The Aboriginal Newspaper of British Columbia & Yukon Top News - January - 2003 Published January 20, 2003 2002 Year in Review Chief's 20 years of community service recognized Big visual art prize announced Ecotrust recognizes Indigenous conservationists This is only a partial listing of the stories featured in the January 2003 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. Click here for Raven's Eye subscription information. Chief's 20 years of community service recognized Matt Ross, Raven's Eye Writer, Cranbrook In the midst of a busy December, Chief Sophie Pierre received a commemorative medal that symbolizes the Queen's Golden Jubilee. Now entering her 20th year as chief of the St. Mary's band outside of Cranbrook, Pierre was awarded with the gold-plated bronze medallion for her outstanding contributions to the Ktunaxa/Kinbasket Tribal Council (KKTC). The creation of this decoration by the Department of Canadian Heritage is in tribute to Queen Elizabeth's 50th year of reign over the Commonwealth. Recipients of the medal were nominated and selected by their communities. Pierre saw this gesture as a sign the non-Native population in the area respects the work by her band. "To be given the recognition of this medal by the local committee is what I appreciate," she said at the Dec. 19 ceremony during a Cranbrook Rotary Club luncheon. The reserve, with only 1,000 residents, has recently opened St. Eugene's Mission, a four-star resort that has provided an economic impetus for the east Kootenays. This facility includes one of Canada's best 18-hole golf courses and the Casino of the Rockies that opened in September. The latest addition is a 125-room hotel that incorporates the former residential school where Pierre studied for nine years. St. Eugene's Mission resulted from the stability of the St. Mary's band government. In addition to Pierre's 24 years on council, three of the present four councillors are in their third consecutive four-year terms. Pierre continually stresses accountability. "Other agencies, governments and corporations, we'll invite them to our assembly. They can see the openness and transparency and to witness the leadership of the five (KKTC) bands," the chief said proudly. "That's why we have people who have invested $20 million in what we do." Presenting the Golden Jubilee Medal was the Member of Parliament for Kootenay-Columbia, Jim Abbott (Canadian Alliance). "Sophie Pierre as chief has assumed an aggressive role of leadership and has had a tremendous amount of success," Abbott said. Besides the financial boom occurring in St. Mary's band, there is an improved social structure. Pierre talked about their preventive and remedial health measures. "When somebody gets sick, it involves more than the doctor, such as a school, but there is no one area to give support for the family to become healthy. The family and the community has to work together as one," Pierre said. While waiting for the opening of the hotel this fall, Pierre travelled twice to Toronto to attend conferences and seminars where she spoke of the efforts of St. Mary's band and KKTC as a potential model for other bands. "It's a lesson to learn in the Aboriginal community because we have to work hard to be accountable to our own people. We have to practice transparent government, and that's what will attract others to our community," the chief said. Top Big visual art prize announced Dan Smoke-Asayenes, Raven's Eye Writer, Halifax A Dunne-Za First Nation artist, Brian Jungen of Vancouver, is the first winner of Canada's newest visual arts prize, the $50,000 Sobey Art Award. This award will be given every two years to a contemporary Canadian artist under the age of 40. A runner-up award of $15,000 plus a $10,000 gift from the Sobey Foundation to the host gallery for purchases of contemporary art makes the award the largest prize for visual arts in Canada. The award was presented last month at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, in Halifax. Jungen, of mixed Dunne-Za and Swiss descent, was one of five finalists. Born in Fort St. John, in the Peace River district, Jungen, 32, is a 1992 graduate of the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, who has quickly gained a national reputation as one of Canada's most promising young artists. He is noted for his ability to reconfigure everyday objects and transform them into complex and compelling works of art. His series of eight mask-like sculptures made of spliced together Nike Air Jordan trainers, first shown in Vancouver, put him on the map. Jungen got the idea for the masks, which he titled "Prototypes For New Understanding," about four years ago. "I was interested in using the collection of Aboriginal art works in museums as a reference point . . . and how that work has become synonymous with Native art practice and the identity of British Columbia. I wanted to use material that was completely paradoxical to that, but merged some ideas of commodification, globalization and work production of material. So, I used Nike Air Jordan trainers which had a very similar red, white and black color scheme and graduated curved lines, and proved to be very flexible working material." One of the Sobey Award jurors was Ray Cronin, curator at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, who said the jury was impressed "with the way he used the 'Prototype series' to deal with issues of culture, of consumerism and their resonance as sculptures." Another exhibit of Jungen's was a dazzling, nearly life-size white skeleton of a whale that he made from moulded plastic chairs bought in bulk from Canadian Tire. It was called Shapeshifter and was suspended in the gallery in the manner of a natural history display. Cronin said, "You immediately get that sort of reference to a whale skeleton in a natural history museum. . . My reaction was one of glee to see something so ubiquitous, so typical, something we all find in our backyards." The award was the brain-child of Donald Sobey, chair of the Sobey Art Foundation, who thought there was a lack of help for young Canadians in the art world. "It's exciting to support emerging talent," Sobey said, "and we are extraordinarily proud of the calibre of the field." To Jungen, the award means "not having to worry about grant-writing for a while, which takes up a lot of the artist's time." Top Ecotrust recognizes Indigenous conservationists Inna Dansereau, Raven's Eye Writer, Portland, Oregon Two Aboriginal leaders from British Columbia were recognized by Ecotrust with the Buffett Award for Indigenous Leadership on Nov. 13 in Portland, Ore. The Buffett Award honors First Nations members over the age of 35, who make significant contributions in conservation and community development and improve social, economic, political or environmental conditions in their community. Kelly Brown, a member of the Heiltsuk Nation, from Bella Bella was honored with a fellowship of $25,000 for his work as a negotiator, planner and educator in the areas of conservation and cultural restoration. He has worked for six years as a senior negotiator for the Heiltsuk Tribal Council in intergovernmental negotiations. Last year, he was developing a cedar protection strategy. He has also been working with the Ainu people of Hokkaido Island in Japan on asserting their Aboriginal rights, title, and culture for a few years now. In the past, he worked as an instructor at Heiltsuk College and as a teacher at Seabird Island Community School. "Kelly Brown exemplifies the remarkable leadership that has always existed in our First Nations communities. Kelly serves as a bridge between the teachings of his Elders and the aspirations of Indigenous peoples whose culture and self-determination is resurgent all along the coast," said Ian Gill, president of Ecotrust Canada. Brown said it was a mixture of activities that earned him the award. "In-between the land-use planning or conservation, and working with our young people in Bella Bella on their culture and building some respect in that regard, and also working with the Ainu people of Japan, I think those three areas, you know, concentrating on the economy and self-healing and all that, I think, has really helped me in at achieving this award." He said he will use the money to do a study on Indigenous Law for the Ainu as he pursues a law degree. John D. Ward of the Tlingit First Nation in Atlin was honored as a finalist for his leadership in protecting the Taku River Tlingit territory as well as his watershed planning and salmon conservation efforts. The second annual award ceremony "was a good time to share with one another basically what we're doing, and it's good to see a lot of different people from such a large geographical area attempting to do the same things," said Ward. He said he might keep in contact with the other finalists, especially from Canada. "I can see us working together in the future." Five finalists were chosen out of 18 nominees. The other finalists were all from the United States. Ecotrust, based in Portland, was created in 1991 as a non-profit organization to work on conservation and economic development in the greater Pacific Northwest of the United States and British Columbia. An Ecotrust Canada council member, Howard Buffet, and his brother Peter established the award last year. They are both philanthropists interested in Indigenous rights and conservation issues. Top