Windspeaker News Briefs - May

ASSEMBLY OF FIRST NATIONS (AFN)
National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo was in Alderville First Nation April 20 for the launch of an Indigenous learning program designed jointly by Alderville First Nation and Lakefield College School. The event marked the start of First Nation-specific programming in the Lakefield private school’s curriculum. The Indigenous learning program includes teachings from elders, songs and art and will help strengthen relationships between First Nation and non-First Nation students. “Today marks the beginning of a unique collaboration between Lakefield College School and First Nation peoples,” said Joe Bettencourt, the assistant head of Academics at Lakefield College School in Lakefield, Ont. “We look forward to learning about the history and stories of others, and the role we need to play in appreciating the contributions of First Nation peoples to our country.” Alderville First Nation Chief James Marsden said the intent of the program is to “increase understanding of First Nation traditions, cultures and histories. This is an important partnership that will further promote strengthened relationships between First Nations and non-Indigenous people.” The community-based initiative is an inspiring example of action on the ground that can act as a model for other education and learning partnerships between Indigenous peoples and other Canadians, said Atleo. “It is about engaging and motivating young people to learn about Indigenous people, issues and cultures. During an important federal election, this initiative is a showcase of partnership with an emphasis on education, a key priority for First Nations to achieve their full potential in this country.”

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THE FIRST NATIONS EDUCATION
Steering Committee (FNESC) said the federal government has reneged on six years of funding negotiations and introduced “totally unexpected and irresponsible new options that threaten the very survival of one of the most highly praised initiatives for First Nations education.” Tyrone McNeil, president of FNESC, said the first option the feds have left FNESC with is to reduce funding needs by millions of dollars and take away First Nations control of their schools. Funding negotiations after legislation on education jurisdiction was fast-tracked though Parliament with rare all-party support. “Option 2 calls for us to give control of our schools back to Indian and Northern Affairs in return for an inadequate and previously rejected level of funding, while Option 3 offers the same inadequate funding but would let us keep control and implement jurisdiction, provided we allow ourselves to be used to impose government ideology on First Nations in BC,” said Christa Williams, jurisdiction negotiator. FNESC has worked closely with BC to establish school certification, curricula, graduation requirements and teacher accreditation standards that meet all provincial standards and that will reflect the additional needs of First Nations students. It also has fully audited records and strict funding and accountability controls. FNESC says it has shown increasing success with students at First Nation controlled schools that are participating in the jurisdiction initiative, despite the fact that they are still operating with per-capita dollars that are far below the BC public school level and receive no funding for cultural and language training, technology or transportation.

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UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
linguistics professor Keren Rice, considered one of Canada’s foremost experts in the Slavey (Dene) language, one of the official languages of the Northwest Territories, has been awarded one of five 2011 Killam Prizes. The Killam Prize, one of Canada’s most prestigious awards, is administered by the Canada Council for the Arts and comes with a $100,000 prize. The awards honor scholars actively engaged in research and are given in recognition of outstanding career achievements in health sciences, engineering, natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. The director of the University’s Centre for Aboriginal Initiatives, Rice is an expert and an activist, focused on documenting and preserving the Slavey language. She has produced a dictionary of the Slavey language and helped to standardize its written system. She has also developed curricula and language preservation and training programs for Native teachers. Rice plans to use part of her prize money to support a community-based research project in Deline, N.W.T. “The project is looking at language and the different dialects of the language,” she said. “It’s tied in with issues of self-government and how we can use stories to tell us about what was important to people as the community seeks to define its own governance strategy.”

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THE CHIEFS OF ONTARIO
passed a resolution at the recent All Ontario Chiefs Assembly supporting the creation of an Aboriginal Secretariat that will represent First Nation interests in the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. The resolution also called for the Secretariat to receive the necessary funding to carry out its responsibilities. †“The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games set a new standard in terms of Aboriginal involvement in an international sporting event,” said Chief Bryan LaForme, Mississaugas of New Credit First Nation, Ontario. “The Aboriginal Secretariat will be an inclusive voice of Aboriginal interests in the Games.” The Aboriginal Secretariat will model itself on the Four Host First Nations Secretariat, one of the official hosts of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The mandate of the Aboriginal Secretariat will be to facilitate Aboriginal participation in all aspects of the Games including sport, employment, culture, arts, procurement and economic development. “The Chiefs of Ontario want to ensure the 2015 Pan Am Games respect the traditions and diversity of First Nations within the province of Ontario,” said Regional Chief of Ontario Angus Toulouse. “We support creation of the Aboriginal Secretariat so that First Nations People will benefit from the Games.”