Thanks to the hard work of our employees and the collaboration of our many partners, we have successfully implemented many different programs, ranging from the training of Crees for skilled jobs with Hydro-Quebec (over 50 Crees now occupy permanent positions), the rejuvenation of Cree community and family fisheries, the support of numerous cultural activities including summer gatherings and the enhancement of goose hunting facilities. This is not to mention the hundreds of kilometres of snowmobile and ATV trails already built throughout Eeyou Istchee.
On its 20th anniversary, Niskamoon Corporation salutes The Nation magazine and wishes it many more years of success and positive change.
www.niskamoon.org
16-06—January 30, 2009
Editorial
Breaking the ice
by Will Nicholls If you thought the Manifest Destiny era of colonization was over, think again. The now former President George W. Bush, during his last days in office, declared Canada’s claims of sovereignty over Arctic waters to be moot.News
Nest egg cracks
The Cree Nation Trust loses $140 million in value
by Amy German The Crees have not escaped the global financial meltdown. The Cree Nation Trust, created to manage the $1.1 billion transferred to the Crees last February by the federal government under the terms of the 20-year New Relationship Agreement with Canada, reported at the December Council Board meeting that the value of its investments have declined by $140 million.Going global with indigenous education
A Cree School Board teacher attends the World Indigenous People’s Conference on Education
by Amy German Language and cultural survival topped the agenda for the triennial World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education, which was attended by Voyageur Memorial teacher Leon Déconti in Australia December 7-11.Elephant steps for small feet
Elephant THOUGHTS uses mentorship to interest Cree students in science careers
by Amy German If there were only more Cree scientists there would be less of a gap when it comes to delivering medical services to the Cree communities, Hydro Quebec would see their tech employees mandate filled and young Crees would want to follow in the footsteps of those who blazed the trail first….In Brief
Construction consortium builds friction
The new construction consortium is leading to some confusion in Mistissini’s construction industry. One company alleges that there is practically a monopoly in the distribution of civil contracts from the band office.
Highway of Tears
The Highway of Tears in British Columbia between the northern cities of Prince George and Prince Rupert is so named because 18 women have gone missing along the route over the last several years.Sacred Moose
Ontario Provincial Police officers in Timmins were a little surprised to come across a white moose recently. Fortunately, one officer had a camera and snapped a few shots of this rare animal.Borderlines
President Black Eagle
by Lyle StewartLast May, while campaigning in the hotly contested Democratic primaries for the presidential nomination, Barack Obama was granted honorary membership in the Crow Nation, a tribe that numbers about 12,000 people in southern Montana. Because tribe members Hartford and Mary Black Eagle symbolically adopted him, he was accordingly bestowed a new name: Barack Black Eagle.
