Rick Garrick/.Wawatay NewsTraditional dancers danced along with award-winning Aboriginal musician Keith Secola and Classic Roots during the Sept. 29 For the Love of Life concert at Lakehead University’s Bora Laskin auditorium in Thunder Bay.
Fort Albany woman unable to access $97,0000Lenny CarpenterWawatay News
A Fort Albany woman is unable to access the $97,000 she received in resi-dential school compensation several months ago because she had previ-ously been deemed a “mentally unfit Indian” by the federal government.
Agnes Sutherland, 57, struggled with alcohol addiction and in Febru-ary 2009, was admitted into a mental health unit in Timmins. A required assessment was conducted and the physician made a finding that she did not have the mental capacity to man-age her property.
The assessment was sent off to the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee, a provincial department, who in turn sent it off to Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (then known as INAC).
“And INAC made an appointment pursuant to the Indian Act that she be deemed a mentally incompetent Indian pursuant to that definition in the Act and appointed the Office of the Pub-lic Guardian and Trustee to act on her behalf,” said Sharon Sabourin, a Tim-mins lawyer representing Sutherland.
Upon being released from the men-tal health unit, Sutherland returned home to Fort Albany and, through the help of counseling, kicked her alcohol addiction.
See Feds Not Responding on page 3
2 Wawatay News OCTOBER 11, 2012 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ
Thank You, Airlines!
Your fast, courteous delivery of Wawatay News to our northern communities is appreciated.
DFC high school has added golf to the list of extracurricular activities offered to students.
A golf clinic was held at Whitewater Golf Club throughout the fall for interested students of the sport to try to swing a club for the first time.
Whitewater had golf teachers on hand for the students, along with other golf enthusiasts from the Thunder Bay community to practice at the range, putting green and even play a few rounds at the course.
Six young Aboriginal writers from across Ontario received the James Bartleman Aboriginal Youth Creative Writing award on Sept. 26.
Rachel Bluecoat, a Grade 9 student from Fort Severn, showed the changes in her community in her poem and felt “great” about receiving the award.
Wunnumin Lake’s Chelsea Roberta McKay, Sioux Lookout’s Calista Mawakeesic, Cutler’s Carlene Evangeline Genevieve Wiitala and Water-loo’s Justine Kennedy also received awards.
Environmental conference takes place in Thun-der Bay
A tour of a solar energy power development was one of the high-lights of the Northern Ontario First Nations Environment Confer-ence.
The 10 megawatt SkyPower solar park, which contains about 45,000 solar panels and was developed in partnership with Fort William First Nation, has been in operation on about 88 acres of Fort William commercial land since May.
The conference took place Oct. 1-4 at the Fort William Historical Park and the Victoria Inn in Thunder Bay.
A Fort Albany woman is unable to access the $97,000 she received about three months ago in residential school compensation because in 2008 she was declared mentally unfit to manage her finances.
Agnes Sutherland, 57, had problems with alcohol addiction and after she was admitted into a mental health unit, her personal finances fell into control of the Public Guardian and Trustee for Ontario.
With the help of counselling, Sutherland sobered up and in April 2011, a doctor found her to have “no mental illness that would inter-fere with her decision making.”
But Sutherland must wait until a court tells the federal and provin-cial governments to revoke the trustee appointment before she is given full access to her compensation. Until then, Sutherland, who is physi-cally disabled and was recently homeless, is only given $85 a week.
Page 1 and 3ᐁᓴᑭᒋᑲᑌᐠ ᐱᒪᑎᓯᐃᐧᐣ ᓂᑲᒧᓂᑫᐃᐧᐣ ᑭᓇᑐᒪ ᐊᓂᔑᓂᓂᐃᐧ ᐅᓂᑲᒧ ᓯᑯᓫᐊ
For the Love of Life concert headlined by NDN Cars composer Secola
Aboriginal youth from across northern Ontario had the chance to perform with NDN Cars composer Keith Secola on Sept. 29.
The performances were part of the For the Love of Life concert, organized by Shy-Anne Hovorka and held at Lakehead University’s Bora Laskin auditorium in Thunder Bay.
Dave Simard of the Thunder Mountain Singers said he was able to meet with Secola in Fort William First Nation and tell him stories about the region.
Page 12
Aboriginal youth from across northern Ontario had the chance to perform with NDN Cars composer Keith Secola on Sept. 29 (top); Six young Aboriginal writers from across Ontario received the James Bartleman Aboriginal Youth Creative Writing award on Sept. 26, including Carlista Mawakeesic of Sioux Lookout (bottom left); and DFC high school students had the opportunity to take part in a golf clinic (bottom right).
1 Wawatay News OCTOBER 11, 2012 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ Wawatay News OCTOBER 11, 2012 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ 3
IMAGINE YOUR COMMUNITY WHERE
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build a healthier community and make waiting a thing of the past.
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Sandy Lake orders residents outRick GarrickWawatay News
A Sandy Lake resident has been ordered by chief and council to leave the community for inciting negative remarks and public commentary.
“I feel like they tore my heart apart,” said Angela Kamala-tisit, a Fort Albany band mem-ber who had been living in Sandy Lake for about 10 years with common-law partner and Sandy Lake band member Ringo Fiddler. “My son and Ringo are my family. What they (chief and council) did was wrong.”
Kamalatisit received a letter from chief and council, dated Aug. 7, ordering her to leave Sandy Lake on Aug. 30 at her own expense. She left within a few days and is now staying at a shelter in Thunder Bay.
“I think it’s because of com-ments I made on Facebook about my situation,” Kamala-
tisit said. “I know I stated one time that I was feeling picked on because of Ringo and his politics.”
Kamalatisit said she does not like being bullied or harassed.
“I’m the type that takes stands for myself and for my family,” Kamalatisit said. “I’m looking for them to just leave us alone. We didn’t cause any trouble in Sandy Lake. I want to go back — I lived there for 10 years in peace. I didn’t do noth-ing wrong.”
Kamalatisit said she even helped youth who were having personal issues.
“I gave them one-on-one
talks,” Kamalatisit said. “I con-sidered Sandy Lake my home and that is where my spouse lives. And I want to be with my spouse.”
The chief and council’s let-ter said that Kamalatisit is not
allowed to return to Sandy Lake - if she does, she will be charged with trespassing on a reserve.
The letter stated: “There have been reports of your nega-tive public commentary of our local community. This is creat-
ing hardship for our people.”The letter also stated that
chief and council cannot toler-ate this type of action or behav-ior from people who are in the community as guests.
Kamalatisit’s son, Dylan Saganash, was also ordered to leave Sandy Lake by chief and council on Aug. 30 for enter-ing the community without the expressed permission of chief and council due to court condi-tions.
Sandy Lake has posted an official statement on the issue, which said chief and council held a meeting about Kamala-tisit and Saganash on Aug. 30.
