Published June 07, 1999 Ready to go! A.J. Bonaise (left) of Little Pine First NAtion awaits his turn to dance at the Wanuskewin Powwow While friend Dakota Tootoosis gives him a last minute touch up. More than 5,000 people attended the event. Photo Credit: Paul Sinkewicz Regina gets first urban reserve by Mervin Brass High school shootings: Could this happen at your school? by Christopher Tyrone Ross School Board brings students together from city and reserve by Pamela Sexsmith Green Onion Lake FM radio station up and running by Pamela Sexsmith Green Metis Spring Festival off to good start by Terry Lusty We must move forward together by Denis Okanee Angus Here is a full list of additional stories featured in the June, 1999 issue of Saskatchewan Sage. If you are not receiving your own copy of Saskatchewan Sage, then you have missed all this information. Click here for Saskatchewan Sage subscription information. Court decison will mean Indian Act changes Aboriginal people in the workplace Women get together Girl needs kidney transplant Thousands attend 1999 Wanuskewin powwow Indigenous wrestler Wavell's career a rising star SaskTel to honor Aboriginal youth Regina gets first urban reserve Mervin Brass Sage Writer REGINA It's not a first in Saskatchewan, but it's a first for the city of Regina. Regina city council overwhelmingly gave its support on May 31 with a unanimous vote of approval for Regina's first urban Indian reserve. The Nikaneet First Nation, located about 250 km west of Regina, cleared one of the hurdles needed to receive urban reserve status for some land the band owns in the city. The 1.2 acre property is located in the city's north east side, a section of the city renown for industry. But it will soon be known as Indian country. Nikaneet First Nation Chief Larry Oakes said the band plans to lease it out to tenants. Oakes also said the band still has a ways to go before the reserve is created. "There will be a check list with Indian Affairs," said the chief. "It's something we'll have to go through before the land gets reserve status." Oakes is taking a modest approach to the deal. "It's just another building," he said. "We'll be just one of the boys out there." While Regina Mayor, Doug Archer, says many communities in the province have urban reserves already. "First Nations are becoming a significant part of economies in the province as a whole," Archer said. "And this is a step in making the Nikaneet First Nation a part of our economy in the city of Regina." But Archer says the service agreement contains a clause which means the band will pay will replace any lost tax revenue and this will mean the band will receive the same types of services as other city businesses. High school shootings: Could this happen at your school? By Chris Tyrone Ross Sage Youth Columnist It was a devastation and something that no one will ever forget, another tragedy in America had caught the attention of the World in Columbine High School at Littleton, Colorado. You read the articles, saw the news, and saw the sadness in the tears of the families and friends of the victims. Two enraged teens opened fire and killed 12 of their fellow students and a teacher. Many others were injured. They later turned the guns on themselves, ending the Colorado bloodbath. Almost one week later, a similar story would happen in Taber, Alta., this time two people were killed when one teen opened fire on students in his high school. Then, exactly one month after the Colorado blood bath, another school shooting would occur in the suburban community of Conyers, Georgia. A boy upset over a broken romance, shot and wounded six students, then fell to his knees, stuck a gun in his mouth and surrendered in tears. Since then, many students in urban areas around North America have asked themselves the same question: Could this tragedy ever happen at my high school? Well let's hope not. Let's pray that this will never happen again. Only the Creator can tell what lies ahead for our youth. We are still unsure of the possibilities, we are also incapable of preventing another school shooting, we are also doubtful if something like this could ever occur in a small place like Saskatoon or any other community. Then again when you compare the size of Saskatoon or Regina to Littleton, Colorado, it makes you think: What news will you see appear on the CTV-News Hour at Noon? As a youth columnist for Sage, I have always wanted other people to see how urban youth are affected by hard issues, such as the high school shootings. A teen living and going to school on a reservation may doubt that something like this could ever happen in his or her high school. The chances are very slim on a reserve, but in a city, the chances are much higher and that's the most frightening of all. In the city it is different. A much larger population, a variety of different groups ranging from skateboarders to Goths, and better access to lethal weapons like the ones that were used in the Colorado blood bath can make the city a dangerous place. For those of us who are still in high school, we are separate in crowds and different groups and live day-to-day as normal teenagers. The jocks hang with the jocks, the Natives hang with the Natives, and the outcasts hang out by themselves. Even after these three high school blood baths, students still say "this will never happen here!" That's exactly what many students said in Taber and Conyers when they heard about the Colorado blood bath. These three school shootings have killed many innocent students and brought many people into tears. "Why? Why? Why?" screamed a crying parent after the Colorado bloodbath. No body on TV or in the newspapers would answer her question. The answer is simple and would best describe what was going through the minds of Harris and Klebold, the two murderers responsible for