AMMSA Home Page Back to the start... Windspeaker Canada's National Aboriginal News CFWE-FM Alberta's Aboriginal Voice Alberta Sweetgrass Alberta's Aboriginal Newspaper Saskatchewan Sage Saskatchewan's Aboriginal Newspaper Raven's Eye BC and Yukon's Aboriginal Newspaper Aboriginal Media Services Aboriginal Media Selection Info. AMMSA Mission & History Canada's National Aboriginal News AMMSA Marketing Reach Canada's Aboriginal Market AMMSA Merchandise Show your colors... AMMSA Subscriptions Don't be left out on news and info. AMMSA Aboriginal Scholarships Scholarships and bursaries specifically for Aboriginal students. Aboriginal History Calendar Will history repeat itself? Find out... AMMSA Aboriginal Careers Starting or changing careers? Start here. AMMSA Community Events Find out what's happening! AMMSA Festival Showcase In depth coverage of Festivals & Events. On-line Contest A new contest every month! E-mail us your comments to: edsage@ammsa.com

Published March 16, 1998 Hoopin' it up! Saskatchewan's own Boye Ladd took part in the eighth annual World Hoop Dance Contest held in Phoenix, Arizona on Feb. 7 and 8. Ladd put in a strong performance and placed third in the seniors' category. Photo Credit: Rob McKinley Negative attitudes about Indians revealed by poll by Debora Lockyer Culturally-specific cards just tip of the iceberg by Pamela Green Young mothers get good advice in program by Paul Sinkewicz Games are more than sport to organizer by Brian Cross Here is a full list of additional stories featured in the March, 1998 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. Community votes to control reserve lands Goals stacked a mile high Something about my art Getting things done is reward enough Immersion goals being met Talent show spotlights Aboriginal performers Day Star artist paints himself a colorful future Student's future is cooking Negative attitudes about Indians revealed by poll By Debora Lockyer Sage Writer REGINA Comments from callers to a Regina radio station seemed to represent the more negative racial attitudes of Saskatchewan residents when slurs against Indians were aired during a live call-in show. The show was broadcast Wednesday, Feb. 25, one day after the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations released the findings of a recent poll which revealed that an "overwhelming" number of Saskatchewan respondents held "negative opinions" about Indians. "To all the people who aren't part of the white race, especially (expletive) Indians - bite me," one caller said, when Wolf 104.9 FM invited listeners to air their concerns during a segment called Bite Me Wednesday. Later that morning during a segment where listeners were asked to identify a sound, one caller remarked it was the sound of "an Indian falling down the stairs drunk." According to the FSIN-commissioned poll, negative attitudes about Indians are a problem in the province. When respondents were asked their "top-of-mind" response to the word Indian, about 40 per cent of the responses were negative, reported the FSIN; these included describing Indian people as free loaders, cry babies, greedy, lazy, or bums. The poll did, however, provide the insight that the respondents did have some understanding of the situation of Aboriginal people in the province. Respondents used words such as oppressed, misunderstood, unfair treatment, deprived, and struggle in describing Saskatchewan Indians. Some respondents held out hope that the future would be better for Indian people. If the FSIN's interpretation of the poll results is correct and the province is rife with negative feelings toward Indian people, then Aboriginal people are responding with complaints to the province's Human Rights Commission. Genevieve Leslie, the communications co-ordinator with the commission, reports that of the 190 complaints the commission handled in the last fiscal year ending March 31, 1997, 16 of them involved Aboriginal ancestry. That's 8.4 per cent. Of those 16 complaints, six dealt with employment issues, eight with public services, and two with housing. This year complaints are up to 16.8 per cent. That is 31 complaints, with 11 in area of public services, 12 in employment, four in housing, one complaint involved education, one involved publications, and two involved occupations. The poll indicated that the most pressing problems faced by Native people were unemployment and a lack of education. The majority of respondents agreed that Indian children should be provided with improved educational and training opportunities; that Indian people increase their economic independence; that the federal government should stop trying to control every aspect of Indian people's lives; that Indian governments are the most capable of helping Indian people solve their economic problems; and that the province should abandon its current approach to Indian self government. At the FSIN winter assembly held in Prince Albert at the end of February, delegates and chiefs were told the poll indicates that solving Aboriginal issues should be one of the top priorities for the provincial and federal governments. Despite the postive spin the FSIN put on the results of the poll, numbers show that Aboriginal issues are, if fact, not at the top of Saskatchewan residents' list of priorities. The most important issues facing Saskatchewan today were identified as healthcare, jobs or unemployment, and taxes. Secondary issues included the economy, highways and roads, and the debt or deficit. Aboriginal issues were identified by only two per cent of the respondents as being important. Yet Lloyd Martell, executive director of FSIN's Office of Treaty Governance Processes, took solace in the fact that Aboriginal issues took a front seat to the national unity issue. "The survey indicates that Saskatchewan people find Aboriginal issues about six times more important than national unity as an issue for today and considerably more important than many other issues, even provincial economic