MEET THE CHIEF: Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation Chief Wendy Jocko says it took the community to keep COVID-19 out
By Victoria Gray Writer The Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation stayed busy during the pandemic, but managed to keep band members safe throughout. The first nation has about 3,000 members with 450 living on the reserve, did not have any cases COVID-19. From the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 to November 2021, COVID-19 has not touched the community that sits about 40 kilometres southwest of Pembroke. Elected Chief Wendy Jocko credits her team and their ability to come together and work efficiently, to listen to the Chiefs of Ontario instructions and to follow through quickly despite staffing issues. “We have wonderful leadership here,” she said. When COVID-19 hit the First Nation was in the middle of an election and when it was over the community had chosen Jocko...
Register
MEET THE CHIEF: Alderville First Nation Chief David Mowat says quick action kept COVID-19 numbers low
By Victoria Gray Writer Alderville First Nation Chief David Mowat credits his council’s quick actions and advocacy to the community’s low COVID-19 cases and high vaccine uptakes. The Mississauga Anishinabeg of the Ojibway Nation community, about 50 kilometres from Peterborough, has only has two local cases since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to the larger city that has had just under 1,900 cases. “We’ve been very fortunate,” Mowat said. “When all this sort of blew up in March 2020, we really found ourselves learning as we moved along here. Who had experience with this, right? So, we were pretty alarmed at how this all came down.” Luckily the two people who tested positive for the virus stuck to quarantine protocols and were in contact with Alderville staff and...
Register
MEET THE CHIEF: Grand Chief Victor Akwirente Bonspille wants to bring transparency and improve communication to the Kanesatake community
By Victoria Gray Writer KANESATAKE-The Kanesatake community spent the majority of the COVID-19 pandemic with very little communication and were kept in the dark about pandemic protocols and what was done to help keep them safe. The current elected Grand Chief Victor Akwirente Bonspille was elected in August 2021 and although he has spent eight years on council he and others were shut out of council’s decision making process throughout the pandemic he says. He says information was withheld because of opposing views on council. “There was friction between council members and the pandemic team,” he said. “We weren’t all seeing eye to eye there.” There are about 800 people living on the territory and about 2,700 registered band members. Bonspille believes there may have been about 60 COVID-19 cases...
Register
MEET THE CHIEF: Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory Chief R. Donald Maracle has been at the helm for 28 years
By Victoria Gray Writer R. Donald Maracle found his focus split between a number of issues that arose during the pandemic but still managed to make progress in many areas. The Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory Elected Chief has lead the community for 28 years and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit he called a team together to help community members financially, mentally, and physically while continuing to advance infrastructure projects and land claims. “All the chiefs were faced with many, many challenges. There wasn’t really a lot known about the virus in the beginning. It was a huge learning cure for everybody, including scientists and there was a lot of fear. There no vaccine and it was spreading quickly,” he said. Unlike a lot of First Nation communities they did not close...
Register
MEET THE CHIEF: Kahnawà:ke Grand Chief Kahsennehawe Sky-Deer
By Victoria Gray Writer Kahnawà:ke’s journey through the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the strength of the community, but it has also shown a stark division when it comes to safety measures. Grand Chief Kahsennehawe Sky-Deer has worked hard to ensure community members had what they needed to thrive throughout lockdowns, but despite a large number of infections during the fourth wave there are many who oppose new safety measures. “People are angry with the new measures in place, like QR codes (to prove vaccination status). For some kinds of employment vaccination is a requirement.” Sky-deer was elected in July and is the first woman and first member of the LGBT2Q+ community to hold the position. That fresh perspective hasn’t slowed her down through the pandemic because she was already on...
Register
MEET THE CHIEF: Akwesasne Grand Chief Abram Benedict, says border issues present difficulty for community during COVID
By Victoria Gray Writer The border between US and Canada that runs through the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne has posed some challenges to the elected council throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Grand Chief Abram Benedict and his council administer the Canadian side of the community the border closure has had a negative economic impact on the community. “We continuously struggle with the challenges of the border,” he said. “With COVID-19 and the border being closed, it hasn’t had a direct impact socially, but more so economically.” The border closure has also annoyed about two thirds of the community, who are landlocked by the U.S.A. on one side and St. Lawrence Seaway on the other side. The only way out, is going into the U.S.A. Indigenous people continued passaged between Canada...
Register
UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY – Hope, Justice And Healing
By Xavier Kataquapit www.underthenorthernsky.com Finally Indigenous people all across Canada can feel some hope that Canadians and our governments are taking reconciliation seriously. The history and the proof of what colonization has done to my people all across this country has come to light and there can be no more ignoring the facts of so many horrific acts aimed at getting rid of the original inhabitants of this land. The time has come to deal with it all: the recent discoveries of hundreds of unmarked graves on former residential school sites, the realities of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, the 60s scoop, residential school abuse history, ongoing systematic racism, failure to honour treaties and the deliberate impoverishment economically and spiritually of Native peoples. The National Day For Truth...
