As a boy living in Attawapiskat, there were some things that were constant in my life. My mom Susan and dad Marius always made sure myself and my siblings had a roof over our head and food to eat. Back […]
Category: UTNS
Changing with the seasons
Well, it looks like winter is just around the corner. I am surprised that the leaves are changing colour in mid-September but then again I am in the north and that should be expected. After one of the warmest summers […]
The faces of hope
This summer I have had the pleasure of being visited by some of my family members. It made me realize how things have changed back home in Attawapiskat. I see those changes in smiling faces of hope. My nephew Philip […]
First Nation struggles win recognition
It has been a hot and humid summer in northern Ontario. However, the political climate for First Nation people in this province and right across Canada has been refreshing. Good things are beginning to happen for First Nations in education, […]
The generational sacrifice of war
My great-grandfather, John Chookomolin, died of the Spanish flu 99 years ago after being transported by ship to England to fight in the First World War as part of the Canadian Forestry Corps. When I first visited his grave at […]
Remembering a mother
My mother, Susan Kataquapit, passed from this world on July 23 at the age of 73. My brothers and sisters, her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren are feeling the loss of our matriarch and the connection to our traditional past. She […]
Remembering to be grateful
I was lucky. Raised in a large family by my mom Susan and dad Marius, my eight siblings and I were always well cared for and guided. Life was not very easy for any of us living in Attawapiskat 20 […]
Positives for a change
The difference in attitude toward First Nations people with the new federal government is amazing. The contrast with the closed and hostile Harper government is huge. That difference was illustrated by the meeting in early June that members of a […]
Hate is a four-letter word
On June 12, we were all reminded just how crazy, bigoted and homophobic our world is. At least 49 people were massacred and 53 more injured at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, by one gunman with a high-powered assault […]
The times they are a-changin’
Many people do not realize that a very big change has happened for First Nation people when it comes to political commitments and more positive relationships from the government of Canada and province of Ontario. We have come from an […]