the slaughter in Colorado. They were fighting against the sub-culture of racism that faced them and other people around the world everyday. They were a group divided among the rest, The Trenchcoat Mafia was their cliqué and their gothic culture faced segregation and degradation on a daily basis. They were racist to not only black people, but others who were not like them, including the jocks who made them feel insecure. Who was at fault? Was it their parents? Was it the jocks? Or was it their separate world that they built for themselves to hide from the rest of society? So many questions and not enough answers. For those who died in these three school shootings let us pray for their families and friends, let us remember those who were victims. Let us make friends with one another regardless of age, gender, race, or different groups. Let's learn to accept each other as normal human beings so we can move on. Right now we are standing still, acting as if nothing happened when in fact it could happen to you. And let's work on being one nation instead of four, let's come together and remember that we are all the same. School Board brings students together from city and reserve By Pamela Sexsmith Green Sage Writer ONION LAKE FIRST NATION Learning about Native culture in the classroom is lots of fun but making a little bit of history of your own can be even more exciting. It all started with a pile of pen pal letters sent between two "sister" Grade 3 classes - one from the city and one from the reserve. They also exchanged video tapes of themselves and their families. Then came a special invitation to attend the 1999 Interschool Pow Wow at the Onion Lake First Nation Reserve. Spending a day out at an Interschool Pow Wow with kids from Little Pine, Frog Lake, Kehewin, Onion Lake and Joseph Bighead Reserves turned out to be "pretty amazing" say the students from Father Gorman Catholic School in Lloydminster. "We've never seen anything like it, the dancing, drumming and singing and we got to make paper moccasins and eat bannock!" said one student. The exchange was part of the Indian and Métis Education program (IMED), funded equally by the provincial government and the local school division. "The visit was a real first for the Grade 3 program in Lloydminster, the first time we've taken our city kids out to a reserve," said Teresa Rowland, the home and school Aboriginal liaison worker who coordinates the division's IMED program. "The kids from the reserves come into the city with their families, but there isn't much chance for the kids from the city to come out to a reserve and see what it's all about. It's just not something they do until we bring them here. It's very much an exchange. The kids from the reserve get to see the kids from the city and the kids from the city get to see the kids from the reserve, a real eye opener for both Native and non-Native students, many who have never been to a Pow Wow." The classroom visit at Chief Taylor Elementary School included story telling with an Elder and a traditional lunch. The visit helped students to "break the ice, get past misconceptions and reach out to each other," explained Rowland. The afternoon program tied it all together at the Interschool Pow Wow, held in the impressive new Onion Lake arena facility. "Grade 3 students are up to new experiences, they're really open. We need to reach these kids before they get to the age where they're saying, this is different and it's not OK. Our city students come and see the Native kids in their classroom, at their pow wow, hear the music, see the regalia and then they can go home and tell their buddies and parents about it, it's not so scary, not so different," she said. The visit out to Onion Lake First Nation is also very beneficial for the Aboriginal kids from the city, even if they aren't traditional dancers. It gives them a chance to feel good about their own culture, to feel proud, she said. The IMED program, which helps bring Native cultural awareness into the mainstream school system, works hand-in-hand with the liaison program coordinated by Rowland, a Métis raised in Chitek, who acts as a support and advocate for Aboriginal families. "There are a lot of cultural misunderstandings and my job is to take the Aboriginal family's point of view to the school and help them to understand the school's point of view, with me being the voice for the school or the voice for the families, ironing out bugs like making sure permission slips for trips like the Interschool Pow Wow get home to the parents and come back signed," she said. Rowland said the positive spin-offs of the liaison program include improved attendance for Native students and more parents coming to the school to iron out problems. Rowland also brings Elders and cultural resource people into the classrooms within the Catholic school Division of Lloydminster. The Grade 4 class recently took a trip into Edmonton to visit the new Syncrude Gallery at Alberta's Provincial Museum as part of their ongoing studies of the history of the Canadian fur trade. "The IMED program targets Aboriginal and Métis development," said Doug Robertson, superintendent of education. "There is an importance on our society for all children to learn about Aboriginal culture. Overall, it is having an impact in validating Indian and Métis culture in our larger culture." After getting a taste of dancing, drumming and singing at the Interschool, some of the students from Lloydminster are now looking forward to coming out with their families to the spectacular Onion Lake Pow Wow this summer. Onion Lake FM Radio Station Up and Running By Pamela Sexsmith Green Sage Writer ONION LAKE Tilting the microphone a little more in the direction of his powerful voice, Ray Whitstone, the new "Radio Guy" out at Onion Lake First Nation gets ready to start "another good