The statement said there was careful deliberation regarding Kamalatisit and Saganash, not-ing that Saganash has outstand-ing court conditions.
“Since these two individu-als are not band members and did not request permission to enter into our traditional terri-tory,” the statement said, “these
two individuals have been instructed to leave at the earli-est possible time at their own expense.”
Fiddler responded to Kamalatisit’s eviction in an Aug. 31 letter to Sandy Lake chief and council, where he said she is a guest of the community at his request.
He also told chief and council in his letter that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms now applies in First Nations since July 2011, including the freedom of expression.
The CHRA guarantees that everyone has the following fun-damental freedoms: freedom of conscience and religion; free-dom of thought, belief, opin-ion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; free-dom of peaceful assembly; and freedom of association.
Sandy Lake Chief Bart Mee-kis did not reply to requests for an interview.
Rick Garrick/Wawatay NewsAngela Kamalasit, a Fort Albany band member, lived in Sandy Lake for 10 years with her common-law partner Ringo Fiddler before being ordered to leave the community by the band council in August.
Last year, Sabourin had a local physician reassess Sutherland.
“And of course, they found she had capacity and that let-ter was sent to INAC and the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee,” Sabourin said.
The Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee said the appointment is out of their
hands and Sabourin was told to contact AANDC.
“(The Office said) the appointment was under the Indian Act and they (AANDC) have to remove that appoint-ment and said take it up with them directly and all of my let-ters have gone ignored since April of last year,” Sabourin said.
Several months ago, Suther-land moved to Timmins but
was unable to find a home. A diabetic, Sutherland had one leg amputated and is in a wheelchair.
And as she was homeless in Timmins, of the $97,000 sit-ting in her account, Suther-land is given $87 a week from the trustee.
It was not until her strug-gles appeared in local media that arrangements were made with the trustee to provide her
with a home, where the rent is billed directly to the trustee.
With such a long wait for a response from AANDC, Sabourin had an application issued with a federal court and that is being delivered to the Attorney General of Can-ada, AANDC and the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee.
“So they will have to respond,” Sabourin said.
Until then, Sutherland will have to wait until she can access the funds she is due.
“She feels extraordinarily frustrated because from her point of view, she went through this abuse in the resi-dential school system and that was in her view in the hands of the government,” Sabourin said. “And now that’s happen-ing all over again where she’s given a settlement to com-
Feds not responding to application to have trustee removedpensate for the abuse … and there’s ongoing control over her on how she can spend this money.”
Sabourin cannot find a legal precedent where a similar situation has been settled in court, but said since the media coverage, others from across Canada have contacted her with similar circumstances.
A call to AANDC was not returned.
Continued from page 1
“I want to go back — I lived there for 10 years in peace. I didn’t do nothing wrong.”
-Angela Kamalasit
4 Wawatay News OCTOBER 11, 2012 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ
The colours of change
From the Wawatay archives
Wawatay News archivesPikangikum, date unknown.
Commentary
Health: “You have cancer”
16-5th Avenue North P.O. Box 1180 Sioux Lookout, ON P8T 1B7
Serving the First Nations in Northern Ontario since 1974. Wawatay News is a politically independent weekly newspaper
published by Wawatay Native Communications Society.
It was 2008; I was extremely unwell with persistent menopausal bleeding meno-
pause. The late David Gehue, healer
and shake tent man, told me ‘If you believe you can do some-thing, you can. You have to believe it to see it.’
I went to shake tents, took my problem to the spirits and trusted I would be guided.
The spirits told me I did not have cancer and offered me land medicines. These worked until I travelled and couldn’t store them.
David had me promise I’d see a doctor. Only that promise got me to the hospital; I had so much distrust in the system.
In emergency, I panted as they walked me to three rooms. Six nurses admonished me, ‘Slow your breathing.’
As I struggled not to faint as I walked I kept saying, ‘I can do this, I can make it.’
With my vital signs checked I was given a pill for anxiety!
‘I don’t need this. There are lots of things that cause short-ness of breath,’ I said. I took the pill; I had bigger battles to fight and didn’t have strength for all.
Blood work revealed I was very ill so a specialist saw me after his office hours.
That’s when I heard the words that many dread: ‘You have two huge masses which are usually cancer. I don’t have the ability of the city operat-ing room. You’d be better to go there.’
I was admitted for blood transfusions and tests. A CT scan showed two masses, one the size of a large tissue box and the other, larger.
I had to wait for a bed for the surgery; I was discharged.
Five days later I returned with massive bleeding. A locum doctor was in charge. He acted proud and cocky as he sug-gested a nurse examine me.
As she stepped forward, I rebelled. He hadn’t asked my permission.
‘No. I am not a teaching tool! I have a right to decide who touches me, and when.’
They left with the nurse returning shortly to apologize, acknowledging I was right: I could refuse. I know it is assault if care providers touch or treat without permission.
An hour later the doctor appeared, justifying his actions:
‘I work in a teaching hospital. We get used to showing resi-dents.’
I was prepared to be labelled difficult or belligerent.
Those titles kept me alive as I lived David’s words of believ-ing. I trusted the spirits were helping me to assert myself, to be strong in the face of blatant oppression.
I did not fear cancer; the spirits told me I didn’t have it. I had no feeling of cancer’s inva-sion and struggled to deny doc-tors’ fears and words becoming my life.
Repeatedly I faced coercive actions by those who control the health care system while I spoke, demanding respect, con-sideration, and exercising my right to refuse.
Instead of pain medication I used nature sounds CDs. Those sounds also kept me from hearing staff breaching confi-dentiality as they discussed my problems at the hall desk.
I continued to follow spirit direction, walked when I felt I could and as my body directed me to do to gain strength. I didn’t let staff fears become mine.
Before going to hospital, I had made a major decision: I avoided fearing or claiming cancer. I didn’t want the fear and pity of others; that’s nega-tive energy. Three friends and my brother phoned me from Alberta, Ontario, and two dis-tant Nova Scotia communities to remind me I was loved.
Six weeks after surgery, while still coping with major side effects of treatments I hadn’t been able to avoid, I got the surgery results.
‘It took a long time to get process the tissues. They did numerous and unusual tests on the tumours; the results show you have grade one cancer,’ the doctor said.
I let those words roll over and off my ears.
‘Chemotherapy and radia-tion will not make a difference,’ he added.
I thanked him, hung up the phone and danced -- I knew I was OK. I’d made it!
I was down 40 pounds, looked like a hollow-cheeked, grey, bag of bones and had my beliefs tested repeatedly but I was okay.
Doctors told me I had cancer but I don’t believe that. Tests have false positives, errors are made, and bioscience medicine is not always right.
I give cancer no space in my body today and thank David, who has joined the spirits, and the balance of the spirits daily for their intervention.