development, for the future," Martell said in a prepared statement. One of the big items on the agenda at the FSIN winter legislative assembly was a discussion on the $350 healing fund Ottawa announced for victims of residential school abuse. The residential school experience left the Indian population in Saskatchewan deeply affected, but according to the poll, the province's residents were more likely to disagree than to agree that Indian people continue to expose the abuse suffered in residential schools. The survey was conducted by Canwest Opinion Research between Nov. 26, 1997 and Dec. 4, 1997. and is accurate to within plus or minus 3.2 per cent, 19 times out of 20. A total of 1,013 interviews were begun with only 1,004 completed. Martell said though the sampling of Saskatchewan households was small, the findings of the poll were still significant. The actual poll was not released to the media, only the FSIN's survey overview, the organization's own interpretation of the findings. Culturally-specific cards just tip of the iceberg By Pamela Green Sage Writer SASKATOON Imagine a special greeting card that says '"tansi," or one for high school graduates with a birch bark-biting and a picture of an eagle feather tucked inside. Or how about a golden wedding anniversary card for kokum and mosom with blessings from the Creator . . . Done in quillwork and buckskin. As one of the first people in Canada to recognize a need for culturally-specific greeting cards, calendars and other related products for Aboriginal people, Deborah Parker Fiddler has done more than just imagine. After realizing that there was a real niche in the retail market for the traditional culture of First Nations people, she decided to take a strong stance to promote Aboriginal artwork and design with what she calls "respect, truth and honor." It all began a few years back when she first became interested in learning more about her own Native heritage, a vision quest that would lead her to cross paths with many talented Aboriginal people from all walks of life. As a self-taught business women with 12 years of background in sales, gift store management and dealing with wholesalers, she realized that most Native products came in from the United States, with little or no input from Canadian artists. "As a Native women learning about my own heritage, I discovered that we had a rich culture with a long, proud history of art design, and that there was no reason why it couldn't be promoted with a high profile on both domestic and international markets," said Parker Fiddler. The Germans, Japanese and Australians, fascinated by the Native culture, go crazy over this stuff, she explained, and there are many avenues to expand upon with Native people's own designs besides cards, calendars, posters and giftware. "I pictured in my mind a house done in upscale Aboriginal design, decor and accesories, including blanquettes, bedding, showercurtains, wallpaper and stencils, with a real market out there for our Indigenous artists and a chance to break into the market with an Aboriginal theme and run with it." Once you have an artist's transparency to work with, she added, you can put it on just about anything. She asked herself why there couldn't be a large wholesale business venture, owned, controlled and operated by Aboriginal people to promote their own culture, targeting both the domestic and corporate sectors. Diverse Visions became the answer, her own home-based company, one that she said would promote pride and quality and give Native artists more exposure. She pointed out that an Aboriginal person would be the best person to promote the culture with flair, understanding and most importantly respect . . . respect for the artists and artisans who create this work and the cultures it represents. "Through my work with Diverse Visions, I've met many people who helped me on my path and with my quest to learn more about my own culture, and I hope that I can give this gift back," she said. Young mothers get good advice in program By Paul Sinkewicz Sage Writer PRINCE ALBERT If there was to be one motto of the Mother Child Futures program in Prince Albert, it might be: "Every one needs some help some time." From free milk for pregnant and nursing mothers to Life Skills classes, and from how-to-cook seminars to an afternoon break for moms, the program provides help to mothers struggling with the everyday challenges of raising children. Candy Renas, 23, is one of the moms taking advantage of the support Child Mother Futures offers. When she started in the program, Renas was going to family counselling for violence in the home. Her counsellor referred her to the program, and she began attending in September 1997. It's made a world of difference said the young mother. She started getting home visits from one of the program's community workers and has found a friend to talk over her personal and family problems with. It helps, she said, just to blow off some steam once in a while. And she now has a source of advice on parenting questions that come up. Be it potty training or vaccinations, Renas can now feel more confident about her parenting knowledge, thanks to the seminars and counselling the program provides. Renas has joined the Moms Afternoon Out and now has an outing to look forward to once a week. Along with program staff and a group of mom's like her, Renas can now spend an afternoon discussing different issues picked by the group. The children - Renas has Mikayla, 4, and Johnathen, 1 - are taken care of in a daycare setting in the next room. What's good for the mom has turned out to be good for the children as well, said Renas. "Mikala gets to play and make new friends," she said, "so she can get the social skills that she isn't getting at home." According to Elizabeth Friere-Benson, program manager, Child Mother Futures can be a big support to mothers. "Parenting is a very complex issue,and it becomes even more complex when you are very young," she said. "It's even