My sister Eva gave me this hunting drum for my 19th birthday – a long time ago! Haha. It’s a replica of the traditional Cree hunting drum that Cree hunters used over many generations to sing songs about their love and respect for the animals they hunted. Eva had it made by someone in the…
Christmas in Moose Factory is always a great time to spend with family and friends. There's the usual decorating of the house, putting up a tree, and stringing colourful lights. It’s also a time for family dinners at my sister’s place, and getting together with friends from my other band, Country Mayhem. This year we ate…
There has always been something about the sound of a mandolin that has interested me. Not sure what it is? It has eight strings and is tuned G, D, A, E. What you would call “fifths” if you know your music theory. The way the chords are produced is somewhat of a challenge because of…
Back when I was in high school (a long time ago, haha!) I was into music and did well in music classes and school performances. I also really liked art classes and made wall murals and other Pink Floyd-like images. I wasn't the best, but it was a fun way to express some of my tastes.…
As part of my work with Moose Cree First Nation (MCFN), I sometimes get to go to interesting conferences like this one about 'Climate Change and Traditional Knowledge' that was held in Boulder, Colorado in 2017. There were Indigenous peoples in attendance from Africa, Mexico and Scandinavia that were dealing with climate change in their…
About five years ago, I decided to make some changes in the foods I was eating and the lack of the exercise in my daily life. I started to get into the habit of getting regular check ups and blood work to get an idea of where my health was. I remember that doctors over the years…
What a great Canadian Music Week experience we had in May 2016! Last year we had applied to showcase, but were not chosen. It was disappointing, but we tried not to let it bother us. Instead, we chose to stay positive, keep on moving forward, and look to 2016 -- and lo and behold, we were…
Living in Moose Factory near James Bay has its travel challenges, especially around spring break up of the Moose River. During this time, because we live on an island, the river ice is melting, and its too dangerous to drive snow machines or trucks on the ice road. I had to travel to Toronto last weekend,…
As a Cree person who is a humanist, I’m interested in earth-based spirituality and organized religion. One of the books I'm reading is a discussion between two writers who wish to demystify spirituality, reform religion, and promote human rights and democratic ideas. Its good to have ideas about our origins, and whether there is something…