ᐧᐋᔅᑭᒫᔥᑖᐤ - the Cree Nation of Chisasibi

Transcription

ᐧᐋᔅᑭᒫᔥᑖᐤ
“… more importantly is
what happens in the
classroom … the quality
of learning and teaching
that matters the most …”
Kathleen Wooten CSB Chairperson
Per Issue 1$
Subscription 20$/year
MARCH 2012
CHISASIBI, QUEBEC
OPEN LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY
CONTENTS
● Letters to Editor……..
● Justice comm. training…….
● Gr 6 Story
● Zoo Guts Project…..
● Book review ……
● Margaret’s Story
● Chief’s debate….
● Action Program….
● Elementary school opening …..
● Honouring our Chiefs…….
● Minor Hockey & Broomball…..
● 2012 La Dictee ….
● TTOT ….
…3,4
…. 5,6
….. 7,8
…. 11,12
….. 12
…. 13
….14
….. 15
…..22-25
…..19,20
…. 22,23
…. 24
….. 26
There is so much negativity -we waste a lot of time and
energy on the negative aspect of everything that goes
on in our community. We always fail to see the good
side. Just like at general meetings, there isn't a lot of
attendance BUT when we know that there will be
bashing, insults and anger, we pack the place. We infect each other with all this negativity. It is like an infection, if not treated, spreads just like a fire which
starts out small, grows and grows bigger as more wood
is added and at some point goes out of control.
We are always talking about healing. How can we,
as individuals, heal when we use, misuse and abuse
each other with useless gossip and all the excuses we
find to insult and bash each other. It is so sad to see
this happening in our community and it is making us
and our town sick. Why can't we show respect and
love for one another?
A very concerned community member
Spirit
Month
Launch
WA AS K IM AA SH T AA U
Is published monthly by the Building Healthy
Communities Program at the CNC Brighter Futures
Department, located at the Mitchuap Center.
Our mailing address:
Waaskimaashtaau Newsmagazine
Cree Nation of Chisasibi
P.O. Box 150
J0M 1E0
Editor: Terry Gates
Proofing: Annie, Leigh-Ann
Telephone: (819) 855-2878 (ext. 343)
Fax: (819) 855– 2161
E-mail: Waaskimaashtaau@gmail.com
The Waaskimaashtaau is distributed at the beginning of
every month. Submissions deadline is the end of each month.
The newsletter’s mission is to inform, teach and entertain
community members on a variety of subjects.
2 Waaskimaashtaau March 2012
Correction (addition): in the February issue in the
Chisasibi New Elementary School Opens story on
page 27, center column, 3rd paragraph - should have
read “ … a concerned irate parent ….” Please add
concerned.
Letters to the Editor
Power Outage experience in Chisasibi.
I was not in town when it happened but the minute it happened I knew about it because people were phoning us during our meeting.
At the beginning, we were told that it would last for 3
hours only, then a few more hours and after when those
hours ran out, they became days. By this time we were already in our second day. I immediately called home because I
was worried about my children (adults shash but they remain
my children) and my grandchildren. But, to my surprise, they
had a generator running to plug the lamps; they had the
wood stove going. I was so proud of them. I told them where
to get more wood if they ran out because there was plenty in
my mitchuap. They also found our propane stove top which
they used to cook something fast but they used the wood
stove which one of my sisters helped with providing her cooking skills.
Thanks to my sister, who decided to stay with my children
at my house because they didn’t have a wood stove at their
place and camped out in my living room, I think… not sure
where she and her family slept. What they told us about
their experience was overall very good and enjoyed the peace
and quiet within the house because there was no TV, no
noise coming from the fans from anywhere like the heater,
fridge, air exchanger, etc…
By the time we got home, the power was back in our
house but limited. On that note, it was a wonderful experience for them to give them a taste of how we lived back on
Fort George Island before we had electricity. They had more
time to talk.
When we came back to Chisasibi, of course we had to stop
at the Fire Hall first before our home. We went to our house
later for a few minutes and headed to the CNC office to get
an update of the situation and what we could do to help. Unloading our vehicle was not the priority at that time but came
later. We found out that there were a lot of people doing
what they were suppose to do, the coordination was going
and the action was non-stop. I was amazed on the calmness
of the people who were there. They had things under control. There were complaints coming in but nothing major.
This is where I learnt that there were people who were
willing to go get whatever they needed in order to get
through the ordeal, like getting wood for their woodstoves.
One of my sisters told me that she borrowed some firewood
from my mitchuap and she put it in a plastic bag so people
would not see it. I found this very funny and I could picture
her running from the back of my house with a plastic bag of
firewood. She also cut up a bed frame which was no longer
being used and threw her wooden bowls in her wood stove.
Also, went to the garbage dump a few times and bought
scraps of wood for firewood. She was very resourceful in try-
ing to keep her house warm for her children and grandchildren. I believe there are other stories like this which should
be shared.
Overall, I was really proud of those people who were coordinating the events that were being put in place to provide
services for people who needed shelter, food and heat which
were the most important things to provide. This was in order for other people to provide assistance to other people
who were unable to provide or fetch for themselves. During
the debriefing sessions is where we heard stories which were
funny and I hope these are shared. These stories kept the
motivation going for the people who had to work to keep
people warm, supplied and fed.
I was shocked at some (just a few) people, how helpless
they were even though they were in good physical shape
and in good health. Complaining of how poor the services
were but, if they had known how long some people went
without sleep; how many people put other people first before themselves and even their own families, is what the rest
of us didn’t know.
By the end of the power outage, is when these people
started to feel the fatigue. I just hope they had a nice long
rest. There is a picture out there, of a person, who fell
asleep on a chair where she was sitting. This is because of
the long days and nights that people had spent making sure
things were done. I just wish people would learn to appreciate what we have. The big question is: What did we learn
from all this?
I want to congratulate the Emergency Coordination Team on
a job well done and you should be proud of yourselves. I
don’t even want to think about what would have happened
if it wasn’t for you and the effort you had put in keeping people safe, warm and fed. Thank you to all the organizations
and entities that assisted. Sure, there are things that can be
improved but I would not complain about anything. It was a
learning experience like everything in life. Again, thanks to
all the people who helped during this crisis.
A thankful Chisasibian
Hi Terry:
Our first issue of "Waaskimaashtaau" arrived here yesterday - a gift subscription of Livy and Robert Spencer - and
after that,... well let's just say that I didn't get very much
work done. Indeed, I spend the rest of the day reading and
re-reading the magazine cover-to-cover several times over.
It's a great publication,... well written, beautifully illustrated
and brilliantly produced (and its name fits!) Congratulations
to you and to your whole crew. I saw stories involving many
old friends from my Fort George days when I was a young
3
Anglican Priest there back in 1970-72. (It all started to make
me feel quite homesick for those elusive good old days that
come no more.)
I really had known nothing of the upsetting issues that were
facing St. Phillip's Church - but do have some idea of what
the Church, the Community and Bishop Tom Corston are trying to accomplish. This concept of "Indigenous Clergy" is not
new. Indeed it goes right back to the very earliest days of the
Christian Church, at its very beginning almost 2000 years ago
- and what better way to go now. The idea of ordaining devout, dedicated, competent local elders as priests and pastors is not new to the Anglican Church of Canada either. It is
a pattern that has been implemented with varying degrees of
success throughout the whole Church - especially in the
North - but also on Reserves and other communities in the
south as well. I just hope and pray that the wrinkles do get
ironed out and the problems encountered at St. Phillip's are
ultimately smoothed over to the satisfaction of all - and I continue to pray that St. Phillip's, its Ministry and its Congregation will continue to be a vehicle of God's Blessing to the
whole community.
Anyway, many thanks for a great publication. We will continue to thoroughly enjoy "Waaskimaashtaau".
Donovan Browne
(The Reverend)
Please STOP
At many intersections in Chisasibi, many drivers forget details
of a proper, safe and cooperative complete stop.
Too many people are checking one side when they do their
stop. In a residential sector, you must look on both sides and
check if any vehicle is coming out from driveway, if most vulnerable users (pedestrians, cyclists, animals, etc) are about to
go accross. A stop is not only about the vehicles on the road,
it’s all about your environment.
At an intersection controlled by a
STOP SIGN on one roadway
Drivers and cyclists arerequired to stop at an intersection… At
the stop, you must yield the right of way to any vehicle on the
other roadway already in the intersection or near enough to
the intersection that entering it would be dangerous.
At a four–way stop :
Drivers or cyclists are required to stop at the intersection and
must yield the right of way to any vehicle that reaches the
intersection before them.
In both of the cases, the driver or cyclist must also yield the
right of way to pedestrians, or cyclists crossing the road or
cyclists crossing the road that the driver or cyclist is about to
cross or enter. You also must yield the right of way to vehicles
that are coming out of a driveway. (Driver’s handbook)
REMEMBER courtesy behind the wheel always feels good!
Marie-Josée Parent-Menarick
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Offer valid while supplies last or up to and
including March 17th 2012. We reserve the right to
limit quantities and or cancel this offer at any time.
Justice Committee (Chiiushawaash) members get training
- Jail time not necessarily the only way to go ....
From February 20th to February 23rd
2012, some Chiiushawaash members
had a training on the justice system
functioning and how and when, each,
the Chiiushawaash, the Community Justice Officer (CJO), the Community Reintegration Officer (CRO) and the CAVAC
worker ( Victim Assistance Worker)
could intervene in that system to work
with people being accused of crimes
and to work with victims and families in
a way which would be helpful for all and
beneficial for the community. The trainer, Lyne St-Louis, reminded us that the
justice system has a clear role and has
its own vision and procedures.
The main objectives are to ensure
communities are safe by preventing
crimes from happening, discipline people that commit crimes, to discourage
them from repeating similar actions and
hopefully to rehabilitate them.
When a person is found guilty of a
crime, the court imposes a sentence
(punishment) which is proportional to
the crime committed and which also
takes into consideration the past history of that individual with the law.
Sometimes, we see people receiving
sentences varying from probation
with conditions such as: not to drink
or use drugs, to do community hours,
or curfew. Sometimes they are incarcerated for a period of time, and sometimes, they get a conditional sentence
which also is known as house arrest, so
they are detained in their home, only
free to go out at certain hours to accomplish necessary things. Sometimes
people get a fine or have to do a donation.
In all these cases, what we realized
this week is that a punishment is given
for the wrongdoing, and conditions are
imposed on offenders, but no guidance
or help is offered and no one searches
really for the underlying causes that led
to the crime.
Our trainer said repetitively, “If you
just rely on the justice system to resolve
criminal problems in your community,
you might notice that things won’t improve that quickly. If you don’t look at
what caused the crime and look at what
are the issues that are troubling these
offenders, you will not reduce crime
much and there is a big chance that you
will see them again in court.”
