CIRCLE WITH A DOT

@CatherineBabault such a great man .... it's amazing to think that he's always been like this, even when he was younger ... if only every man of his stature and position could be like him, we'd have a more equitable and kind world

In my latest column, I wanted to say Meegwetch (thanks) to our northern FN youth Jeronimo Kataquapit, Ramon Kataquapit, Kohen Mattinas and Ryan Fleming for representing us on the international stage at the United Nations this past month.

#indigenous #firstnations #bill5 #nishnawbe #mushkegowuk #attawapiskat

https://www.wawataynews.ca/blogs-columns/first-nation-youth-speak-united-nations

Happy Birthday ... a great figure who helped us all understand the beauty, power and wisdom of our planet and all life on it. My Indigenous parents who were born and raised on the land enjoyed watching his programs (as did I and I still do) and to just see and know about the great variety of life on this planet.

#davidattenborough #davidattenborough100

https://youtu.be/furvGgw1Rrk

First day long solo ride through northern Quebec. What a day for a ride. Felt like +20 in the sun but it feels like a hint of winter again as the sun is going down. #motorcycle #bmw_motorrad #indigenous

On another ride because the weather bumped up to a tropical +15 today. Took a ride to northern Quebec with a stop at Palmarolle, where the river ice is still breaking up. #motorcycle #bmwmotorrad #indigenous

@MCDuncanLab great to be here. It's important to me to use and support open and community focused social media instead of the black hole of corporately controlled private social media

Still winter in northern Ontario but it was warm enough for a quick ride. Chilly but with enough layers it was passable. Hope it's warmer where you are. #motorcycle #indigenous #winter

In my latest column, I write about how everyone on the James Bay coast (and in the far south) is working hard to preserve and practice our traditional culture.

#indigenous #firstnations #mushkegowuk #nishnawbe #attawapiskat

The birds are calling for spring

By Xavier KataquapitI recently took a long walk out into 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. 

Windspeaker.com (www.windspeaker.com)

@dariana "Non-linear time could help us to navigate compounding ecological crises, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and mass extinction."

I grew up learning about the world from my parents and elders who were all born in the land. Their view of life and time is way more open and inclusive than the way the modern world operates. They always taught us to remember the past, live in the moment and to be aware that whatever we do now will affect the future. We aren't just living a life now, we are honoring those who came before us and we are preparing the world for the lives of those after us.

In my latest column, I share a memory of an old James Bay Cree legend about tapiskapeesim.

#indigenous #firstnations #attawapiskat #nishnawbe #mushkegowuk #artemis

Chikabesh speaks to Tapiskapeesim, the night sun

By Xavier KataquapitWhen 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.

Windspeaker.com (www.windspeaker.com)

I'm happy to announce I've entered into the Fediverse with a Mastodon account here at mstdn.ca

I've been learning about the fediverse for a few years and I knew I had to break away from corporate run social media.

I publish a regular column every two weeks so from now on, I will share it here in addition to everywhere else I get published and use this publicly controlled forum more often.