex would be entitled to receive a royalty of 2.5 per cent of the mine revenues paid
by the mine operator if a mine is developed. This kind of royalty is common industry practice.
The Ontario government announced Dec. 16 it would be conducting broad-based consultations with First Nation and Métis communities, min-eral industry stakeholders and interested members of the pub-lic from January to June 2010 in many northern communities. Letters, emails and phone calls will also be accepted in Januray.
“This new phase of consulta-tion is a very important part of the Mining Act modernization process,” Gravelle said. “We are looking to Aboriginal communi-ties, industry stakeholders and interested members of the pub-lic to help us develop the best possible regulations, programs, policies, procedures and infor-mation technology solutions for our new Mining Act.”
A workbook is now avail-able to guide public comments and consultations; it provides a framework on the “ground rules” that will be implemented within Ontario’s new Mining Act, including requirements for exploration plans and per-mits, Aboriginal consultation, a dispute resolution process for Aboriginal concerns, map staking, protection of sites of Aboriginal cultural significance, details of the awareness pro-gram for prospectors, and pro-visions for the withdrawal of Crown-held mineral rights on private land.
Information on the new min-ing act can be found at http://www.mndm.gov.on.ca/minin-gact/miningact_e.asp.
Platinex drops lawsuits, surrenders claims in KI lands
“My community was determined to stop Platinex and the Ontario government from arbitrarily imposing a mine at Nemeigusabins Lake.”
– Donny Morris
Morris
A pair of First Nations received early Christmas presents from different
levels of government.The provincial government
announced Dec. 14 it had settled an ongoing lawsuit by Platinex Inc. over mining claims and leases in Kitchenu-hmaykoosib Inninuwug’s tradi-tional lands.
By the time the lawsuit was settled, nearly four years had passed in the battle which saw millions spent in legal fees, six members of the First Nation jailed over contempt of court, battles over court-sanctioned access to the land and countless baseless allegations about inci-dents between the people of KI and those people they felt were trespassing on their land.
Just three days before KI got its good news, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada announced funding to build a new school in Attawapiskat had been secured.
This too has been a long time coming. The community was promised a new school by INAC in 2005, but it was told in December 2007 the project would be shelved for at least five years. In that time, Tim-ming-James Bay MP Charlie Angus, along with students from the community, has spear-headed efforts to bring a new school to Attawapiskat.
On Dec. 11, INAC confirmed $200,000 would be provided to assist the First Nation in updat-ing its school capital planning study.
“Funding is also planned for the design and construction phases for subsequent years,” said Susan Bertrand, manager of communications for INAC.
Bertrand explained the funds were made available due to the effectiveness of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, allowing INAC to commit to new invest-ments.
Attawapiskat has been with-out an elementary school since 2000 when it closed due to diesel fuel contamination. Since then, students have been taught in portables.
It is unfathomable that there are students in Attawapiskat who have never set foot in a real school: a school with a gym, library and walls and hallways that connect to one another
instead of running from one portable to another.
In both cases, I say it’s about time we saw some resolution on these issues.
It was obvious to me the leadership of KI would be much more likely to have themselves jailed again protecting their land than agree to have it drilled and explored any fur-ther.
In settling the lawsuit, Plat-inex agreed to drop its lawsuits and surrender its mining claims to the land. In exchange for dropping the lawsuit, Platinex received $5 million and poten-tial future royalty interest on the property. In addition, the government will withdraw those lands from staking and mineral exploration.
It appears this is the resolu-tion KI Chief Donny Morris was hoping for.
“I have to say I’m feeling happy about it,” Morris told Wawatay News.
Morris said his community has always been concerned about possible environmental issues stemming from the devel-opment of a mine so near to the lake from which they have always derived their livelihood.
“Our concern was the site contaminating the (Big Trout) Lake,” Morris said, noting the community uses the lake for fishing and hunting. “It was too close. It was more of an envi-ronmental issue.”
For their part, Platinex too will benefit from ending the litigation.
Rather than continually be blocked when trying to access the KI property, the company can focus on plans elsewhere with funds in hand to start development.
“Platinex is pleased to be able to recover value for the Big Trout Lake property,” said Platinex president and CEO Jim Trusler. “It became appar-ent that the company was not going to be able to access the property.
We can now focus on our other PGE and gold proper-ties and the money will enable Platinex to execute its business plan.”
As part of the deal, Platinex would be entitled to receive a royalty of 2.5 per cent of the mine revenues paid by the mine operator if a mine is developed.
Happy Birthday Wawatay
Toque group
Wawatay News archivesA group of winter ready children huddle for a photo in Pikangikum, early 1980’s.
16-5th Avenue North P.O. Box 1180 Sioux Lookout, ON P8T 1B7
Serving the First Nations in Northern Ontario since 1974. Wawa-tay News is a politically independent bi-weekly newspaper pub-
“...Platinex agreed to drop its lawsuits and surrender its mining claims to the land.”
Wawatay Native Com-munications Society, more popularly
known as simply Wawatay by the people from the Nish-nawbe-Aski Nation (NAN) area, is celebrating its 35th anniversary this December 2009.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this Native organization had been around for so long.
Wawatay was started in 1972 as a small independent newsletter published by the Sioux Lookout Friendship Cen-tre. The founders incorporated as an organization in 1974 and started its development as a regional organization to ser-vice the First Nation communi-ties of the NAN territory.
Elder Mason Koostachin of Fort Severn on the Hudson Bay coast suggested the name Wawatay, an Oji-Cree word that means northern lights, because he believed the work the organization would under-take would cover the distances between the communities in the same way as the Aurora Borealis stretches across and fills the night sky.
Due to the fact the organiza-tion started in the western part of Ontario my people on the James Bay Coast did not hear much about Wawatay until the early 1980s.
We received copies of the
newspaper once in a while and I can remember flipping through the pages of Wawatay when I was young. I recall feel-ing something special when I saw a paper devoted to Native people.
At a time when everything that arrived in our community only showcased the non-Native world, I felt a sense of pride in the fact that someone out there was putting out a real newspaper that talked about our people and portions of which were written in familiar syllabics.
Previous to the production of Wawatay, the only time we ever saw written syllabics in a printed document was in a translated version of the Catholic bible or hymn books in church.
In a way my language in syllabics never really felt like something I could really relate to as it was mostly tied to reli-gion. When Wawatay issued its newspaper that was a huge change and a division of lan-guage from religion. Wawatay in a way helped to give us back our language.
The organization branched out to a radio program from the start and during the first decade of its growth, Wawatay concentrated on the western portion of the NAN area. I remember the excitement and enthusiasm when it was announced that a Cree version of the Wawatay Radio network was going to be broadcast along the James Bay coast in 1986. Everyone back home in Attawapiskat wanted to tune in to be part of something that was made for us.
This was our radio station and the broadcasts were done by Cree people in our lan-guage. Even though we were still physically isolated, when we tuned into the Wawatay Radio program, we felt a sense of real connection to our neigh-bouring communities. Our world didn’t feel as lonely and remote. Our Elders were happy to listen to our traditional Cree language spoken by old friends and their sons and daughters talking about news, events and happenings along the coast and around the world. Wawa-tay’s radio waves bounced up and down the James Bay coast like the aurora borealis.
We never really listened to the radio before because it was in the English language and the only time anyone mentioned something about our home or our people, it was from a negative perspective of tragedy, crime or death.
The advent of Wawatay Cree Radio meant that we could take pride in the content we listened to and we could feel comforted by the fact that our language was being promoted by a regular regional program produced by our own people. We felt good about what we heard and we could laugh at the light hearted jokes and comments, in our own unique form of Cree humour provided by the announcers, the people who were interviewed and the Elders who shared their stories. Most importantly, we were kept informed about the stories affecting our communi-ties and events in the greater world. Our understanding of the world grew substantially.
In the late 1980s, our sense of cultural pride grew due to the fact that the newspaper was being regularly distrib-uted now, the radio program was on air every day and for a short time a Native produced television program was estab-lished. I remember while in high school in Timmins being interviewed by one of the hosts on camera for a taped segment to say ‘Wachiyeh’ to my family up north. At the time, there was regular content produced by the Ojibway broadcasters in the west and by the Cree peo-ple in the east and it felt good to see our people on air and to hear our languages repeated over the television airwaves.
This expansion did not last long due to funding cutbacks by the federal government in 1990 and the televised ver-sion of Wawatay was greatly diminished after this but the newspaper and radio portions continued.
I don’t think we really understand the impact that the Wawatay Communications Society has had on our people in the NAN area. Thanks to the vision and energy of its founding members, journalists and staff over the years First Nation people in northern Ontario have a better sense of who they are. Our traditions and culture have always been handed down through the ages in stories and Wawatay has served to enhance this process. Meegwetch to Wawatay for fighting to stay alive in the past and I hope our leadership and the government continues to support this essential service for many years to come.
Guest editorials, columnists and letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the views of Wawatay News.
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Wawatay News DECEMBER 29, 2009 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ 5
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Review of Long Term Management DirectionPic River Forest2011-2021 Forest Management Plan
CORRECTION – Please note the following amendment to the notice that ran in this publication at the beginning of December.
• Comments on the proposed long-term management direction for the Pic River Forest were to be received by Aaron Palmer of the planning team at the Ministry of Natural Resources Manitouwadge Area Offi ce by January 8, 2010. Please note that due to unforeseen circumstances this thirty (30) day public review period of the long-term management direction has been postponed for an undetermined length of time.
• A new notice will be posted in this publication detailing the general information regarding this FMP process when the Stage 2 thirty (30) day public review period has been determined.
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Review of Planned OperationsDryden Forest2011-2021 Forest Management Plan
CORRECTION – Please note the following amendments to the dates shown in the notice that ran in this publication on the second week of December.
• The Information Centre originally scheduled for Jan 13, 2010 has been rescheduled for February 10, 2010.
