Cree

Activist Communique: The Journey of Nishiyuu and the power of First Nations spirituality

| March 26, 2013

It began with a vision.

For those unfamiliar with First Nations spirituality -- while in no measure homogeneous or pan-Indian -- there is a recurring, ancient understanding of the power of visions.

David Kawapit, 18, had a vision of a wolf facing a bear.

This is how the journey of Nishiyuu began.

The Nishiyuu walkers travelled 1600 kilometers from Whapmagoostui First Nation (Cree) -- which sits at the mouth of the Great Whale River on the border of both Cree and Inuit territory in Quebec's James Bay Treaty area.

Redeye

Cree youth walk from northern Quebec to Ottawa

March 19, 2013

| Six young men set off from Whapmagoostui in mid-January. They will reach Ottawa on March 25. Matthew Mukash talks about why the men decided to do this walk of 1300 kilometres.

Length: 13:37 minutes (12.47 MB)

Book Launch: Poetry collection by Naomi McIlwraith

Date: Wednesday, June 20, 2012 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Location

Riverbend Community Hall

258 Rhatigan Road East

Edmonton , AB

Canada

53° 28' 27.696" N, 113° 34' 59.0088" W

See map: Google Maps

The launch for educator, essayist and poet Naomi McIlwrait's collection of poetry, Kiyam.

Through poems that move between the two languages, McIlwraith explores the beauty of the intersection between nêhiyawêwin, the Plains Cree language, and English, âkayâsîmowin. Written to honour her father's facility in nêhiyawêwin and her mother's beauty and generosity as an inheritor of Cree, Ojibwe, Scottish, and English, kiyâm articulates a powerful yearning for family, history, peace, and love.

Please RVSP via naomi.mcilwraith@gmail.com

Tags:

book launch poetry poems Cree languages Plains Cree language

Quebec nationalists slip

Pierre Beaudet

| April 3, 2011

Last week, the Bloc québécois MP Yvon Lévesque really made a fool of himself. He declared that his constituents in the far north riding of Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik Eeyou would "never" elect a First Nations candidate. He was reacting to the news that a popular First Nations leader, Roméo Saganash, had just been nominated to stand for the NDP. It was an insult and an injury, suggesting a not-so-hidden racism against indigenous people, but also in a twisted way against the francophone Québécois. Lévesque had to backtrack, but he and his leader Gilles Duceppe refused to apologize.

Needs No Introduction

Billy Diamond tells his own story

October 13, 2010

| First Nation leader Billy Diamond passed away last week. In this podcast, recorded at the 2010 Congress of the Humanities, he tells the story of his life.

Length: 54:45

9 Metis out of 10 are English-Speaking

125 years after Louis Riel hanging, it seems that English assimilation is rampant among Metis. Anyaways, that's what suggest some data released by Statistics Canada in the latest issue of "Canadian Social Trends"

An exploration of cultural activities of Métis in Canada: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-008-x/2010001/article/11142-eng.htm

According to this study only one Metis out of ten can speak "an aboriginal language" (mostly Cree and Ojibway). French, Riel's language, is also only spoken by one out of ten Metis and Michif, the Metis French-Cree Creole, has under 3600 living speakers.

Any toughts?