Joyce Atcheson
GUEST COLUMNIST
These days I am sur-rounded by nature’s art and Mother Earth is
changing the landscape with incredible colours that she takes from her pallet. The fall colour extravaganza is in full swing up north and vivid yel-low, orange, red and green fills the forests. Even though we northerners feel a little sad at the waning of summer our spir-its are lifted with joyful colour all through the northland.
A great way to enjoy the colour forest show is to take a road trip from the far north of Ontario to the southern cities over a period of a couple of weeks. Way up north on the James Bay coast I recall yellow being the predominant fall colour as the leaves changed. Of course this was a mix with green and brown in the far north forest where only the poplar provided us with yel-low streams of colour on the landscape. Bushes added bits of red here and there and the
pine tree green held everything together.
Further south around the North Bay and Sudbury areas in northern Ontario there are more deciduous trees so the colours are more vivid still with a variety of reds, oranges and yellows throughout the forest. Around the Toronto area and most of southern Ontario the colours really explode into splashes of reds, oranges and yellows while the green rep-resented by the conifer trees dissipates.
To really get the most out of this season I suggest spend-ing as much time as possible on waterfront areas where the amazing colours of the forest are expanded by the mirror affect in the reflection on the water. Being out on the land in the autumn of the year is magi-cal and reminds us of just how beautiful our planet is.
It is interesting to know that all these wonderful colours are brought to us by the trees every year merely due to an necessity for survival. Deciduous trees develop their colours because they are heading into hiberna-tion for the winter. It makes more sense for them to stop supplying nutrients to their leaves as there is less sunlight
for production of energy and the trees must cope with freez-ing temperatures. When the trees stop supplying nutrients to the leaves a process occurs where in fact the leaves slowly change colour, die and drop off. The trees expend as little energy as possible to make it through the winter.
Pine trees cope with the environment in a different way. They keep their pine needles because it is too energy expen-sive for them to shed their foli-age. In the north, the summer season is too short for growth so it is more efficient to main-tain their green foliage. The cooler year round weather also makes it harder to decompose nutrients into the soil so it is more energy efficient for pines to maintain their health year round.
Amazingly the beautiful spectrum of fall colours are the result of trees killing off their leaves so that they can survive the cold season and come to life again in the spring. That kind of process very much points to my belief that northerners are blessed with changing seasons. The fact that we live through four seasons every year keeps us adaptable, vibrant and makes us strong. Most of us
would be lost and bored if we only had one season in the year.
For First Nation people in this country the changing seasons right across Canada has determined our way of life and spirituality. My nomadic ancestors roamed the land as hunters and gatherers and were very close to Mother Earth and nature. The colours of autumn signalled the com-ing of winter when they could more easily move on the land with snowshoes, dog teams and sleds. The fall colours for my people the James Bay or Mush-kego Cree meant that the geese would be flying south and that gave the opportunity to harvest them for our survival. The Canada Goose is in fact a very spiritual part of our culture as we owe much of our survival as a people to this majestic bird.
The fall colours get me very excited and announce the change of seasons. This is a happy time when we should venture out of the house in warm clothes to walk by a lake or river or wander down a for-est trail with colours all around us. Better still if possible take a slow road trip through the Canadian heartland to witness the change of seasons.
Xavier Kataquapit
UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY
1 Wawatay News OCTOBER 11, 2012 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ Wawatay News OCTOBER 11, 2012 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ 5
FindFind
in these communitiesin these communities
ArolandAtikokan
AttawapiskatBalmertownBatchewana
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Big GrassyBig Island
Big Trout LakeBrunswick House
CalstockCat Lake
ChapleauCochrane
CollinsCouchichingCouchiching
Deer LakeDinorwicDrydenEar Falls
EmoFlying PostFort AlbanyFort Frances
Fort HopeFort SevernGeraldton
GinoogamingGrassy Narrows
Gull BayHornepayne
HudsonIskatewizaagegan
Kapuskasing Kasabonika
KashechewanKeewaywin
KenoraKingfisher Lake
KochechingLac La Croix
Lac Seul, Kejick BayLake NipigonLansdowneLong Lake
MattagammiMichipicoten
Migisi SahgaiganMissanabie
MobertMoose Factory
MoosoneeMuskrat Dam
Musselwhite MineNaicatchewenin
NaotikamegwanningNestor Falls
NicikousemenecaningNorth Spirit Lake
Northwest Angle #33Northwest Angle #37
Ochiichagwe’Babigo’ IningOgoki
Pic RiverOsnaburgh
PawitikPays Plat
Peawanuck
Pickle LakePikangikumPoplar HillRainy RiverRed LakeRed RockRocky Bay
Sachigo LakeSandy Lake
SaugeenSault Ste. Marie
Savant LakeSeine RiverShoal Lake
Sioux LookoutSioux Narrows
Slate FallsStanjikoming
StrattonSummer Beaver
Taykwa TagamouTimmins
Thunder BayWabaskangWabigoon
WahgoshingWapekeka
Washaganish Wauzhusk Onigum
WawakapewinWeagamow Lake
WebequieWhitedogWhitesand
Wunnimun Lake
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BOOK REVIEWJoyce AtchesonSpecial to Wawatay News
First Nations do not have the right to say ‘no’.
Despite Kitchenuhmaykoo-sib Inninuwug (KI)’s heroic David against Goliath efforts to protect their land from invasion by mining companies and the province, KI has been left with debt while Platinex got $5 mil-lion and Ontario revamped its archaic mining act, leaving free entry access intact and thus giv-
ing the province the upper hand in resource economics.
Under Ontairo’s ‘new and improved’ 2009 mining law, First Nations do not have jurisdiction over their lands and are unable to say ‘no’.
They are required to negoti-ate and manage agreements with resource developers and the province. The law is a ‘policy of incorporation’.
The only option left to First Nations within Treaties is to continue the stand as KI did and
does -- the law of Kanawayan-dan D’aaki, the duty and sacred responsibility to the land.
No Means No, The Kitchenu-hmaykoosib Inninuwug and the Fight for Indigenous Sovereignty is a thumbnail sketch by David Peerla, the political advisor to KI, of KI’s past justice efforts and the present picture of oppression imposed on First Nations.
He quotes Justice Smith’s judgement of fearing that giv-ing KI’s law his support would create two sets of laws -- one for
Aboriginals -- which would lead to chaos and loss of respect and confidence by the public in the courts and judicial system.
As you read, you can clearly see two sets of laws existed before KI put so much money and personal life into it. You will find the lunacy of Justice Smith’s ruling: First People, at last count, are members of the public, but confidence in and respect for this law left years ago and now First Peoples need to evoke their own.
This book needs to be read by
Canada’s millions who believe we have justice in Canada and at the cost of this book there are few people unable to afford it.
