For the second time in three years, 56 First Nations riders and allies traversed a daunting, 4,200km snowmobile route across 16 communities and camps in northern Quebec over 18 days. The First Nations Expedition began February 16 in Manawan, and finished March 4 in Uashat mak Mani-Utenam, passing through the Cree communities of Waskaganish and Chisasibi along the way.
Cree musicians took centre stage in Montreal February 12 when Steve Einish opened for G-Unit rap star Tony Yayo at the Belmont nightclub in a show co-promoted by his event-planning company Nomad Entertainment.
Mags Brien and her mother Elizabeth cut the ribbon December 9 to celebrate the grand opening of two “modern teepees” in Kahnawake. The cross-cultural project called the Mohawk-Cree Teepee has grown rapidly since Philip Matoush and his wife Sharon Pepabano began hosting humble campfires in 2020.
It starts with a simple, pensive guitar riff, before the baseline kicks in like thunder. Then the vocals jump in: “I need you more than ever / baby don’t you ever go, don’t go.”
With the new single “YOY” steadily climbing the charts, Cree singer-songwriter Siibii is not only launching the exciting next phase of an already impressive music career but also introducing their first music under their chosen Eenou name.
Dianne Ottereyes Reid had a powerful reason to join a fledgling CBC unit created to broadcast in Indigenous languages across Quebec a half century ago.
With a resurgence in traditional arts and craftwork, Cree artisans are finding exciting new avenues to showcase their talents. The Cree Native Arts and Crafts Association (CNACA) is expanding its inventory as it prepares to open new stores both online and in Montreal in 2023.
Exciting new initiatives are providing platforms for Indigenous peoples to share their realities. A new four-part Radio-Canada/CBC documentary series Laissez-nous raconter (Telling Our Story) is one ambitious project developed over the past four years.
A new book documents the Nemaska’s forced relocation in the early 1970s along with its resulting traumas and triumphs. Going Home, The Untold Story of Nemaska Eenouch, is a 600-page, 300-photo “people’s book” based on extensive research and interviews over the past 15 years.
Another victim of the pandemic, it’s been three years since La Grande Dégustation de Montréal – the wine and spirits exhibition – was able to raise our spirits. An attempt to hold smaller gatherings in multiple places last year never really took off.
