August 8 marked 50 years since the official establishment of the Grand Council of the Crees, emerging from the turmoil surrounding Quebec’s James Bay hydroelectric project to become the driving force uniting the Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee. While expanding development of natural resources had already altered the Cree way of life by the 1960s, it was the provincial government’s announcement of a mega-hydroelectric project within their territory in 1971 that forced an immediate response. Leaders from each Cree community gathered for a historic meeting and young Waskaganish Chief Billy Diamond was appointed Grand Chief. “Billy Diamond came up with the idea that we needed a Grand Council and a Grand Chief who was not afraid to stand up to governments,” recalled Ted Moses, a member of the delegation battling…
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