Attawapiskat First Nation

Attawapiskat First Nation
Type	Organization

Attawapiskat First Nation is a First Nation community on the traditional territory of the Omushkego James Bay Cree.

In Anishinabek News

• September 2014: The community partnered with Contact North to offer a job readiness program.
• October 2015: Citizens of this community were involved in projects related to the Victor mine.
• April 2016: The community experienced a suicide contagion where numerous young people entered into suicide pacts. The community previously faced significant emergencies related to housing and water quality. The Government of Ontario provided two million dollars and temporary health workers to the community following a spike in self-harm incidents.
• July 2016: Several members of this community participated in the Youth Walk of Hope. The community is a member of the Mushkegowuk Council.
• September 2016: This is the home community of Cecile Hookimaw.
• December 2016: Lauree Linklater-Pizzale visited this community for work and gifted 26 handmade signs to her hosts. The signs delivered to this community featured the Cree word for self-love.
• July 2017: The community is the original home of the artist Michael Chokomoolin.
• March 2018: The community is cited as a place where young people face challenges from intergenerational trauma and addictions. It is one of several northern reserves impacted by a suicide epidemic.
• May 2019: Attawapiskat First Nation is part of the Mushkegowuk Cree.
• August 2019: Autumn Peltier visited Attawapiskat First Nation and reported that residents were living in conditions comparable to the third world. In Attawapiskat First Nation, the cost of a single bottle of water was reported to be 18 dollars.
• October 2019: Mary Wabano, the Director of the First Peoples’ Centre at Canadore College, is a member of this nation.
• March 2020: Ray Hookimaw identified this community as his home and noted the challenges of transitioning while living there.
• December 2020: The community recently managed five cases of COVID-19 while members were in isolation. Its remote location creates significant challenges for accessing health services during the pandemic.
• January 2022: Author Juliana Armstrong was born in this community and lived there for her first four years. The author maintains a connection to her Cree heritage from her time in this community.
• March 2022: Members of this community have been employed by the Kana Leaf dispensary.
• April 2022: Lorraine Sutherland spent part of her childhood in this community and later returned to learn from Elders and live on the land. It is the location where Lorraine Sutherland practices ceremony and traditional land-based living.
• June 2022: The community's 104-year-old church, which housed significant commemorative stained-glass windows, was destroyed by fire in April 2021. Local members participated in a project to create artwork that reflected the community's history of farming and traditional ceremonies. A new church and rectory are planned for the community, though funding for decorative elements remains uncertain.
• August 2023: Two community members, Keilyn Linklater and Tish Tookate, were recipients of the 2021 James Bartleman Indigenous Youth Creative Writing Award.
• November 2023: Attawapiskat First Nation was connected to the provincial power grid in 2002 via a Five Nations Energy Inc. power line. The community receives fibre-optic services through a line that was formerly used by the Victor Diamond Mine.
• August 2024: The community is part of a legal coalition challenging the Mining Act in the Ontario Superior Court.
• December 2024: The community is the home First Nation of filmmaker Jules Koostachin.
• April 2025: This is the home community of author Tyna Legault Taylor. The community was the subject of research regarding Indigenous food sovereignty and land-based healing practices.
• August 2025: Youth from this community traveled to Sudbury to participate in the Outland Youth Employment Program in August 2025.
• November 2025: People from the community travelled by canoe to set up a blockade against The Ring of Fire mining. The community has been affected by poisoning from logging and mining, including groundwater contamination.
• November 2025: The community is located within the territory of Treaty 9. It is the home community of author Tyna Legault Taylor and translator Theresa Okimaw-Hall.