No Means No, The Kitchenuh-maykoosib Inninuwug and the Fight for Indigenous Sovereignty -- David Peerla; Cognitariat Publishing (Sold by Amazon Digital Services, Inc); 2012; ASIN B008XMW8BG; 29 pages, $0.99)
6 Wawatay News OCTOBER 11, 2012 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ
Registration is now open for the2ND Annual Mining Ready Summit October 23 - 24, 2012Valhalla Inn - Thunder Bay, ON
Sponsorship opportunities also available.
Register at www.miningready.com or call 1-800-465-6821.
James Bartleman Aborigi-nal Youth Creative Writing Award winner Kiara Lynn Bird likes to express her feel-ings in her writing.
“Sometimes I’ll cry, some-times I’ll laugh,” said the Grade 7 student from Naot-kamewanning, a Treaty #3 community near Sioux Nar-rows. “Sometimes I’ll be happy.”
Bird said her parents, teachers and classmates were proud of her for winning the award.
“They think it’s awesome,” Bird said about her parents. “They were wowed and over-joyed.”
Bird plans to write a book about dancing in the pow-wow in the future, noting it is important to write because it “brings a lot out of you.”
Bird and five other young Aboriginal writers from
across Ontario received the James Bartleman Aborigi-nal Youth Creative Writing Award, which includes a $2,500 cash award, during the Sept. 26 awards cere-mony in Toronto.
Fort Severn’s Rachel Blue-coat, a Grade 9 student at Keewaytinook Internet High School, showed the changes in her community in her poem.
“(I wrote about) what I like to do, like going fishing, going for rides to the coast,” Bluecoat said. “It ’s good to be out there having fun out there.”
Bluecoat felt good about her award, noting she received congratulations from the community.
“It felt great,” Bluecoat said.
Wunnumin Lake’s Chel-sea Roberta McKay, Sioux Lookout’s Calista Mawakee-sic, Cutler’s Carlene Evange-line Genevieve Wiitala and Waterloo’s Justine Kennedy also received awards.
“The clever thoughts and imaginative writing show-cased by these young writers gives us a unique perspective of the personal journey of
Ontario’s young Aboriginal people,” said James Bartle-man, former Lieutenant Gov-ernor of Ontario. “They have found in writing an intellec-tual stimulant, a door that opens a world of possibili-ties.”
More than 250 entries were received this year for the award, which was cre-ated in 2008 to provide Aboriginal youth with an opportunity to showcase their creative writing abili-ties.
The award has been pre-sented to 30 Aboriginal youth since its inception.
“Aboriginal youth in
Ontario have tremendous potential and I am impressed by their talent to share their unique stories and culture at such a young age,” said Kathleen Wynne, minis-ter of Aboriginal Affairs. “I encourage them to continue to develop their craft as promising young writers and authors in Ontario.”
Aboriginal youth 18 years of age and under are eligible for the award. They must self-identify as Aboriginal, attend a school in Ontario, be a permanent resident of Ontario and be the author of an original creative writing piece, such as a short story,
poem, essay, play or song.There are two age catego-
ries, junior for youth up to 12 years old and senior for 13-18 years old, and three geographic categories, f ly-in community, on-reserve and off-reserve communities.
The deadline for submis-sions is May 31 each year.
“By sharing a glimpse of their challenges and dreams, the six award recipients have become an inspiration for their peers and a powerful voice for their communities,” said Charles Sousa, minister of Citizenship and Immigra-tion. “They are our future leaders.”
When Will I see you again?Kiara Lynn Bird, age 12Naotkamewanning First Nations
I go to your house, thinking I will see you smilingI go to powwows thinking I will see you dancingI go to gatherings thinking I will see you speaking
When will I see you again?Only in memories now as time passes byOnly in dreams now, just you and I
I know you’re here in spiritas the eagles soaras the calm wind blowsas the warm comforting feeling felt to the coreOnly then do I know you’re close
I love you papa, send me a sign, and let me know everything will be fine.
Untitled poemRachel Bluecoat, age 17Fort Severn
I look around and see what used to be there.But it’s been removed, it’s so much different.I close my eyes remembering what it was like.The smell of pine trees, birds singing back and forth.After I open my eyes it’s gone.All I hear is the sound of cars honking.The pollution from factories, cars spread all over.The trees have been cut down, birds are still here but, don’t sing
anymore.The river is still there but, a bridge is built over it leading to
another town.No one is allowed to hunt.There’s barely any fish.It’s just not the same as it used to be.
TrappedChelsea McKay, age 12Wunnumin Lake
There’s not lightThere’s no soundI need helpThere’s a place and a timeTo be savedBut is it now?
I need helpHelp me nowI’m stuck in this placeI feel aloneI want to go somewhere else
It’s so darkIt’s so coldCan you help me now?I’ll be waiting here for youI feel sadI think I’m going insane
Can you help me now?I feel sickI feel lonelyI need help right nowI’ve been yelling for help every dayCan you hear me now?
“The clever thoughts and imaginative writing show-cased by these young writers gives us a unique perspective of the per-sonal journey of Ontario’s young Aboriginal people, they have found in writing an intellectual stimulant, a door that opens a world of possibilities.”
-James Bartleman, former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
1 Wawatay News OCTOBER 11, 2012 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ Wawatay News OCTOBER 11, 2012 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ 7
Insight; To Ones Who Have Been Hurt
Calista Mawakeesic, age 13Sioux Lookout
Each word, little by little, mound by mound,Every each hard harsh word stabs me and my heart broken bones,Whispers and stares, taunts and laughs,Endless road, to which I don’t dare.
Feeling so small,Cannot recall, my one last wish, lost the magic fish.I fall, I fly, I call, I cry,I failed, didn’t I try?Bruises; dark purple, from the words that have been said,Scars; deep red, from the fears that has been caught.Their jokes and laughter, all that has been said,All just in my head, day after day.
A lie, that they say, each and every day,Told me that I was worthless,Oh, how I bedded to differ.
Disgust written on their face,They’ve already called me a disgrace,All given titles, each and every day.
What is to say?When no one understands,When no one else seems to care,When no one else seems to give a damn. Feeling utterly alone, when I make the stand.A cut here, a cut there, two on my left arm there.
Day after day, person after per-son,Not matter what, it’s never enough,Hungry like blood thirsty wolves,Hungry for others’ pain,Hungry for tears, hungry for the ones who have lost their hope.Now they do it to her,Because she’s so different, character and looks,They’re dragging her down with their lifeless piercing looks, their mind playing games.
Expressively dangerous, tend to find new ways,A whole new plan, each and every day.Blood like tear drops and on the floor,Sighs slowly and quietly, a sigh of pain.
No one has held out a hand, not even helpWhen she needed it the most a place to fall,The world is a lost land, forever
dark.Not what any girl needs for.