• The general information regarding the FMP process, as well as the information described in this notice, will be available at the Dryden Forest Management Company Ltd. (DFMC) offi ce and at the Ministry of Natural Resources Dryden District offi ce during normal offi ce hours for a period of sixty (60) days from February 10, 2010 to April 10, 2010.
• Comments on the Proposed Operations for the Dryden Forest must be received by Don Armit of the planning team at the Ministry of Natural Resources Dryden District Offi ce, by April 10, 2010.
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LETTERSStudy into all-season road routes should have been done alreadyre: Study to identify possible routes for James Bay area all-season road
It’s been a long time coming and should have been done years ago as transportation and accessibility is a right of all citizens in Ontario. It would stir the economy and provide spin off job creation resulting in, I believe, a better quality of life. As the costs of goods and transportation continues to be bottle necked for the past few decades, housing costs would have to be re-evaluated for First Nation communities and the list goes on and on.
Submitted by: Peter Wynnehttp://www.wawataynews.
ca/node/18790
re: Consultation to begin on Ontario’s new Mining Act
I think we need Archeolo-gists to do proper surveying and work along the same route as the surveyor belt handlers
do. You know the ones who go through the sand and dirt. If they ever come up with any artifacts or something impor-tant to stop the site for more surveying. I think that’s impor-tant. Save our past.
Submitted by: Cat Thunderhttp://www.wawataynews.
ca/node/18782
re: IFNA opens trust fund for Pikangikum family
I am glad that this has become public knowledge. I was thinking earlier, the reporters apparently tried to get into the hospital where she was. They thought that if the public would see the burns, that people would be moved to help her out. She is going to need all the help in whatever form it comes to her. Her life is altered for life, losing precious life/lives, and the baby that would’ve been born next month too. Victoria has asked me to do the funerals for her, this would
probably be a triple funeral, but she herself was not sure if she is going to be there, due to the burns not healing at the time of the funeral, but the date also has not been set.
There is so much lack of housing here in Pikangikum: families have to crowd into the houses and a lot of the houses are too old too, hardly seen any renovations in a long time. Just feel so sorry for my niece Victo-ria, that is a lot of loss. She told a little bit of what happened to her while trying to rescue her little girls. Hoping that help will come in for her and wish that more publications of what hap-pened would end up in the pub-lic. I’m broken hearted for her.
Submitted by: Smith Keeperhttp://www.wawataynews.
ca/node/18670
re: Kashechewan and Fort Albany sign impact agreement with De Beers
It is not the will of the people
that most agreements are signed. It is mostly the pressure from lawyers, bureaucrats, businesses, and of course, the chiefs and councils that make agreements go through. Any agreement can be good or bad, give or take from both sides. But in reality, the Nations involved have to pressure the governments into rectifying past injustices related to treaty. You are all Cree, and you have to voice and work for your col-lectives, so work together so you can see your communities become living again. There is potential in everybody, but the healing has to move forward where lateral violence and other forms of abuse have to be remedied. The Creator gave you the land for you to see to it that it serves you. So take care of it and use it to benefit your Nations, and take it back from those who may pillage it for their own pockets.
Submitted by: Anonymous http://www.wawataynews.
ca/node/18654
re: Kashechewan and Fort Albany sign impact agreement with De Beers
I say close the mine; protect the land, wildlife and animals that dwell on it. Why are we suffering for a shiny rock any-
ways? We die, we can’t take it to the after life and why would we want to? Ehkwannih Pihtihmah Whatcheeyeh!
Submitted by: Remihttp://www.wawataynews.
ca/node/18654
People must protect the land
Grinch visits Kashechewan during annual Christmas paradeThe Grinch shook his fist and
thumbed his nose at people watching the Christmas parade in Kashechewan on Dec. 12.
Balancing on the cab of a pickup, with a thumbs down and a waggle of his long pointy fingers, the Grinch told every-body what he thought of the Christmas season and especially of people having fun.
The parade watchers and participants all laughed at the Grinch and carried on with the festivities.
Nine floats altogether were decked out in glittering holiday finery and despite the icy blow-ing weather everyone was in fine spirits.
Claudius Hughie was the Grinch and Annabelle Wesley was his able driver for their float, which took third place in the float decorating contest.
The floats were all judged on creativity and originality as well as Christmas spirit. Enthu-siasm, effort and even costumes played a big part too.
It’s no wonder the float from Francine J. Wesley Secondary School took first place, because nine students pulled an all-nighter to get it prepared.
Shop teacher Marc Duschene and his wife, arts and media teacher Jackie Duschene had the teenagers working full tilt on their float.
They built a wood frame on the back of a pickup truck which was then festooned with
ornaments, making it look like the front porch of a house. And sitting on the steps of that house during the parade was
Lorinda Friday, Arlene Wesley, Bertine Wynne and Taryn Wil-liams. The other participants were student Desta Wynne,
Kiersten Williams, Shelby Wynne, Janelle Carpenter, Carissa Spence and Loonan Wynne. Helping the whole time and driving the float was educational assistant Melanie Duschene.
Snagging second place in the float contest was a seven-foot tall teepee-like Christmas tree covered in handcrafted orna-ments created by St. Andrews School’s Grade 3V class.
With Santa hats and shiny mitts nine students surrounded the tree and threw candy, sang songs, and called out to their friends to keep warm. Nathen Wynne, Storm Sackaney, Nata-sha Wesley, Brandon Koosees, James Wynne, Lenny Koosees, Jodie Wesley, Shane Wesley and Brixton Lazarus were the nine students who braved the cold to help prepare the float and then ride it through the parade. They were still glowing from the excitement the following Mon-day at school when they heard about their second place win.
Other floats were decorated like giant Christmas presents and Santa’s sleigh. The creators were Samuel Koosees, Valerie Sutherland, Freda Kamalatisit, Selena Wynne and Daisy Anish-napy.
Everyone who participated had a great time.
Vicki VonzubenTeacher
Kashechewan
Scott Miller/Special to Wawatay NewsThe Grinch was among the special guests in Kashechewan Dec. 12 during the community’s annual Christmas parade.
6 Wawatay News DECEMBER 29, 2009 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ
STRANG-QUILL TRUST FUNDLeslie Strang and Victoia Quill of Pikangikum First Nation lost both of their children- a three year old girl and a ve year old – in a tragic house re on the evening of December 4. Victoria was severely burned as she tried to rescue her girls. Their home was completely destroyed.
IFNA is establishing a trust fund to help Leslie and Victoria. We are asking for monetary dona-tions to help Leslie and Victoria, in some small way, to rebuild their broken lives and to allow family members to visit Victoria in the hospital.
Please make your cheque payable to the Independent First Nations Alliance and note that the cheque is to be deposited into the Stang-Quill Trust Fund. Please mail your cheque to:
Independent First Nations AllianceP.O. Box 501098 King StreetSioux Lookout, ON, P8T 1K6Attention: Donna Wesley, Financial Administrator
Thank you for your kindness
Jon ArmstrongSpecial to Wawatay News
Students of Queen Eliza-beth District High School were treated to intensive arts work-shops hosted by professional musicians and a visual artist Dec. 7-10.
The group also visited Pelican Falls First Nation High School for the afternoon of Dec. 9.
The group of artists was part of ArtsCan (www.artscancircle.ca), an organization who brings professional artists and musi-cians into smaller, remote com-munities to promote the arts. The workshops were sponsored in full by the Nishnawbe-Gamik Friendship Centre.
The group consisted of Wen-dell Ferguson, an award win-ning guitarist and singer song-writer; Katherine Wheatley, an emotive songwriter; and Suzie Vinnick, a virtuosic guitarist/bassist/vocalist and songwriter. The trio was in Sioux Lookout in November playing an extremely well-received concert as part of the Sioux Hudson Entertain-ment Series.
The group put on an encore performance Dec. 8 at the Sioux Lookout legion.
The visual artist was Leland Bell, a renowned talent who has had a long history of promoting the arts.
The music workshops ran throughout the day and con-
sisted of everything from beginner guitar and singing to advanced guitar, songwriting and playing the blues.
On the first day the school was treated to a concert which
included a surprise perfor-mance of Bell singing his origi-nal songs in Ojibwe.
Local musician Tony Kay provided the sound system and worked the sound board.
Bell showed two classes his painting process from begin-ning to end, as well as sharing stories of his art and his life. Many creative pieces came from students during their brief time
under Bell’s tutelage. School staff said the week
was a huge success with more than 100 students participating and learning about music and the arts, as well as life.
ArtsCan circle visits QEDHS in Sioux Lookout
Jon Armstrong/Special to Wawatay NewsStudents at Queen Elizabeth District High School in Sioux Lookout were part of a workshop by ArtsCan Dec. 7-10.
Singing from the ‘Mountain’ top
Debbie Mishibinijima/Wawatay NewsABOVE: The Sioux Mountain Public School Grade 1 and 2 class per-formed “A Christmas Dance” during Sioux Mountain Public School’s Christmas pageant Dec. 16 in Sioux Lookout.BELOW: A future Sioux Mountain student joins the junior and inter-mediate Native Language students performing Kanaachi Dibikaa.
Wawatay News DECEMBER 29, 2009 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ 7
SEVEN FITNESS
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If you are between 13 and 30 years old and are a member of either the Treaty 3, Treaty 9 or Ontario portions of Treaty 5 First Nations, then you are eligible to participate in this challenge!
This challenge’s winners will be determined based on three factors: strength, endurance and fl exibility. Once the Grand Prize winner is determined, they will be awarded their prize AND featured in the April/May issue of SEVEN Youth Magazine in a full colour, full page spread regarding their experience participating in the Challenge. Additional prizes will be awarded to second and third place winners... all the way to 10th place. We hope you decide to participate in this challenge and become healthier and happier as a result!
Please visit sevenyouthmedia.com or call 1-888-575-2349 for full contest details.
