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.
I feel a greater sense of hope and optimism these days for the future when I talk to many of our young First Nation people. There are still many hurdles and difficulties they have to overcome but in many ways, they are becoming stronger, smarter and more confident people. I’ve witnessed those changes personally through the annual Wabun Youth Gathering, which I have been fortunate enough to attend regularly over the past decade.
As a child I never really understood what was going on in the wider world outside my small isolated community in the north. I grew up on the James Bay coast in Attawapiskat and the life we knew there was very far removed from everything and everyone in the modern world to the south.
Kirkland and Englehart and District Hospitals recently hosted a series of Cultural Mindfulness Workshops for frontline health care staff to inform them on Indigenous history and issues affecting First Nation communities. George Couchie, a recognized workshop facilitator with over 20 years of experience in teaching First Nation culture, issues and awareness training, led three workshops which took place on September 11 and 13 at the Kirkland and District Hospital and on the 12th at the Englehart and District Hospital.
Summer time is great for meeting up with family. I have had several opportunities to see my siblings and their children over the past month. It is so much easier to visit with people when the roads are bare, the weather is warm and skies are clear. Although I enjoy winter for its scenic beauty, driving in the north from November to March is a dangerous prospect. Too many people are killed and maimed on our icy highways.
Blogs & Columns
When I look up at the clear blue sky these days I am missing something. For about a year now during this wretched pandemic I have hardly seen any contrails...
My home community is mourning the loss of two special Elders who were deeply loved and admired by so many in Attawapiskat. My Aunt Theresa Kataquapit was a...