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Mehanaz Yakub

The Eastern Door •

Montreal gallery celebrates Indigenous beading

Swing by La Guilde in Montreal and visitors can get a blend of tradition and modern beadwork, as the gallery celebrates some of the most inventive bead artists of the contemporary art scene. (Mehanaz Yakub, The Eastern Door)

La Guilde, an art gallery and museum in downtown Montreal, has a new exhibition showcasing contemporary beadwork by Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists from across Canada.

“Beading Now!” features artworks of 11 artists; Judy Anderson, Catherine Blackburn, Teresa Burrows,
The Eastern Door •

Government steps up to fund language initiatives

A huge chunk of change for the Iakwahwatsiratátie Language Nest from the federal government will give staff some relief from year-round fundraising efforts to help the youngest Kanien’kehá:ka in the community grow up learning their first language. (Daniel J. Rowe, The Eastern Door)

Liberal MP Marc Miller was in Kahnawake Wednesday to announce $275,558 in governmental funding over two years for the Iakwahwatsiratátie Language Nest to help preserve and promote Kanien’kéha in children’s first year
The Eastern Door •

A double wedding and milestone anniversary

“You know, if we don’t get these names written down, they are going to get lost,” said Christine Stacey.

Sitting by her white kitchen island, she looked fondly down at the black-and-white photos of her family – reciting the names of the people she knew and the stories she remembers from her youth.

The majority of her photographs were destroyed in a flood in her basement, with the exception of a couple of photo albums she now holds onto dearly.

This Blast from the Past photo features a very sp
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WWII veteran Herbert Rice’s post-war trauma

Like many men during his time, Herby Rice went off to war to never return the same again. (Courtesy Christine Stacey)

This week’s Blast from the Past is one of the only photographs Christine Stacey has of her uncle Herbert Rice.

Looking handsome in his military uniform and lopsided cap, Rice is all smiles, truly unaware of what unimaginable horrors were ahead of him overseas.

“My uncle Herby was in a death march,” said Stacey.

During World War II, German SS guards would force prisoners to ev
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Junior Knighthawks: future lax stars in the making

Owen Rice is making a name for himself, along with other mini Mohawk lax stars. (Courtesy David Rice)

Minus the blood, there was a lot of sweat and probably a few tears at the Junior Rochester Knighthawks’ tryouts earlier this month.

Fourteen Onkwehón:we lacrosse players were selected to play for the Peewee, Bantam and Midget – level teams, out of a group of about 90 hopeful players trying out.

“For box lacrosse, we’re looking for players that are top in skill and hard workers as well,” said
The Eastern Door •

Iroquois village dug up downtown on Peel Street

Montreal archaeologists dug only 60 centimetres below the asphalt before uncovering artifacts from a 14th century St. Lawrence Iroquoian village near Peel and Sherbrooke Street. (Courtesy Roland Tremblay)

After 11 long months of digging, archaeologists from the private company Ethnoscop have publicly announced the discovery of thousands of fragmented artifacts of a prehistoric St. Lawrence Iroquoian village.

Roland Tremblay, an archaeologist from Ethnoscop, told The Eastern Door that the excav
The Eastern Door •

Catholic Church choir spreading Mohawk music for generations

The Iroquois Mixed Choir of Kahnawake visiting the CFCF TV station in Montreal to perform in Kanien’kéha on January 24, 1966. (Courtesy St. Francis Xavier Mission Catholic Church)

The 22 members of the St. Francis Xavier Church choir got dressed in their best traditional clothing and travelled across the St. Lawrence River to visit Canada’s first, Canada’s finest (CFCF-TV) television station – today known as CTV.

“I don’t remember the reason why, but we were invited to go there,” said Wanda De
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McGill youth camp teaches teens to have fun with science

McGill University’s Eagle Spirit Camp hosted by their Faculty of Medicine and organized by the Indigenous Health Professions program (IHPP) since 2017, inspire Indigenous youth in their future education. (Courtesy Philemon Beaudet)

From learning how to suture a wound, to how to draw blood from a vein, to inserting an IV line, a group of Indigenous teens from across Canada had the chance to participate in science activities and experiments during their weeklong stay at the Eagle Spirit Camp, hos
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Ms. Fran is saying goodbye after over 35 years

Fran Montour is ready to say good-bye to teaching, for now after over 35 years. She hopes to return to Kateri School each time she starts missing it. (Mehanaz Yakub, The Eastern Door)

Fran Montour has been teaching grades one through six – but never three – for over 35 years. Come September, it will be the first time, in a long time, she won’t be feeling the mad rush of a new school year approaching.

“It’s sad to see her go but she has to move on. She needs to continue her life, her journey,”
The Eastern Door •

Indigenous remains return home to Kahnawake

Montreal mayor Valerie Plante continued to show the city’s dedication to reconciliation in returning Mohawk remains to Kahnawake in a ceremony at City Hall in the Old Port.

Reconciliation seemed to be the key word last Thursday during National Indigenous Peoples Day, when Valerie Plante, mayor of Montreal, announced that the city would return to Kahnawake the Indigenous skeletal remains they’ve held in possession for proper burial.

The request for the release of the remains was made by the Moh