If you have any questions or would like to send content please send to the following:Joyce Hunter, Director, SEVENPhone: 1-807-344-3022Toll Free: 1-888-575-2349Fax: 1-807-344-3182Email: [email protected]: 2nd Floor, Royal Bank Building, Suite 202 Victoriaville Centre, 620 Victoria Ave. East Thunder Bay, ON P7C 1A9
To book an ad in SEVEN, please contact Wawatay’s Sales Department at 807-737-2951 or by emailing [email protected]
Music showcase brings down the house
Steve Elliott/Wawatay NewsMoose River Broadcasting Association – a small locally driven television station in Moose Factory – organized a new musical event for the youth of James Bay Dec. 18-19 in Timmins. The event was called The Oshki Negomowina Showcase 2009 (The ON Showcase) and featured nearly a dozen up and coming and established youth singer/songwriters. The event, at Ecole Secondaire Theriault, featured Adrian Sutherland, Chris ‘Creealias’ Sutherland, Jon Kapashesit, Kris Turner and Andrea Jolly and others. “We’re trying to give a voice and a stage to our youth who do have their own stories to tell through the vehicle of music. This is some-thing that youth always gravitate to – the gift of music, we’re just there to foster this,” said Vic Linklater, executive director of MRBA TV.
8 Wawatay News DECEMBER 29, 2009 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ
FIRST PUBLIC NOTICEProposed Transmission Line
Class Environmental Assessment for MNR Resource Stewardship and Facility Development Projects
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Fort Frances District, is inviting public comment on an application from the Ojibway Power and Energy Group seeking approval to construct a 44kV transmission line and right-of-way connecting the proposed Generating Station at High Falls on the Namakan River to an existing 25kV line along Flanders Road. This is in conjunction with the Namakan River Hydro Development Project – Class EA for Waterpower Projects. The approximate 2.3km long transmission line would generally follow the alignment of a winter access trail constructed earlier for data collection, extending south approximately 1.1km over Eva Island and a further 1.2km over co-managed Crown Lands.
The proposal is being evaluated in accordance with a Category B project under the Class Environmental Assessment for MNR Resource Stewardship and Facility Development Projects. A Notice of Completion will be provided to parties who has provided input or requested further notice.
You are invited to direct any inquiries or comments regarding the transmission line proposal to Tim Saville, President, Ojibway Power and Energy Group or Rachel Hill, District Planner, Fort Frances District, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Comments must be receivedwithin the 65-day comment period, which expires on February 26, 2010.
Comments and personal information regarding this proposal are collected under authority of the Environmental Assessment Act and the Public Lands Act to assist MNR in making decisions. Comments not constituting personal information as defined by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, will be shared among MNR and others as appropriate, and may be included in documentation available for public review. Personal information will remain confidential unless prior consent to disclose is obtained. This information may be used by MNR to seek public input on other projects.
For more information on the project, to submit comments, or to request further notice, please contact:
Tim Saville, President Rachel Hill, Ojibway Power and Energy Group Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources P.O. Box 248 922 Scott Street East Aurora, ON Fort Frances, ON L4G 3H4 P9A 1J4 Telephone: (905) 726-8321 Telephone: 807) 274-8605 Fax: (905)726-8331 Fax: (807) 274-4438 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]
Notice of Inspection of the Environmental Report(projects on unmanaged waterways)
Namakan River Hydro Development Project, District of Rainy River near the community of Lac La Croix, Ontario
OPEG is proposing to construct a hydroelectric generating station located at High Falls to be operated as a run-of-river station with an ap-proximate nameplate capacity of 6.4 MW and approximately 31.5 GWh of annual generation.
The project is proposed to be located on the Namakan River, in the District of Rainy River near the community of Lac La Croix, Ontario. (See map opposite).
The High Falls facility includes an intake-powerhouse located at the edge of Bill Lake, a 1.4 m high rock-faced concrete weir approximately 40 m upstream of High Falls and a similar height concrete weir across the inlet to the Back Channel at Eva Island. Flows will be diverted into the intake and powerhouse and returned through a tailrace downstream, just west of the falls. Selective excavation and rock removal by blasting and/or mechanical fracturing will occur in three locations downstream of High Falls, to attenuate tailrace effects. A bridge at the Back Channel is also proposed.
The project is subject to the Class Environmental Assessment for Waterpower Projects and is categorized a project on an unmanaged waterway pursuant to the Class EA. An Environmental Report (“ER”) has been prepared as required under the Class EA. The proposed project has been reviewed in a process consistent with the Class EA for Waterpower Projects, the results of which are describedin the Namakan River Hydro Development ER. The results of the ER indicate that the project is not likely to cause any significant net environmental effects providing that mitigation and protection measures are employed. A 30 day inspection period is required under the Class EA, however, OPEG opted to provide a 65 day period for inspection. Thus, this draft ER is being made available for review and comment from December 23, 2009 through to February 26, 2010.
Hard copies of the ER may be found during this review period at the following public locations:
Atikokan Public Library Fort Frances Public Library Civic Centre 363 Church Street Atikokan, ON Fort Frances, ON
Lac La Croix First Nation Band Office Lac La Croix, ON
The ER may also be viewed electronically at: www.opeg.ca
Comments received will be shared with the MNR. OPEG must receive all comments in writing regarding the ER no later than February 26, 2010. All comments and correspondence should be sent to:
Proponent: Proponent’s Agent: Tim Saville, President Dale Gilbert, Environmental Coordinator Ojibway Power and Energy Group Chant Construction Limited P.O. Box 248 226 Edward Street Aurora, ON L4G 3H4 Aurora, ON L4G 3S8
Open Houses will be held in February 2010 at the Lac La Croix community, Atikokan and Fort Frances.
February 15, 2010 Zhingwaako Zaaga’iganing School Gymnasium 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Lac La Croix First Nation
February 16, 2010 Royal Canadian Legion 2:00 – 8:00 p.m. 113 O’Brien Street Atikokan, ON
February 18, 2010 Adventure Inn 2:00 – 8:00 p.m. 700 Stewart Street Fort Frances, ON
A copy of the Class EA for Waterpower Projects is posted on the Ontario Waterpower Association website at www.owa.ca. Under theFreedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Environmental Assessment Act, unless otherwise stated in the submission, any personal information such as name, address, telephone number and property location included in a submission will become part of the public record files for this matter and will be released, if requested, to any person.
‘Don’t get caught in leading questions’from page 1
“We explained the problem, but we also explained how we could deal with the problem,” Fiddler said. “We told the com-munity we had people who were sick and it was most likely H1N1.”
Fiddler said the nurse in charge told him right after the radio broadcast that he bet-ter be ready because reporters will be calling now that he had shared the information.
“I said I cannot hide anything from my people,” Fiddler said. “I have to go on the local radio and talk about it.”
Fiddler said once people begin to talk about something, the information twists and changes.
“What we did right away was take advantage of another technology, the Internet,” Fid-dler said. “We had the accurate information written up and we issued a public statement. But that public statement was geared initially for our people in the community but we also knew there would be people outside the community and there would be media that would want the information. So we started issuing public state-ment every day.”
Fiddler said he felt like a nursing student going through a learning process about antibiot-ics and anti-virus medications.
“Every evening I went on the radio with the nurse and she would explain her informa-tion and I would translate, but I would have to understand what I was talking about,” Fid-dler said. “I am a very strong believer that we must keep our language, we must protect our language. When I go on the radio to share information to my community members, I try to explain everything in our lan-
guage.”Fiddler said he was desig-
nated as the spokesman for the community.
“The first day the media got wind of it I was doing one inter-view after another with radio, television,” Fiddler said. “The second day I believe we had a television crew come in from CBC The National come into the community. All day I was deal-ing with mainstream media. What we have to realize is the mainstream media’s focus and our role of sharing information in the traditional way is very different so you have to deal with the two separately.”
Fiddler said the media would ask their questions over and over looking for that 15-second clip with the gory details.
“As a former (CBC Radio) reporter, I know that is what you have to do to get the gory details,” Fiddler said. “I had to keep saying things over and over that no, we are okay, yes, we have a problem but we are dealing with it.”
Fiddler said Aboriginal lead-ers have to be aware of the dif-ferent strategies you need to tell your own people and the out-side media.
“Don’t get caught up in the questions because they will lead you,” Fiddler said. “They know what they want you to say. You have to make sure they hear what you are telling them. If you go on and ramble for 10-15 minutes, they have more selec-tion. They can take any 15 sec-onds from that 10 minutes. That way you have no control over what is said in the media.”
Fiddler said to make your clips short to make the media hear what you are saying.
“Say your 15 seconds and that’s it,” Fiddler said. “That way you control what message they get.”
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Funds secured to save PayukotaynoDebbie MishibinijimaWawatay News
Minister Laura Broten wants to take hold of the government’s responsibility toward children protection.
Minister Broten holds the portfolio for Ministry of Chil-dren and Youth Services, which provides funding to local Chil-dren’s Aid Societies.
“I have been in the role for three months and one thing that became clear, there are very unique challenges and I really want to take hold of our government’s responsibility (to protect children).
“Two children’s agencies came to light – Tikinagan Chil-dren and Family Services and Payukotayno James and Hud-son Bay Family Services.
Both Payukotayno and Tiki-nagan children’s protection agencies provide culturally appropriate services.
At the eleventh hour, after layoff notices were sent to staff at Payukotayno, $4.3 million was allocated by Broten to Tiki-nagan and Payukotayno.
Ernest Beck, executive direc-tor of Payukotayno, said the additional funds were wel-comed at the agency.
“It helped relieve some of the anxiety of families and commu-nities as there is trust in the pro-vision of services in caring for their children.
“There was fear that children would be lost into main stream
agencies if our doors were to close.”
The staff of Payukotayno were also relieved as lay off notices issued by the board have since been withdrawn.
“We do appreciate the effort on the part of the minister mak-ing the money available, but I am not sure how much has really changed,” Beck said. “It doesn’t resolve long-term issues. Our expectation is the Northern Remote Proposal is something that she will have to take time to look at.