She reminded us as well, that it is not
necessarily the responsibility of the justice system to make sure people receive
guidance and support in dealing with
the underlying issues that may have led
to the crime. She encouraged us to deal
with those cases using a global vision
which looks at the whole situation from
- where did it start to how did it end,
who is involved and has been affected
and why it happened; rather than to
focus only on the criminal action.
A lot of crimes happening in our
community are a result of unresolved
issues or conflicts which eventually end
to them, so they can deal with their
issues and get the help needed; as well
recommend to the court better options
and alternatives for sentencing, based
on the needs of each individual. Alternatives such as traditional activities,
counselling, treatment, elder’s mentorships, participating in programs ...
Recently the Chiiushawaash has
signed a protocol agreement with the
Ministry of Justice in order for minor
‘criminal’ cases such as simple asIf you don’t look
sault, vandalism, mischief under
at what caused the crime
5000$, theft under 5000$ and othand look at what are the issues
ers, to be diverted to the Chiiushathat are troubling these offenders, waash rather than being heard in the
you will not reduce crime much ... court. This way, the offender could
take responsibility and if possible,
Lyne St-Louis
could sit down with the victim in a
peacemaking circle facilitated by two
up with violence. Therefore, it would be Chiiushawaash members and could talk
better to address the problems and
about what happened and find solucauses while working with all affected
tions together based on a common unpeople; the offender, the victim, the
derstanding and agreement. This would
families, and to help clarify what hapfinally give a voice to victims, families
pened and why it happened and to find and offenders; create a better underappropriate solutions.
standing; prevent division and prevent
We were reminded as well that, we
other conflicts from arising. If the
can help people at different stages of
offender collaborates and respects the
the judicial process and that we don’t
agreement and does what has been
have to wait for the court to refer us to decided upon to repair the harm
a client. If we care about our communi- caused (within the delay agreed on)
ty members, we can offer our help as
with the victim and the Chiiushawaash,
early as when we notice a need (as long then, the CJO would return the file to
as we respect that they may not want
the Crown attorney so the accused can
our help), rather than to wait until peo- be discharged in the following court
ple come to us.
session (which means in fact that his
By working with people at an early
case would be closed and he wouldn’t
stage, we will be able to offer support
get a criminal record).
Cont’d on page 6
5
Cont’d from page 5
Some may think: “Wow! This is an
easy way out!” Well in fact, it takes
courage to face the people you have
hurt, to recognize your responsibility,
work on your issues and come up with
solutions that are good for all.
Our trainer would say: “It is much
easier to go to court, to plead guilty, to
get your sentence from a judge that you
don’t know, than it is to sit down in a
peacemaking circle and face the people
from your community, to talk about
yourself and what you have done, to
hear the victim and the family tell you
how they were hurt and affected by
your actions, and to work actively at
finding solutions. All the offenders that I
know which have been in a peacemak-
ing circle will tell you that they have felt
respected, cared for, understood and
not judged, and that at the end, they
felt satisfied because they repaired the
harm they had caused; they worked
things out and received guidance and
support to work on their problems even at times getting help from the victim.”
The Chiiushawaash is not there to
work for the court but to work for a
more peaceful community and therefore to help anyone involved or affected
by conflicts or crimes. At times it will
collaborate with the court, mainly to”
shed light on the situation” so the sentences that judges will render will be
more culturally appropriate and based
on the needs of the offenders, victims
and families.
But Chiiushawaash’s main role is to empower the community in dealing with
conflicts and crimes using constructive
dialogue and coming together to work
out issues in a meaningful way.
If you are in a situation like this and
need information or support, you can
contact Charlie Louttit (CJO) who works
with the Chiiushawaash or you can ask
the Chiiushawaash members directly.
The members are Edith Sam, Robby
Matthew, Larry House, Abraham Bearskin, William Bearskin, Christina Kitty
and Patricia Menarick.
Chiiushawaash
Chisasibi to Have Referendum??
A special meeting of the electors of the Cree Nation of Chisasibi was held at the JBES Agora Thursday March 1st. The
meeting was called by petition with the signing of ten community members to answer the following question …
“Do you agree that a general election for Council should be
held?”
To have a general election, other than at the end of Council’s
mandate, requires that 50% of the voting population be present (approximately 1450 people) and of those a majority
must vote yes – that was one interpretation. Another was
that at least 950 must vote yes. The notice said …. Requires
the affirmative vote of the majority of at least 1/3 total number of electors …. Many people were not sure of the actual
number who needed to vote yes to the question.
The meeting was scheduled to start at 7pm and got under
way at 8pm with about 60 people present (by the end of the
meeting approximately 120 people had showed up). Jimmy
Neacappo was the presiding officer and was assisted by Simeon Pachano and Gloria Kitty.
Cita Bugden, speaking on behalf of the ten people who signed
the petition, was the first speaker. Cita outlined the reasons
why the petitioners wanted to hold ‘a general election for
Council’.
"I don't know the key to success,
but the key to failure
is trying to please everybody ".
by Bill Cosby
Briefly some of them are ….
- Oath of office of Chief and Council has been broken by
past behaviors
- People shouldn’t be allowed to run if they have a business (conflict of interest)
- Previous matters brought to General Meetings not implemented
- Minutes of General Meetings not being taken or adopted (law says they must be on Paper)
- Legal council not giving good advice
- Policies and procedures are being ignored
Jimmy Neacappo asked if these grievances had been brought
before council. Cita answered, “No ….”. Jimmy noted that
there was not a quorum at this meeting and suggested a referendum – member’s resolution to have a referendum which
as far as he knew only required a majority vote of the people
present. A motion to that effect was proposed by Cita and
seconded by Shadrock Trapper. A vote was taken and the
majority present voted to have a referendum. A few people
abstained. Nobody voted against the motion.
Jimmy will write a report on the meeting with recommendations.
"Due to the recession, to save on energy costs,
the light at the end of the tunnel will be turned off.
Signed, God."
“A Visit to the Island”
The following short story is an account of a visit by several youngsters
who paid a visit to Ft. George Island one
summer week-end. All names are not
the real names of the youngsters. If any
name appears in the story of a real person, it is by accident. All real names
have been changed to protect the innocent.
It all started when Tommy, Siibii, and
Patrick had this great idea about going
to Fort George Island. Everyone told
them not to go, but they would not listen to what their friends said. Some
even begged them not to go. They just
refused to believe the things that the
people warned them of.
The three of them packed everything
they thought they needed – food,
sleeping bags, flashlights, matches,
blankets, bug spray, and fishing rods.
But they forgot one important thing
that had been a problem in their lives.
They left Chisasibi around 8:00 A.M
thinking they were the bravest nerds in
Quebec. Nerds! That is what some of
their friends called them. But, they
knew they were just smart kids who
worked really hard, listened well, and
were in school every day.
They got to the island around 12:00
noon and set up camp in an old vacant
building. Soon they went exploring
throughout the island and were having
a great time. They were so excited that
they lost all track of time and soon it
started to get dark.
“Imagine,” said Siibii, “if all those
strange things really were true that the
people told us. What would we do?”
“Don’t be crazy, chicken. Only little kids
believe those crazy stories,” said Tommy. “Nothing like that ever happens.
They were just trying to scare us.”
They visited every place they were
told not to go. They went to the forbidden lake, the old abandoned church,
the old store, the hospital, and last of
all the old school.
On the way back it started to get
dark. And even though it was dark, they
thought they saw foot prints coming
out of the bushes.
“What’s that?” asked Patrick, “Big Foot?
“Yeah, it’s probably Big Foot. Maybe
he’ll come by tonight and pay us a visit.
He may even eat us,” said Tommy, who
was trying to scare the two other kids.
None of them said a word even
though they were thinking, “What if
those things the people said were true
after all. What would we do? And what
if those are the foot prints of Big Foot?”
Each of them tried not to show what
they were thinking. They each tried to
be brave. After all, this was their weekend.
“Oh, oh,” said Siibii. “I can see it’s going
to rain. Just look at those big dark
clouds in the sky off in the distance!”
Siibii knew he was a hero and that he
knew everything about nature. And the
others knew that he was smart when it
came to the outdoors.
By the time they got back to the old
building where they had set up camp, it
was almost dark. They had their supper
and sat down sipping on a nice mug of
tea.
“Ah, this is the life,” said Tommy. “A
man has got to enjoy the simple things
in live. There’s nothing like a nice mug
of tea after a hard day’s work. It makes
you feel like a man”
Each of them wanted to laugh, but
they didn’t dare. They just wanted to
“enjoy the moment” and pretend that
they were a real man. After all, this was
their week-end!
They heard thunder off in the distance and then it started to rain. They
settled down in their sleeping bags and
after telling a few ghost stories, they
soon fell asleep. But, soon things were
about to change
About 3:00 in the morning, Siibii was
awakened by something. He didn’t
know what it was, but he felt he heard
footsteps walking close to them. He just
froze and was so afraid that he could
hardly say a word. He could even hear
his heart beating.
He didn’t dare move. He was thinking, “Was it the distant thunder or was
it something else? Was there someone
in the room? Was it the footsteps that
they saw coming out of the woods?”
He had to speak to someone. He
nudged Patrick, but Patrick was sounded asleep. He nudged him again.
“Hey, Patrick, wake up. Patrick, wake
up” he whispered. He was terrified that
he whispered too loudly, but he had to
speak to someone.
Patrick rolled over and asked, “Hey, do
you know where bacon comes from?”
“Shut up about the bacon. I don’t care
where bacon comes from. I care about
the noise that just woke me up,” he
whispered. ”There’s someone in this
room.”
And then they heard a voice from behind them.
Cont’d on page 8
7
“Hey S-i-i-b-i-i, Hey, S-i-i-b-i-i,” whispered a voice. “Why did you go into
that old haunted church?”
“Who’s that?” asked Siibii. “Is there
someone there?”
“It’s your great, great, great grandma,
and I’m here to tip over your boat. Remember, you never ever went to a real
church when they wanted you to go.
But, you would go to an old abandoned
church, wouldn’t you.”
Patrick and Tommy were absolutely
terrified. Then they heard their names
called by someone who seemed to be
loading a shot gun. “Chk,chk,” went a
sound – right behind them.
“You were told not to go down by the
lake and disturb my hunting blind,
weren’t you,” said a voice. “Why did
you go?”
When all of this was going on, Tommy was lying awake and he was terrified. He was hoping they would not call
his name. He was hoping no one saw
what he had done.
“Oh, why did I ever go into the old
northern store and the hospital? Why
did I pretend to operate on Patrick, and
why did I take those things from the
store?” He thought to himself.
