Forest fires have always been a deep worry for those of us who live in the far north of Ontario. We are surrounded by endless forests and we know full well...
First Nation youth representatives are letting the world know that Indigenous people are ready to stand up and protect the land. Keira Spence, Kohen...
As First Nation people, I know most of us worry about development on our lands by companies in mining, forestry, hydro and other resource sectors. We come by these suspicions honestly, as we have been left out of the loop with all kinds of development on our traditional lands for a more than a hundred years.
I cannot recall many winters as cold as this one. This winter started with a lot of snowstorms in December of 2018 and then in January we got more snow and the temperatures here in Northern Ontario dropped to more than 30 below zero and more like minus 40 taking wind chill into account. Many Elders I know tell me that they do not remember this kind of extreme cold for many consecutive days and such huge snowfalls since the 1960s and 70s.
One of the most talked about news stories on social media and news sites recently had to do with a disturbing video of an Indigenous Elder and a group of young predominantly Caucasian teenagers in Washington DC. Video footage has shown the Elder, Nathan Phillips chanting and using his hand drum while participating in an Indigenous Peoples March as he walks peacefully into a group of young high school boys and is blocked by one of them. The boy is smirking at the Elder and his fellow students are making fun of Elder Phillips.
Here we are entering another new year and leaving the old one in our dust. A lot of good things happened in 2018 but in my own experience I also have had to deal with family loved ones with health issues and also the passing of family members and friends. So, hello 2019 and I say that with the hope for all of us that we will have a wonderful year and that the world will become a more peaceful, loving and tolerant place.
For some time now huge companies have been taking water from the ground, bottling it and selling it to make big profits. For the most part these companies like Nestle don’t pay all that much for the right to draw this water out of the ground and they do a good job of marketing it all across Canada.
Recently I have been dealing with sickness and the passing of family members and that certainly is a sad situation and does take its toll. However I am so happy to be able to welcome Hunter James John Francois Chum, a brand new baby boy into this world. Hunter was born on November 1 with the healthy weight of nine pounds. It is good to know that with the passing of loved ones hope springs eternal.
I got involved in journalism over 20 years ago because I was lucky enough to meet a seasoned journalist who convinced me that I should put my writing talents to use by producing a column and articles for Native publications. As a teenager growing up in Northern Ontario, I dealt with low self esteem as myself and my peers felt marginalized and isolated in our tiny First Nation of Attawapiskat . Whenever my people happened to be featured in newspapers, television news or on the radio it was focused mostly on some terrible tragedy. Very few Native people were involved in media production.
I have always been amazed as an indigenous person how my people connect with each other. No matter where I have travelled in the world, indigenous people of the many different tribes I have met have always been quick to make me feel at home in their country, territory or region.
Forest fires have always been a deep worry for those of us who live in the far north of Ontario. We are surrounded by endless forests and we know full well...
First Nation youth representatives are letting the world know that Indigenous people are ready to stand up and protect the land. Keira Spence, Kohen...