“The document is a strong document and the information included is very accurate. We hope to use this proposal as the foundation to begin discussion to address the shortfalls.
“My fear is that come April, we will be in the same crisis.”
In October, Tikinagan had $3.9 million cut from its budget.
Since then, the minister rec-ognized there has been a vol-ume increase and that more children need help.
According to Broten’s assis-tant Paris Meilleur, the number of children in care has increased and due to the increase in ser-vice volume, $2.1 million (has been allocated) that can service kids for the remainder of the year.
Broten stated part of the funding was to employ more mental health workers under Tikinagan to combat youth sui-cides.
Payukotayno has unique chal-
lenges much like Tikinagan.The children they serve are
along the James Bay coast and are in remote communities as well.
In October, Payukotayno had $3.7 million slashed from its funding.
Ministry officials are work-ing with them to find the deficit and its particular challenges.
Workers from the ministry had determined that there was a very high cost of outside resi-dential purchase placements.
Minister Broten affirms rec-ognition of Payukotayno’s chal-lenges.
As such, an allocation of $2.3 million was provided to that agency to keep its doors open until March 31.
The funding is short term, and the Minister’s staff will work on cost containment strat-egies for both Tikinagan and Payukotayno.
“These two agencies we are going to be there. We will put them on a sustainability path forward because we care about the kids.”
Minister Brad Duiguid of Aboriginal Affairs ministry and Broten will be travelling to northern communities in Janu-ary to see what is working and not working.
In addition to the monies allo-cated to Tikinagan and Payuko-tayno, $700,000 was provided to Nishnawbe Aski Nation for implementation of strategies to combat youth suicide.
A time for New Years resolutionsDebbie MishibinijimaWawatay News
It’s that time of year again when people make goals of changing an irkesome habit or two.
The website Wikepedia notes: “A New Year’s resolu-tion is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous.
The name comes from the fact that these commitments nor-mally go into effect on New Year’s Day and remain until ful-filled or abandoned.”
According to the website Top-tentopten.com, 75 per cent of resolutions are broken within the first three months.
These are the resolutions that people made last year to improve his or her life.
1. Lose Weight2. Get in shape
3. Quit smoking4. Pay off debt5. Quit drinking6. Get a better career7. Find true love8. Enjoy life more9. Get organized10. Learn something newHow many of these resolu-
tions have you made year after year?
But take heed of the old cli-ché, “If at first you don’t suc-ceed, try and try again.”
10 Wawatay News DECEMBER 29, 2009 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ
Happy New YearFROM US ALL AT SLATE FALLS NATION
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Only you can make the decision to get the H1N1 flu shot. Shots are availableat health care provider offices, workplace clinics and many other locations.Visit: ontario.ca/fluYou call the shot.
•1 in 5 people hospitalizedwith H1N1 have ended up inintensive care and/or on ventilators.
•Half of those inhospitalwithH1N1havebeenunder 24 years old.
•Morepeoplehavebeen sick thisyear from theflu compared to thepast 5flu seasons.
• At least 1 in 3 peoplecould still get H1N1.
• Flu season continuesuntil April.
Anishinabae lands home through FIMUR programRick GarrickWawatay News
Racheal Anishinabae and her family are enjoying the new home she just bought in Thun-der Bay through the FIMUR Assisted Homeownership Pro-gram.
“We’re still moving in,” said the academic assistant at Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education and Training Institute who has lived in Sandy Lake and Sault Sainte Marie as well as Thunder Bay. “It’s a work in progress.”
Anishinabae and her fam-ily bought their new home and moved in Nov. 27 after look-ing at eight other homes across Thunder Bay over the summer and fall.
“I was already shopping around in June,” Anishinabae said.
“My father was going to lend me the down payment for a house. I had some money saved up.”
But when Anishinabae heard about the FIMUR (First Nation, Inuit, Métis Urban & Rural Housing) program in August, she checked it out and applied in September.
Two weeks later she found out she had been accepted into the program, which is designed to help Aboriginal people living off-reserve in Ontario to move from rental to homeownership.
The program provides fund-ing through forgivable loans for the purpose of purchasing primary residences for a limited number of eligible self-identify-ing Aboriginal individuals and families with low to moderate
income. Eligible homes can be in off-
reserve urban communities and rural locations across Ontario excluding the Greater Toronto Areas.
The value of a home can-not exceed the average market value in the respective area. Priority was given to those who are currently residing in social housing, and families escaping situations of violence.
“My 10-year-old (daughter) was the one who was the most excited,” Anishinabae said. “She said ‘can we paint my room.’”
Anishinabae has already given her three children their own house keys.
“They feel secure,” Anishina-bae said, explaining her oldest daughter, a teenager, feels more secure because it is her own home. “It gives us more respon-sibility.”
Anishinabae discovered the home one day while she was driving around the neighbour-hood and noticed a house-for-sale sign being put up only a few blocks from the rental home she was currently living in.
“It was really fortunate I found that home because I was looking all over the city,” Anishinabae said.
“I just found the perfect spot.
I was driving around and saw the sign go up.”
Anishinabae said she made an offer for the house and the owners counter offered before settling at $85,000 for the two-story duplex house.
“I have a garden at the back,” Anishinabae said. “That is my favourite part of the property.”
Anishinabae said her children now have a place to play as the backyard is fenced in.
“They have a place to play in the yard,” Anishinabae said. “They don’t have to play in the park.
My daughter feels a lot safer – we have deadbolts on all the doors.”
Anishinabae said the biggest advantage with the new home is they didn’t have to leave the neighbourhood they were com-fortable in and her children can still attend the same schools they had been attending.
“My two youngest were the ones I was thinking about,” Anishinabae said, explain-ing they are still in elementary school while her oldest daugh-ter will be going to college in two years.
“They have their own bed-rooms, they don’t have to share rooms.”
Anishinabae only has a cou-ple of small renovation projects in mind at the present time: replacing two older windows with more secure windows.
“We’re starting to get more organized,” Anishinabae said. “My friend came over yester-day – she said ‘it’s getting more homey in here. It’s not a house, it’s a home now.’”
Anishinabae said her children now have a place to play as the backyard is fenced in.
Wawatay News DECEMBER 29, 2009 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ 11
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12 Wawatay News DECEMBER 29, 2009 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ
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Aboriginal Fine Art and Crafts Christmas Gift ShowRick GarrickWawatay News
Elliott Doxtater-Wynn’s hand-painted Christmas tree bulbs were a hit at Thunder Bay’s Annual Aboriginal Fine Art & Crafts Christmas Gift Show and Sale.
“I’m selling them as fast as I can make them,” said the Thun-der Bay artist and Six Nations band member whose work will be displayed at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Win-ter Games in Vancouver. “It’s in my style. I call them decorative ornaments.”
Doxtater-Wynn said the painted bulbs, which sell for
$30 each, have been popular since he came up with the idea last year.
“By Christmas time I was all sold out,” Doxtater-Wynn said about his sales last year. “That’s what’s happening now.”
In addition to the painted bulbs, Doxtater-Wynn also had birch-veneer containers with paintings on the lid for sale.
“It’s just like a mini-painting,” Doxtater-Wynn said.
Aboriginal Fine Art & Crafts Christmas Gift Show organizer John Ferris said the four-day event, which took place Dec. 10-13 at the Victoriaville Cen-tre, featured about 130 artisans, compared to about 80 artisans
at last year’s event.“It went really well,” Ferris
said. “There was more to choose from. That’s the talent we have in the north.”
Ferris said the event, which was sponsored by Nishnawbe Aski Nation and Matawa First Nations, keeps getting larger
each year.“We would like to have two
shows,” Ferris said, explaining he is looking into setting up a show in July to take advantage of the summer tourist market and visiting cruise ships.
Prices ranged from about $10 for smaller crafts all the way up to $4,700 for a porcupine quill basket available at the Zaaw-miknaang booth.
“It was made by Myra Tou-louse,” said Zaawmiknaang co-owner Martina Osawamick, describing the 11 by five-inch sweetgrass and birchbark bas-ket with a detailed porcupine quill design of an eagle. “She’s a good friend of mine – we went
to residential school together.”Osawamick, who owns an
Anishinabe arts and crafts busi-ness in Wikwemikong and trav-els to Aboriginal events across Canada and the U.S. with her partner Ron Yellowman, said the basket probably took about a month to make.
Lac Seul artist Ahmoo Ange-coneb displayed some of his more recent work during the show.
“I’m hoping this exhibition will tour at the Art Gallery of Sudbury,” Angeconeb said, explaining it may also tour at the Royal Ontario Museum and the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford.
Among the other artisans were Whitesand’s Marlene Kwandibens with her sewn designs, including two loons, Sachigo Lake’s Richard Bark-man with his tamarack geese designs, Lac Seul’s Patricia Ningewance with her pocket phrasebooks, which are cur-rently available in Cree, Ojibwe and Inuktitut and will be avail-able in Lakota soon, Moosonee’s Jon Kapashesit with his tama-rack geese, Gull Bay’s Kevin Bel-more with his original paintings and prints, Webequie’s Andrew Suganaqueb with his beaded moccasins and mitts, and Lac Seul’s Don Ningewance with his original paintings and prints.
Rick Garrick/Wawatay NewsAbove left: Elliot Doxtater-Wynn had a variety of painted Christ-mas tree ornaments, birch-veneer containers and art cards for sale at the Annual Aboriginal Fine Art & Crafts Christmas Gift Show and Sale.
Above right: A huge variety of beaded mitts and moccasins were available for purchase at the Annual Aboriginal Fine Art & Crafts Christmas Gift Show and Sale.
Left: Grand Chief Stan Beardy checked out Don Ningewance’s original paintings and prints dur-ing the Annual Aboriginal Fine Art & Crafts Christmas Gift Show and Sale.