Tried to looking into her soul?“a hopeless loner”, that is what has been told.Recognize this?A thief with a bone,A dog with a knife,It’s all opposite isn’t it?Well…so is her life.
Dancing through the thoughts of mine,Ending up for a dying mind,If only I can control the thoughts of mine,Choosing which bond I can bind.
I wonder if I’m good enough,She wonders if life is worth it,We think, only because we believe the lies that have been told.The stereotypes held against.
Bruises and cuts,Words burned into my mind,The hatred and rage in their soul hungry eyes,If only I knew why.
Papers, we write.Tears, we cry.Words, we whisper.Behind, lays our old crying eyes.
Raging fire, thinking up my fears,All burning up in here.Words I’ll never speak,Cries they’ll never hear.
Words unspoken,Word from tear,Whatever lies within, True peace,A place where the humming
birds sing.
Trickling day,Stinging night,Yet not raining, and no bees, Always getting me.Wonder what I can say,Without my voice trembling with fright.They tried to take my soul,They should really try to find their own.
Heartache and anger,What else is new?Today I only find the true meaning of strength.Is it time I finally spoke out?
The pain I have experienced,The hurt I have kept,My heart, that has been shat-tered, But today, I find a new way.
Been close to the breaking point,Been close to the face of true death,Almost went pale blue, my face expressionless.Almost went too deep, deep too bleed it all out.Nights which I have prayed, prayed for it to stop,But I found I need to figure it out.As I’ve been told, hurt people hurt people.It didn’t make sense, for the hurt to hurt others.
Been treated so wrong, for so long.Been close to my dead break-ing point,Been close enough to die.Always needed to break down and cry.
My all,All that has been to waste.They tried to tear me apart,Tried driving me to death,Tried to make sure I believed that I failed life’s test.Mess of a million tears lay to waste,Hundreds of thoughts, saying it’ll be better to take the life to stop the pain.Never forget; never forget what has been felt.
Angry inside.Show them that I can shine,Tell them that they were blind all this time.Each day, day after day,My mind played like a broken record,Saying, I don’t want to be me.Replaying, and playing, words of my catch phrase.
Stood up for myself and she,Found out they weren’t so pow-erful after all,The nights I laid awake, words buzzing in and out of my mind,Broke out some tears, yes it’s true.
Got on my own two feet, stood up tall.Found the true meaning of strength.Glad I finally found hope,Finally happy now.
To be pain freeTo be care free,To be tear free,To be bully free!Oh, not in this world, not even close.
Spread these wings of mine,Show them what is really behind; strength and freedom,
Finally they leave me be.
Moved on; to another soul,Stand by and watch the tor-nado blow?Make way for the hurricane wave?Jump out from the blazing fire?Stand up? Be tall and fearless,Make sure that no more tears fall?Let the lost ones be found.Not one more blow.
There is thousands out there, whom which they don’t know what to do.I wasn’t the only one, there was her, there was him, there was he and she, you, and then where was me.There was the one who played the piano, especially talented whom which they envied.The one who has been called fat, with true perfect view inside,The one who has been called gay, a two spirited knows way more in both,The one who has been called ugly, with true haunting looks.The one who has been called nerd, more a genius than smart.The one who has been called stupid, who know more than just that.The one who has been called worthless, who is worth a one billion lives.The one who has been called a name, who didn’t need to shed a tear.This poem I write Is for the ones who have been hurt.
8 Wawatay News OCTOBER 11, 2012 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ
YOU ARE INVITED TO AN OPEN HOUSE FOR THE CLIFFS CHROMITE PROJECT
Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (Cliffs) recently initiated a provincial and federal Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Cliffs Chromite Project. The EA will assess the following four components of the Project:
1) The Mine, located near McFaulds Lake; 2) An Ore Processing Facility, co-located at the Mine; 3) An Integrated Transportation System (ITS) to transport product/supplies and workers to and from the Mine; and 4) A Ferrochrome Production Facility (FPF), located in Capreol, within the City of Greater Sudbury.
Progress to Date Throughout 2011 and 2012, Cliffs held Open House and community meeting events to obtain feedback on its May 2011 Project Description Report as well as the draft Terms of Reference (ToR). Cliffs has now formally submitted its ToR to the Ministry of the Environment for the Project, which provides the framework for the provincial component of the EA. The federal EA will be carried out concurrently with the provincial EA, and will follow the federal Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Guidelines issued to Cliffs on December 23, 2011. Cliffs is now moving forward with the coordinated EA and is beginning the next phase of consultation and engagement activities.
You Are Invited Community members, government agencies and other interested persons are encouraged to actively participate in the provincial EA planning process by reviewing and providing feedback on the preliminary list of Valued Ecosystem Components (VECs), the results of the baseline studies and Project alternatives assessment. To obtain your feedback Cliffs will hold an Open House (please see details below).
Cliffs and its consultants (Golder Associates Ltd) will be present at the Open House to answer your questions and hear what you have to say.
We look forward to meeting you. Refreshments will be provided.
Cliffs Chromite Project Location
If you cannot attend the Open House you are encouraged to forward questions or comments on the preliminary list of
Project alternatives to:
Jason Aagenes Director, Environmental Affairs 1159 Alloy Drive, Ste. 200 Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6M8
Open House Details Wednesday October 17, 2012 4:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Geraldton Community Centre, 200 Wardrope Avenue, Geraldton, ON Wednesday October 24, 2012 4:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Airlane Hotel and Conference Centre, 698 W Arthur Street, Thunder Bay, ON Thursday October 25, 2012 4:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Capreol Community Centre, 200 Meehan Street, Capreol, ON
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act Environmental Assessment Act
Lakehead University is committed to helping Aboriginal peoples further their educational aspirations. Aboriginal programs at Lakehead offer academic, research, and cultural support services tailored to Aboriginal needs.
Specialization & Access Programs Department of Indigenous LearningNative Nurses Entry ProgramNative Access Program
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Get the news online! www.wawataynews.ca
Project aimed at training Aboriginal reporters in northern OntarioLenny CarpenterWawatay News
The need to tell Aboriginal stories by Aboriginal writ-ers from northern Ontario is at the core of a project initi-ated by Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), a Canadian-based media development organization.
“The idea is to build up a slew of correspondence across northern Ontario of people who can report from their communities,” said Robin Pierro, communications man-ager for JHR. “So community-based reporters who can tell Aboriginal focused stories from the Aboriginal perspec-tive.”
In its 10 years of operation, JHR has worked primarily in Sub-Saharan countries in Africa helping to develop the capacity of local journalists to report on human rights and governance issues. But last year, the organization decided to work within Canada and, after a month of research, decided to focus on northern Ontario and partnered with Wawatay Native Communica-tions Society.
“In the end, (the aim of the project is) to reach the larger Ontario audience through those stories,” Pierro said. “To really ensure those stories are getting out of the community and everyone knows what’s going in their own province and the country.”
