Niska Cafe Open For Business

Screw You Starbucks: Rex Knapaysweet (left), and Brent Nakogee

Natives love coffee.

As the treasurer of the Northern College coffee club, I know first hand just how much coffee a person of Canada’s First Nations community can consume. One fellow I taught last semester was never without a coffee while in class; he was to coffee what Julian from "Trailer Park Boys" is to Rum and Coke.

Well, I am pleased to report that Albany now has a coffee shop, a place where the locals can drop by for a coffee until 1 a.m. The proprieters are a couple of fine young gents: Brent Nakogee and Rex Knapaysweet. Rex is our program assistant at school, and quite possibly the hardest working person on the Rez. He shows up at school, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, at 9 a.m., after working until 1 a.m. the night before, all to support his two young sons. It is terrific to see such initiative in a young person (geez I sound old). In addition to being well-versed in a number of important subjects, Rex is marathon runner, having competed in the Toronto Marathon last year, along with fellow rez boy Gabriel Sutherland Jr.

The shop itself is a shrine to Jonathan Cheechoo, who happens to be a personal friend of Rex’s. Among others things, there is an autographed stick commemorating Jonathan’s 50-goal season, as well as a framed issue of The Hockey News with Jonathan on the cover (that was my donation). The best part about the operation, in my opinion, is the Tim Horton’s coffee, which I am seriously addicted to. All other coffee is just swill, I must say.

Before the Christmas break, the students and I went to the Niska on our coffee break, an experience that reminded me of the Java Joe’s trips we used to make at The Hockey News. As we made the fairly short walk (everywhere here is a short walk), one of the students said "Jeff, people are going to think we’re looking for a party."

It was 10 a.m.

There must be something to this, as it was not the first time a student made this remark while we walked through the reserve. So, there we were, about eight of us walking through town, coffees in hand. Good times, for sure.