Register
MEET THE CHIEF: Munsee-Delaware Nation is a passion for Chief Mark Peters
By Victoria Gray Writer Learning and spreading the long history of the Munsee-Delaware Nation has become a passion for Elected Chief Mark Peters. “That’s the sort of things I like to do as chief,” he said. “I see it as part of my job. I have no job description. I don’t think there’s a job description for a chief. I guess it’s what you think is important for people and the larger public. I think really concentrating on these things that we’re all moving toward understanding our histories and reclaiming our culture and traditions and ceremonies. That’s what I see as my job, and trying to impress that upon our people here.” In addition to history, he has also worked to secure the future of the nation by keeping it...
Register
Meet the Chiefs: Delaware Nation/EELÜNAAPÉEWI LAHKÉEWIIT Chief Denise Stonefish: 90% of community vaccinated
By Victoria Gray Writer The Delaware Nation at Moraviantown has fared pretty well through the COVID-19 pandemic and Chief Denise Stonefish believes some of that fortune came from a piece of advice her mother imparted many times. “My mother always says, ‘don’t stress over things you can’t change. It’s probably one of the reasons I took COVID-19 so well,” she said. Stonefish is in the first year of her third term as chief of the community and she served as the deputy chief and in other capacities at the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians, while also serving as a councillor since 1998. She said the knowledge she gained advocating for her home nations and with the AIAI gave her the know how to kick COVID-19 safety measures into gear...
Register
Meet the Chiefs: Onyota’a:ka/Oneida First Nation Chief takes office in a pandemic
By Victoria Gray Writer He started in a pandemic. Virtual meetings, no physical contact or meetings, online elections, operating in the middle of a world wide health crisis is all he knows. Onyota’a:ka/Oneida Nation of the Thames Chief Adrian Chrisjohn first term in office has been challenging but he likes to stay positive and look on the bright side. “We’ve done a lot with what we have and with the abilities we had during COVID-19. We’ve maintained a fairly regular presence in the community,” he said. Chrisjohn officially stated his term as chief on July, 8, 2020, just over three months into the pandemic. He went to work trying to help the community navigate and follow public health guidelines. Chrisjohn was only able to meet other councillors and staff for...
Register
Survivors’ Secretariat: Dr. Beverly Jacobs takes on role of Indigenous Human Rights Monitor
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND – The Mohawk Institute Survivors’ Secretariat has brought on noted Six Nations lawyer Dr. Beverly Jacobs to take on the role of Indigenous Human Rights Monitor for the secretariat. Jacobs, a, citizen of the Mohawk Nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, is Bear Clan member and holds a series of , CM, LLB, LLM, PhD. Jacobs said she is “honoured” to take on the role. “I am truly honoured to accept this role and that the Survivors’ Group has confidence in me to do this work,” said Dr. Jacobs. “The Secretariat’s model of Survivor-led, trauma-informed investigation and community reporting is an essential step towards recovery, reclamation and healing for Survivors and families of the Mohawk Institute as well as for all Indigenous peoples in Canada. This...
Register
SPECIAL: Six Nations Elected Council adviser says not to worry
By Victoria Gray Writer Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) Political Advisor doesn’t think Bill C-15 has any immediate impacts for Six Nations. Christopher Mahon, gave a an update on Bill C-15 to SNEC at a general council meeting in August telling councillors he doesn’t anticipate much happening in the next two years aside from the federal government drafting a plan to align it’s policies with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). “There are a number of questions about what this means, and a number of misconceptions. The new law does not change anything immediately with Six Nations or their relationship with the federal or provincial governments,” he said. The UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in September 2007, with...
Register
UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY – To Celebrate And Pause To Remember
By Xavier Kataquapit www.underthenorthernsky.com Life is strange and very weird these days during the pandemic. We have had to deal with so much difficult news recently, yet happily wonderful happenings still occur here and there that raise our spirits and give us hope for the future. My good news comes with the birth of Nabayshish Emmette Wesley who arrived in this world July 21. He arrived with gifts of a tiny pair of moccasins made by his grandmother Janie Wesley who is my sister. This is one lucky little boy as he will be cared for and guided through his life by his mother, my niece Brianna Wesley, my sister Janie and her husband Brian. Indeed he will have a very large family backing him and supporting him throughout his...
