Sam Laskaris – BEHIND THE ACTION – TRAVIS LONGBOAT
By Sam Laskaris Writer Ideally Travis Longboat would now be preparing for his second National Lacrosse League (NLL) season with the Albany FireWolves. But instead Longboat, a member of Six Nations, finds that he once again has to prove himself. Many felt that Longboat was well on his way to earning a roster spot with the FireWolves last fall. But as it turned out, he suffered what proved to be a season-ending injury when he tore the ACL in his right knee during an Albany training camp session. The play was an innocent one. Longboat made a turn and another player accidentally fell onto his knee, putting his pro career on hold. Following surgery this past February, Longboat is keen to once again prove to Albany team officials that he...
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Snipers looking to regain championship form in 2024
By Sam Laskaris Writer Darcy Powless is doing his best to get the old gang back together. Or the majority of them at least. Powless is the head coach and general manager of the Six Nations Snipers, one of the eight entrants in the Ontario-based East Division of the Arena Lacrosse League (ALL). The Snipers ended up winning their league championship in 2022. As for last year, the Six Nations squad failed to defend its title, losing in a playoff semi-final match. Powless’ squad, however, had a drastically different look a year ago. That’s because about 15 players who were members of the Snipers’ championship club in 2022 opted to sign with various franchises in the Professional Box Lacrosse Association (PBLA), an American-based, nine-team circuit that launched last year. But...
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Innu hockey player aspires to go pro after earning engineering degree
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter While Mikisiw Awashish continues to make his education plans, the 22-year-old Innu hockey player maintains his boyhood aspirations of becoming a pro player. And, yes, he still is hoping to one day make it to the National Hockey League. Awashish is from Mashteuiatsh, an Innu community near Chicoutimi, Que. He’s a forward with the Montreal-based McGill University Redbirds. Though he’s in his second year with the McGill squad, Awashish is actually in his third year of the school’s civil engineering program. He was able to transfer the credits he earned during his first year of post-secondary studies at Laval University in Quebec City, where he was finishing off his junior hockey career. “I’ve got to admit it’s hard,’’ Awashish said of how he...
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Hamilton TiCats take on Six Nations elementary students…go, go, go….
By Lisa Iesse Writer It was Ticats Day at Six Nations elementary schools last week when the Hamilton Tiger Cats dropped by local elementary schools for a friendly game of football. The Ticats dropped by I.L.Thomas elementary school, Karenni:io/Gawen:yo school and J.C. Hill elementary, Oliver M. Smith and Emily C. General through the week Turtle Island News caught up with the team at JC Hill Elementary where about 100 students greeted the Ticats with a huge “Sge:no!” The crowd full of young players roared with excitement, eager to try some football with the pros. “I’m going to introduce myself and my friends real quick, we play for the Hamilton Tiger Cats,” said Ticats # 98 Dylan Wynn. “My job is to tackle the guy with the football,” he said. But Ticat...
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Six Nations Councillor Michelle Bomberry taking heat for trip
Six Nations Band Councillor Michelle Bomberry is under fire for attending the Jay Treaty Border Alliance when Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) didn’t know who they voted to send. An email to council made waves at its Political Liaison Committee meeting on October 23 questioning Bomberry’s attendance at the The Jay Treaty Border Alliance (JTBA) 2023 Summit October 11 to 13 in Calgary, Alberta, Councillor Sherri Lyn Hill-Peirce went as Elected Chief Mark Hill’s proxy and Bomberry also went. “Council approved us to go,” Bomberry said. “I assumed Mark was coming.” SNEC apparently held an email vote, but the councillors who were going were not listed in the motion. Councillor Hazel Johnson turned it back on Elected Chief Mark Hill. “If the chief was supposed to be there and he...
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Fall festival a hit with community members
By Lisa Iesse Writer – From pumpkin paint-ins to pies-in-the-face, October festivities were in full swing at the Grand River Development Corporation’s (SNGRDC) annual fall festival The festival drew community members of all ages to Chiefswood Park on Saturday (October 21). The smell of yummy warm fall treats like apple fritters and hot apple cider filled the air. There were rides and bouncy castles, and local vendors showcasing beautiful handmade arts and crafts including jewelry, clothing, textiles and woodworks. The event featured a live music performance by local artist James Wilson. Miss Preteen Six Nations Bella Beaver headed her own vendor table offering delicious home-made Halloween themed baked goods and also running a Find-the-Joker fundraiser. She told Turtle Island News she is raising funds to attend the Gathering of Nations....