And those were the very questions
he heard in the room that night.
Somehow the time passed without
any more noises and by now it was almost day break. The three boys wanted
to go home and they wished they had
listened to their friends. Just then they
heard singing down by the river next to
their canoes.
“Listen,” said Patrick, “I hear singing.
Listen.”
“Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream,
Throw the nerdies overboard,
And listen to them scream.
“Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream,
Throw the nerdies overboard,
And listen to them scream.”
It kept repeating over and over. Then
the singing stopped. They listened in
complete silence.
“Guys, it’s time to get out of this weird
place,” they all said at once.
They quickly packed their things and
started out. On their way down the hill
they saw the bullies (the ones who told
them not to go to the island) standing
by the river right behind their canoe.
“Oh, Oh, were going to die! Look it’s
Leila, Holly, Terri-Ann, Russell, Bryan,
Isaac and Clayton. We’re in big trouble!” said the nerds.
“What are we going to do? Run, swim,
hide?” said Tommy.”
“Put on a brave face and fight like a
man!” said Patrick.
They made their way to the shore hoping the bullies wouldn’t fight them.
Leila, the leader, said, “We have something here that you forgot. It’s been the
reason we have been fighting all this
time. The hatchet!”
“Yeah, we have something to bury,”
said Holly.
On their way up the hill Tommy and
Patrick were thinking, “Oh, Oh, the operation! Do we have to do it?”
They were told to stop under a huge
tree and it was there they heard those
words again. “We have to bury something,” said all of the bullies at the same
time.
And at that, four of them dug a hole
and asked Clayton to come forward
with the hatchet and they all had a
hand in placing it in the hole.
Their fears were wrong. They buried
the hatchet and finally they became
friends. It all started when one of the
nerds found the hatchet that the bullies
had lost. Each claimed it as their own.
Just before they left, Holly and TerriAnn saw something carved on an old
tree.
“Friends are forever.”
It was signed, Lucy and friends. It
was carved in the tree just above the
place where they had buried the hatchet!
As to what happened in that old
house that night, and the singing – well,
we’re not sure. We are just telling the
story as it was told to us. Some folks
think they can still hear strange things
going in that old house on a dark and
rainy night. May-be you will have to
check it out sometime for yourself
some summer night.
Composed by: This was a group story
writing activity of the Gr. 6 English Class
of Blair Thomson. We reserve all copyrights. Please, contact us at the school
for any information regarding photocopies.
Maxine, Please spell the word ….
Parents and grandparents gathered at the Youth Center Gymnasium to watch and listen to their children compete in a
“Spelling Bee” on Wednesday February 8.
The children aged 10-13 (Grade 4-Sec 1) are enrolled in the
Tutoring Program (a Youth Center initiative) with teacher Carl
Lewis.
Before the actual competition the students put on a bit of a
show. A robot (Desmond Pepabano) was tuned up and activated by lab Technicians. The robot then proceeded to do the
‘shuffle’. After that Maxine Matoush gave an endearing performance of the song ‘The Climb’ (Maxine has a very good
voice and I’m sure we’ll hear more from her in the future.)
And now the serious stuff ….
Co-hosts Joanne
Duff and Carl Lewis
(along with Alison
Langdon) introduced the contestants - Maxine Matoush, Ewan Zephyrine, Collin Snowboy, Kate House,
Desmond
Pepabano and Kelly
Pepabano (there
were about 15 to start with but many backed out for various
reasons).
Contestants had to spell a word given by one of the judges
(Eric Grimstead, Rhonda Spencer, Chris Bell-Chambers and
Kevin Dacey) and then use the word in a sentence within 1015 seconds for two points. Maxine and Ewan were able to
spell most of the words given them and use them correctly in
a sentence. Other contestants usually spelled words correctly
but sometimes were unable to use the word in a sentence
(word comprehension).
After the spelling part, came the math where the children had
to calculate (using pencil and paper) a ‘two operation’ math
problem. Example: 6x6 + 1964; 19x15-175. Maxine aced this
category. Last was the science questions … What are the gases we breathe in? Name the four elements.
At the end of the competition and the scores were added up
…. It was Maxine Matoush who walked away with top honours while Kelly Pepabano and Collin Snowboy took 2nd and
3rd respectively.
Congratulations to all the students and a big thank you to
Carl Lewis and Gerti Stephens for organizing this competition. Thanks also goes to the Katimavik gang for helping with
this activity. It would be nice to see it happen twice a year …
every year!
Contest results
1st – Maxine Matoush
2nd – Kelly Pepabano
rd
3 – Collin Snowboy
4th – Ewan Zephyrine
th
5 – Desmond Pepabano 6th – Kate House
Gordon Warman has started a site on
Facebook Titled Sand Park School. People are telling stories and generally
reminiscing about the good ole days.
Check it out.
9
Dancing to new beats: The modern face of Indigenous music
By Jason Plouffe
To all observers of youth culture, it should be
plainly obvious that the rock n’ roll, country
and folk songs enjoyed by older generations
of music lovers has been largely replaced
by newer musical styles, such as hip-hop,
techno and heavy metal. Walking past a
car with a booming stereo, attending a
community dance or just watching MuchMusic at home makes it clear that the
times-they-are a’changing, and they have
been for quite some time now. Indigenous
youth, like youth all around the world, closely
follow these new musical trends. However, unlike the
generations of their parents and grandparents before them,
they have access to high-tech devices, such as Iphones and
MP3 players, that give them access to their music at all
times.
As a supply teacher in Chisasibi, I often bring my portable
speakers to class with me, to use as a reward for a wellbehaved and productive class. If we get our work done, we
can listen to music for the last bit of class time. It didn’t take
me long to realize that most students, even those as young
as grade five, are carrying their own music with them. I can’t
tell you how many times I’ve heard LMFAO’s ‘I’m sexy and I
know it’ in my various classrooms, including the grade fives.
It is a normal thing for young people to enjoy popular music. However, it is important to point out that there are
many examples of these musical styles being created by Indigenous artists, and that the work of these artists often reflects the distinct identities, histories and cultures of Indigenous peoples. A simple google search using keywords like
‘Indigenous hip-hop’, ‘Indigenous heavy metal’ or
‘Indigenous punk’ will quickly reveal the great variety of videos, songs and websites dedicated to modern music by and
about Indigenous peoples from across Canada and around
the world. Just as Buffy St. Marie and Kashtin did in years
past, new generations of Indigenous performers are embrac-
ing modern styles of music as a way to express their
identities and to give voice to their struggles in
societies that have too often ignored the
rights of Indigenous Peoples.
A favorite find of mine is Blackfire, a
Navajo band that is actually a family, the
members being two brothers and a sister. Describing themselves as ‘alternative’, the group incorporates traditional drums and singing with punk rock to
create powerful songs and videos that call
out for justice, such as ‘It’s Not Over (‘Till It’s
Over)’. They are definitely worth checking out
(www.blackfire.net).
Indigenous hip-hop in particular is emerging at the forefront of contemporary Indigenous musical expression. Indeed, most people would have no idea that Indigenous people have been involved with hip-hop since its beginnings. The
first rapper to ever use the title MC, Melle Mel, is Cherokee,
and Ernie Paniccioli, a famous hip-hop photographer
who began his career taking pictures of graffiti in the ‘70’s, is
a Cree who grew up in Brooklyn, New York. More recent
artists of note include Funkdoobiest, Sole, Litefoot, King Just,
War Party, Tru Rez Crew, Slangblossom, Winnipeg’s Most and
Reddnation. A handy resource for those interested in learning about this music is www.nativehiphop.net , a portal that
showcases videos by Indigenous rappers from around the
world, as well as providing access to artist biographies, news
and beats.
So whether you are a fan of modern music, or the parent
or grandparent of young fans, spread the word and encourage the youth of our community to explore music that is being created by Indigenous peoples today, or even better yet,
to begin forming their own groups and expressing their experiences and identities through the wonderful gift of music. Do
a google search for different styles of music by Indigenous
artists. You may be surprised and inspired by what you find.
In the late 1700's, many houses consisted of a large room with
only one chair. Commonly, a long wide board folded down from
the wall, and was used for dining. The 'head of the household'
always sat in the chair while everyone else ate sitting on the floor.
Occasionally a guest, who was usually a man, would be invited
to sit in this chair during a meal. To sit in the chair meant you
were important and in charge. They called the one sitting in
the chair the 'chair man.' Today in business, we use the
expression or title 'Chairman' or 'Chairman of the Board.'
Zoo Guts Project … One of a Kind
Even if you tramped the four corners of the Earth, you would
not find a scene as that below …. Children placing (hanging)
the guts inside a giant inflatable animal.
But such was the case at Chisasibi as both Secondary and
that each animal was picked for a specific reason. Each is either on an endangered list or may be in the near future. They
represent most of the ‘vertebrates’ – fish, mammal, reptile,
and fish (only amphibian missing) and as such children are
able to compare anatomies, organs. Each animal is at risk for
different reasons – overhunting, loss of habitat, pollution etc.
The idea is to get the students thinking/talking/discussing
about what is harmful to living things and perhaps to change
actions in their lifestyle that harm animals.
The “Zoo Guts” project is the creation of Jeremy. Working
with a company in California, Jeremy picked five Canadian
Elementary students took part in an Elephant Thoughts project called ‘Zoo Guts” during the second half of February. Five
giant inflatable animals –Polar Bear, Coho Salmon, Banff
Springs Snail, Harlequin Duck and the Leatherback Turtle …
looking quite realistic, along with an inflatable ‘Hut’ containing all the guts (internal organs) of the animals.
In this activity groups of students were assigned an animal.
They were given a stack of
cards showing the organs of
the animal. They had to go
into the ‘Gut Hut’ and find
the organs which are mixed
in with the organs of the other animals. After finding the
organs they took them to
their animal, went underneath it and attached them
in the proper place …. Not an
easy task when you consider
that some of the organs were quite similar in looks and besides the ‘Gut Hut’ was rather dark inside.
After the ‘hanging of the guts’, students were given a large
puzzle of their animal along with a fact sheet with two questions.
‘What threatens the well being of the animal?’
‘What can we do to help the animal?’
There were other assignments given to the students all
with purpose of having the students more aware of life
around them.
Jeremy Rhodes, President of Elephant Thoughts, explained
animals (only the Banff Springs Snail though is found exclusively in Canada) designed
the inflatables and the activities to go with them.
The whole project cost
around 120 000$ and was
funded by two people from
Ontario.