Prices ranged from about $10 for smaller crafts all the way up to $4,700.
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William Dumas was ready, willing and able at the Northern Ontario First Nations Commu-nications Conference.
Dumas, the executive direc-tor of Northern Nishnawbe Education Council, facilitated a workshop about sharing best practices for language reten-tion.
Before joining as the execu-tive director of Northern Nish-nawbe Education Council, he worked as an Aboriginal Educa-tion Consultant in Thompson, Manitoba.
He believes in promoting and preserving Aboriginal heritage
through curriculum develop-ment.
“We are experiencing a loss of language at a very fast rate,” Dumas said. “One of the things we quickly found out is we don’t have qualified Native Language Teachers – that is one of the weaknesses right now.”
He encourages teachers to take Native language teacher courses during the summer months at university institu-tions.
Lakehead University in Thun-der Bay has a four-week Native Language Instructors Program offered during the month of July.
“It is very much needed to teach the children about his-
tory,” Dumas said, citing a need to help youth succeed in language retention. “If they don’t know where they are at, they don’t know where they are going. So it’s so important to develop Aboriginal perspective in the curriculum.”
In Manitoba, educators have begun to develop Aboriginal perspectives into the curricu-lum.
The Native studies courses will focus on incorporating an Aboriginal perspective into the curriculum.
“I hope and pray northwest-ern Ontario is their (Aboriginal perspectives) because that is surely needed in this area.”
He also stressed Elders are
witnessing children in Manitoba speaking Cree and English, but yet, they did not have mastery of either language – they were speaking Creenglish.
“This is very reflective of how we communicate to one another. This is something that we have to be focused on.”
Dumas added there will be an upcoming workshop in Win-nipeg in March to explore the issue of Native language reten-tion further.
It is not only educators who are working on language reten-tion, but those working in media a role in preserving the language.
Cal Kenny is a multi-media coordinator at KNET Services in
Sioux Lookout. Kenny has been using audio,
video and photography to share the culture of the Aboriginal people.
“By using the media, I have been able to capture some of the importance of our culture.”
“We are gathering informa-tion from the elders for future generations to see.”
Roy Morris of Kwayaciiwin Education Resource Centre shares this common vision. “Using the media is an oppor-tunity for young people to work with Elders to develop stories that could be used to develop curriculum for the schools. There are a lot of ideas I have right now in terms of partner-
ing.” Representatives of the orga-
nizations KNET Services, Nish TV and Seven Youth Media Net-work expressed their interest in establishing partnerships.
Joyce Hunter of Seven Youth Media Network said she is launching a radio show in the New Year to give youth a place to share.
“It’s a way to allow our youth a chance to voice their issues, their concerns,” Hunter said.
KNET Services and Nish TV are also accepting video docu-mentaries from youth to express their voices.
“This type of info is very cru-cial to preserving our identity. It’s how we think,” Kenny said.
Language being lost at ‘very fast rate’: Dumas
Rick GarrickWawatay News
The Choose to Be the Change youth video project highlighted the Northern Ontario First Nations Communications Con-ference.
“We are talking about anti-racism,” said St. John Kakeg-amic, a Seven Youth Media Net-work participant from Sandy Lake who helped produce the 44-second video. “We are trying to make racism stop.”
Kakegamic and three other youth participants shot and edited the video with assistance from Joyce Hunter, Seven Youth Media Network director, and a number of Wawatay Native Communications Society staff on the second day of the North-ern Ontario First Nations Com-munications Conference, which was held Dec. 9-10 via video-conference from Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay and Timmins.
“We started around 11 (a.m. Dec. 10),” Kakegamic said, explaining the video took about five hours to complete. “We took different shots and decided which was better. We were concerned about the sound as well.”
Once the youth completed the video, they shared it with the other Northern Ontario First Nations Communications Conference participants via vid-eoconference from the Keeway-tinook Okimakanak Research Institute office in Thunder Bay.
A Seven Youth Media training video, which features the youth making the Choose to Be the Change video, is available on the Seven Youth Media Network website at http://www.seveny-outhmedia.com/node/781.
“We are the change,” Kakeg-amic said. “We don’t believe in
racism – everyone is equal.”Hunter was impressed with
the youth’s drive and enthusi-asm in developing and complet-ing with the video project.
“This session showed me to really appreciate how creative and vibrant our youth can be when you hand over the reigns of creative control to them,” Hunter said in an e-mail reply. “I was impressed by their enthu-siasm and their drive to create a finished product that speaks very specifically to who they are and how they want to be viewed by the Canadian public. I want to congratulate the youth who participated on a job very well done.”
One of the participating youth will be submitting the video to The Racism. Stop It!
National Video Competition, which is part of Canada’s March 21 campaign against racial dis-crimination. Ten winning vid-eos from the competition will be broadcast to millions of Canadi-ans over national television.
The Northern Ontario First Nations Communications Con-ference also featured discus-sions on language, technology impacts, communications tools and infrastructure, communi-cations careers, community radio stations, funding, manag-ing communications in a crisis, celebrating Aboriginal achieve-ments, and using communi-cations tools as an economic development tool.
Northern Nishnawbe Educa-tion Council’s executive direc-tor spoke about the importance
of standardizing syllabic charts and the need for good diction-aries.
“We found there are 53 syl-labic charts floating around Canada,” Dumas said. “There’s nothing wrong with any of them – there are just too many of them.”
Dumas said there is a lot of work ahead to preserve north-ern Ontario’s First Nation lan-guages.
“I notice there is very little Aboriginal perspective in the curriculum,” Dumas said. “If our children don’t know where they are coming from, they will not know where they are at and they will not know where they are going.”
Dumas and many other con-ference participants expressed
an urgent need for a northwest-ern Ontario language confer-ence.
“There was great interest in having a northern Ontario Indigenous language confer-ence,” said Rachel Garrick, Wawatay’s interim CEO. “As you know, we are experiencing lan-guage loss at an astronomical rate. In the future, we are hop-ing that there may be a possibil-ity of having three conferences focusing on each language (Ojibway, Oji-Cree and Cree) and then have an overall confer-ence to identify commonalities, the states of these languages, and discuss potential projects or initiatives to preserve, maintain and enhance these languages.”
KO’s Cal Kenny, Raymond Mason, Lyle Johnson, Brian Bea-
ton and Brian Walmark, NishTV.com’s Lisa Marie Esquega, Grand Chief Stan Beardy, former Wawatay employee Heather Hudson, Wawatay staff Trish Crawford, Brent Wesley, Roxy Shapwaykeesic, Jules Spence, George Witham and Stella Koostachin, Wawa-tay Board of Directors president Mike Metatawabin, Erickson & Partners staff Etienne Esquega and Ted Scollie, Mocreebec’s Allan Joly and National Aborigi-nal Achievement Foundation’s director of communications and media Jamie Monastyrski also spoke during the conference.
Garrick said the overall goal of the conference was to share best practices so participants could take them back to share with their community or orga-nization.
“This could potentially become an annual event,” Gar-rick said. “We are considering making it virtual (via video conference) thereby decreas-ing costs. I think we definitely started something positive here.”
The conference was spon-sored by Wawatay, K-Net, NNEC, Nishnawbe Aski Devel-opment Fund, Wasaya Airways LP, APTN, NAAF, Northern Col-lege, Independent First Nations Alliance, Municipality of Sioux Lookout, Erickson & Partners, and Martin R. Nelson Chartered Accountants.
“The success of the confer-ence definitely demonstrates the power of partnerships,” Garrick said. “We had a lot of support from our partners and sponsors. Just from the amount of positive feedback that I am getting and some of the possible outcomes that are being dis-cussed, make this conference a success on so many levels.”
Youth video conference highlight
James Benson/Seven Youth MediaFour youth from the Nishnawbe Aski Nation territory came to the Northern Ontario First Nations Communications Conference for multi-media training from Seven Youth Media Network director Joyce Hunter and Wawatay News online editor Chris Kornacki. The youth were St. John Kake-gamic, James Benson, R.J. Thomas and Elijah Sutherland. They created a video to end racial discrimination.
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Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School’s Stanley Barkman is planning a Mr. Fix It small engine repair business as part of his Entrepreneurship: The Ven-ture course.
“I’m pretty good with small engines,” said the Grade 12 stu-dent from Sachigo Lake. “I grew up fixing them – my dad taught me how to fix things.”
Barkman, who plans to start up his business in about five years in his home community once he completes his post-sec-ondary education, was one of six Entrepreneurship: The Ven-ture students who shared their business plans Dec. 16 during an open house at DFC.
Marella Meekis, a Grade 10 student from Deer Lake, is plan-ning to start up a hair-styling business, Marella’s Hair Salon.
“It’s something I enjoy doing,” Meekis said. “I’m think-ing of opening it on my reserve, Deer Lake. I won’t have any local competition.”
Jordie and Jordan Kakeg-amick, Grade 12 students from Kingfisher Lake, are planning to start up Kakegamick’s Hot & Ready Café in the New Year at DFC.
“We came up with the idea in September,” Jordan said. “We’ll start doing it in February.”
The brothers are planning to sell BLTs, baked cookies and banana bread along with their coffee and tea; they are expect-ing to average about 50 custom-ers per day as the nearest coffee shop is located about two to three blocks away from DFC.
“There will be a lot of stu-dents, especially in the morn-ing,” Jordie said.
Kristen McKay, a Grade 12
student from Sandy Lake, is planning to start up Nishnawbii Crafts as her business.
“I just started,” McKay said, showing a pair of beaded moc-casins she just completed. “I just made these – it’s my first project ever.”
McKay said the beading takes more time to do than putting the moccasins together.
“My grandmom used to make two or three a week,” McKay
said.Jonathan McKay, a Grade
12 student from Sandy Lake, is planning to start up a sporting goods store, McKay Sports.
“I love sports,” McKay said. “My reserve is an athletic reserve – they play sports year around.”
