New life, new names
To begin, I must congratulate my boss at the Nation, Will Nicholls, and his glorious wife Amy German on the birth of their baby boy, Declan! What an interesting name isn’t it? I love it. As you may know, I like different. Different has always been more appealing and so much more interesting than the standard. I had to Google the name!
I like meaningful names. I googled Shanaynay and nope, no meaning there, nor for Beyoncé. I find names are so important; it sets the stage for the child. Some people live up to their name and do them justice! I plan to live up to my name, do you?
Speaking of, my beloved and I will have a baby boy! Thank you to the Chibougamau hospital staff for their wonderful service. I almost went into the ugly cry but what an experience is that!? I am still in awe every time I see that baby bump. See what the bump and grind can do?!
We thought of so many names, Cree names, trend-setting names, classic names, Oscar-worthy names, Golden Globe names, Tony names, Grammy names, what’s Quebec’s award name? Anyhow, we both want a name that has a meaning. A story. A tale. I’ve even said to friends that a name will be whispered to me at early sunrise or in a dream. We just want it to be unique and cool. We will be touring the World Wide Web in search of the perfect name for our baby boy. I wonder if there any other great names such as Declan in the Irish country. Perhaps I’ll scroll down the German part of my ancestry, Iserhoff. At any rate, the new name will be announced in May.
After a five-month hiatus from Eeyou Istchee, I’ve got to say that I’ve missed my fellow Crees, especially Marc Dunn. I am sitting on a committee to organize the Cree Trappers’ Festival. Many years ago, I sat on the same committee when we had a couple of days to come up with a plan filled with traditional activities. The late Andrew Moar came into our planning session and told us, “Don’t stress, have fun.”
And so we did. I remember praying and asking God to make it successful. Then, in walks the late Gordon Tootoosis! There was something about a delay with Air Creebec and he had no choice but to “tour” Nemaska.
Nemaska was in the presence of a great and noble actor and much to our surprise he participated throughout the day. He played the drum, sang and fiddle-danced with us. He remains now in our hearts and whenever we host a Cree Trapper’s Fest there’s always someone reminiscing our late friend. The best part of it all, the event was filmed. Call Nemaska for a copy.
We don’t have any stars this time but we have our Elders, our true stars. Stories, teachings, bannock and tea are flowing. Perhaps I’ll hear a name through the wisdom of our Elders. It’s good to be back.