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Elections and a ghost term
The hijinks have begun. Six Nations of the Grand is in the midst of a band council election. The first in four years and it has been a very long four years. The community chose to stay with the experimental four year term during a recent election code vote and now with an election underway will be voting for a band council that will be in place during what could be a tumultuous coming four years. A period of time when issues that have sidelined will raise their heads, land issues yet to be resolved, relations with the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs’ Council non-existant and on the national and provincial scene… invisible. The current council hasn’t exactly been known to be on top of issues and even when Councillor Helen Miller...
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Six Nations: A chance to question the candidates
Turtle Island News is taking this opportunity to invite the Six Nations community, to the third annual (Six Nations Elected Council) “Chiefs’ Debate.” The event will be held Oct 25, 2023 at the Six Nations Community hall from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. allowing for two hours of questions from both a panel of local media and audience members and remaining time for councillor candidates to introduce themselves to the community. The event. that began with the election of former Chief, the late Bill Montour, went on to see the election of former chief Ava Hill and the current Elected chief Mark Hill. Over the three elections it has grown into the election event to be at, or tune into. We are fortunate to have had partners in this adventure, Thru...
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Former Six Nations Fire Chief returns to take on role of Deputy Chief
Six Nations former Fire Chief has returned to the Six Nations Fire & Emergency Services (SNFES) taking on the role of Deputy Fire Chief. Former Fire Chief Mike Seth has rejoined the service as Deputy Fire Chief. Deputy Fire Chief Seth, who served as Fire Chief from 2003 to 2015, returned with over 30 years of Fire and Emergency Services experience. He began his new job Monday, October 23, 2023. Deputy Chief Seth said he was happy to come home. “I am excited to come back to the community to continue the progression of fire protection for our community and its visitors,” Deputy Chief Seth said. “I am also happy to bring back some of the positive and negative things that I was lucky enough to learn while working in...
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Six Nations Elected Council turns down pharmacy
Six Nations could have a second pharmacy in the community, but the elected council isn’t ready to give the go ahead. Manali Shaw, the owner and director of Avalon Pharmasave in Caledonia presented a proposal to Six Nations Elected Council at its General Council meeting on October 10 to open a satellite pharmacy in either White Pines Wellness Centre or near where physicians practice. “What we are hearing constantly is they need help in the community,” Shaw said. Shaw proposed a 250 to 300 square foot pharmacy that would specialize in personal clinical care, offering more extensive services than regular pharmacies. Those services would include PCR COVID-19 tests, Diabetes blood glucose tests, glycated haemoglobin (A1C) test (average blood sugar over two to three months) and could also offer methadone, naloxone...
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Indigenous Players in National Hockey League
By Sam Laskaris Windspeaker.com Zach Whitecloud will forever have fond memories of the 2023 National Hockey League playoffs. That’s because the defenceman, a member of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation in Manitoba, became a Stanley Cup champion. Whitecloud and his Vegas Golden Knights’ teammates captured the most prestigious trophy in hockey this past June. Vegas downed the Florida Panthers 4-1 in the NHL’s best-of-seven championship final series. What Whitecloud would undoubtedly love even more is to have the Golden Knights defend their crown and win another Cup next spring. Here’s closer look at Whitecloud and other Indigenous players on opening-night rosters when the NHL kicked off its 2023-24 regular season campaign on Oct. 10. ZACH WHITECLOUD Whitecloud is a 26-year-old defenceman in his sixth pro season, but, technically, he was not...
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Column: Haudenosaunee deserves a lacrosse team of its own at the 2028 Olympics
By Paul Newberry THE ASSOCIATED PRESS They call it the “medicine game,’’ which is a bit of a misnomer because lacrosse is more than just a game to the Haudenosaunee people. Much more. It’s the spirit of their ancestors. It’s a ceremonial tradition that has been passed down through the generations. It’s the salve that soothes the souls of Native Americans who have endured so much heartache and suffering. “Our gift to the world,’’ says Rex Lyons, a former Haudenosaunee player and now the program’s biggest cheerleader. Simply put, they can’t hold lacrosse at the Olympics _ the biggest stage in all of sports, without allowing those who created the game and still treat it with a mystical reverence to have a team of their own. Yet that’s the position...
