The second cohort of the Eeyou Ituun (Cree knowledge) program graduated in Mistissini on January 29. The nine-month, 900-hour program was created by the Cree Trappers’ Association, the Niskamoon Corporation and the Cégep de St-Félicien to teach fundamentals of the Cree traditional lifestyle and living off the land.
Between the 1920s and the 1960s, residential schools in Canada would train Indigenous girls to become domestic servants. Marlene Etapp Dixon, 73, was one such student. In May 1965, a woman named Mrs. Richardson visited Dixon’s school, seeking a girl to work as a caregiver.
As we step into 2024, Eeyou Istchee is set for a year filled with stories that will define and unite the nation. But who will be the ones that choose to commit their time and skills to share these stories with the world?
In this year’s guide, we explore a selection of institutions that stand out for their commitment to providing culturally sensitive and empowering education for Indigenous students, particularly those from the Cree communities.
To the international biology community, Dr. Louis Bernatchez was a foundational leader in molecular ecology. To the Cheezo family in Eastmain, he was just “Uncle Louie”.
The Cree and Innu nations came together in December to underline the fragile state of the caribou population and the impact that last summer’s wildfires will have on hunting in the region this year. As discussions continue to establish a Traditional Harvest Understanding, a joint statement underscored the need to curtail unauthorized hunting and guiding practices to allow animal habitats to recover in the coming months.
In the vast expanse of western Nunavut, reports from the Kitikmeot and Kivalliq regions paint a bleak picture of ailing caribou in numbers higher than the norm. The Nunavut territorial government confirms concerns about the health and sustainability of the Arctic caribou.
The Canadian Rangers Patrol Group visited Cree communities in November to conduct several training sessions. Following a week of exercises in Nemaska, there was an opening ceremony and basic military indoctrination for the organization’s 29th patrol in Ouje-Bougoumou.
The construction of a new geodesic agriculture research dome is gaining attention in Chisasibi. It’s the newest project of the growing Chisasibi Resource and Research Institute (CERRI), a community-driven project. The dome and an accompanying greenhouse to be built early next year aim to improve food sovereignty in Chisasibi, where grocery prices are high and accessing fresh produce is challenging. This summer’s fires underlined this urgency as closed roads prevented deliveries, resulting in empty shelves before plane shipments arrived.
“It seems like sometimes I have a dozen wives,” said Billy Moffat. “And when they bitch, they bitch!” Moffat, the Fire Chief of Kawawachikamach, is the coach of the all-female Indigenous fire brigade from this Naskapi nation in northern Quebec. “But on a serious note, when you train with the women, it makes it a lot easier,” added Moffat. “They listen and they focus, and they look at the technique. When it comes to the men, they try to outdo you with muscle but without technique.”
