The Aboriginal Newspaper of British
Columbia & Yukon
Top News - August -2002
Published August 19, 2002
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Oke-Tw'sha Roberts, the three-year-old daughter of Rowena and Dale Roberts of Shawnee, Okla., is already serious about hoop dancing. She participated with her parents in the Kamloopa Powwow, held the weekend of Aug. 2 to 4. |
Laughter and fun highlight Elders' conference
First Nation allege rights to parkIndigenous Games best in North America
This is only a partial listing of the stories featured in the August 2002 issue of Raven's Eye. If you are not receiving your own copy of Raven's Eye, then you have missed out on a lot.
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Award winnersRaven's Eye Staff
The Vancouver foundation announced July 10 that a jury has chosen 13 recipients of its Visual Arts Development Award 2002, which has a pot of $56,000 to be divided among them. Three of the recipients are Aboriginal. The money, administered by the Contemporary Art Gallery, will help these emerging and mid-career artists and artisans to develop their work.
Aboriginal recipients are Christopher Auchter (Skidegate), a Haida artist and animator; Troy Hunter (Cranbrook), a photographer; and Chris Paul (Saanichton), a jewelry maker.
According to a foundation press release, Christopher Auchter "graduated from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. He will examine the Haida narrative and physical layout of houses and poles in the World Heritage site on Haida Gwaii. This enquiry will lead to his translation of traditional stories. His mentor will be Michael Nicoll Yakgulanaas, cartoonist, writer and political activist."
Troy Hunter, who occasionally contributes to Raven's Eye, "has been in the B.C. Festival of the Arts for several years. He is also vice-president of the Indigenous Arts Service Organization. He plans to learn about underwater photography and video as well as editing digital video. He will explore the Ktunaxa/Kinbasket fishing grounds and the loss of salmon and sturgeon in the Kootenays."
Chris Paul "attended K'san, the International School of West Coast Art, and has apprenticed with Roy Henry Vickers. Chris will apprentice with a west coast jewelery artist. He will learn to engrave metal and the fine metal work of jewelry. Learning jewelry making will enable him to express himself in another medium of West Coast art."
The award is available to British Columbia artists and artisans from all cultures. This year there were 150 applicants.
Laughter and fun highlight Elders' conference
Yvonne Irene Gladue, Raven's Eye Writer, Victoria
Hundreds of Elders gathered at the Saanich Fairgrounds for the 26th annual Elders' conference held July 9 to 11.
Elders sat on benches and chairs in the sun and in shaded areas as the temperature soared into the 30s.
The conference gave them a chance to share ideas, cultural beliefs, knowledge, respect, stories and wisdom with the youth, communities and each other. Local Salish musicians welcomed the delegates with drum songs during the parade, as Elders wearing colorful regalia marched into the grounds with banners naming their communities, followed by Aboriginal Veterans. The opening ceremonies also included speeches by President of the United Native Nations, Scott Clarke; Assembly of First Nations representatives; First Nation chiefs; representatives of the visiting communities; and Lt.-Gov. Iona Campagnolo. Delegates came from all across Canada, the United States, South America and the Philippines.
Conference co-ordinator Frazer Smith, who is from the Tsartslip First Nation in Brentwood Bay, said, "We had about 4,000 people attending the conference - we had people come from the four corners of the world. It was great. I enjoyed it and people enjoyed it and the volunteers enjoyed it. . . The weather was awesome; the only complaint we had was that it was too hot. I said to the people that were afraid of the rain that I did a sun dance so we had lots of sunshine," he said.
Volunteers were seen hurrying about making sure everything ran smoothly. Twenty-nine workshops and seminars held in various locations on the grounds included information on diet, self-care, financial planning, trauma, residential school issues, isolation, loneliness, healing, massage therapy and exercise sessions.
Handouts were provided that covered such issues as Elder respect, Elder abuse and how to resolve conflict. Arts and crafts booths displayed Aboriginal handiwork and the information booths handed out workshop schedules.
During the lunch hour, entertainment was provided at an open stage where the audience was asked to participate. Elders were served lunch and supper by youth volunteers, and tables in a building adjacent to the stage area were lined up with pastries and fruit for them to snack on during the day. Plenty of fresh water and juice was in various locations on the grounds also.
"We tried to provide for the Elders as much as we could. We asked people before the conference . . . what they would want and they would tell us. So we got ideas from people all over the country. People came forward and picked up their umbrellas, some organizations brought their tents to make shaded areas and people shared their tents with other people, which was nice. We provided umbrellas to the Elders, and we also provided a covering so that they could sit under them and enjoy the activities in the shade," said Smith.
Elders with mobility problems were transported to the different venues in golf carts, some rented, some borrowed. There was a suitable supply of walkers and scooters available too. A roomful of cots was available in the first aid area for Elders to rest.
"Several local attractions in the city opened their doors for the Elders to visit. We also had three buses for the Elders who wanted to see some of the local attractions, go shopping or back to their hotels," Smith concluded.
Next year's conference is scheduled to be held in Vancouver.
First Nation allege rights to parkMatt Ross, Raven's Eye Writer, Valdes Island
An effort by the provincial government towards greening the Gulf Islands has run into opposition from local First Nations.
The northern tip of Valdes Island, a 15-square-kilometre island south of Gabriola Island, had received cabinet approval on June 19 to be converted into a provincial park, yet the Lyackson First Nation was never consulted. The reserve claims this property was stolen more than a century ago and the band didn't know this tract of land was presently available.