To accomplish this goal dur-
ing the one-year project, two expert journalism trainers will be hired to work in six remote First Nations communities in northern Ontario, train-ing five local journalists per community in print and radio reporting. Each trainer will work in three communities for three months at a time.
JHR also hopes to engage up to 50 community members per cycle through community forums.
Fort Severn, Weagomow, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninu-wug, Attawapiskat, Moose Cree and Constance Lake have agreed to take part in the proj-ect.
The project will also have a Thunder Bay component con-sisting of bi-weekly workshops for both Aboriginal journalists and local media reporters.
“Through the consulta-tions we’ve done over the past year, the overwhelming need that’s being identified in the Thunder Bay is to mitigate the tension between the journal-ists and the Aboriginal com-munity” Pierro said. “And to make sure the two groups are working together and there’s networking and relationships being built.”
The Thunder Bay workshop series will run for nine months for a total of 17 workshops that targets 30 attendees per session. Topics of discussion would range from techniques for reporting in Aboriginal communities to how main-stream newsrooms operate.
The project still needs a source of funding. Along with submitting grant applications, JHR has entered the proj-ect in the Aviva Community Fund competition. Targeting local and national initiatives that incite positive change, the competition has three vot-ing rounds where the winning project(s) will receive its pro-posed funding. Aviva provides a total of $1 million to the competition.
The first round of voting ends Oct. 15. Once registered through the website, anyone can vote once per day until the end of the round. The project can be voted on by going to: www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf14612.
“Through the consul-tations we’ve done over the past year, the overwhelming need that’s being identified in the Thunder Bay is to mitigate the tension between the journal-ists and the Aboriginal community”
– Robin Pierro, Communications Manager for Journalists for
Human Rrights
1 Wawatay News OCTOBER 11, 2012 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ Wawatay News OCTOBER 11, 2012 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ 9
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Solar power demonstrated at environment conferenceRick GarrickWawatay News
A solar energy power develop-ment tour was one of the high-lights of this year’s Northern Ontario First Nations Environ-ment Conference.
“A few members from other communities have approached me about our project,” said Edwin Collins, economic devel-opment manager with Fort Wil-liam First Nation. “SkyPower gra-ciously allowed us to enter inside the solar site. They shut some of the power down so we could walk in safely and we were able to get almost a couple of inches away from the solar panels.”
The 10 MW SkyPower solar park, which contains about 45,000 solar panels, has been in operation on about 88 acres of Fort William commercial land since this past May.
Collins said the solar park pro-vided about 50 job opportunities for community members during construction.
“We are looking into another solar project,” Collins said.
“Right from the ground up, we were involved in this project. It was a learning curve for both SkyPower and Fort William First Nation.”
The conference also featured a workshop on the Musselwhite Mine Environmental Working Committee.
“It doesn’t come easy,” said Eleazor McKay, Musselwhite coordinator for Shibogama First
Nations Council and a MMEWC committee member. “The impor-tant part is understanding each other, where the industry is com-ing from and the industry in turn listens to the First Nation con-cerns.”
McKay said the committee’s results have been satisfactory to date even though there are ongo-ing concerns.
“In a way, it has been a success
story because we had many chal-lenges,” McKay said. “For our side, it’s the lack of understand-ing of the scientific terminology being used and (being) able to translate it to our language.”
Although a number of work-shop participants raised con-cerns about potential pollution, McKay said no problems have been identified in two nearby communities on the same river system as the Musselwhite Mine.
“We are waiting for results from our sturgeon study,” McKay said. “Everything looks fine and I am sure that people will catch anything unusual in species that we consume on a daily basis.”
McKay said there are concerns about the mine closure, which is currently estimated for 2029.
“Our First Nations are going to be there for thousands of years to come after the mine closes,” McKay said. “So what happens then. We are not there yet, but we are slowly getting the under-standing of it.”
The conference was held Oct. 1-4 at the Fort William Histori-cal Park and the Victoria Inn in
Thunder Bay, with a wide vari-ety of workshops on community development and protection, energy usage, environmental studies, fuel management, land use planning, mining, waste management and water/waste-water.
Wawakapwewin’s Simon Frogg would like to see more background information and discussion time at future confer-ences.
“We are affected by a lot of the things that are under discus-sion,” Frogg said.
The conference was hosted by Bimose Tribal Council, Inde-pendent First Nations Alliance, Matawa First Nations Manage-ment Inc., Nokiiwin Tribal Coun-cil, North Shore Tribal Council, Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation, Shibo-gama First Nations Council and Windigo First Nations Council in partnership with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Develop-ment Canada, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Min-istry of Northern Development and Mines.
Rick Garrick/Wawatay NewsNorth Shore Tribal Council’s Patty Ann Owl spoke about protecting indigenous lands and reources at the Oct. 1-4 Northern Ontario First Nations Environment Conference.
Fundraising to get Nibinamik an ice rinkLenny CarpenterWawatay News
Building a synthetic ice rink in Nibinamik First Nation for the local youth is the goal of a Toronto-based organization that is partnered with 30 First Nations in northwestern Ontario.
To do so, Mamow Sha-way-gi-kay-win: The North-South Part-nership for Children has entered the project in the Aviva Commu-nity Fund, a competition where initiatives that encourage posi-tive change are voted on by the public in a series of online voting
rounds.Betty Lou Scholey, director of
operations for Mamow Sha-way-gi-kay-win, said they got the idea to build a synthetic rink in the community during a consultation visit.
“We went to see the chief only to realize that they took the kids to Sioux Lookout for a hockey tournament,” Scholey recalls. “And just the kids and how they were when they got back, hear-ing them and the parents saying they want a better rink. It just was something that never left my mind.”
Scholey said the arena struc-ture is built in Nibinamik, but a concrete pad must be laid and the synthetic ice itself purchased and installed. But the cost of con-struction materials and shipping to the northern communities would be substantial.
Scholey said there is not enough recreational activities in northern communities for the youth.
“And I thought if there is a way to get funds for projects, why not?” she said.
Entitled “For the Love of Hockey,” the Aviva Commu-
nity Fund entry can be found at http://www.avivacommunity-fund.org/ideas/acf13476. Any-one can register and vote for the project once a day until the first round ends on Oct. 15. The top 30 initiatives with the most votes will advance to the second round of voting. Aviva Insurance pro-vides $1 million in total for the winning initiative(s).
Scholey believes that the ini-tiative is important because sports recreation is a great way to encourage a healthy, active lifestyle, support teamwork and cooperation and bring a commu-
nity together.“We must all do what we can
to enrich the lives of children and youth in our remote communi-ties,” Scholey said.
Mamow Sha-way-gi-kay-win is a partnership that began in 2006 and bridges the services provided in the south to the northern com-munities.