Jeremy decided to
debut/introduce this project in the CSB schools. It
was ten years ago that
Olivia Spencer persuaded
Elephant Thoughts to come to James Bay Eeyou School and
involve children in the wonders of science. (See October 2010
issue). It was a first for Elephant Thoughts. Up to that point
they had been giving science summer camps. Since then Elephant Thoughts has visited all the CSB schools plus numerous
other northern and rural schools with different projects many
times.
This project, sponsored by Niskamoon will visit all the
schools of the CSB. Because of the amount of equipment involved, it will be barged to Whapmagoostui. The cost to fly it
Cont’d on page 12
11
up is considerable – which is probably why it will not be seen
north of 60.
Besides this new project ‘Zoo Guts’, Elephant thoughts is
also involved in two other projects with the CSB
One is the Mentorship program at the Elementary level.
Three or four secondary students are trained in some aspect
of science. They then teach it to interested Elementary students after school.
The other program, started more than a year ago is called
‘Graduation Support” aimed at Secondary 4 & 5 students
who have to write (and pass) provincial exams in Science,
History English/French and Math in order to graduate from
Secondary school.
As Jeremy explained “ to provide any service to help them
(students do that (graduate …)”
ADVENTURES IN READING
There are 30 Elephant Thoughts personnel spread out in
all the CSB schools. Some are in the school only for a few
weeks leading up to the exams in June while others are in a
school all year long … as is the case with Chisasibi and Mistissini.
It’s a comprehensive program which might involve one on
one tutoring, whole class tutoring, substituting if there is no
teacher for some reason. They create practice exams, teach
study skills, confidence building and even will feed the students. They also offer to help other teachers. Their ultimate
goal – to help students graduate. (The two students who recently graduated in Mistissini – the first in seven years –
were a product of the ‘Graduation Support’ program. This
year 5-10 Mistissini students are expected to graduate.
Jeremy added, “My goal is to piece together support for the
whole year …” (in all the schools).
they may also be pretty amusing.
That’s why it was so refreshing to
read FUNNY IN FARSI by Firoozeh
Dumas.
One day, I went to do some shopping at The Bay in MonWhen she was seven years old,
treal. An older Inuit man was standing on the sidewalk in Dumas’s family moved from Iran to
front of the revolving doors, rocking back and forth with con- California. Her father, who claimed to
centration and bewilderment as the panels rotated past him. speak excellent English (having previIt was apparent that he wanted to go inside, so I put my arm ously attended university in the
around him and swept him though with me. He smiled grate- States for two years) had certainly
fully at the time, but I have often thought of him since, hop- mastered his engineering textbooks
ing that some kind soul helped him get back out of there once and was thoroughly conversant with
his shopping was done!
such terms as fluid mechanics and vectors, but when asked
Everyone who lives in this village has experienced some to explain items from a menu that included such bizarre
form of cultural dissonance, ranging from a few mild misun- choices as hot dogs, catfish, sloppy Joes and mud pie, he was
derstandings between people trying to communicate in a se- totally lost. Also, his spoken accent was so thick that when he
cond (or third) language to the extreme culture shock of be- tried to ask questions, no one understood him. As Dumas
ing torn from one’s family and sent off to residential school puts it, “one step outside the scintillating world of petroleum
where everything is unfamiliar and incomprehensible.
engineering, he had two left tongues.”
Here in Chisasibi, we have elderly people who cannot get
Much of what her family experienced must have been
basic medical care without going through a translator and difficult and daunting, but Dumas looks back on their adjustimmigrants from distant countries who may not only be en- ment period with far more good feelings than bad, and her
countering new languages, customs and religions for the first humorous observations often caused me to laugh out loud.
time, but also weather conditions that they never imagined.
There are Quebeckers who come to work up north in their This is a slim book of under two hundred pages. I read it in
own province and realize that they need to master English in just one day. Yet it contains a wealth of food for thought.
order to communicate with people who speak Cree. There FUNNY IN FARSI touches on issues of cultural ignorance and
are high school graduates who go south to attend college and prejudice, the disparity between expectations and reality, the
discover that they must learn so much more than their new influence of advertising, the importance of kindness - and
course of studies: how to rent and furnish an apartment, how clean bathrooms - and many other topics that could provide
to budget their limited funding, how to take public transpor- a starting point for a stimulating discussion. She also addresstation, how to wash their clothes at a Laundromat… The list es coping strategies when faced with a change in attitude by
goes on and on.
Americans toward Iranian immigrants before and after 9/11.
We all know that the adaptations, which must be made
This book is not “great literature” that will be quoted
when one is thrust into a new cultural context, can be uncom- through the ages like Shakespeare, but it’s an entertaining
fortable, unsettling and even frightening, but in retrospect read that also stimulates some worthwhile reflection about
our common experiences.
by
Felicity Fanjoy
Family Memories
By; Margaret Sealhunter
One winter, my family and some of our relatives left to spend
some time on our ancestral hunting territory. Two of my uncles were already there. They had left a week before we did
and they had their camp on the south side of the small river
where our usual camp was situated. Like many times before,
we set up our lodge on the north side of the river, known as
Muskrat River.
My uncles set up their traps east of their camp and they
would leave early each morning to check their traps and
snares. Before we came, they took turns to leave early because they didn’t want to leave my cousins alone at camp.
My aunts stayed behind at the village because they were
working at the mission.
I used to walk to their camp for a visit and would return to
our camp when one of my uncles came home. One day, my
uncle Tommy told me that my cousins, Louisa and Billy
would go and spend the day at our camp the following day. I
was very happy to hear this. I told my mom and she said she
was happy to have visitors. Sure enough, they arrived just
before noon. Louisa said they would have come earlier but
Billy was sleeping late.
We had a snack of bannock which mom had baked. Dad was
back and he informed us that he saw some rabbit tracks
north of our camp just over the hill. He gave us each some
snares and told us to go and set them up. We had to take our
snowshoes because there was no trail where we were going.
When we got there, the sun was already low in the horizon
and we had to work fast before it set. We set up two snares
each. Just as we were making our way back, we saw a rabbit
and we got really excited.
“Let’s go and try to catch it.” I said.
Billy said, “There’s no way you’re going to catch it.”
I replied, “We can always try. Come let’s go.”
Louisa and I followed the rabbit, it was hopping away fast.
“Come; let’s hurry before it reaches the woods.” I said.
We started running with our snow-shoes on and it was kind
of difficult. We could hear Billy laughing behind us.
Louisa shouted back, “Stop laughing and help us.”
The rabbit was really fast and it ran into a bunch of trees that
were close together.
“I’ll look on the other side and see if it went towards the other trees.”
I went on the other side of the trees, no, there were no
tracks there.
“I think it’s still in the trees.”
By this time, Billy had arrived and he was still laughing away,
“You guys look so funny running with your snow-shoes on.”
We went around the trees, throwing branches and shaking
the trees to scare the rabbit so it might come out from there.
Billy was sitting down, laughing and I said, “Hey! Mr. Rabbit
come on out with your hands up… Billy was laughing even
harder, Louisa repeated what I said and we both laughed too.
Billy still laughing, “You guys are crazy…”
That rabbit was stubborn; it didn’t want to come out and we
had to go back to camp. The sun was setting and my cousins
had to go back to their camp. I told my mom what we did
and she said the rabbit must have been hiding deep in the
branches.
My brothers teased us about that rabbit story and they said
you’ll never get a rabbit in your snares because you scared it
too much. Like right now it must be telling the other rabbits
not to go near snares… lol! Guess what? We never did get
any rabbits in our snares.
Later when we talked about it, I said to Louisa, ‘I wonder
what we would have done if that rabbit did came out with its
hands up? That could have been hilarious.’’ Lol!
I think we were thinking of a Western movie we saw at the
Mission a week or so before. Like the boys, we were always
trying to imitate the movies we used to go to. Especially the
westerns…..
I still laugh when I think about that rabbit story, my late
cousin and I did a lot of funny stuff together.
Agoda, Take care until next time.
Another note regarding the lack of fat in rabbits/hares. There is something
called "rabbit starvation" or "fat hunger." The theory is supposed to be that
eating just protein is bad for you. One element seems to be that the human
liver is unable to convert protein to glucose at rate sufficient to keep you alive
over the long term. Another element is that this protein to glucose process
produces ammonia as a by-product. Ammonia isn't good for you. It seems
that most of the references for rabbit starvation point to accounts written by
early explorers. I don't know how real any of this is, so search for something a
little more modern if you are considering rabbit/hare (or very lean meat) as a
significant component of your diet.
13
Chief candidates Debate …
On Wednesday February 29th at the
JBES Agora a ‘debate’ was held for the
nominees of Chief of Chisasibi. Five of
the seven candidates (Robbie Tapiatic,
Roy Neacappo, Charlie Louttit, Davey
Bobbish and Roderick Pachano) took
part. Gerti Neacappo and Edward Nine
O’Clock did not attend. The debate was
facilitated by Stella Bearskin.
(Just in Mar 2 … Edward Nine O’Clock
has declined to run)
There were four ‘rounds’ to the debate.
In the first round the candidates had
seven minutes to talk about their experience, aspirations, visions etc.
Here is some of what they had to say ….
Roderick Pachano outlined his extensive experience as a previous Chief,
councilor, sitting on negotiating committees. Robbie Tapiatic mentioned that
he wanted to have more people involved in meetings and to sit down with
committees to listen to their concerns.
Roy Neacappo pointed out that he had
learned a lot from his grandfather and
that we should focus on the well being
of families – listening and talking to children and youth.
Davey Bobbish also noted the importance of our future generation and
added that education is very important.
He stressed he would focus on making
people understand the importance of
listening to one another. Charlie Louttit
talked about building strength and
learning from past experiences, that
people should be put first and to promote Cree language and culture.
In the next round each and every candidate was given three minutes to respond to four broadly phrased questions.
What is your view/idea as the role of
Chief?
Most of the candidates emphasized –
listening to people, making decisions to
benefit everyone, the well being of the
community.
The second question was on Eeyou governance. Again candidates were pretty
much of one mind when they stressed
that we must make our own decisions
and to use/hold/strengthen Cree language and culture.
Third question asked their views on social and mental issues. Candidates said
there must be more collaboration between entities. Two candidates mentioned ‘stop the bullying’
Third round entailed two randomly
picked candidates to answer the same
question (questions by the way were
submitted by the general public).
What recommendations would you
make to those who hunt? … More careful inspection on non-native hunting/
hunters; closer look on the funds available for the CTA
Your opinion on the mining industry? …
building on eco-tourism, job creations
that don’t destroy the land ..
Your opinion on MBJ (Municipality of
Baie James) … shouldn’t exist.
Diabetes is rising. How do you see the
role of Chief in this? Encourage people
to continue living off of the land. Building better trails; encouraging all aspects
of sports activities.
(Editor: I have refrained from attributing remarks to individual candidates.