day." "That's what this new FM radio station - 97.7 KPR - is all about, waking up the people and trying to make them feel good. People really seem to like it and are getting up in the mornings just to listen to this program," said Whitstone. It's no wonder that people on the reserve are happy and excited about the new community programming. It does have something for everyone out there in Indian Country, Whitstone said. "Community programming really is for everyone, from our tiny tots right up to our Elders, people who think and speak in fluent Cree. I try to talk as much Cree as I can to liven up our people, everybody gets a good listen," he said. As the new general manager of KPR, Kitaskenow Radio Productions, Whitstone has his work cut out for him. "You have to be an early bird to do radio, a night hawk to do Round Dance and have a lot of stamina to take on a three day Pow Wow," said this well known commentator. Onion Lake was given an FM broadcasting license in the 1980s but nothing really jelled until Whitstone stepped in and came up with a working plan for a station. He presented a proposal with a basic programming format and cost to Chief Wally Fox and council about three months ago, got approved and set up to the tune of about $25,000, with equipment purchased from a company in Saskatoon. Housed in a booth over top of the medical center, the location and schedule meshes perfectly with Whitstone's full time day job as medical transport officer for the reserve. "Kitaskenow is Cree for 'our land, our country' and this is a volunteer position for me, a good way to give back to our people. I really like helping all the families and little kids out there get ready for school in the morning, play them little looney tune pow wow songs, a little waker-upper kids, drum songs and round dance songs in Cree," he said. The current fav for the junior set is what Whitstone calls the pow wow Bat Man song, "go ask your mother for 50 cents but do it in Cree!" During his early bird stint from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. in the morning, his request line was ringing off the hook with locals asking for birthday dedications and musical trips down memory lane. "The people just love hearing our traditional round dance music as well as the Métis fiddle-and-spoon foot stomping kind of sound. We have people of the Hank Williams days, Loretta Lynn days and Kitty Wells as well as today's artists like Shania and Garth. Everyone loves the looney tunes in the morning. I tell the kids, in English and in Cree, eat your porridge, get ready for school and catch that big yellow bus. Get up, get going, it's another good day here in Kitaskenow," he said. As well as working to build a really comprehensive CD library for the station, Whitstone is also showing the ropes to new young upcoming commentators. Still in its infancy, the new station is broadcasting in the morning, from noon until one with school announcements, news and interviews with Elders and community members. Request lines will be open in the evening from 8:00 until 10:00 with a youth show on Wednesdays from 4:30 until 6:00 pm. Saturdays will be a mixed bag featuring local and traditional artists, country music and church announcements and a gospel show from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Sunday nights are reserved for radio bingo. Plans for the future, says Whitstone, include broadcasting 10 to 12 hours a days and the possible addition of a television studio down the road. Making one final adjustment to the new microphone, Whitstone tells his listeners to "be positive, hug your kids and stay tuned to 97.7 KPR, cause it's another great day and this show's for you!" Métis Spring Festival off to good start first time around By Terry Lusty Sage Writer SASKATOON News flash! About 250 Métis revelers were spotted at Saskatoon's Ukrainian Hall on 20th Street on the Victoria Day long weekend, May 21 to 23. Amid much foot stompin', hand clappin' and shouts of joy, the action proved highly entertaining and lively to the sounds of fiddles, guitars and vocalists who were all out to absolutely enjoy themselves and experience still more of their cultural heritage. The ability to get out there to practice their culture and thrive on it has become a long-established component in the Métis community, one that people refuse to forget or permit to be relegated to the dustbins of history. This is how the Métis Spring Festival came about. Sponsored by the Saskatoon Métis Cultural Society and the Cumfi Métis Local 165, board member Rose Boyer explained the idea came from the Métis Festival held annually in Prince Albert which draws about 1,500 people. And, while the event may not have been all that was hoped for, organizers were satisfied with the outcome. There were a few errors but, said Boyer, "we'll learn from our mistakes." She feels that, more important is the fact that the festival is an initiative that contributes to the retention and promotion of Métis culture. Agreeing strongly with that notion is Roy Fosseneuve, better known as 'the judge.' "This type of event brings Métis people together; it needs attention in urban centres," said Fosseneuve, who said he hopes the festival will "get bigger and better." The event was kicked off with an opening prayer by Rose Boyer whose song, 'Louis Riel,' was sung by her son, Phil. The Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings featured songs by Mel Vandale, Wendy Bissonette, Shari Sayers, Florence McKay, Jim Villeneuve, Allan Morin and others. One individual in the audience, Luke Jeddry, said "Métis talent is probably the best there is." Jeddry should have a fair idea about that. After all, he's recorded 30 or so different Aboriginal artists on CDs and cassette tapes, people such as Kelly Atcheynum, Phil Boyer, Allan Morin and many others. Jeddry's impression