Category: column

I recently took a long walk out on a beautiful spring day. The weather was pleasant, the sun was bright, and the air was brisk and cool. I could still feel the sting of winter hanging on and to confirm that feeling, I could hear it from the song of a familiar bird this time of year. The Chickadee was singing its familiar ‘tee-tee’ song. My Kookoom, my grandmother, often pointed out to us children that this little bird was actually calling out the name of the season. The bird changes its tune depending on the weather. When winter is still lingering with cold winds, the Chickadee will continue its plain one-tone ‘tee-tee’ song. As soon as it senses that warmer weather is on the way, it will change its tune to a two-note song ‘NEE-pin, NEE-pin’. Kookoom noted that this song is actually the name of the season in our Inineemoon, our Cree language. The bird is actually calling out Neepin, the Cree word for spring. 

https://www.northernnews.ca/opinion/the-birds-are-calling-for-spring

When I was a boy growing up in my home community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast, I was deathly afraid of looking at the full moon.

I grew up in a very traditional Cree environment in my home community of Attawapiskat in northern Ontario. In the 1980s, my family and I only spoke Inineemoon or ‘James Bay Cree’ because it was the language our parents and grandparents spoke.

The language and the world my parents and grandparents raised us in was very different from those in the rest of Canada. Storytelling was very important to our parents and grandparents and many of these stories were told in humorous or frightening ways to make them memorable.

…. to read the column, please click on the link below

https://www.windspeaker.com/under-northern-sky-xavier-kataquapit/chikabesh-speaks-tapiskapeesim-night-sun

I was happy to see our First Nation youth continue to speak out against proposed mining development in the far north in the so-called Ring of Fire region.

These past few weeks, it was good to see Jeronimo Kataquapit, the founder of the ‘Here We Stand – Call To Action’, continue his fight against proposed mining developments near the Attawapiskat River in the Ring of Fire mining region. I was proud to see him stand with his cousin Ramon Kataquapit, co-founder of Okiniwak, a national youth-led movement uniting First Nations youth to advocate for equity and equality.

It was encouraging to watch and listen to the events they held this past week, which showed that they are present and want to be heard. They made an appearance in Toronto outside of the world-famous Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) annual convention which was held in the city in the first week of March. It was important for these young First Nation advocates and protectors of the land to make themselves known at this prestigious mining conference which brings together billion-dollar companies, investors and professionals in the industry.

…. to read the story, please click on the link below

https://www.wawataynews.ca/blogs-columns/first-nation-youth-fighting-land

We are all part of a great change in human civilization. Whether we know it or not, we are living through humanity’s first steps into the modern digital age.

I grew up in the 1980s in my remote home community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast in northern Ontario. Back then, it really felt like we lived in another world because we only had one reliable radio signal and three television channels with up-to-date news and content. Long distance phone calls were available, but everyone was constantly concerned about the cost of using a phone, so it was only reserved for the most important calls.

…. to read the story, please click on the link below

https://windspeaker.com/under-northern-sky-xavier-kataquapit/who-control-your-social-media

Winter road season has finally started again on the James Bay coast. This seasonal ice road is an important transportation route for everyone because it offers a sense of freedom, allowing people to travel away from their home communities for all kinds of activities. This is the time of year when major bingo events take place in the communities and families from nearby First Nations can travel to visit their relatives. There are also major hockey tournaments that bring people together to take part in fun and exciting events.

The winter ice road is also an opportunity for many families to access southern communities and the railway network in Moosonee to gather food items, household goods and other necessities at a more affordable price. This is also the time for individuals to search for their next major vehicle, snowmachines, ATVs or other large equipment down south, so they can more easily and affordably transport them north.

…. to read the story, please click on the link below

https://www.wawataynews.ca/blogs-columns/ice-roads-winter-freedom

I recently lost my cousin Joey Okimaw. We were childhood friends who had grown up together since we first entered grade school in Attawapiskat. Joey’s parents are Margaret and Peter Okimaw. Margaret is my first cousin and she is the daughter of my uncle Alex and aunt Susan Kataquapit. It was always exciting to be around Joey when we were kids because he was the first grandchild in Alex’s family. It meant that Joey and his siblings Gregory and June were always surrounded by a group of young, vibrant aunts and uncles. Alex’s children are Janie, John, Rosalyn, Bertha, Evelyn, Morris, James, David, Helen and Margaret. They are all older than me, so we younger cousins, looked up to all of them.

…. to read the story, please click on the link below

https://www.wawataynews.ca/blogs-columns/we-were-hockey-heroes

I lost the love of my life Michael McGrath this past Sunday December 28, 2025. He was a bright light that shone for so many people in our families but also in a circle of friends that seemed to span the world. 

Mike was born and raised in Iroquois Falls into a grand Irish Canadian family that originated from the Ottawa valley. His mother Emily McGrath imparted in him her kind and gentle spirit, and his grandmother Margaret Dunn, whom everyone knew as Granny, guided and influenced his life. 

…. to read the story, please click on the link below

https://www.windspeaker.com/under-northern-sky-xavier-kataquapit/mike-was-beacon-love-and-friendship

Christmas is just around the corner and everyone is getting into the spirit of the holidays with music, decorations, department store shopping and stocking up on food for big family feasts. Decorations are happening everywhere and this year, we had an early supply of cold and snow, so we in the north, will definitely have a picture post card Christmas filled with mounds of white, frost and crystalline snow.

This is also a bittersweet time for myself and many other people. We lost people during the holidays and there are tragic memories or commemorations that are inextricably tied to this time of year. We also have to deal with rampant consumerism where we are constantly badgered, bothered or encouraged to buy, spend and consume as much as possible whether we have the money or not. As the world grows more and more financially difficult for all of us, it is getting harder and harder every year to fulfill that promise of achieving the Hollywood, Hallmark, all American white Christmas we’ve all grown up to see in movies and TV shows.

…. to read the full column, please click on the link below

https://www.wawataynews.ca/blogs-columns/christmas-all-about-love

On December 2, 2025 during a Special Chiefs Assembly hosted by the Assembly of First Nations, the chiefs from across Canada voted unanimously to adopt an emergency resolution tabled by British Columbia First Nations leaders to support upholding the current oil tanker ban on the pacific coast as well demanding the withdrawal of the agreement clearing way for a new oil pipeline to the coast of British Columbia. Both federal and provincial governments have been doing their best to divide and conquer in rapid fire meetings with First Nations across the country in negotiating agreements and handing out money. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed a memorandum of understanding on November 27 to co-operate on energy, opening up the prospect of an exemption from the tanker ban to support a major pipeline.

…. to read the full column, please click on the link below

https://www.wawataynews.ca/blogs-columns/we-need-stand-first-nation-leaders

An epidemic of addictions has led Mushkegowuk Council in north eastern Ontario to declare a state of emergency. A crisis has occurred including issues of homelessness, limited access to shelters, the lack of mental wellness and too few addictions supports in the council’s territory.

Myself and our First Nations leaders have been watching as this crisis has been developing over the years to the point where it is killing and severely impacting people in our communities as well as our members living off reserve. Things have gotten to the point where it is making our communities unsafe and resulting in so many tragic endings for my people.

…. to read the full column, please click on the link below

https://www.wawataynews.ca/blogs-columns/mushkegowuk-council-declares-emergency-deal-addictions