McKay said there is a mar-ket for sports equipment in the north as there aren’t any other sports stores in the communi-
ties.“They would have to come
out to Sioux Lookout or Thun-der Bay to go to a sports store,” McKay said. “This is something I really want to do.”
McKay is planning to study business in college and go on to university before he goes into business.
“That is the best way to go to get into this business,” McKay said, explaining that he plans to
start up his business in his home community.
“I’m going to start with my reserve and surrounding reserves. They are not that far from each other.”
The Entrepreneurship: The Venture program has been providing innovative hands-on activities, motivational speak-ers, business mentors and role models as well as insights into business theory and practice for
DFC students since it began as a pilot program in 2007; the pro-gram has since expanded to six schools across Canada.
“I’m so proud of you young people taking this challenge on,” said Louise Thomas, owner of the Ahnisnabae Art Gallery in Thunder Bay.
“I’m excited to see the differ-ent fields you have chosen to go into.”
‘Mr. Fix It’ planning for business
Rick Garrick/Wawatay NewsSachigo Lake’s Stanley Barkman talks with business owner Louise Thomas about his Mr. Fix It small engine repair business during the Entrepreneurship: The Venture open house.
16 Wawatay News DECEMBER 29, 2009 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ
Whitefeather Forest2012-2022 Forest Management Plan
Participate
We Need Your Input
Do you…
• Have an interest in natural resource management of the Whitefeather Forest?• Have an interest in the long-term management strategy for the Whitefeather Forest?• Want to take an active role in the planning process and development of the Whitefeather Forest Management Plan?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation (WFMC) and the Local Citizens Committee (LCC) need your input to develop the 2012-2022 Forest Management Plan (FMP) for the Whitefeather Forest.
The FMP will outline the long-term management strategy for the Whitefeather Forest and you will have the opportunity to provide details on:
• What kind of forest and benefi ts the plan should strive to provide;• Where harvest, planting and tending operations will take place;• Where access road construction will take place during the fi rst fi ve-year term from 2012-2022;• The proposed areas of operations for the second fi ve-year term.
Your comments and input will help us develop a balanced, well informed FMP for the Whitefeather Forest. The background information that will be used to develop the FMP will be available for public review throughout the planning process. Any additional background information that you can provide would be appreciated.
How to Get Involved
Maps showing information about fi sh and wildlife habitat, parks and protected areas, tourism facilities as well as many other features on the Whitefeather Forest are available upon request. These maps, known as “values maps”, will be useful for anyone with a general or specifi c interest in this forest management unit.
The plan will be prepared by the following planning team members:
Trevor Park, MNR, Planning & Info. Mng. Supervisor, Project ManagerErin Woodland, WFMC, Planning Forester, Plan AuthorRobert Partridge, MNR, Area Forester, R.P.F., MNR District FMP LeadPaddy Peters, WFMC, Planning CoordinatorOliver Hill, Pikangikum Elder, WF Steering Group CoordinatorMichelle Shephard, MNR, A/Resource Liaison Specialist, First Nations LiaisonLori Skitt, MNR, Species at Risk Biologist, BiologistChristine Apostolov, MNR, Resource Management Technician, Public ConsultationMyles Perchuk, MNR, A/Area Biologist, BiologistAlec Suggashie, WFMC, Translation Coordinator Murray Quill, WFMC, GIS TechnicianAndrew Chapeskie, WFMC, Technical Advisor Janene Shearer, Ontario Parks, Planner, Designated Protected Areas PlannerSusan Turtle, Pikangikum Band Councilor, Pikangikum First Nation Rep.Wilfred Wesley, Band Council Representative, Cat Lake First Nations Rep.C.J. Angeconeb, Lands & Resources Coordinator, Lac Seul First Nations Rep.Rita Wassaykeesic, Economic Development Offi cer Poplar Hill First Nations Rep.TBA, Local Citizen’s Committee, LCC Representative
The planning team members, the Ministry of Natural Resources District Manager, Graeme Swanwick, and the LCC are available during the planning process to meet and discuss your interests and concerns.
A formal issue resolution process, as described in the Forest Management Planning Manual (2009), is available on written request. A summary of all comments collected throughout the planning process will be made available for public review during the planning process and for the duration of the approved ten-year plan.
Stay Involved
In addition to this invitation to participate, there are four other formal opportunities for you to be involved, tentatively scheduled as follows:
Review of the Long-Term Management Direction September 2010Information Centre: Review of Proposed Operations February 2011Information Centre: Review of the Draft Forest Management Plan August 2011Inspection of Ministry of Natural Resources-Approved Forest Management Plan December 2011
If you would like to be added to a mailing list to be notifi ed of public involvement opportunities, please contact Christine Apostolov at 807-727-1335. The general information regarding the FMP process as well as the information described in this notice will be available at the Whitefeather Forest Management Corporation offi ce and at the Ministry of Natural Resources offi ce, at the locations shown below, during normal offi ce hours. As well, an appointment with the Ministry of Natural Resources District Manager or with a planning team member during non-business hours may be made by calling 807-727-2253.
For more information, please contact:
Robert Partridge Erin Woodland Chairman Oliver HillMinistry of Natural Resources Whitefeather Forest Local Citizens Committee Whitefeather Elders Steering Group227 Howey Street Management Corp. P.O. Box 1493 General DeliveryP.O. Box 5003 227 Howey Street Re d Lake, ON P0V 2M0 Pikangikum, ON P0V 2L0Red Lake, ON P0V 2M0 P.O. Box 422 Tel.: 807-773-5578Tel.: 807-727-1397 Red Lake, ON P0V 2M0 Tel.: 807-727-3320
The Ministry of Natural Resources is collecting your personal information and comments under the authority of the Crown Forest Sustainability Act. Any personal information you provide (address, name, telephone, etc.) will be protected in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, however, your comments will become part of the public consultation process and may be shared with the general public. Your personal information may be used by the Ministry of NaturalResources (MNR) to send you further information related to this forest management planning exercise. If you have questions aboutthe use of your personal information, please contact Trevor Park at 807-727-1344.
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Chris KornackiWawatay News
Ginoogaming First Nation announced a partnership with Kenogami Industries Incorpo-rated (KII) Dec. 21 on the Lon-glac Forestry Project. Recently KII purchased the assets of Kru-ger Industries in the community of Longlac that operated as Lon-glac Wood Industries.
KII is a partnership between
Rocky Shore Development Cor-poration of Ginoogaming First Nation, Boreal Resource Indus-tries, a group of private interests composed of former Longlac Wood Industries workers and other forest industry represen-tatives, and Greenstone Devel-opment Ltd.
This is a unique partnership that has the goal of maintaining the former Kruger site and also seeks other interests to create
jobs and economic activity with value-added products and any other forestry related opportu-nities.
“This was an opportunity we could not resist,” said Green-stone Mayor Michael Power. Power is also the President of the Board of KII.
Ginoogaming Chief Celia Echum is pleased that the proj-ect will allow this economic opportunity needed for the peo-
ple of Ginoogaming.KII Vice-President Adolph
Rasevych said, “ The expected provision of jobs for the com-munity will be welcomed and much needed during these hard times of recession.”
“We…are excited at the prospects of new jobs being cre-ated in the area,” added Andre Blanchard of Boreal Resource Industries.
Ginoogaming partners with KII on forestry project
James Thom/Wawatay NewsOntario Human Rights Chief Commissioner Barbara Hall speaks to the students at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School.
Understanding human rightsJames ThomWawatay News
Following a presentation by Ontario Human Rights Chief Commissioner Barbara Hall, Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School student Stanley Bark-man is much more cognizant of his rights.
“I understand my rights a lot better now,” said Barkman, a Sachigo Lake band member. “I finally know what discrimina-tion really means. I know that if I want to rent an apartment, the landlord can’t just turn me away because of my skin colour.
“This knowledge will defi-nitely help me. I feel like I can stand up for myself now.”
Hall spoke to the entire DFC student populous Dec. 10, the 61 anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
“Many people don’t get to be all they can be because of the barriers they face,” Hall said, adding attitudes and unfair ste-reotypes are barriers for First Nations people.
She said rules, laws and atti-tudes must be fair if discrimina-tion will be eliminated.
When these things are not fair, that’s when the Ontario Human Rights Commission or Tribunal gets involved.
That was the case recently when Abraham Miles Jr. filed a complaint with the commission over his treatment by a member of the Thunder Bay Police Ser-vice.
Miles, then a student at DFC, was on a tour of the Thunder Bay Police Service station when he was taken away from the group, photographed, forced to take off his Native Warchief Apparel sweater against his will and interrogated by plain-clothes officer Const. Jason Rybak and a uniformed offi-cer during a Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School class trip Nov. 7, 2007.
Nearly two years after that incident, in mid-October of this year, the human rights tribu-nal announced every uniform officer with Thunder Bay Police Service would undergo human rights training as a result of a settlement reached with the Fort Severn teen.
At that time, Fort Severn Chief Matthew Kakekaspan expressed pride in the teen to sticking up for himself.
“Incidents like this one hap-pen all the time and don’t get reported,” the chief said. “Peo-ple don’t report them because they are scared.”
Hall too is proud of Miles.“Abraham learned about bar-
riers the hard way,” she said. “But because he stood up (and fought back), hopefully other students won’t go through the same (thing). Abraham has helped make big changes in Thunder Bay.
“There is no room in our soci-ety for racial profiling.”
“I finally know what discrimination really means.”