of the festival? "I can see this grow. Next year will involve people from all three western provinces," he stated. There was some guest fiddling by Russel Boyer and square dancing and jigging by the local Michif Dancers, aged five to 12, as well as the Free Spirit dancers who put on a coordinated, high energy performance that got everyone's hands and feet going. The cultural society president, Mel Vandale, informed Saskatchewan Sage there is a definite need for functions of this nature. "In the days of the horse," he explained, "people would congregate and take out the violins and guitars, and whether picking berries or digging Seneca root . . . there was always fun to be had." Vandale was critical of mainstream influences which have robbed a lot of Métis of learning and experiencing their own culture. "While we still have people around that know about Métis culture, we have to teach it," he said. Echoing his sentiments was one of the older community members, Ernest Aubichon. "When we were younger, we did this all the time," he stated. "This festival is a good start; it's important and I enjoy it." Aubichon wasn't the only person to enjoy it. Dozens of others did and some of those others were non-Métis. For example, two distant visitors were Ferris and Daisy Smith, First Nations members from Alberta's Siksika Reserve east of Calgary. Although it was their first taste of Métis culture, they were quick to admit they "like it, enjoy it." As for returning to take it in again? "Yes, we would," they said. The festival also proved an opportunity for other elements of the culture to be expressed. Raffles of Métis crafts, sales of Métis flags and so forth were conducted as was the explanation of culture and what's happening in and amongst Métis communities today. Much of this occurred during the discussions that went on between people in the crowd and a few who got up to express themselves over the microphone. A Saskatoon Aboriginal resource officer with the city police, Konota Crane, informed the audience that hers is "a position I want people to understand," that it helps bridge communications between police and the Métis community. She acknowledge that her job is the result of the Métis in the city who pushed for it. She further expressed a real need for the urban Métis to concentrate their efforts on supporting the youth. If nothing else, the Saskatoon Métis Cultural Society intends to continues its direction and promote Métis culture and heritage. Even at the school level, said Mel Vandale, "our goal is to work along with schools on Métis culture." Why? Simply because "there's not enough" of it in the system. In recognition of her work with the festival, Florence McKay was presented with a bouquet of roses. And a few Métis sashes were also presented to individuals that were recognized, including youth representatives Nicole Pilon and Jason McLeod. We must move forward together By Denis Okanee Angus Sage Columnist I grew up in several different foster homes. One of these times, I was put in a foster home that was a farm. Before that, I did not know anything about farming. But in this foster home, I was put to work on the farm. If I remember right, I was about nine years old. I started learning about cows, milking cows, separating the calves from the moms, cleaning stalls - all the things farm life is about. We built fences and mended fences. I picked so many rocks and roots out of the fields. We cleared land. It was hard work. I never thought much about this until we moved back to the community and now we have a few horses for the kids. Having those horses around made me remember the time that I spent on the farm. Although, I don't think about everything I learned in the foster care system (or everything I lost like being able to speak the language well), I guess I have to admit that I did learn some things that are important to how my life is today. As Indian communities in Saskatchewan are realizing the goals of the Treaty Land Entitlement process through the purchase of additional lands for community use, I think it is very important that as a community we consider the skills we have and the skills we don't. One of the things that has happened to us, is that we have learned dependency. There's always a line-up of people at the band office waiting for a hand out. I do not mean this to sound harsh. We just have to acknowledge the facts about what is going on in our community. As our political leaders chase dreams of economic self-sufficiency, it's very important that we put this dream on the ground. We are acquiring lots of land. At Thunderchild, many people used to be very successful farmers. At least, this is what my dad told me. Before our community was relocated, many of the Thunderchild farmers were more successful than their non-Indian neighbors. From how I heard this story this caused lots of resentment. It's part of the reason why Thunderchild was moved north. We now have a specific claim about the land we lost near Delmas. It's been filed for a long time now but I don't think that it is anywhere close to being settled. My concern about this land claim is that the people be put back in the position they were in before they were moved. It's not just about the loss of land but it's also about the loss of knowledge and skills. It's about the loss of confidence to be successful. And then we learned dependency. I learned some good things from this one foster dad. This is the kind of cooperation between Indian and non-Indian people that needs to be re-built in this territory. As we aspire to being economically self-sufficient we need to make sure that we are bringing all the people along with us. That economic opportunity means economic opportunity for everyone. If you can't feed your own children from your own resources, then you can't talk to me about self-government.