I’m aware of the political history alluded to (although, I note, C.B.C. radio/propaganda still announces plans for large-scale power plants on James Bay in the future tense… so I assume that some part of that history will repeat itself) and I agree that the Plains Cree probably have a number of things they could learn from the James Bay Cree and the Swampy Cree (i.e., in terms of recent historical experience). If given half a chance, it could be that the James Bay and Swampy Cree would find something significant in contrasting the experience of the Plains Cree, too.
However,
nobody is going to learn anything without a lot of long bus trips. I’ve asked just a few people so far to see if there’s any interest (or if I can stir up any interest) in making a field trip (just to compare the size of the mosquitoes, etc., no grand ambitions on a first trip). The other big
however
that’s worth noting is sheer demographics: the less-than-infallible Wikipedia puts the number of James Bay Cree at 16,357. In Saskatchewan, there are single reservations with populations around 8,000 … but then, part of the problem is that the population tends to be spread around a large area. (Lac La Ronge plus Ballantyne F.N. totals a land mass comparable to some European nations…) Further West, I have seen some of the in-classroom materials produced in Hobbema, Alberta, where there’s a relatively dense Cree population at the crossroads of several reservations. I don’t know if I could talk anyone at F.N.U. into mounting an expedition to Hobbema (perhaps less exciting than James Bay, even if easier to reach). And, speaking of Hobbema, your language and culture list currently omits Rezofficial, Hellnback, and War Party.
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