They all had very good ideas and I didn’t
want to bias anyone)
Finally the floor/mic was opened to the
audience …. But only five people were
given the chance to ask one question
for two candidates to answer.
Thomas Shem asked Davey and Roderick if they would back-up not paying
Hydro … both indicated if that's what
the people want then … okay.
Shadrock Trapper brought up an incident of a Youth Council project that was
denied funding. Both Roy and Robbie
said the Band Council should support
youth initiatives as much as possible
So …. No promises were made … “if I’m
elected I will ….” But all declared what
they would like to see happen and
perhaps we can hold them to that when
they are elected.
Voting begins Monday with the Advance polls. Election Day is Thursday
March 8th. Do exercise your right to
vote and vote!
Action Programs
I decided to take a walk on the wild side and go to every
activity of the Action Program to be nosey … take a picture or two and just maybe get to sample some of the
cooking. (Alas only one looked at my under-nourished
body and took pity on me and gave me a piece of Cactus! - and ginger juice)
A common trait I found at the activities –smiles and
laughter … the participants were having fun! Mind you,
some of the laughter was on the nervous side when
they saw my camera.
The ‘teachers’ in these activities are to be given a big
hug and kiss for what they are doing. They are very talented! Also a major thanks to Celina Chakapash and
Rhonda Spencer for the organizing of the Action Program. It does take a lot of extra time and effort. This is
the 8th year. Below are the Monday activities. More pictures to follow in the April issue.
Music—writing lyrics with Jason Plouffe
Cake decorating with Dinah Cookish
Sewing backpacks with Ruby
Beading bracelets with Paula
Knitting slippers and socks with Margaret Pachano
French lessons with Denis Bouchard
15
In loving Memory
Abraham Benjamin
June 20,1924 - February 13,2012
Abraham Benjamin, born June 20, 1924, was 87 years old
at the time of his death on February 13, 2012. He leaves
behind his daughter Marjorie Benjamin, his granddaughter Winnie Benjamin and two (2) greatgrandchildren, Ethan and Logan.
He was the eldest of two (2) children born to Annie Chewanish and Joseph Benjamin. He was later adopted by
Matthew Fort Chimo who married Annie Chewanish after
the death of their father Joseph when Abraham was only
about six (6) years old.
With this marriage Abraham then became the older brother of all the children born from this marriage; Elizabeth
married to Roderick Herodier; Helen to Sam Kitty (both
deceased); Phyllis married to Reggie Chiskamish
(deceased); and Sydney Fort Chimo (deceased) married to
Edith Morin.
He married Louisa Shauk on September 11, 1947 and was
happily married until Louisa's untimely death at the age
of69.
Abraham was a devoted father and grandfather. He was a
hunter and trapper by trade and when he was in the community he did what was necessary as all fathers did to support their families.
He also became a member of the clergy of the St-Philip's
Anglican Church at a very young age. He was quite proficient in the English language and was called upon to provide translations for the various Anglican ministers that
located to Fort George and then later those that located to
Chisasibi. He was devoted to this work up to the time
when he had a stroke. This was a life altering experience
that greatly limited his capacities to care for himself and
was then necessary to allow care to be provided by the
Chisasibi hospital and this up to the time of his death this
past Monday,
February 13, 2012. He spent the last ten (10) years of his
life in the care of hospital doctors, nurses and personnel in
their loving care.
As was for all ancestral peoples of Chisasibi Eeyouch, Abraham had endured many life challenging experiences. This
one experience we wanted to share with family and community. The story is that Abraham's father did not return
after having gone to get supplies from Kaniapiscau. When
his mother Annie and his paternal grandmother were sure
that something had happened to him they set out to try to
reach relatives wintering near the coast of James Bay at
the mouth of the Roggan River.
Abraham was around six (6) years old and his younger
brother around four (4) years of age. We believe that
through the sheer courage and perseverance of his mother, grandmother and young uncle, Abraham and his brother were able to endure this very difficult and trying journey with already very little in terms of supplies to survive
on. This was a journey of many hundreds of kilometers
along a river that needed to be portaged many times to
reach the mouth of the river. These kinds of stories of
courage and endurance are the legacy of most of our relatives who have already passed on. We thank them for having helped shape the benefits of life we enjoy today.
We would not be able to finish telling his life's journey
without mentioning the many doctors, nurses and hospital
personnel that did the necessary acts to make the last ten
(10) years of his life as comfortable as possible. Dr. Michael Lefson and the late Dr. Jimmy Deschenes provided
the most of the doctoring he needed during those years.
The many nurses and then there is Daisy Kitty, Winnie
Sam, Martha Sam, Lucy Matches, Ellen Pepabano, Sarah
Sealhunter, Mary House and Edward Pachano who provided the constant attention and care that he needed.
We thank you all for your commitment and dedication to
his medical and daily care.
Then there are the cousins, Mary, Lorna and Wendy that
took care of Marjorie in her hours of need. They are truly
family in every sense of the meaning of family.
Lastly we thank all of you who are in attendance here today not just to partake in the carrying out of the last rites
for the father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother,
uncle, cousin, brother-in-law, relative and friend, all of
which is Abraham but to also celebrate his life and all that
he leaves behind which will continue to be fostered in the
generations to come.
We love you, we will miss you. We truly believe that you
are now home with the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ to
remain forever safe in their loving care.
Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy-laden and I
will give you rest
Matthew 11:28
Honouring Her Spirit
Doris Shelley Sheshamush
May 28, 1969 - February 18, 2012
Doris was born on May 28, 1969 in Timmins, Ontario the
daughter of Elijah Sheshamush and the Late Caroline
(Lameboy) Sheshamush. After the passing of Elijah's first wife
he married Sarah Masty and Doris lived with them.
Doris is survived by her common-law husband Pierre Dufresne,
Children: Caroline (George), Daniel, Emily, Jocelyne and
Ashely-Grace
Parents: Elijah and Sarah
Grandchildren: Cherish-Joy, Trenton Gabriel and Elijah-Ron
Siblings: Valerie (Joe), Ron, Brenda, Elijah Jr and Cynthia
Grandparents: Emily and the Late Ronnie Sheshamush and
Maggie and the Late Daniel Lameboy
Doris was a loving and caring wife, mother, grandmother,
daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She will be remembered for
her laughter, humour and silliness. Even though she faced
many hardships while growing up she still showed a lot of
love, affection and compassion towards her family and others too.
She was also very strong in mind, heart and spirit a person
that went out of her way to provide for her children and didn't ask for much from anybody.
Some messages from the family ….
Doris,
You were a beautiful wife and mother. Thank you for giving
me 2 beautiful daughters and for sharing your life with me.
You were not only my wife but my best friend and I will always love you.
My daughter Doris,
Your Mom left us when you were less than two years old and
your sister Valerie was less than one; that was over forty
years ago and it taught us that life is short.
When I found out I had prostate cancer you always asked me
how I was doing. After I came home from my treatments and
follow-ups you wanted to know what the doctors had told
me and when I told you that the doctors said it would be ok
you would say that's very good and stay that way.
Doris my daughter 41 years is a short time with you, but I accept that God has plans for each of us. God never does us
wrong; he always cares and loves us. I believe we will meet
again in our Father’s heavenly kingdom and we will be reunited with all our relatives and friends. I also know that you will
be happy to see your mom and grandfathers.
We will miss you and I will always remember hearing you say
"I love you Dad".
I love you too and Rest In Peace my child,
Dad
My Dear Daughter Doris,
When your mother left you to be with our Savior you were
less than two years old. It was then that I took care of you for
almost twenty years.
When you called me you would always say "Mom, you are
never angry with me or say mean things to me, you are always kind to me".
My daughter I will always miss you and hearing you call me
"Mom".
Rest In Peace Daughter, -Mom Sarah
Dear Mommy Doris
You have always been there for me, you never left me alone.
You were the best mother, sister, grandma anyone could ever have and you always showed a lot of love to everyone. I
know you left us and I accept that. l remember when you told
me to never be scared. You always said I'll never leave you no
matter what will happen to us. I love you always and my love
will last forever and I will pray for you every night.
You will always be in my heart. I love you Mommy,
Emily
Mom,
Because I've already met you in my dreams, I know you'll always be there.
Love your only son, Daniel
It’s very hard to lose my Beautiful mother. It was hard to believe at first that you have gone to a beautiful place called
Heaven. I am grateful that you were my mother. I am going
to miss our talks and all the silly talks we had. I'll cherish
them forever Mom. We thank God for giving us a mother like
you.
Thank you Mom for teaching me all the things and for helping
me and for helping my kids. We will miss you dearly and I will
love you so much that words cannot explain.
Rest In Peace till we meet again Mommy,
Caroline
17
Chisasibi’s Elementary School Officially Opened
I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream, I have a dream
Jammed packed, standing room only … that was the scene
at Chisasibi’s new Elementary School’s foyer on Friday afternoon February 17. VIPs from all levels of government, along
with ‘Head office’ Cree School Board (CSB) personnel were on
hand to watch the ribbon cutting and make speeches.
The new school has enough classrooms for 700+ PreK to
Grade 6 students plus rooms to accommodate the children in
the ‘Afterschool Program, a music room, Cree Culture room,
a two-sectioned gym, library, computer room offices,
staffroom, etc. (There is a worry though that starting as early
as next year, administration will have to be ‘creative’ in order
to accommodate all the expected students)
To begin with people were asked to go outside where Rev
Clifford Bearskin said a prayer. That was followed by the raising of the flags
of Canada, Quebec and the CSB
and then the
actual cutting of
the embroidered moose
hide banner by
Annie Herodier,
long time guidance councilor
at James Bay
Eeyou School.
While we
were outside,
the students of
the 1st Cycle sang “Little Sparrow” (They were inside and
their voices were broadcast outside.)
Everyone trooped back into the foyer to listen to the Chisasibi Youth Drummers sing an Honour song. This was followed by about 45 2nd Cycle students singing our national
anthem in Cree, English and French. More singing followed.
The school choir, 2nd and 3rd cycle students, almost a hundred
altogether sang ‘ I have a Dream’ (Abba)
Sing they did … loud, clear –beautiful. Everyone
listening had a Wow-smile on their face. Applause was deafening. Thank you! students and Sylvain Naut ( the music
teacher).
The VIPs stepped up to the microphone to offer their insight
into the new school. Chisasibi Deputy Chief Daisy HouseLameboy said that “very few school boards can boast teaching in three languages … having three languages can open
many doors for our children.”
Daisy also pointed out that students here can have the best
of both worlds –native and non-native.
She quoted a past chief “There’s nothing wrong in being an
educated hunter.”
Quebec Minister Geoffrey Kelley emphasized that “our
responsibility is to make sure our children achieve their
dreams.”
Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come
acknowledged the young leaders of
the 70’s who also had a dream “to
build their own schools …. to teach
your own language as a language of
instruction … to introduce their own
culture into the school curriculum
…” (JBNQA)
Abraham Jolly paid tribute to some
of the people who were instrumental
in getting the school built -former
Commissioners Margret Fireman and
Mabel Herodier and our present
commissioner Mabel Bearskin. Gordon Blackned and Matthew Mukash
were also mentioned. Abraham ended with the following “I
have a vision … to see a Cree Nation …. successful well educated Cree Nation …. Through inspired learning that happens
here …. Inspired teaching and valued learning … happen
sooner than later …”
Kathleen Wooten CSB Chairperson also addressed the
gathering. Kathleen pointed out that although it’s a real
benefit to Chisasibi to have a new elementary school …
“more importantly is what happens in the classroom … the
quality of learning and
teaching that matters
the most …”
It was also acknowledged by Kathleen that
“… this new school belongs to the community of
Chisasibi and the members
can have a say in what happens in
the school. Education is as much a community concern and
responsibility as it is (a) Cree School Board concern and responsibility. CSB must work in partnership with the community …”
It finally came time for what a lot of us had been waiting
for – the name of the new school. Everyone was quite curious. It had been talked about (argued?) for a couple of
Samuel Tapiatic
(1979-1982)
weeks. Should it be named after someone who had devoted
a lot of their time to the students and if so who … The votes
were in …
Runner up – Sakashtuwau (sunrise, start of day) submitted by
Dawn Pashagumskum.
The name picked by the majority of voters?? Drum roll please
… WAAPINICHIKUSH (morning star) put forward by Carmen
Napash-Shem, a grade 3 teacher.
Congratulations to both Carmen and Dawn!
At this point gifts were exchanged between the CSB and the
Federal and Provincial gov’ts. A very beautiful picture showing flying geese was given to the principal France Ferland by
the CSB.
With that people lined up to get a piece(s) of three artistically
decorated cakes. Following the ceremony at the school
guests retired to the Mitchuap for a ‘traditional’ meal
Waapinichikush Elementary School – there’s a new star in
the sky!
Honouring Our Past Chiefs
Samuel Tapiatic was our Chief during
the most dramatic period of our modern history: the relocation of this community from Fort George Island to the
present site of Chisasibi.
He was also the first Chief to be
voted in by secret ballot through
official electoral practice. In fact,
Samuel insisted upon this as a
condition of running. Prior to his
time, chiefs had either been chosen by a small group of Elders
(and, sometimes, the Hudson Bay
Company manager) or had been
elected at a community meeting
through a show of hands where
only the people who happened to
be present were able to vote.
Samuel believed that it was important that all eligible community members be given an equal opportunity to select their leaders.
Also, in previous times, there had
been no set term of office for chiefs,
who often retained the position for
many years. However, Samuel studied
the election by-laws and discovered
that the official term was supposed to
be for just three years. After that new
elections must be held. As a result, he
agreed to take office for three years
only.
Samuel had worked with the Cree
Regional Authority and the Grand Council of the Crees from when they were
first established in 1974. His job involved travelling from community to
community to gather information for
the government and the Cree organizations. And since he had been there from
the beginning of the James Bay and
Northern Quebec Agreement, he had
become familiar with the policies and
procedures of government. Through
this experience, he learned what it
meant to be a leader, and he understood the duties and obligations.
In 1979, when the people of Fort
George elected Samuel as their Chief,
he was chosen because of his
knowledge of government
and his overview of what
had happened before and
after the signing of the
James Bay Agreement.
He was pleased and honoured to be chosen, but was
concerned about the challenges ahead, so the first
thing he did was to consult
with some former Chiefs of
Fort George: John Napash,
Robert Kanatewat and Josie
Sam. They gave him good
advice and Chief Napash
told him a lot about the history of our
people. These three former Chiefs provided him with much support, guidance
and encouragement.
During his term of office many transitions occurred. Samuel was faced with
Cont’d on page 20
19
Cont’d from page19
transforming the traditional style of community leadership
into a modern system of government. It was a huge responsibility for him and difficult for some people to adapt to. With
hard work and dedication, he was able to help our people
become accustomed to more progressive ways of developing
and managing our community.
Certainly Samuel’s biggest challenge was the Fort George
Relocation. When Hydro Quebec asked the people of Fort
George to move to the mainland because increased water
flow from upstream river diversions would erode the island,
not everyone wanted to relocate and there was a lot of friction in the community, so upon wise advice, Samuel decided
to hold a referendum. Once the results were in, a clear majority had voted in favour of the move. Then Samuel felt confident to go ahead with the relocation project.
However, when moving began, the then-current Band
Manager resigned. At that time, the Chief was given no salary. He merely received an honorarium of 300 dollars per
month which was not enough to live on and support a family.
Consequently, Samuel was asked to take on the task of Band
Manager, a paid position, in addition to being chief. It was an
enormous commitment, but to his great credit, he succeeded
in doing both.
With the various transitions that were taking place, new by
-laws had to be enacted. Samuel recalls that it was a hard
task to create and implement them and a major challenge to
have people understand, accept, and follow these by-laws.
In some cases he was disappointed. The disruption of relocation had triggered a spate of social problems that caused
Samuel to be concerned about community security. His aim
was to ensure a safe environment, especially for our children.
As a result, a drug-and-alcohol by-law and a curfew by-law
were adopted in order to control public intoxication and to
help parents prevent their children from wandering around
late at night. However, it proved impossible to get these particular by-laws into practice. In spite of this, he feels it was an
accomplishment to have people realize that we need by-laws
in order to manage and develop our community.
When his term was over, people asked him to run for chief
again, but he said no for family reasons. After having a family
meeting, it was decided that it was best to have both parents
available for the children. His children had difficulty with their
father being away so much of the time. They did not want to
go through that again and he respected their wishes.
Samuel believes that, to be a chief, you really need an education in political science and you must know and understand
the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. Also, you
need to have direct knowledge of Cree culture, traditions and
values. Therefore, he encourages young people who would
like to become community leaders to study the rules and procedures of government and to practice their culture so that
they can better understand the needs of our people. Samuel
had to learn on his own about how government functions,
and he is aware of how difficult this can be, so he wants
young people to be prepared and to build good leadership
skills before taking on the duties of governing our community.
As difficult as it was for Samuel to be chief during the
transformation, he did his best to help our people and to
keep them informed about what was happening with the government. Although he declined to run again, Samuel is still
active with the Chief and Council and he is always willing to
assist with the development of our community.
He is also enjoying his retirement and spending a lot of
time on his trap line. It is good to be back on the land.
Community Resource Evaluation
A diverse set of services for the Justice department coupled with the great services in place could mean better plans
of care that meet individual needs.
Help repair the harm. Sometimes a band aid works, but
many times it’s not that easy. That’s how it is in justice;
sometimes it’s as easy as putting a band aid on a wound, but
many times it’s not. So if it’s not easy most of the time, what
can we do to repair the harm?
Harm could be as ordinary as scrapping a wall with a piece
of furniture; or as low-key as making a friend wait. But do not
let me convince you of the sense of the word harm because
each of us experiences harm differently than the other person and so on. In justice, crime is considered to be an act that
causes harm. Unfortunately the harm that comes about as a
result of a crime can be felt for years such as distrust or fear.
There is another part of the story; there is also the harm
that caused the crime, such as personal and socio-economic
influences of the offender, and an out of date correctional
process that created hardened criminals. Justice departments
have or have started to realize that relying 100% percent on
the court system to deal with crime has been a failure.
Today, the focus has shifted to bring the victim into the
healing process and rehabilitating the offender, rather than
50 years ago when justice departments almost left no options .... just jails. So, very little consideration was made to reintegrate people into society. People who came out of jails
were hardened criminals because previously the apparatus of
justice made it unlikely that they could become honest citizens again, and that would make them more likely to reoffend.
Which brings us back to the original question, what can we
do to repair the harm? The harm re-integration considers is
the harm the apparatus of justice can have on people by
turning them into hardened criminals. Re-integration considers socio-economic influences such as mental health and social drawbacks. Why? Real simple…society doesn’t want people to re-offend.
There are a few ways to accomplish re-integration goals
such as therapy, programs and studying different ways to
solve disputes; and if we think creatively there are likely
many more approaches; and that brings us to the purpose of
this article, Community Resource Evaluation.
The re-integration office in Chisasibi is in its beginning
stages, and as a result is evaluating the community for resources that could assist in re-integration objectives. The objectives of the re-integration office are to rehabilitate, restore
and prevent; it involves working closely with offenders and
for people re-integrating into the community after being released from incarceration by developing plans of care that
should take into account their individual needs.
Plans of care could involve therapy, personal assessments
and counselling. However, the objectives cannot happen
without resources. No elders -no counselling; no therapists no therapy. Furthermore, since prevention is an objective of
re-integration, better prevention could come from a more
unified process through better connected services and a diverse set of services. All that could mean better plans of care
could be developed that reflect the needs of people; if the
resources are available.
It’s next to impossible to have a wound caused by harm
completely restored to perfection, but with better options a
satisfying result is a good goal. So, the re-integration office
wants to find out if there are additional resources in the
community to accomplish its objectives.
The purpose of the evaluation is to find out if there are
people in the community of Chisasibi that does not presently
work with the justice department that could be a resource.
You could have skills in social work, mediation and performing arts, people as in if you are a shop teacher with a law degree or a dishwasher with a psychology degree or a history
teacher with a performing arts degree. If you are please contact the re-integration officer in Chisasibi. More options
could be developing better programs, workshops and better
plans of care and then hopefully empty jails.
Please contact:
Thomas Gower – Re-Integration Officer
Work: 819-855-2120 ext. 1801
Fax: 819-855-1888
tgower@cra.qc.ca
Department of Justice and Correctional Services
PO Box 849
Chisasibi, Quebec
J0M 1E0
21
Chisasibi Annual Hockey & Broomball Tournament (Feb 2-5)
Probably the most enjoyable part of
this particular tournament was the
Pre-Novice hockey. Four teams competed, two from Chisasibi and one
each from Eastmain and Waskaganish. Pre-Novice players are supposed
to be 5 to 6 years of age but some
look like they are only a few months
out of their mother’s womb. For most
getting the puck and scoring is not
their first priority; rather looking up
into the stands to wave at their parents, or just laying around enjoying
the feel of the ice or perhaps getting
all together somewhere on the ice cause it is a big area and
maybe they feel a little lonely.