Chief negotiator for the Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group, of which Lyackson is one of six bands, is Robert Morales. He said it isn't the size of the park that's at issue - 1.3 square kilometres - but rather the secretiveness and how quickly the park was approved.
"We found out about this initiative within the last month," Morales said in July, "and had a meeting with (B.C.) Parks to express our concern. The next thing we know is that it went to cabinet for approval," he said.
The newly-created Wake's Cove Provincial Park contains a stand of old growth Douglas fir plus arbutus trees and some endangered plant species. Purchased for $4.12 million, the land has been privately owned since 1876 when it was said to be taken from the Lyackson band and presented to a retiring British naval officer, Captain Baldwin Wake.
On the present-day, seven- square-kilometre reserve on Valdes Island, there are no permanent inhabitants among the 200 to 300 band members. Most live in the Nanaimo area. For several years the Lyackson have expressed their interest in getting back their land, as much of the island as possible.
Morales noted its quite difficult to obtain property in the Gulf Islands, either by purchasing or through treaty negotiations, because of who owns it now.
"Unlike the rest of the province where 95 per cent is Crown land, less than 10 per cent (on Valdes) is Crown with the rest privately owned," said Morales, adding that about half of the island is owned by Weyerhauser, the forestry company.
Morales is concerned that there has been no determination of the traditional importance of this land to Lyackson. There has never been an archaeological dig.
Repeated attempts to contact the provincial Water, Land and Air Protection Department (the umbrella organization under which B.C. Parks falls) for comment were unsuccessful. In a prepared press release on June 19, Minister Joyce Murray stated Wake's Cove is an environmentally significant area that is part of fulfilling a greater role in creating more provincial and national parks in the Gulf Islands.
"Today's (June 19) approval meets our New Era commitment to make sure decisions on any new parks are made in public," wrote Murray.
Morales hopes that despite cabinet approval, there is still time for the Lyackson to play a role in Wake's Cove.
"What will the role of First Nations be in the management of the park if in fact it is too late (to change the government's approval)?" Morales said.
While the intent of the provincial government is to fulfill its obligation towards the Pacific Marine Heritage Legacy Agreement with the federal government, Morales believes time doesn't provide immunity on a disputed land claim now into its 126th year.
"Our title and interest continues to exist throughout the island. Despite the unlawful grant of the land, that does not displace the rights of Hul'qumi'num," said Morales.
Top
Indigenous Games best in North America
Yvonne Irene Gladue, Raven's Eye Writer , Winnipeg
From the opening ceremonies at the North American Indigenous Games in Winnipeg July 28, to the closing ceremonies on Aug. 4, thousands of athletes, volunteers, and spectators shared in the excitement, exuberance and team spirit that was evident throughout the 11-day sporting event. At any time of day, hundreds of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit youth on Winnipeg streets and at the sporting events were visible by their colorful tracksuits, representing their traditional territories, cultures and sport.
More than 6,300 of the best Aboriginal athletes were vying for gold, silver or bronze in 16 sporting events.
This is the fifth time these games have been held, and they are recognized as the largest Aboriginal sport competitions anywhere. According to Déne Sinclair, communications manager for the games, the event was immensely successful.
"It really completely blew my mind; it exceeded everything that I was expecting. These games are so important for the kids, for them to have an opportunity to come together and to share together, not only their cultures but also in sport. For a lot of them it is the first time they've competed internationally. It was an honor to have them here at my home in Winnipeg, and to see what a success it was," she said.
"I would like to say congratulations to all the teams, they've worked really hard to get as many medals as they did. So, way to go.
"One of the most popular comments I received throughout the week was how friendly Winnipeg is. That the licence plate saying 'friendly Manitoba' is so fitting. So many people told me that they are really looking forward to coming back to Winnipeg, whether for their own personal reasons or for another event. Winnipeg treated them so well. It makes me proud to be from Winnipeg. Hearing these types of comments from all these participants from all over Canada and the United States is great," said Sinclair.
"The weather was awesome. It was wonderful . . . there were no mosquitoes, which was very unusual for Winnipeg."
"It was really a great time to be in Winnipeg. The teams were amazing - they really took responsibility for their athletes. They really showed that they were really serious about this event. They were taking it really seriously. There was zero tolerance for any misbehavior and for any disrespect of any sort. All the teams really took a stand. They really set an example for the younger kids and that was really, really important," said Sinclair.
The Forks, a site located close to downtown, was filled with hundreds of people during the cultural and musical entertainment component of the games. A number of other locations in the city also featured musicians and comedy acts.
The sixteen sporting events were 3-D archery, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, canoeing, field lacrosse, golf, rifle shooting, soccer, softball, swimming, tae kwon do, volleyball, wrestling and athletics. There were five competitive age classifications, for both male and female athletes: Bantam, 13 and14 years old; Midget 15 and 16 years old; Juvenile 17 and 18 years old; Junior 19 to 21 years old; Senior 22 years and older; and Masters, 1952 and older.
Some of the venues for the games included Bird's Hill Park; Labarriere Park; U of M field track; Lipsett Hall's Pan Am Pool; John Blumberg Softball Complex; and the Glen Murphy Range. A number of elementary, junior and high school gymnasiums throughout the city also held sport competitions.
According to Sinclair, the North American Indigenous Games council is currently looking at Buffalo New York as being the site for the games in 2005.
British Columbia came in fifth, with a total of 31 gold, 21 silver and 19 bronze medals.
The games were seen on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, which was the official host broadcaster.