– Stanley Barkman
Wawatay News DECEMBER 29, 2009 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ 17
2012 - 2022
Participate
Local Citizens Committee2012 - 2022
Trevor Park, MNR, Planning & Info. Mng. Supervisor, Project ManagerErin Woodland, WFMC, Planning Forester, Plan AuthorRobert Partridge, MNR, Area Forester, R.P.F., MNR District FMP LeadPaddy Peters, WFMC, Planning CoordinatorOliver Hill, Pikangikum Elder, WF Steering Group CoordinatorMichelle Shephard, MNR, A/Resource Liaison Specialist, First Nations LiaisonLori Skitt, MNR, Species at Risk Biologist, BiologistChristine Apostolov, MNR, Resource Management Technician, Public ConsultationMyles Perchuk, MNR, A/Area Biologist, BiologistAlec Suggashie, WFMC, Translation Coordinator Murray Quill, WFMC, GIS TechnicianAndrew Chapeskie, WFMC, Technical Advisor Janene Shearer, Ontario Parks, Planner, Designated Protected Areas PlannerSusan Turtle, Pikangikum Band Councillor, Pikangikum First Nation Rep.Wilfred Wesley, Band Council Representative, Cat Lake First Nations Rep.C.J. Angeconeb, Lands & Resources Coordinator, Lac Seul First Nations Rep.Rita Wassaykeesic, Economic Development Offi cer Poplar Hill First Nations Rep.TBA, Local Citizen’s Committee, LCC Representative
LCC
20102011
20112011
Christine Apostolov(807) 727-1335
727-2253
Robert Partridge Erin Woodland Chairman Oliver HillMinistry of Natural Resources Whitefeather Fores t Local Citizens Committee Whitefeather Elders Steering Group227 Howey Street Management Corp. P.O. Box 1493 General DeliveryP.O. Box 5003 227 Howey Street Red Lake, ON P0V 2M0 Pikangikum, ON P0V 2L0Red Lake, ON P0V 2M0 P.O. Box 422 Tel.: 807-773-5578Tel.: 807-727-1397 Red Lake, ON P0V 2M0 Tel.: 807-727-3320
Ontario Crown Forest Sustainability Act Freedom of Information and
Protection of Privacy Act
Trevor Park 807-727-1344
HAPPY NEW YEAR!HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We will close our doors onWe will close our doors on December 31st at NOON andDecember 31st at NOON and
re-open on Monday, January 4th,re-open on Monday, January 4th, 2010.2010.
See you in the New Year!See you in the New Year!
Young NAN writers win Bartleman Creative Writing AwardDebbie MishibinijimaWawatay News
Two young writers from the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) territory are this year’s recipi-ents of the James Bartleman Aboriginal Youth Creative Writ-ing Award.
Cote Monias, 11, from Ogoki Post and Mavis Oskineegish, 15, from Wunnumin Lake are the two NAN members who won awards.
Honourable James K. Bartle-man was Ontario’s first Aborigi-nal Lieutenant Governor. Dur-ing his term in office from 2002 to 2007, he implemented four literacy initiatives to give Aboriginal youth access to read-ing materials.
The creation of the annual award continues Bartleman’s legacy of literacy for young
Aboriginals.“The written word can allow
you to travel to distant places and experience new worlds. I am proud that these recipi-ents are accomplished story-tellers and writers at a young age,” Bartleman said in a press release.
The other award recipients are Christian Scriver, 10, from Toronto, Fawn Thompson, 13, from Tyendinaga, Nancy King, 16, from Rama and Colin Quin, 16, from Toronto.
The award recipients each received $2,500 and a trip to attend the award ceremony, which was held Nov. 30 at Queen’s Park in Toronto.
Last year there were three young people from the NAN ter-ritory who were award recipi-ents.
Tessa Buchan/submitted photoTwo youth from Nishnawbe Aski Nation were among the James Bartle-man Aboriginal Youth Creative Writing Award winners. Top row: From left to right, Christian Scriver, 10, from Toronto, Fawn Thompson, 13, from Tyendinaga, Colin Quin, 16, from Toronto, Nancy King, 16, from Rama, Mavis Oskineegish, 15, from Wunnumin Lake, Cote Monias, 11, from Ogoki Post. Bottom Row: James Bartleman, former Lieut.-Gov. of Ontario, David C. Onley, Lieut-Gov. of Ontario and Michael Chan, Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.
Best Friend
Say You’re Sorry That faceof an angel comes outJust when you need it toas I paced back andforth all this time causeI honestly believed inyou holding on The daysdrag on I should’ve knownI should’ve known thatyour not my best friendstanding at your backdoor thinking about thethings that you would’vesaid to me because I wasa dreamer before you wentand let me down now it’sto late for you and yourbest friend to get me nowcause this ain’t HollyWood This is a small town I had so many Dreamsabout you and me
By Cote Moonias, Ogoki Post Age 11
Cote is recognized in the fly-in community junior category for his song Best Friend. In the lyrics of the song, Cote tells us what it is like to be a friend to someone who is self-ish, and the consequences of being selfish in a small town.
My Life,
The sun is setting to the horizons of the westIt is intricate just like my test of life,I have tried my best even though it has been full of strife,I have cried for many yearsAnd I have listened to many voices,I’m just a teenager with absolute anger issuesYou should cover your ears and look in the mir-ror,Or else walk away, as you always doBefore we become deeply involved,I have come up with a solutionDon’t you dare not listen,You see, I am like a seedI need air to breathe,I can glisten when I am ready,Some day I will shine and outgrow my obstacles and my tears,When I am ready and when I doThe horizon will be fine, and this life will be mine.
By Mavis Oskineegish, Wun-numin Lake Age 15
Mavis is recognized in the Fly-in community senior category for her poem My Life.
As Mavis explains, she wrote My Life to show adults what it is like to be a teenager. She began to write this poem after being inspired by a sunset.
18 Wawatay News DECEMBER 29, 2009 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ
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Partners in Powerful CommunitiesHydro One is proud to make a donation to Cat Lake First Nation towardthe installation of new rink boards in the community outdoor rink. Active,happy children with access to safe and appropriate facilities are thefoundation of a healthy community.
As your electricity delivery company, we believe that part of our role isinvesting in the well-being of the community. Our PowerPlay programoffers grants for projects for community centres, indoor or outdoor icerinks, playgrounds, splash pads and sports fields to support children’scommunity sports and active play.
www.HydroOne.com
First Nations can create their own mediaRick GarrickWawatay News
Spirit Magazine’s Jamie Monastyrski cut his teeth at Wawatay Native Communica-tions Society.
“I cut my teeth in communi-cations at Wawatay almost 15 years ago, 12 to 13 years ago,” Monastyrski said, explaining it is important to have First Nations communications people trained to talk and speak to the media, to react to the media. “I find it is really vital right now. I know more First Nations and more tribal councils and more Aborig-inal organizations nationally, provincially and regionally are hiring communications people, PR people, marketing people to do those jobs.
Everyone has a communica-tions officer, a lot of them are Aboriginal, but a majority of them aren’t.”
Monastyrski stressed there are not many Aboriginal people currently in the communica-tions business.
“I believe we are the first generation of communications professionals to do that and I believe we are realizing the importance of it with our H1N1 going on, with Aboriginal issues being on the front page of the Globe and Mail every day,” Monastyrski said. “We need more and more trained Aborigi-nal people out there.
Monastyrski said the North-ern Ontario First Nations Com-munications Conference is an amazing idea which he wanted to be involved with.
“I think we should have a national Aboriginal communi-cations conference where we can all get together and discuss and train ourselves and share trade secrets and everything else that is going on out there,” Monastyrski said. “I think this is a great beginning and it is great that northwestern Ontario or Wawatay, one of the oldest communications agencies in Canada, to take a lead on.”
Monastyrski said Chief Adam Fiddler, as a former CBC jour-nalist, knows how to speak to the media.
“They can do a ten-minute interview, but use two minutes of that interview and form it to any story they want to form,” Monastyrski said.
Monastyrski believes Aborigi-nal people need to create their own medium, such as Wawatay, APTN and other Aboriginal pub-lications have already done.
“(We need to) either create our own medium and tell our stories our way and distribute it to mainstream and Native communities or have more and more experienced Aboriginal people in these positions, have more reporters working for national newspapers, for CBCs, the Globes, the Posts, have more and more trained Aborigi-nal people.”
Monastyrski said getting young people involved and excited about media and com-munications through the North-ern Ontario First Nations Com-munications Conference is the way to start.
“We are the first generation
of (Aboriginal) communica-tors that are doing this this way using modern technology,” Monastyrski said. “It is about training our youth.”
“There are so many things happening right now in our community where we need trained media and communica-tions people.”
Monastyrski said the Aborigi-nal media is growing and every-body has access to the media now through Internet and Twit-ter.
“I know being a mainstream journalist and an Aborigi-nal journalist and editor that the mainstream loves to cover Native issues,” Monastyrski said. “The Native issues they cover are road blocks or block-ades, are marches on Queens Park, are funding-slashed pro-grams, are angry Indians on the streets. What bleeds ledes is the old media slogan.”
Monastyrski said he has been celebrating the achievements of Aboriginal people for the past 10 or 15 years.
“It’s kismet that I have come into the position I’m in right now, working for the National Aboriginal Achievement Foun-dation, where all we do is cel-ebrate the achievements of outstanding Aboriginal Cana-dians,” Monsatyrski said, not-ing the upcoming NAAF Awards ceremony which will be held March 26 in Regina. “We have 14 new Aboriginal achievers we are celebrating.
see COVER page 19
Wawatay News DECEMBER 29, 2009 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ 19
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!ᑭᐊᐧᒋᔦᒥᑯ ᑲᐅᐢᑭᐊᑭᐊᐧᐣᐠ
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from 18My job from now until March
is to get them on the front cover of Chatelaine magazine, the front cover of Maclean’s, the front cover of the Post and the Globe. It’s the hardest job in the world to do because these peo-ple are regular Aboriginal peo-ple who are doing outstanding things. Not a lot of people want to hear about that or read about that – they like to see the nega-tive aspects of things, they like to see the underbelly of things.”
Monastyrski said there is a need for more Aboriginal staff on the national magazines and newspapers who will see the importance of celebrating Aboriginal achievements.
