Lenny Carpenter — Wawatay News

It was a day of celebrating the overcoming of adversity when 15 Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School students graduated on May 16.
Janice Kakegamic of Sandy Lake First Nation moved to Thunder Bay to attend DFC when she was in Grade 10.
“Being away from my family was challenging,” the 20-year-old said. “It was weird being in a new environment.” Janice said she also had to endure peer pressure to drink alcohol, but she did not succumb to it. Now she has a high school diploma with plans to attend Confederation College in the fall.

ᐊᐱ ᐁᐟᒪᐣᐟ ᒐᐠ ᐁᓂᓱᔕᐳᔭᑭᐃᐧᓀᐸᐣ, ᑭᑕᑭᐧᐸᐣ ᑲᑭᐃᓇᐦᐊᑐᐊᐧᐸᐣ ᑐᕑᐊᐣᑐ ᑭᒋᐅᑌᓇᐠ ᐅᐱᒧᓭᐠ ᐊᓴᐸᐱᐡᑯᓯᐊᐧᑲᐣᐠ ᑕᔑᑫᐃᐧᓂᐠ ᑲᐅᐣᒋᐊᐧᐨ ᑲᑭᐃᔑᐃᐧᑐᐊᐧᐸᐣ ᐅᑎᐸᒋᒧᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧ ᐃᐁᐧᓂ ᐅᒋ ᐅᑭᒋᔭᓂᒥᓭᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧ ᑲᓇᑭᐡᑲᒧᐊᐧᐨ ᐅᑕᔑᑫᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧᐠ.
ᐊᐱ ᒐᐠ ᑲᑭᔭᓂ ᑕᑯᐃᐧᒋᐊᐧᐨ ᐃᐧᒋᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐣ ᐁᑭᑕᑯᓇᐠ ᐅᓂᒪᑲᐧᐦᐃᑲᐣ ᐃᒪ ᑐᕑᐊᐣᑐ ᑭᒋᐅᑌᓇᐠ, ᐊᒥ ᑲᑭᐃᑯᐨ ᑭᒋᔭᐦᐊᐠ ᑌᐯᐧ ᐱᑯ ᐁᓂᓯᑕᐃᐧᓇᑯᓯᐨ ᐁᐅᑲᐡᑭᐦᐅᐃᐧᓂᐨ ᓂᑲᓂᑕᒪᑫᐃᐧᓂᐠ ᐃᓀᑫ.
“ᑭᐃᑭᑐᐊᐧᐠ, ᐊᐱ ᑲᐊᐧᐸᐣᑕᒪᐣ ᑫᑯᐣ ᒋᐃᔑᑲᑫᐧᐊᓄᑲᑌᐠ, ᐃᓯᓭ ᐱᑯ ᒋᑲᑫᐧᑐᑕᒪᐣ, ᐊᓂᐡ ᐃᔑᓇᑲᐧᐣ ᐁᑲ ᐊᐃᐧᔭ ᒋᑐᑕᐠ,” ᑭᐃᑭᑐ ᐅᐡᑲᑎᐢ 17 ᐁᑕᓱᔭᑭᐃᐧᓀᐨ.
ᒐᐠ ᐅᐃᐧᐣᑕᒪᑯᐃᐧᐣ ᐅᑭᐅᑕᐱᓇᐣ ᐁᑲᐧ ᑕᐡ ᓂᐅᔭᑭᐃᐧᐣ ᑲᔭᓂᓯᓭᓂᐠ, ᐃᐧᐣ ᐅᓂᑲᓂᐡᑲᐊᐧᐣ ᓂᔭᓇᐣ ᐃᐧᒋᐅᐡᑲᑎᓴᐣ 2,000 ᑭᓫᐊᒥᑐᕑᐢ ᒋᐃᓇᐦᐊᑐᐊᐧᐨ ᐁᐧᑎ ᑐᕑᐊᐣᑐ ᐁᐃᐧᑭᑫᐣᑕᒧᓂᐁᐧᐊᐧᐨ ᐱᒋᐳᐃᐧᐣ ᑲᐊᔭᒪᑲᓂᐠ ᐅᑕᔑᑫᐃᐧᓂᐊᐧᐠ ᐊᓴᐸᐱᐡᑯᓯᐊᐧᑲᐣᐠ ᐃᐡᑯᓂᑲᓂᐠ ᑲᐅᒋᐨ.

The last of the Mattagami First Nation residents who stayed behind to protect the community pulled out on May 24 as a forest fire burned north of the reserve.
Mattagami Chief Walter Naveau said at about 2:30 p.m, he and more than 30 residents began to evacuate the community after police told them they had to leave.
Within a half-hour, the community members rode out north on Highway 144 under a police escort as the forest fire called Timmins No. 9 continued to burn west of the highway.

Jordan Nolan of Garden River First Nation was playing hockey in the minors when he got the call to join the big club in February.
Now the 22-year-old is part of the underrated Los Angeles Kings team that is closing in on its first trip to the NHL Stanley Cup Finals in 19 years.
After playing several seasons for the Erie Otters, Windsor Spitfires and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the Ontario Hockey League, Nolan was drafted by the Kings in the seventh round in 2009.

Mattagami First Nation Chief Walter Naveau said it was a trying time for his community when they were forced to evacuate as a forest fire threatened to converge on the reserve on May 23.
“It’s very hard to see your people (go through this),” Naveau said on May 25 in Kapuskasing. “Some of them are crying when the debriefing began,”