Xavier Kataquapit

The Wonder Of It All

Create: 09/11/2020 - 22:26
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

Last week, I had an opportunity while visiting a northern cottage to sit outside and contemplate the night time sky. Normally, in the summer this is almost always impossible as either the weather is not favourable, the bugs are too numerous or a full or partial moon throws too much light to see many stars clearly. On this night, all the conditions were perfect as there was no moon, the sky was completely clear of weather and the biting insects somehow had miraculously disappeared.

Pandemic Be Damned

Create: 09/11/2020 - 22:22
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

I come from a large family with eight siblings. My mom Susan and my dad Marius certainly had a lot of challenges in caring for such a large group of children. These days as I find myself with some time during this pandemic I drift back to an earlier time when I was a child at home in Attawapiskat and I think about all the work my parents had to do to raise us.

Keeping An Eye On Covid-19

Create: 09/11/2020 - 22:21
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

We humans are definitely good at adapting. Although the going has been tough, in the middle of a terrible pandemic with Covid-19, we are all for the most part dealing with it. I see people out and about now at stores and offices with masks on, being careful with each other and staying two meters away. Things are opening up slowly and we are adapting to a new normal.

Annual Wabun youth gathering adapts to deal with the pandemic

Create: 08/05/2020 - 02:38
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

The 14th Annual Wabun Youth Gathering is being held in the Wabun territory this summer in multiple stages with a new format to protect youth and participants during a global pandemic. A small gathering was held in Matachewan First Nation on July 21 and 22 and a second compact gathering was held in Mattagami First Nation on July 28. A second day of events had been planned for Mattagami FN but due to severe storm activity and a community power outage the second day of events was cancelled.

Here Comes The Rain Again

Create: 07/18/2020 - 01:26
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

It is raining. It will be raining most of this week and that very much puts my plans on hold as Mother Earth reminds me that my notions don’t mean much in the big picture. At times like this as I feel helpless in the midst of this Covid-19 pandemic, a number of rainy days in a row really drives home the fact that nature rules all.

Don’t Let Your Guard Down

Create: 07/18/2020 - 01:25
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

You would think that this Corona-virus pandemic had gone away judging by the way people are acting here in northern Ontario. I have been doing curbside pick up mostly at grocery and hardware stores now for some time. It surprises me to see people heading into stores with no mask or gloves and seeming to not pay too much attention to the two metre social distance rule.

Finding Hope In The Time Of COVID-19

Create: 06/27/2020 - 02:07
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

We are still reeling from the shock of dealing with a pandemic. Most of us can’t leave the house, many people are not able to go to work or school and life has almost come to a halt world wide. The power of a virus that we can not see has been devastating and in a way we are learning a hard lesson. All of us in every city, town across the world have had time to think about life in general and what is most meaningful to us.

Learning In A Dangerous Time

Create: 06/27/2020 - 02:06
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

An entire new generation of graduates from universities, colleges, secondary schools and elementary schools are moving ahead with their lives all across Canada. This time of the year is very special for First Nations and in particular remote communities. Organized education is a relatively new thing for my people considering that less than a century ago most of my ancestors were only involved in learning about surviving on the land.

Banging Out The Words

Create: 06/27/2020 - 02:05
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

I have just come in from doing some repair carpentry to my front porch. It needed it but I have been busy for months and just did not have the time. When I am not sitting at my desk in my office working on writing or video projects I escape to the world of wood, saws, hammers and cutting tools searching for creative solutions to making things fit in an old house.

A Time To Give Thanks

Create: 04/29/2020 - 00:42
Author: 
Xavier Kataquapit

A few months ago if anyone told me I would have to be staying at home, stopping all travel, dealing with most stores and services shutting down right across the entire world and being terrified of catching a virus and dying, I would have thought they were nuts. This is the extraordinary reality that everyone on the planet now faces. It is like we all went to sleep and had a bad dream that we can’t wake from.

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