“It comes with experience, and it comes with the contacts I have developed over the years that I can do that,” Monastyrski said, explaining how he helped hold back a one-sided story about the Mi’Kmaq while he was working as a story editor at the Globe and Mail. “I went home that night thinking I just held a story off from the Globe and Mail because they didn’t get an Aboriginal side of it. If I wasn’t there, they would have run that story and it would have been leaning towards the side of the feds and the fisher-ies department. It would have impacted the whole national consciousness on what was going on out east, so I think it is really important to have our people trained and our people in the mainstream media, our reporters interviewing our com-munity chiefs about H1N1 and knowing what to ask and what to expect.”
Monastyrski has put his name forward to help plan a larger Aboriginal communica-tions conference that would also involve the Inuit and Metis communities.
“We’re telling our own sto-ries, finding our own mediums, and we just need those people trained in our traditional knowl-edge and our contemporary technology to tell these stories,” Monastyrski said. “It’s inspira-tional and exciting that we are the first generation to be doing something like this. We are making inroads into communi-cations and media technology.”
Cover stories
20 Wawatay News DECEMBER 29, 2009 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ
Nishnawbe-Gamik Friendship Centre
POSITION TITLE:
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORINTERNAL/EXTERNAL POSTING
EXECUTIVE SEARCH
KEY DUTIES AND FUNCTIONSUnder the authority of the Nishnawbe-Gamik Friendship Centre Board of Directors:• Manages the human, financial, property and material
resources of the Friendship Centre and administers the day to day operations (program supervision, financial responsibility, implements techniques for estimating, monitoring expenditures, insures accurate record keeping, control budgets, program and client matters, etc.);
• Maintains a high level of knowledge of Aboriginal culture, lifestyles of Aboriginal people, Aboriginal programs and services, and government programs dealing with Aboriginal people;
• Ensures that priority issues and concerns for the NGFC Aboriginal Community are designed to improve and enhance the social well-being of Urban Aboriginal people;
• Secures funds for the Centre buy fundraising, identifying new program funding, writing proposals, and partnering with other agencies, corporations and organizations.
QUALIFICATIONSEducation• Graduation from a recognized post secondary institution
with specialization in business administration, commerce, management or some other specialty relevant to the position or an acceptable combination of training, education and experience.
Work Related Experience• Minimum 3 years experience in directing, managing,
supervising, evaluating programs, managing property, finance, proposal writing, fundraising, administration, and human resources, preferably in a non-profit organization;
• Experience dealing with urban Aboriginal members, volunteers, and various levels of government (in regard to consulting and negotiating);
• Experience working in program planning, design, organization, implementation, and evaluation of community based programs for Aboriginal organizations and strategic planning;
• Experience and knowledge of the functions of a Board of Directors.
Other Working Conditions• Willingness to travel in accordance with operational
requirements;• Computer competency is required;• Ability to work flexible hours, overtime, and during
weekends;• Knowledge of an Aboriginal language would be an asset.
Applicants must clearly demonstrate in their application that they meet the above qualifications. A written test may be administered for screening, rating and/or ranking purposes. A job description is available upon request, Nishnawbe-Gamik Friendship Centre is committed to serving Aboriginal people and we encourage Aboriginal candidates to apply.
Deadline for Application: 4:30 p.m. January 11, 2010Salary: To commensurate with experience
APPLICATION PROCEDUREPlease forward your resume and covering letter by hand or mail to:Chairperson: Personnel CommitteeNishnawbe-Gamik Friendship Centre52 King St. P.O. Box 1299Sioux Lookout, On P8T 1B3Phone- 807-737-1903Fax- 807-737-1805
We wish to thank all those who have applied, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted, Candidates called for an interview will be responsible for their own travel expenses and the successful candidate will be responsible for his/her own relocation expenses.
www.nan .on . c a
Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) is seeking a Communications Director to lead, manage
and implement internal and external communications strategies, policies and
procedures, campaigns and products that will: enhance awareness and understanding of; support advocacy efforts through media
relations and awareness campaigns; and inform NAN First Nations and NAN employees.
As part of the senior management team, the Communications Director will provide
strategic communications planning, direction and advice to elected officials, the various departments at NAN, and the organization
as a whole. Candidates must possess a post-secondary degree in communications,
journalism or related field and should have 5 or more years experience. Interested applicants
are encouraged to download the complete job description from the NAN website.
The deadline for applications is 4:00pm EST Monday January 4, 2010. Please call Ian Beardy,
Human Resources Coordinator, at (807) 625-4941 for more information.
TERMS: Full Time Employment for a twelve month term Successful candidate to start 2010 January 18
JOB SUMMARY:The Project Advisor will be involved in undertakings that promote sustainable social, economic and physical development in the First Nation communities.
QUALIFICATIONS:
• Good analytical, evaluation and assessment skills
• Good computer skills and experience with Microsoft Office Suite Software.
• Effective written and oral communication skills
• Must be able to communicate over the phone
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Write and evaluate reports as required
• Record minutes of project meetings
• Contact suppliers and contractors associated with projects
• Assist with the preparation of funding applications.
SALARY: Commensurate with experience
APPLICATION: A letter of application with an updated resume, permission to contact three references, and a current criminal reference clearance certificate must be sent to:
Keith Mason,Director of Shibogama Technical Services,
Box 387, Sioux Lookout ON P8T 1A5(807) 737-2662 ext 2242
Throughout the commu-nity of Attawapiskat, there was great joy and thankfulness when it was announced that the children would be getting a new school.
Chief Theresa Hall was attending the Assembly of First Nations meeting on Dec. 8 when she received a call from Indian and Northern Affairs Minister
Chuck Strahl.“His advisor said he would
call. It was a first time for me, the minister calling about the capital project.
“I was thrilled.”There is great optimism that
the school will be built as Strahl had made the announcement in front of the chiefs at the AFN meeting.
Hall called her Head Council member Gilbert Spence with the news.
Eager to share the news with children, teachers and parents, an assembly was called at the school.
The community centre com-plex auditorium erupted in cheers from the entire commu-nity in attendance.
“We are very happy that we are in the capital project,” Hall said. “However there is still a lot of work to be done.
“We have to identify a service lot. We need to take a look at the studies done two years ago. We need a project manager and a project team. We need techni-
cal people.“It’s not going to happen next
year. We will find a way to fast track it with the project team.
“I think the community is really overwhelmed,” said Dep-uty Chief Theresa Spence. “We went to Ottawa, and I think our voices were heard loud and clear.
“The whole community was involved and I just want to say thank you to them. It’s big news. It’s a Christmas gift.
“I am just proud for the kids. They went to school without complaint.”
Hall enthusiastically added, “I am just happy for the stu-dents. Finally, they will be out of the portables.”
She is happy they will have a school soon that they can call
their own.A vision Hall sees for the new
school is an incorporation of some cultural significance built into the design of the school.
The community was prom-ised new a school by INAC in 2005, but it was told in Decem-ber 2007 the project would be shelved for at least five years.
Attawapiskat has been with-out an elementary school since 2000 when it closed due to die-sel fuel contamination. Since then, students have been taught in portables.
New school for AttawapiskatINAC confirms funds will flow
“I think the community is really overwhelmed ... It’s big news. It’s a Christmas gift.”
– Theresa Spence
22 Wawatay News DECEMBER 29, 2009 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ
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Wishing peace, happiness and
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Shape-upsShape-upsShoesShoes
Hockey night at DFCRick Garrick/Wawatay News
Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School staff and students battled each other in a staff versus students hockey game Dec. 16 at the Fort Wil-liam Gardens.
Top: The staff (white uniforms) win the draw in their defensive zone and race up the ice towards the students’ goal.
Centre left: A hard fought battle for the puck in the corner off to the left side of the staff’s goal.
Centre right: A student shoots and scores on the staff goalie.
Bottom: Another student breaks in on the staff goal as a defender tries to block the shot.
Wawatay News DECEMBER 29, 2009 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ 23
www.fngettingconnected.ca
WAWATAY NATIVE COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY
GITCHI-MEEGWETCH! THANK YOU!
Wawatay Native Communications Society would like to thank the following sponsors, or-ganizations, businesses and individuals that contributed to the success of the fi rst-ever
Northern Ontario First Nations Getting Connected Communications Conference:
Apologies to those we may have missed.
An Evaluation Form is available on the www.fngettingconnected.ca website for those who participated in the Conference. All completed Evaluation Forms will be collated and feed-
back will be shared in a report.
Thanks to all who participated, shared and contributed to this Conference.
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:
ᐊᐧᐊᐧᑌ ᐊᓂᔑᓇᐯᒧᐃᐧᓂ ᐊᔭᒧᐃᐧᓂ ᐊᓄᑭᐃᐧᓇᐣt
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MAJOR:
GOLD:
BRONZE:
ADDITIONAL SPONSORS:• IFNA• Municipality of Sioux Lookout
• Erickson Partners• Martin R. Nelson Chartered Accountants
NATIONAL ABORIGINALACHIEVEMENT FOUNDATION
Allan JollyAssembly of First Nations
Barney TurtleBrian BeatonBrent WesleyBryan Phelan
Cal KennyCBLS Radio Sioux Lookout
Chief Adam FiddlerChief Clifford Bull
Chris KornackiChristina Keesic
City of Thunder BayCity of TimminsDaisy WesleyDavid Neegan
Dean WoloschukDepartment of Canadian Heritage
Etienne Esquega
Florence SandersonFlorence Woolner
Franz SeibelGeorge NakogeeGeorge Witham
Glen KeesicGrand Chief Stan Beardy
Grant KeesicHeather Hudson
Jamie MonastyrskiJavier EspinozaJoyce HunterJules SpenceKanina Terry
Kenina KakekayashKevin Brewer
Lac Seul First NationLyle Johnson
Marilyn McIntosh
Margaret ScottMatawa First Nations Council
Maureen BrophyMinistry of Northern Development
and MinesNishnawbe Aski NationOntario Arts Council