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Six Nations Cross County, students hit the ground running…
Results: OMSK JK girls – Aida (Teegan) Staats-hill 2nd JK boys – Dalton Porter 1st – Micheal Porter 3rd – Knox Hill 4th SK girls – Emma Kane 1st SK boys – Hunter Green 8th Grade 1 boys – Isaiah Monteforte 3rd – Hendrick Harrison 10th Grade 2 girls – Kaori Smith 6th – Emi Green 7th – Mazelyn Henhawk 10th Grade 2 boys – Lawson Schnidler 6th Grade 3 girls – Zoey Styres 4th – Auria Martin 7th – Hannah Martin 10th Grade 3 boys – Kian General 1st – Eli Monteforte 3rd – Emerson Hess 7th – Kessler Hill 8th Grade 4 girls – Sophia Styres 2nd – Madisyn Hess 5th – Darian Hill 8th Grade 5 boys – Karter Kennedy 3rd – Cullen Anderson 8th Grade 6...
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Portrait of Chanie Wenjack unveiled at Toronto’s Union Station
By Sam Laskaris, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter TORONTO-Blake Angeconeb’s latest creation will receive plenty of attention. And though he is pleased with that, Angeconeb, an artist who paints in the Woodland style, admits he struggled greatly while creating a portrait of Chanie Wenjack. Wenjack was an Anishinaabe boy who died in October 1966 at the age of 12 running away from the Cecilia Jeffrey Residential School in Kenora, Ont. He had hoped to walk about 600 kilometres back to his family home in Ogoki Post, but he never made it. Nine others ran away that same day but were caught within 24 hours. Chanie’s body was found next to railway tracks a week after he fled, having succumbed to hunger and exposure. The portrait, unveiled in a ceremony on Oct....
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SNEC debates Federal Bill C-53 that would give Metis, First Nations status
Six Nations is falling behind on its opposition to Bill C-53, which would give Metis First Nation status and rights. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) wasn’t prepared to make a motion on its position, or to submit its concerns about the proposed legislation at its Political Liaison Committee meeting on October 23 because councillors want to meet with the full council. The Bill, which has now passed second reading, has been sent to a standing committee to accept First Nations positions on the bill, before going to a third reading and then on to Royal Assent, would give the Metis Nation of Ontario (MNO), the Métis Nation of Alberta and the Métis Nation–Saskatchewan self-government agreements with Canada. The agreements were actually signed in February recognizing them as Indigenous governments with...
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Lest we forget 11•11
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A new CEPO and Six Nations elections are going ahead
By Lynda Powless Editor Six Nations of the Grand River’s 59th band council election is going ahead! Six Nations Chief Electoral Polling Office (CEPO) Dorothy Patterson told Turtle Island News Wednesday (Oct. 11) the election is going ahead despite a call from a local man during the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) meeting Tuesday (Oct. 10th) to void nominations and restart the November 4th general band election. Chad General told SNEC he believes the community wasn’t given adequate notice of election nominations and he plans to file an appeal. But Patterson, who took over as CEPO after the sudden resignation last week of former CEPO Lori Harris, said there is no process to void nominations. Instead, she said he would have to launch an appeal of the entire election. “There...
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Six Nations Police call in Hamilton Police to investigate altercation
By Lynda Powless Editor The Hamilton Police Service has been asked to investigate an allegation of excessive force being used in an altercation between a Six Nations police officer and youth. The request comes after a video showing the officer striking a young man, who is lying on the ground, has been circulating on Facebook. The video shows the youth on the ground with two Six Nations Police officers attempting to arrest him. One officer, pulls the youth, grabbing his legs while a second officer pulls his arm when the youth strikes the officer. The officer then hits the youth three times as the second officer drops the youth’s legs and moves to intervene. Other youth can be heard yelling in the background for police to stop. Acting Deputy Police...
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Councillor pushes Six Nations Elected Council to move on housing
If Six Nations doesn’t want to get swept up in the federal government’s housing devolution plans it needs to get moving on its own plan. Since 2021 Six Nations Elected Councillor Helen Miller has repeatedly urged Six Nations to start its own housing authority, but now she’s pushing Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) to get started before it loses out on funding and autonomy as plans to shift responsibility for housing to First Nations draw closer. At the Oct., 10th General Council meeting Miller told SNEC she is still attending the Chiefs of Ontario (COO) housing committee and their plans to deal with devolution is moving toward regional or community-based housing authorities rather than the going through Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) “We’re...
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