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First Nations hats on display in photo gallery PAGE 20 Vol. 39 No. 40
Lingman Lake cleanup still ‘wait and see’ for Sachigo PAGE 13
NAN needs bigger role in transportation and housing PAGE 3 9,300 copies distributed $1.50
November 29, 2012
www.wawataynews.ca
Northern Ontario’s First Nation Voice since 1974
Following a path to the trades Matawa grads take first steps towards career in carpentry Rick Garrick Wawatay News
Constance Lake’s Arnold Sutherland is aiming for a career in carpentry after graduating from the Manitoba Regional Council Pre-Apprenticeship Level One Carpentry Training course. “In about four years I hope to be a journeyman carpenter,” Sutherland said. “I’m supposed to start work right away (back home). Maybe I’ll take other programs like cabinetmaking just to build a wider array of skills.” Sutherland was one of seven graduates from the Matawa First Nations who were celebrated by Kiikenomaga Kikenjigewen Employment and Training Services (KKETS) during a Nov. 22 graduation ceremony at Place Louis Riel in Winnipeg. Four graduates from Tataskweyak Cree Nation (Split Lake) in Manitoba were also celebrated during the ceremony. See Matawa grads on page 10
Rick Garrick/Wawatay News
Seven Matawa First Nations members graduated from the first step on their way to becoming a journeyman carpenter during a ceremony in Winnipeg Nov. 23. The seven Matawa graduates were joined by four Tataskweyak Cree members during the course and the graduation ceremony. Elsie MacDonald of KKETS said the training program, in which Matawa provided support for the students to live and study in Winnipeg, is something that the tribal council is considering using again in the future. The grads plan to bring their skills back to their communities as they work towards earning 900 hours on the job, a requirement for the next step on their apprenticeship journey.
Moose River water levels reach historic lows Lenny Carpenter Wawatay News
Earl Cheechoo of Moose Factory remembers a time when the water levels on the Moose River and its tributaries were high enough that hunters could travel with relative ease. “The water levels would really come up,” the deputy chief for Moose Cree First Nation said. “There’s a Cree word we would say: mooshka-hun. It means the rivers are very good and it’s a good time to go hunting.” In the past, the Moose River and its tributaries were a crucial aspect of life for the Moose Cree people. For the Moose Cree, as for the other Cree people along the coast, the waterways were the main mode of transportation as the people moved with the seasons, going inland to their camps in the winter and heading out to the bay in the spring. Even after settlements were established, the rivers continued to be an important part of life, as hunters
and trappers would climb aboard canoes to go hunting or check their traplines. But in recent years, community members have noticed the water levels on the rivers have lowered. Moose Cree Chief Norm Hardisty Jr. said the change has affected one of the cultural practices of the community: moose hunting. “We’ve had a lot of difficulty in moving up the tributaries, the rivers,” Hardisty said. “It’s too dry to go up with canoes.” Cheechoo said community members have reported having a hard time going up river, often ending up turning around to return home. It is a trend that continues to get worse each year, Hardisty said. “So you’ll find a lot of people get on the train and hunt in other areas down south,” he said. Those that do hunt on the rivers wait until rainfall in October to head out. Cheechoo said he was able to go upriver when the region received rainfall as a part of the waning Hurricane Sandy passed over the region.
Paul Lantz/Special to Wawatay News
A new sandbar (foreground) appeared in front of Moosonee following the breakup of Moose River last spring while the main sandbar continues to grow each year. But the timing of rainfall is unpredictable. “You can’t just go. You can’t say I’m going to go in three weeks time. You can’t plan like that,” Cheechoo said. And as the water levels change, sandbars have emerged. They are
“popping up all over the place,” Cheechoo said. “I live along the river and there’s a completely new sandbar that came up,” he said. “Even going to Moosonee there’s a new sandbar that popped up this spring.”
The changes in water levels and emergence of sandbars are also impacting a local business that provides a crucial service to James Bay communities. Moosonee Transportation Ltd. (MTL) ferries fuel and building supplies on a barge from Moosonee to Fort Albany, Kashechewan, Attawapiskat and Fort Severn twice a year on average. But this season, MTL president Rheal Cool said the barges have had such a difficult time getting out to James Bay on Moose River that they had to bring in a tugboat from Labrador to help keep on schedule. “Where we would normally take in one tide to get out, it’s taken us two tides which is a 12-hour loss and sometimes we’ve lost 24 or 36 hours to trying to get out,” he said. The barges are capable of carrying 1,000 tonnes, but due to the water levels, the load is capped at 500 tonnes. See Moose River on page 12