Au Nord Du Quebec

Our community celebrated Annie Whiskeychan Day this past Wednesday with a wonderful array of cultural activities including history of the Cree School Board, Moose Hide Drying, and baby-wrapping. To give some background, Annie Whiskeychan lived in Waskaganish (another Cree community) and is one of the reasons why the Cree Language program was created and implemented in Elementary Schools throughout the Cree Nation. She is viewed as an educator, elder and innovator in Cree Language Education. It is partly thanks to Annie Whiskeychan that the Cree Language is being taught in our schools. In honor of Annie Whiskeychan, the community came together to set up an amazing day full of activities for the students in the elementary and high school. Typically in the morning of Annie Whiskeychan day, there is a walking out ceremony. I have written about the walking out ceremony before, but this is to honor a baby's first steps on the earth. A child has their walking out ceremony around the...

Has anyone ever asked you, what's your perfect day? Maybe it's relaxing by the beach, maybe it's hiking for hours on your favorite trails or maybe it's just being with your favorite person. For me, that day was today: Sunday, June 3rd, 2018. It has been the most perfect day spent with the most perfect people and the most perfect dogs at the most perfect lake. I know that when you think of me you would think it would have teaching in there somewhere but I have to say that so far in my 10 months in this community, today was perfect. I know that I have not updated on my Goose Break and my month of May but I'll get to it...first I need to tell you all about my day today. It started with a lazy wake-up, the sun streaming in through my bedroom window at 5am...definitely not time to wake up yet. I look over the side of my bed at Lily, who lifts her head, looks at me and flops it back down. She knows me, I need more sleep. 9am rolls around and I finally stretch awak...