“We try to broker or facili-tate the resources we have in the south to get to the north,” Scholey said, adding that they are in contact with philanthropic organizations, universities and and individuals.
10 Wawatay News OCTOBER 11, 2012 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ
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Wabauskang man expanding core tray business with grantRick GarrickWawatay News
Makoose Wood Innova-tions is expanding into min-ing core tray manufactur-ing thanks to $241,256 in funding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Cor-poration.
“I was approached by Goldcorp (about) a year and a half ago and they asked if I was interested in making core trays,” said Doug Riffel, owner of Makoose Wood Innovations, a wood prod-ucts company based in Per-rault Falls near Wabauskang First Nation. “I had pursued them in the past because I was always looking for some-thing that could create jobs in the community.”
Although Riffel first looked at producing core trays using the small planer
at his sawmill, he found they could only produce a limited quantity using that equip-ment.
“For the size of core tray Goldcorp uses, we had to get a fairly large planer,” said Riffel, noting he purchased a Weinig planer with part of the NOHFC funding to manu-facture the core trays. “The
planer is fairly high quality and (from) a decent com-pany so we can have engi-neered knives made to what-ever specifications you would like.”
Riffel initially purchased timber from the open mar-ket to produce the core trays while wood prices were low, but he is now beginning to harvest his own wood from the forest.
“We can produce 2,000 (core trays) a day with five guys running,” Riffel said. “We produce up to 10,000 a month depending on the market.”
Riffel currently has about 10 Aboriginal employees including himself: five work-ing on the core trays, two working in the sawmill and two working on road build-ing in the bush.
“We’re a victim of our own
success in that we do the pro-cess so well that we can eas-ily satisfy the local market,” Riffel said. “I would assume we are somewhere between 60 and 75 per cent of the local market.”
Riffel is looking to diver-sify to keep all his employ-ees working, noting that the Weinig planer can produce a variety of wood products, including log home siding, tongue and groove siding, dimensional lumber and dou-ble tongue and groove mate-rial for cabin kits.
“We’ve built a couple of cabin kits,” Riffel said. “We’re fairly comfortable with the design but it ’s a matter of getting into the market and getting the expo-sure.”
In addition to purchas-ing the Weinig planer, Riffel also bought some additional
industrial equipment, built a 40 by 30-foot building to house the planer and pro-vided training for employees with the NOHFC funding.
“In 2005, we refocused the NOHFC to support job cre-ation in northern Ontario,” said Rick Bartolucci, minis-ter of Northern Development and Mines and chair of the NOHFC. “Today’s invest-ments are creating employ-ment opportunities, growing businesses and further diver-sifying the northern econ-omy. Supporting these entre-preneurs as they expand their businesses is helping ensure future prosperity for our region.”
Makoose Wood Innova-tions was one of 17 north-ern Ontario businesses that received about $5.9 million in funding from NOHFC to expand their operations by
constructing new facilities, purchasing new equipment and adding new product lines.
Riffel is currently looking at moving into the poplar veneer industry, noting he is aiming to obtain a poplar harvesting allocation.
“We have a very high-grade poplar in northwestern Ontario,” Riffel said. “We’re going to peel the logs and ship the veneer out to B.C.”
Riffel said the veneer would be shipped in stacks of 16 by 40-inch sheets.
“I want to keep my work-force, which is why I’m pretty anxious to find new opportu-nities,” Riffel said. “I’ve spent a lot training them and we have a really good crew here. They’re really efficient; it ’s just a matter of finding those opportunities that are out there.”
“We’re a victim of our own success in that we do the pro-cess so well that we can easily satisfy the local market.”
-Doug Riffel, owner of Makoose Wood Innovations
Filmmakers answering audience questions a hit at BiindigaateChris KornackiSpecial to Wawatay News
A handful of directors who had their films screened at this years’ Biindigaate Indig-enous Film Festival were on hand after their screening to answer audience questions.
The festival f lew in these directors from all over Can-ada as a special feature to enhance the audience experi-ence.
Attending filmmakers included Henry Beardy, Jeff Dorn, Adam Garnet Jones, Jason Hunter, Joe Ironstand, Lisa Jackson and Darlene Naponse.
Naponse of Whitefish Lake First Nation, located near Sudbury, was on hand after the screening of her feature film Every Emotion Costs. The film was shot on location at Whitefish Lake and was about a young woman who returns to her home commu-nity to attend her mother’s funeral and reconnects with her past.
“I’ve always wanted to make films. Ever since I was
a kid,” Naponse said. Her film took six years to
complete. The first draft was written in 2003, with the last three years of prepara-tion dedicated to pushing the process of finding dollars to make the film.
With all the preparation to get the film to come together there was only 16 days to actually shoot it. Originally there was 18 days, but pro-duction had to be wrapped up quickly because it started to snow.
“We had to improvise on the spot,” Naponse said.
Naponse said there were advantages of shooting the film in her home community,
like being able to go home every night after a long pro-duction day, and that 75 per cent of crew was from the community and area.
“It was powerful being able to have the commu-nity actually working on the film,” she said.
When asked how she views the film now after spending so many years in preparation she said, “the film is more emotional now looking at it then when I was writing it. In after thought you think you could have done things dif-ferently, but you have to just enjoy what you did and the way the film turned out.”
Currently, Naponse is working on a drama about a couple who’s going in the bush to fix their relationship and think a seven day canoe trip will help. It’s on the lines of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf.
“It ’s not my story, but it ’s a ref lection of stories I’ve heard or seen or friends have told me along the way,” she said.
Naponse owns and runs
a studio called Pine Needle Productions. Every Emotion Costs is her second feature film.
Jason Hunter from Weenusk First Nation had his documentary called Ban-nock screened at the festival. Hunter was also present to answer questions from the audience.
“I only had a week to shoot and edit the documentary, so it was really fast paced,” he said after been asked how long it took him to complete the film. Bannock was done as a project while he was a film student at Confedera-tion College in Thunder Bay.
Hunter also gave young and upcoming filmmakers some advice: “Keep going at it and don’t give up. Since 2006, I’ve been going at it and it takes a lot of hard work and sleepless nights. Just put your heart and soul into it and love what you’re doing.”
The fourth annual film festival was held Sept. 27-30 at the Paramount Theatre in Thunder Bay.
“It was powerful being able to have the community actually working on the film.”
-Filmmaker Darlene Naponse on filming in Whitefish Lake
Chris Kornacki/Special to Wawatay NewsFilmmaker Darlene Naponse of Whitefish Lake First Nation takes questions about shooting her feature film, “Every Emotion Costs.”
1 Wawatay News OCTOBER 11, 2012 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ Wawatay News OCTOBER 11, 2012 ᐧᐊᐧᐊᑌ ᐊᒋᒧᐧᐃᓇᐣ 11
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DFC launches first golf clinicChris KornackiSpecial to Wawatay News
Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School recently added golf to the list of extracurricular activ-ities offered to students.