While I was watching them on the ice, two activities
came to mind –dominoes … when one fell half a dozen
others would go with them. Their ‘play’ on the ice also reminded me of ‘Demolition Derby’ – more than a few times
there would be a ‘pile-up’ of half a dozen of them …. But miraculously nobody gets injured. (I’ve always maintained children that young have the constituency of rubber.)
Parents, grandparents, family etc shouted screamed and
laughed until throats’ hurt and had a few funny stories to tell
the family back home. After the ‘finals’ on Sunday each PreNovice player received a participation medal. Thank you PreNovice players!
And now back to the serious competition ….
In the Novice Broomball, Waskaganish had little trouble
in defeating the Chisasibi team 3-0. In fact the score might
Novice Broomball
Waskaganish 3 Chisasibi 0
Champions
Finalist
Best Defense - Holly Rupert (Chis)
Best Forward – Myra Blackned (Wask)
Best Goalie – Joyce Petagumskum (Chis)
Top Scorer – Kristyann Mark (Wask) 7G
MVP – Kristyann Mark (Wask)
have been much higher had it not been for the scintillating
saves of Joyce Petagumskum.
In the Cadet girls Hockey, two Chisasibi teams, the Wildcats and the Icehawks faced off. Although the score ended
up 5-0 for the Wildcats, it was not a ‘lopsided’ game. The
Icehawks had their chances but the Wildcat goalie shut the
door on them. Equally impressive was the play of
Cadet Girl’s Hockey
Chisasibi Wild Cats 5 Chisasibi IceHawks 0
Champions
Finalist
Best Defense - Celina Wapachee (IH)
Best Forward – Holly Visitor (WC)
Best Goalie – Amy-Lynn Chakapash (WC)
Top Scorer – Lenore Bearskin (WC) 2G/1A
MVP – Holly Visitor (WC)
Hannah Swallow, goalie for the Icehawks. At times Hannah
reminded me of Carey Price sliding back and forth across the
goal mouth!
Many of the girls are excellent skaters but it’s the puck
handling (and passing) that can be improved upon.
In the Atom division, the fact that Amelia Bearskin and
Angel Kitty of the Chisasibi Beavers played with the Cadet
Wildcats in the game before didn’t seem to make a difference in the outcome of the Atom final between Chisasibi and
Eastmain.
Atom Hockey
Chisasibi 5
Champions
Eastmain 3
Finalist
Best Defense - Angel Kitty (Chis)
Best Forward – Marcus Gilpin (Chis)
Best Goalie – Leroy Weapenicappo (East)
Top Scorer – Marcus Whiskeychan (East) 6G/7A
MVP –Marcus Gilpin (Chis)
It was a close game though. At
the end of the 2nd period the
score was tied 3-3 but with the
inspired play of Marcus Gilpin
the Chisasibi Beavers came
away with a 5-3 win. They outshot Eastmain 21-12 and that is
why Leroy Weapenicappo was
awarded the ‘Best Goalie’ trophy.
I have always believed that
destiny plays a major role in life
and so it was with the Girls
Midget Broomball final which
saw Waskaganish and Wemindji clash.
The Waskaganish girls dominated the game from start to
finish BUT Wemindji did get a shot (I think their only shot) in
Midget Broomball
Wemindji 1
Champions
Waskaganish 0
Finalist
Best Defense - Cassie Pepabano (Chis)
Best Forward – Myra Blackned (Wask)
Best Goalie – Shania Georgekish Wem)
Top Scorer – Jasmine Namagoose
MVP – Cheryl Danyluk
the 2nd period which escaped the clutches of the goalie.
Imagine how the Waskaganish girls felt. (In the round robin
game between these two, they fought to a 1-1 tie.)
Bantam Hockey
Waskaganish 4 Chisasibi Blackhawks 1
Champions
Finalist
Best Defense - Jesse-James Scipio (Chis)
Best Forward – Norm Blacksmith (Wask)
Best Goalie – Daylon Salt (Wask)
Top Scorer – Trent Georgekish (Wask) 6G/3A
MVP – Donavan Hestor (Wask)
The game started off with both teams skating hard but
with few shots on net. There was no scoring in the first
period.
Waskaganish scored the first goal of the game 30 sec into
the 2nd period on a tip-in from a shot from the point. Chisasibi came back with a goal of their own at the three min.
mark of the 2nd in a goal mouth scramble. Halfway through
the 2nd Waskaganish scored …. again with a lot of infighting
around the net. So after 2, the score was 2-1 Waskaganish.
Shots were 8-6 for Waskaganish.
In the 3rd period Waskaganish ‘iced’ the game as they say
with a PP goal. Chisasibi was guilty of three infractions in
the third period which led to two goals for Waskaganish.
Final score 4-1 Waskaganish.
Why aren’t the Blackhawks winning? Two reasons perhaps ….
They do not have a PP. In this game I think they had one
shot in four PP. There was no set-up or pressure at all.
The other is passing. Far, far too often offence consisted
of individual rushes. Passing only happened when the
‘rusher’ ran out of ice or steam. Blackhawks have some very
talented players but they don’t play as a team.
In the Bantam game between Waskaganish and the Chisasibi Blackhawks showed that it’s not the number of shots on
net but the quality of shot …. According to the scorekeeper
there were only 21 shots total in this game – 10 by
Waskaganish, 11 by Chisasibi.
Congratulations to the Atom Beavers, Waskaganish Novice BB, Wemindji Midget BB, Chisasibi Wildcats and the
Waskaganish Bantam team!
23
2012 La dictée PGL Competition
Waapinichikush Elementary
School’s annual La dictée PGL
(local) competition was held February 8th. Eleven Grade 5 & 6 1st
and 2nd language students took
part in this fund raising activity.
The students who are participating are sponsored by family
and friends who pay a certain
amount for the number of words
the participants are able to write.
The school (class) is able to keep half the money raised while
the other half is donated to the Paul Gerin Lajoie Foundation
which uses the money to build schools and give school supplies to the poorer countries.
Taking part in this year’s competition were Haylee Petawabano, Amelia Rupert-Bearskin, ElyAnn St-Cyr*, Charles
Arseneault*, Bailey McKee, April Sam, Angie Spencer-Otter,
Norma Snowboy, Donovan Papatie, Zaïnad Souit* and Mayson Kitty.
There were two categories (or dictations) – one for 2nd language students and another for 1st language students. In this
case –French. (First language students have an asterisk beside their name)
For the actual dictation the teacher, Judith Buteau, read the
paragraph slowly repeating it several times until the students
had finished copying what they had heard. 1st language students copied both paragraphs while 2nd language students
just copied the first paragraph.
Below are the paragraphs that were dictated to the students
Dans mon pays, comme dans plusieurs autres pays africains, plus des trois quarts des adultes sont analphabetes.
Cela ne veut pas dire qu'aucune de ces personnes ne sait
Lire, ecrire ou compter. Certaines dente elles ont eu La
chance de frequenter recole et ont quelques connaissances de base en lecture, en ecriture et en calcul. Cependant, ces connaissances ne sont pas suffisantes.
(Fin de la dictee — classes de francais langue seconde)
L'analphabetisme est un probleme serieux qui affecte la
population entiere de maintes fawns. Le gouvernement
local a sollicite l'aide de La communaute internationale
pour repauler dans sa lute contre ce fleau aux consequences pernicieuses. Ensemble, ils ont concu et instaure
des programmes pour scolariser toes Les enfants et alphabetiser Les adultes afin d'assurer un avenir meilleur a
la population burkinaise.
(Fin de la dictee)
After a lot of erasing, hunh?, and pencil chewing students
handed in their papers and then were treated to a pizza
(pepperoni & cheese and vegetarian) lunch.
Here are the winners
Second language: 1st – Haylee Petawabano; 2nd – April Sam;
3rd – Amelia Rupert-Bearskin
First language: 1st – ElyAnn St-Cyr; 2nd – Zainab Souit; 3rd –
Charles Arsenault.
Congratulations to all the students who took part and major
applause to Haylee and ElyAnn who will represent Wabinjuksh Elementary School at the regional La Dictée PGL
competition to be held in Chisasibi on March 20. The provincial/international competition is May 20 – location not
known yet.
A major thank you to Lise Lacaille, Judith Buteau, Mohammed Rhdaïfi et Violaine Lyrette for organizing this event.
Why I like to live in Chisasibi
I've been gone from Chisasibi for 3 months now and not a day goes by that I don't miss being there. I pine for it. There are
many things I miss about living in Chisasibi: the northern lights, the bay, the river, the island, the fresh air. But what I miss the
most is the sense of community. Stepping outside the house and taking a short walk to the store, I was guaranteed to see at
least a dozen people that I knew and often meet new ones. Smiling faces, a little chit chat here and there, a little teasing, a
little practice with the Eeyou language, some encouragement to keep practicing. There are outsiders who see it as a depressing place, but that's because they don't scratch beneath the surface and feel the spirit of the place and of the people. That
spirit is what makes me determined to get my teaching certification and come back and live in Chisasibi in a few years. Agda,
shash. … Jacky
Wishing you a Happy …...
Happy 7th Birthday to Daisy (Eeshgosh)
salt on March 22
From Sharon, Alice & Boys
Happy Birthday to Napash’s
Adele – March 2; Katie & Nancy March 22; Sharon – March 31; George
& Leslie – March 8. From 107 Watchia
Happy Birthday to Winnie Sealhunter
on March 2
From Jaylen, Jaysen, Thomas & Calvin
Happy 72nd Birthday to Sarah Potts
House on March 10 & many more to
come We love you very much P.S Don't
do anything just relax on your special
day Love always everyone at A6-19 &
Sheldon
Happy 3rd Birthday to Della Rednose on
March 13 & many more to come. Have
a blast at your birthday party! From
everyone at A6-19 & Sheldon
Happy 1st Birthday to Bobby House on
March 17 & Many more to come We
Love very much
From Everyone at A6-19 & Sheldon
Also Happy Birthday to James Napash
on March 9; Georgie Pash on March 22
Gary Duff & Gary Jolly on March 23
Kimberly House on March 27
From everyone at A6-19
Happy Birthday to Gordon Cookish on
March 7th, Louise Scipio – March 11th,
Robin Matthew & Crystal-Lynn
Cromarty – March 21st, my God mother
Dorothy Mataham – March 25 and to
Maya Benjamin on March 26. Once
again Happy Birthday to all with many
more to come.
With love – Caroline
After months of waiting, on March 24,our
first baby girl came into this world. As first
time parents we were in awe with our baby...who was to teach us the importance of
love, understanding and patience.
Wishing you a very happy birthday on your
special day Leigh-Ann.