Register
1492 Land Back Lane marks one year
By Victoria Gray Writer A full year has passed since Six Nations Land Defenders walked onto the McKenzie Meadows housing development site in Caledonia and renamed it 1492 Land Back Lane. The community was invited this past weekend with a concert, lacrosse game, pot luck and social to celebrate the first anniversary of the reclamation of land Monday, July 19. “At Land Back Lane the plan going forward is to make that sure the lands are there for the people that are going to be utilizing those lands and to be able to stay there, sustainable, for a long time,” spokesperson Skylar Williams said. Meanwhile, the development companies, Foxgate and Losani Homes wait for the Ontario Provincial Police to enforce court ordered injunctions. “We expect the court’s order to be...
Register
Black Walnuts Foraged Food Security
By Terrylynn Brant Mohawk Seedkeeper Gardens Black Walnuts have been a traditional foraged food source among the Haudenosaunee for centuries. Today, with food security on everyone’s mind we are seeing a renewed interest in these majestic nut trees across our territories. Store bought walnuts are English or California Walnuts. They are grown in managed orchards and have a milder taste. They originated in Persia, growing in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and later developed by the Greeks. Franciscan Monks brought them to California in the 18th century. The bolder, earthier tasting indigenous Black Walnut grows in the wild. On Six Nations they are often found around old homesteads. They are valued as food and medicine but also as a source of wood, dye and shade in the summer. Walnuts are...
Register
Sustainable Communities Save Seeds!
By Terrylynn Brant Since the beginning of agriculture over 10,000 years ago people have saved seeds. The Haudenosaunee seed savers have developed a wide variety of seeds over the centuries. This diversity in seeds is the cornerstone of a healthy sustainable agricultural system. It is our National Treasury. Seed saving has inspired the Haudenosaunee to create an elaborate society which honours seeds through songs,dances, speeches, and ceremonies. Our entire world view is heavily influenced by seeds. We exist because we save seeds and every harvest I turn my attention to restoring our National Seed Treasury. It is scary when I realize that in 1900 we ate 1,500 different plants and today we eat around 30. It is even scarier when I think about the future of farming that predicts only...
Register
Six Nations rolling out new colour coded COVID-19 chart, one active case
By Georgia LaForme Writer Six Nations is rolling out a colour-coded COVID-19 response framework, stricter than Ontario’s. The new framework comes just as Six Nations announced a new COVID-19 case over the weekend. Six Nations COVID-19 Stats Report shows that as of Saturday Nov., 28th Ohsweken Public Health reported one active case in the community. Contact tracing is underway.No further information was provided. Six Nations has had 98 total cases, with 97 resolved, and one death. Under the new colour coded framework the community will no longer be using Stages to determine COVID-19 . The new colour-coded framework mimicks Ontario’s. Nicole Bilodeau, of the Six Nations Emergency and Control group, presented the new framework to the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) at a zoom meeting last Tuesday. “Given the new...
Register
City launches Digital Service Squad to help small businesses adopt online technologies
Brantford, ON – In partnership with the Downtown Brantford BIA, the Brantford-Brant Business Resource Enterprise Centre (BRC) has received a $15,000 grant from Digital Main Street Ontario for a Digital Service Squad (DSS) to help small downtown businesses use digital technologies to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Funding for the grant is provided by the federal program FedDev Ontario. The squad members will begin visiting small businesses in communities across the City of Brantford this month. Established in 2018, Digital Main Street Ontario was recently extended thanks to an investment of $42.5 million from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and $7.45 million from the Ontario Ministry for Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade (MEDJCT). The nearly $50-million investment will help small businesses across Ontario...
Register
UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: Don’t Let Your Guard Down
By Xavier Kataquapit You would think that this Corona-virus pandemic had gone away judging by the way people are acting here in northern Ontario. I have been doing curbside pick up mostly at grocery and hardware stores now for some time. It surprises me to see people heading into stores with no mask or gloves and seeming to not pay too much attention to the two metre social distance rule. I am doing the bare minimum in being careful and following rules so that I do not get Covid-19 or bring it home to my partner who has a lung condition. It gives me some pleasure to see the reaction of people who are not wearing masks in stores when I walk in with my black mask, black hat, black...
Register
UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: Pandemic Be Damned
By Xavier Kataquapit www.underthenorthernsky.com I come from a large family with eight siblings. My mom Susan and my dad Marius certainly had a lot of challenges in caring for such a large group of children. These days as I find myself with some time during this pandemic I drift back to an earlier time when I was a child at home in Attawapiskat and I think about all the work my parents had to do to raise us. Life for my parents when they were growing up was hard as they lived mostly on the land, with little education that came with the trauma of attending the residential school system and living at home in conditions that were less than perfect. Mom worked for many years in the kitchen of...
Register