A golf clinic has been being held at Whitewater Golf Club throughout the fall for inter-ested students of the sport to try to swing a club for the first time. Whitewater had golf teachers on hand for the students, along with other golf enthusiasts from the Thunder Bay community to prac-tice at the range, putting green and even play a few rounds on the course.
“The idea started after the sec-ond annual Raising Awareness golf tournament at the Fort Wil-liam Country Club,” said Michael McKay, who is a volunteer help-ing out with the clinic.
Proceeds from the annual charity tournament, held this past June, went towards the DFC in school drug program.
“It gave us the idea to want to venture out and try something different with the students,” McKay said about the students learning the game of golf.
So far, nine DFC students have come out to the clinic.
“Golf is such a hard game to play,” Albert Drake said.
Drake is one of the teachers at the clinic.
“We want to provide exposure for the kids coming from the north. You can see golf on TV but to make the connection to play golf and pick up a club is differ-ent. It’s a game that once you learn, you can pick up and play whenever you want and they’ll be able to play it their whole lives,” Drake said.
“It’s different than going to the hockey rink,” Kevin Kakakeg-amic, a teacher at DFC said.
“It’s a new sport for all the stu-dents. The students never had an opportunity to learn and have a chance to swing a club. Some of the students were a bit uneasy at
first to try it, but there’s poten-tial. They are mostly interested in hockey, broom ball, volleyball and baseball, but in a few years time if we make golf available to them we hope it can grow the popularity of the sport,” Kakake-gamic said.
Until now, there never was a means of resources for DFC to provide golf to the students, but
now people are volunteering their time and Whitewater Golf is providing the resources. DFC hopes they will pick up the clinic again in May prior to the school year ending.
“Hopefully DFC will continue to promote what we’ve started here and perhaps there will be a bigger involvement in the spring so that more students can come out and ask questions... we all live in town here too, so we can speak to the students more in depth about the game too,” Tra-vis Boissoneau, a volunteer said.
“Golf isn’t just a game it teaches you life skills, teaches you how to be honest. It teaches you about respect. That’s what I’ve learnt from golf. It doesn’t mat-ter what background you have,
everyone has respect for the game.” Randy Budge said.
Budge is another volunteer from the community who is help-ing promote the game to DFC.
“It’s a competition within your-self to be better, not as a golfer but as a person,” added.
Kirsten Hill, the recreation coordinator at DFC, hopes the clinic being held in the fall will create some buzz around the school for other students.
“It really helps when planning new activities that a buzz is cre-ated around something for the students, so this clinic in the fall is really something we can build around. The students here will come back with stories and get the other students interested,” Hill said.
Chris Kornacki/Special to Wawatay NewsA Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School student picks up some tips on putting during a recent golf clinic at the Whitewater Golf Club near Thunder Bay.
“Golf isn’t just a game it teaches you life skills, teaches you how to be honest. It teaches you about respect.”
-Randy Budge, volunteer
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For the Love of Life music concert features youthRick GarrickWawatay News
NDN Cars composer Keith Secola rocked Lakehead Uni-versity’s Bora Laskin audito-rium on Sept. 29 along with Shy-Anne Hovorka, Classic Roots and a group of Aborigi-nal musicians.
“Keith obviously got the whole crowd rocking and with Classic Roots, it was awesome,” said Shy-Anne, who organized the concert. “It was unbelievable — all of the youth did really well. The kids from Pikangikum almost missed their f light but they made it within two hours of the show.”
Larissa Derosiers, a singer from Fort Frances, sang a song with Secola, Shy-Anne and Pic River’s Binaesheequae
Couchie-Nabigon to close out the show.
“I had such a blast,” Dero-siers said. “I love singing with Shy-Anne and being a part of some of the events she puts on.”
Derosiers enjoyed the per-formance of Secola, an award-winning Anishinabe musician and member of the Native
Music Hall of Fame from the United States.
“He was just so much fun and I just love the energy that he brings to the stage,” Dero-siers said. “I just had a lot of fun up there.”
Secola was amazed with the level and maturity of the young singers’ song writing and voice.
“These young women are ... singing like equay, just full grown and full maturity and richness of the voice,” Secola said. “I could see that voice training and taking music les-sons pays off.”
Classic Roots was excited to meet and perform with Secola.
“I actually did watch a few movies that had the song NDN Cars, like Dance Me Outside,” Classic Roots said. “That was my favourite Native movie
when I was growing up.”Dave Simard and the other
Thunder Mountain Singers met with Secola before the performance on Mount McKay in Fort William First Nation.
“We got to tell him a story about Thunder Mountain,” Simard said. “He was here to learn about the stories and we were able to provide him with a couple of stories about our area.”
Some of the Thunder Moun-tain Singers and their family members, including Ryan, Shannon, Jesse and Jade Gus-tafson, danced along with Sec-ola and Classic Roots during the concert.
“I think kids love it,” Simard said, “being able to share your music in that way, across genres and just showcasing the positive ways of express-
ing your talent.”A video of the dancers danc-
ing along with Classic Roots during one of his songs has been posted on the Thunder Mountain Singers’ Facebook page.
Trinity Beardy, from Sha-mattawa First Nation in Mani-toba, also had his performance posted on the Thunder Moun-tain Singers Facebook page.
“It was for my mom,” Beardy said. “All I can do is express my music.”
Beardy was surprised to meet with the creator of NDN Cars.
“That was really awesome,” Beardy said. “I hear it (NDN Cars) on the CDs, but I didn’t think I would actually speak to the person who was actually singing it.”
The Dennis Franklin
Cromarty First Nations High School square dancing team also performed a number of dances during the concert.
Shy-Anne said the concert was almost cancelled due to low ticket sales, but with some help from Celina Reitberger, executive director of Nish-nawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation, the concert went ahead at the Bora Laskin audi-torium.
“She helped us sell a bunch of tickets and get a lot of youth involved,” Shy-Anne said. “I wanted to say thanks to the Regional Chief Stan Beardy for attending, for Keith Secola for coming all the way from Phoe-nix, Arizona, and for the vol-unteers from Ka-Na-Chi-Hih for doing the security and the door for us.”
Photos by Rick Garrick/Wawatay NewsLeft: Award-winning Anishinabe musician Keith Secola performed with Larissa Derosiers and Binaesheequae Couchie-Nabigon on Sept. 29 during the For the Love of Life concert at Lakehead University’s Bora Laskin auditorium in Thunder Bay.
Above: Shamattawa’s Trinity Beardy also performed during the music concert.
“He was just so much fun and I just love the energy that he brings to the stage. I just had a lot of fun up there.”
-Larissa Derosiers on performing with Keith Secola