Much love from Mom & Dad
Happy 72nd Birthday To My Grandmother/Great-grandmother Sarah Potts
House on March 10 2012 & Many more
to come We love you always .I just
want to let you know You mean the
world to me Only a heart as dear as
yours Would give so unselfishly The
many things you've done; All the time
that you were there Help me know
deep inside How much you really care
Even though I might not say I appreciate all you do - Richly blessed is how I
feel Having a Grandmother/Greatgrandmother, just like you
Happy 1st Birthday to my first nephew
Bobby House on March 17 & many
more to come. You’re a very special
boy and Watching you grow up is so
much fun You're just as sweet as apple
pie. Have a great Birthday little guy!
Happy 3rd birthday To Miss Della Rednose on March 13 & Many more to
come. Birthday cheer and big hugs too.
It's time to celebrate A beautiful little
girl who is turning three on this day
Love, Lydia, Marcus & Daniella-Nancy
Happy Birthday to our Grandmaman
Sheila Louttit on March 1st.
Love Always, Jayden, Trinity & Cecilia.
Birthday wishes to Sheila Louttit on
March 1st, Ethany Cox on March 12th,
Trinity Sealhunter on March 20th, Tiffany Bearskin on March 24th and Leah
Louttit on March 31st. May you all be
blessed with many more birthdays
ahead.
Love from: dad/grandpa/great grandpa
Reggie, Queenie & everyone @ Fl-16.
Wishing a Happy 6th Birthday and
many more to come... to a special little
girl, Trinity Lucy Sealhunter on march
20. Your sweet smile and the innocent
look in your eyes is what life is all
about. With love always, mom Julianna,
Dad Eddie, big bro Jayden &- Lil sis Cecilia.
Happy Birthday to Casey on March 19.
I still remember the day you were
born. Me, late Anshkooshoo Agnes,
Linda and Ida were anxiously waiting at
the hospital for you to be born. We
were so happy when we knew you
were a boy...even late Anshkooshoo
Isaiah was so happy when we told him
the wonderful news. We are so blessed
to have you in our lives.
Xoxoxo Googoom Elaine
Wishing Happy Birthday to my sisters
who celebrated their birthdays in the
month of February;
Maggie-Feb 9, Lillybelle -Feb 19, Mary Feb 24 and Alice -Feb 26.
From Elaine
Happy belated birthday to a beautiful
girl who celebrated her birthday on
February 14 … Clarissa Cookish...hope
you had a wonderful day!!
Love, Googoom Elaine
Happy belated birthday to Jacqueline
Napash on February 9,
From Elaine
Happy 42nd Anniversary to our parents
Nellie & Billy Pepabano on March 4th.
We wanted to thank you for all the
things that you have done to help us
out over the years. May you be blessed
with many more anniversaries. With
our love – Valerie, Jim, Ryan, Eric, Cody
& Lil’ Bobbish
Birthday wishes to the following celebrating their birthdays in the month of
March. Mark Sam – March 4th, DarrianRiver (Bigwa) – March 15th, daisy
Georgekish – March 17th, Nellie
Pepabano & Crystal-Lynn Cromarty –
March 21st, Christine Sam – March 22nd,
Judy House – March 29th.
Happy Birthday and many more to
come.
From Valerie, Jim & Boys
25
Hallelujah … finally! After many delays
Chisasibi has High Speed Internet. The
wires are just a-buzzing with music and
movie downloads. New rates will come
into effect in April or May. Thank you
ENC and Kinwapt !
Yellowknife (January 16, 2012) — Wild
fur pelt prices in the Northwest Territories have surged up to 135% at the
first wild fur sale of the season hosted
by Fur Harvester’s Auction Inc. in
North Bay, Ontario on January 7, 2012.
Notable pelt increases this year include
cross fox, with an increase of 135%;
red fox, with an increase of 120%; and
beaver, with an increase of 105%. Increases were also seen in grizzly bear,
muskrat, wolf and Arctic fox.
Charlie and I were with our three year
old grandson, Julius and it was lunch
time so we were talking about what we
going to have for lunch.
We asked Julius What he loves.."do you
love hamburgers?" he said no and asked
him again what he loves...."do you love
chicken nuggets" he said no. We asked
him, "what do you love then Julius?"
He answered...."mommy". This was a
good one for us the way we asked the
question of what he likes to eat!!! At the
way we were in Montreal driving around
to buy take-out.
CSB Education Services finally have a
home. After being moved out of the
‘Old Arena’ because of mold, staff were
crammed into any available space at
JBES or told to work from home. Result? Worker dissatisfaction and a major
decrease in work done. That’s in the
past now.
Movers finished moving the last of
their offices to the old Elementary class
rooms at JBES last week. Most of the
staff have unpacked and are back to
CSB work. They are quite happy with
their new abode (There is even a bonus—they are situated on the second
floor …great for the leg muscles & abs.
We have been treated to an awesome
sight for the last couple of weeks in the
evening sky.
Slivers of the moon mixed in with Venus and Jupiter. Then turn your head
180 degrees and see the red planet Mars
It will happen all over again at the end
of March. Venus and Jupiter will be
even closer together.
We would like to wish Happy Birthday to these following:
Rihanna Sam on March 11
Angel Ratt on March 14
Brendon Ratt on March 29
Nadine Sam on March 30
Hope you all Have fun & Enjoy!
From: Beatrice, Michael & Family
We would like to wish Happy 2nd Birthday to our Baby Girl
Rihanna Sam on March 11
Love always; Mommy & Daddy (Amanda & John-John)
Brothers Marcus & Emerson & Big sister Nadine xoxo
We would like to wish Happy 5th Birthday to our daughter
Nadine Sam on March 30
Love always; Mommy & daddy (Amanda& John-John)
Brothers Marcus & Emerson & baby sister Rihanna.
xoxo
Saturday February 11th -a day
that a certain
Sealhunter family will never
forget. That was
the day that
George and Gloria took a couple
of their children
to a Hockey
game in Ottawa
where the Oilers
were playing. (Everyone knows that all
Sealhunters are avid Oiler fans).
It was the end of the game and by some
miracle the Oilers had won. Taylor Hall
(star forward for Edmonton) was the
third star of the game. By good fortune
George and his son Isaac were by the
exit. Isaac was dressed Oiler style which
Taylor noticed. Taylor went over and
gave a signed puck to Isaac … and … it
was all recorded on Television. People
were texting George and Gloria who
were more excited than Isaac. On TV …
Wow!!!
Anyways there is one very happy little
boy now who will forever cherish that
puck!
Gordon Warman has started a site on
Facebook Titled Sand Park School. People are telling stories and generally
reminiscing about the good ole days.
Check it out.
Found recently on Facebook
Whatever you give a woman, she’s going to multiply.
If you give her sperm, she’ll give you a baby
If you give her a house, she’ll give you a home
If you give her groceries, she’ll give you a meal
If you give her a smile, she’ll give you her heart
She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her
Sooo … if you give her any crap, you will receive a ton of $#@&
. We would like to wish a very happy birthday to these following:
Sharon Ratt on Feb 2 , Cynthia Voyageur on Feb 12, Terrence G. Bobbish on Feb.16, Jessica Voyageur, Joey & Crystal-Joy Gilpin on
Feb.17 , Tyler Sam on Feb.25 & last but not least finally Danny Gilpin
on Feb.29 Happy 5th birthday to him LOL! He's lucky gets to be forever young! He was born on Feb 29 1992 would've been 20 by now!
Happy Birthday to all & God bless from Beatrice, Michael & family
Spirit Month Themes
1st:
3rd:
4th:
5th:
6th
8th:
9th:
10th:
12th:
14th:
15th:
19th:
20th:
24th:
27th:
28th:
29th:






30th:
31st:
Eeyou Chiisshikaau - Speak Cree all day, wear traditional clothing from head to toe, and pick a Cree name.
Elders’ Day - Visit an elder, invite an elder for a visit, help an elder, etc.
Snow Sculpture Day – make a family activity out of it and build a snow sculpture on your front yard
Adopt-a-Family - Invite another family (related or not) for a meal at your place.
Vintage Day - Wear something from the past.
Hugs Day - Give someone a hug.
Proud to be ME Day! Wear a name tag ex:”Hi my name is …”
For International Womens’ Day both men and women should dress up in a dress, high heels, etc.
Watchyia Day - Greet our out of town guests.
Send a Song Day - Call into radio and request a song. Sorry no anonymous senders.
Ultimate Fan Day - dress up (head to toe) with your favorite hockey team apparel.
Dance Day Arena - During floods get up and dance.
Radio – The radio will play dance music from 11:00am-12:00pm. and 4:00-5:00pm so
dance at home with the family
No Speaking Day - Communicate other ways (instead of speaking) ex: writing, sign language, texting, etc.
Black-Out Day – No calls and no texting for 24 hours, no TV, no playing on xbox, wii, playstation, no Facebooking,
no IPods or IPads. It can be done! Spend time with the family. Have fun! 
Funny Stories Day - Share funny stories with coworkers and if you want to share it with the community, call the
radio.
Grandparents’ Day- Spoil your grandparent(s); cook a meal, clean the house, shovel a driveway, etc.
Hair Day - You can either have - Crazy Hair, flat, greasy, (brill cream), teased, colored, etc.
Eh! Day - Use the word eh at the end of each sentence.
Multi-Colour Day - Dress up in as many different colors.
Jobs Swap Day – (With the employer’s permission) Swap jobs with another coworker.
Love Thy Neighbor Day - Bake a dish/meal for a Neighbour. Do something nice, wave, Help, etc
Breakfast in Bed Day – Prepare breakfast for your loved one (spouse, bf, gf, sister, brother, mom, dad, friend,
etc.) and you will get your chance to be served on the second Breakfast in Bed Day on the 31st.
Footwear Day - Wear different shoes or socks. Two left shoes or two right shoes, mismatched pair, etc.
Share A Snack Day - Bring a snack to work or to a friend’s home, or family members, etc
Favorite Holiday Day - Dress up in your favorite holiday
Valentine’s Day- Wear red or make hearts.
 New Years – Wear party hats.
Christmas – Wear a Santa hat, Christmas
 Canada Day – Wear Canada logos.
sweater, shirts, etc.
 Aboriginal Day – Traditional clothing.
Easter – Wear pastel colours.
 Chisasibi’s Birthday – Wear Chisasibi logo
Halloween – Dress up in a costume.
clothing.
Thanksgiving – Wear brown, orange and yellow.
 Goose break – Camo Clothing
Remembrance – Make your own poppies.
Convoy - Decorate your Vehicle (Car, Truck, Ski-doo’s, Four Wheelers) with signs, lights, etc.
Out On The Land Day – Take this day and celebrate our culture, nature, and community.
27

ᐧᐋᔅᑭᒫᔥᑖᐤ - the Cree Nation of Chisasibi

Transcription

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