Awards and anniversaries around Alberta

Page 5

Terrying About

Tansi!

Hoo, boy, it's been a bit of a cold winter, eh? Our good friends in northern Alberta have had to suffer through temperatures in the minus-40s, although things had improved to about zero at the time of this writing.

A few congrats are in order: 1) to three Albertans selected as 1997 recipients of the prestigious National Aboriginal Achievement Awards - they are film and television producer/director Gil Cardinal, law and justice contributions of Chester Cunningham and historian and writer Olive Dickason; 2) to newly elected Peigan Chief Peter Strikes With A Gun, a former councilor and employee with the Peigan (alcohol & drug) Prevention Counseling Services, who captured more votes than five other candidates; and 3) to the community of Brocket, which hosted a successful seventh annual Cross-cultural Conference and celebrations. Quenton Crowshoe reports that 12 hockey teams and 16 basketball teams participated.

Speaking of hockey, the Alberta Native Provincials are scheduled for April 3 to 6 in Edmonton and area.

One other annual event, the Dreamspeakers Festival, has set its dates for May 26 to June 1 at Edmonton's Mayfield Inn and Trade Centre.

Ron Lameman is the new acting director for the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations. He replaces the recently departed Sam Bull Sr., who was one fine ambassador for the First Nations people he so ably represented.

Calgarians and Edmontonians were treated to a visit by Gary Farmer, who presented "Savages: Images of Native Americans in Film" on Jan. 21 at the University of Alberta. The film reviews and talk by the eastern actor and the editor-in-chief of that fine Toronto-based magazine Aboriginal Voices was a fine lesson for the uninitiated in bigotry and the misrepresentation of Natives in the movie industry.

There are two 25th anniversary celebrations just around the corner that will recognize that ever-so-important field of education. One is that of the Native Communications Program (NCP) at Grant McEwan Community College, which will honor all past graduates with an April 26 round dance at the Millwoods campus. NCP executive director Jane Woodward raises an interesting statistic about current students: "Nine of the 28 students are at a 3.3 grade point average, or better." That's out of a possible 4.0!

Also celebrating its 25th is the University of Calgary Native student services and club. Director George Calliou is making a plea for any and all past grads to contact them (220-6687 or 220-6034) because they hope to hold a special celebration - possibly in June. They're hosting their annual awareness week March 12 to 16. President Adrian Wolfleg says it will include workshops presented by former grads and local resource people, topics on traditions such as legends, dances, costumes, etc., and a fashion show and dry dance at the McEwan Centre on campus.

Calgary's Plains Indian Cultural Survival School, founded in 1979 with Maggie Black Kettle as its resident Elder, plans an open house sometime in May and a June graduation and powwow. Secretary Truda Whitfield informs Alberta Sweetgrass that the Grade 8 to 12 program has about 100 students and instructs Blackfoot and Cree language, crafts, drumming, singing, bustle making, traditions (legends, Elders, Native lifestyles), etc. The school began a new semester on Feb. 3.

The Indigenous Sport Council (Alberta) has set dates and places for its qualifiers to the North American Indigenous Games. See story on page 13.

Did you know?? The late Al "Boomer" Adair, whom we profiled in our last issue, was Alberta's very first minister without portfolio responsible for Native affairs. He was a good one!