James Kataquapit and Monique Edwards of Attawapiskat First Nation ride their canoe down the Attawapiskat river on Oct. 25, 2025.Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press

Adrian Sutherland is a recording artist from Attawapiskat on James Bay and author of the new book The Work of Our Hands: A Cree Meditation on the Real World.

When you say the word “Attawapiskat” to most Canadians, a specific loop of imagery begins to play. They see the headlines. They see the poverty and the despair. They see sagging mould-filled houses with generations packed tight inside. They see the substance abuse, the suicide crises, and the decaying water system that has become a national symbol for the everyday injustice faced by First Nations communities.

I cannot tell you that those images are false. Life here is hard. The struggle is visible; it is etched into the infrastructure and the faces of my neighbours.

So, the question I am asked most often – by journalists, by fans, sometimes even by friends in the south – is simple: Why? Why does a Juno-nominated musician choose to stay here? Why, when I have seen the world and have the means to leave, do I raise my son in the very place the rest of the country pities?

It is a fair question. But the answer cannot be found in a political talking point or a policy paper. The answer is in the dirt. It is in the cold. The........

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