By Xavier Kataquapit
My aunt Celine Mary (Kataquapit) Nakogee passed away on Sept. 28, 2026 at the age of 86. Her family will deeply miss her kindness, wonderful smile, and fun nature. She is survived by her husband of 61 years, past Attawapiskat Chief John B. Nakogee and their children George, Jenny, Mary, David, Roger, Beverly, Norman and Peter. She was also predeceased by their son John B Jr. She also leaves behind many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
I had a chance to speak to my uncle John B after the funeral. He talked about how deeply he was connected to his life partner and how much they loved each other. They both grew up in the north, and they understood how hard their lives had been. They are both survivors of the residential school system. As a young girl, Celine was taken to southern Ontario to attend school and also to be treated for a lung disease.
John B told me about how his wife described the trip south from the north. Children from farther north arrived in Attawapiskat by transport boat and more were loaded onto the craft there to go south. The boat travel was gruesome, as children got sick and latrines spilled, making a mess everywhere as they were tossed about in the ocean waves of James Bay. Celine was taken to Moosonee, where she boarded a train and, instead of being placed among the passengers, was relegated to lying on the floor of a cargo box car for the journey.
Celine’s passing was a deeply emotional event for our greater Kataquapit family as she was the last of my father Marius Kataquapit’s siblings. She had a younger brother, David, and older brothers Marius, Gabriel, Alex, Leo, George and Thomas. Their families made up a grand Kataquapit family of children and grandchildren that all grew up together in Attawapiskat.
Celine and her brothers’ parents were Janie (Wesley) Kataquapit and James Kataquapit. James was one of 23 young men who went overseas with the military in 1917 during the First World War. Many of us younger grandchildren didn’t get to know our grandmother Janie, as she passed away in a tragic house fire on Nov. 19, 1969. Life in the north was difficult, and childhood mortality was common because there was no modern medical help. Their parents lost their first two sons, William and Peter, and after all the children had arrived, they again lost their two youngest Mary and Gregory.
Celine and John B lived and worked in the north after their marriage on May 9, 1965 and they were happy to see their children being raised in the traditional culture of Ineeneenoo Peemahteeseewin (James Bay Cree life). They moved to Moosonee for a time, where John B first worked as a Social Housing Manager and later for Indian Affairs Canada. When they returned to Attawapiskat to raise their family, John B became involved in local leadership and played an influential role in the development of our First Nation in many capacities.
Celine and John B were strong advocates for childhood education and youth supports. They had survived the traumas of residential school and they knew that a healthy childhood, together with quality education, was a way to raise a generation of people out of poverty and helplessness.
Their advocacy and the lessons they taught their children and grandchildren helped inspire their 13-year-old granddaughter, Shannen Koostachin, to take a vocal stand for Indigenous youth. Shannen, the daughter of Jenny (Nakogee) Koostachin and Andrew Koostachin, gained worldwide attention for her fight for a new elementary school for Attawapiskat. She was recognized for her efforts when she was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize. Sadly, and tragically, Shannen died in a motor vehicle accident in 2010 but her work lives on in Shannen’s Dream, a youth movement that advocates for equitable funding. In 2014, thanks largely to Shannen’s efforts, the new Kattawapiskak Elementary School opened in Attawapiskat.
Even after the loss of their granddaughter, Celine and John B never stopped speaking up for Indigenous youth. Their whole family honours Shannen's memory through everything they do to support education and Indigenous youth. Celine and John B always shared with great pride how their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren moved on to higher education and professional careers and how they continued advocating and speaking out for First Nation youth everywhere. They were also proud to see so many other young people from Attawapiskat doing the same.
Aunt Celine’s funeral service was the first to be held at the newly opened St. Francis Xavier Church in Attawapiskat. In the absence of a local priest, local Elders Francis Hookimaw and Annabella Iahtail led the Catholic service and both were also dear friends of Celine. The service also included Traditional Leader Danny Metatawabin, who provided traditional song, drumming and ceremony.
The service was difficult for all of us, but it was also filled with so many of our relatives, cousins and community members who still speak our Ineeneemoon (James Bay Cree language). The language is filled with so much humour, as people take words and ideas and use them to make everyone laugh at the things we say.
As I spoke to all of them, I couldn’t help but think that our late Aunt Celine and all her brothers were speaking and laughing there amongst us all. Kee-sah-kee-eh-tee-nan Too-sis Seh-len (We love you Aunt Celine).
Top Photo: A wedding to remember on May 9, 1965 for the Nakogee and Kataquapit families. Pictured are past Attawapiskat Chief John B. Nakogee and Celine Mary (Kataquapit) Nakogee.