more complex if you are from another place - from a reserve or from the north. For many people, Prince Albert is a large place and you don't have the support systems for you." Many of the participants in the program are referred from other agencies or doctors because they don't have anyone to help them learn about raising their children. Making connections in Prince Albert can be daunting, and they need help getting plugged in. Freire-Benson said the average age of moms in the program is 23 years of age, but many are still teenagers, and the cultural background of the participants is overwhelmingly Aboriginal. A full 81 per cent of the moms she sees are either status Indians, non-status Indians or Métis. She attributes that high percentage to the poverty still faced by a large number of First Nations people. Fully three-quarters of her participants are on welfare, and only four per cent are working. That poverty, she said, translates into a lack of education, a lack of information and a lack of a support network. "So it's the full spectrum of poverty," she said. "We know that women that are poor and have children tend to lag behind in their schooling." Carol McLeod, 29, joined Child Mother Futures as part of the free milk program while she was pregnant with her third child. She then got involved in the weekly Mom's Afternoon Out group. "I said 'sure, that will help me get out,'" McLeod said. "It gives us a chance to meet other people." That can be a life saver when you're a single mom with three kids and no transportation. The program will pick up the participants and drive them home. The children get to play and have a snack while the moms hash out their parenting challenges. "We all have the same problems about handling kids and their situations," McLeod said. "It's hard when you're alone to do things. I find it hard to even go out for a walk." Besides the Life Skills program and the Mom's afternoon out, a key program offered by Mother Child Futures is the Baby Safe Support Group. The group is for pregnant women who are battling addictions such as drugs and alcohol. It meets weekly and offers a supportive, non-judgmental environment for the struggling moms, Friere-Benson said. After six months in the program, Renas said her home life has improved. When new problems crop up in her life now, Renas knows they are not insurmountable and that there is a support network for her in town. "I didn't know there were so many programs in Prince Albert," Renas said. "But the sad thing is a person doesn't know until something bad happens." Renas now volunteers as part of a reading program that sees other moms come to her home. Parents learn how to make reading more enjoyable for their kids. "I'm getting a lot of things through here," Renas said. "A lot of doors are opening up." The Child Mother Futures program is now into its fourth year. Initially a three-year pilot program started by several different groups in town, Friere-Benson said it has proven its worth to the community. There are now four community workers handling 189 clients. So far, 65 people have graduated from the Life Skills course that is offered twice a year and runs for 18 weeks, teaching parenting skills, self-improvment and computer training. Friere-Benson said that particular course can change a mother's entire life. She said most of those graduates are now pursuing other things, such as college or university training or are back working. "I like to say that when women get into the Life Skills courses, they get re-acquainted with their dreams," she said. Games are more than sport to organizer By Brian Cross Sage Writer REGINA To event co-ordinator Glen Pratt, the 1998 Saskatchewan Indian Winter Games are about more than games and medals. For Pratt, the annual winter games are as much about participation, developing opportunities and promoting positive lifestyle choices for Aboriginal youths in the province. As many as 2,500 athletes are expected to participate in the 1998 Saskatchewan Winter Games on April 12 to 16 in Regina. And if the event goes as planned, all will come away with a greater understanding of how organized sport can be used as a tool to promote positive lifestyle choices within the province's Native community. The Saskatchewan Indian Winter Games have been held annually in Saskatchewan since 1980. The 1998 games will be hosted by the Touchwood File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council and will be held in Regina for the first time in the event's 19-year history. "We're encouraging youths to live healthy lifestyles, and encouraging Native communities to promote participation in sports as an alternative to other lifestyles," said Pratt. "We've come a long way since 1980 . . . there's definitely more opportunities for Native youths to get involved in sports now than there was back then, but there's still a long way to go and a lot of work to be done." This year's games will feature competition in four medal sports and two demonstration sports. Medal sports include badminton, volleyball, boys' hockey and girls' broomball. Demonstration sports include men's basketball and women's hockey. Participants in this year's games will come from 10 different tribal councils in the province and will range in age from about 10 to 17 years old. The largest sport at the games - hockey - will attract about 100 teams from the novice, atom, pee wee, bantam and midget age groups, said Pratt. The five-day event will also include leisure activities, entertainment, evening dances and a sports luncheon. The opening and closing ceremonies will be held at the Regina Agridome and will feature a variety of Native cultural events and First Nations performers. Besides the athletic competitions, one of the highlights of the event will be a Monday evening MuchMusic Dance Party at the Ag Ex Pavilion and a Tuesday evening awards night which will recognize outstanding achievements of Aboriginal youths. The Aboriginal Youth Awards of Excellence will be hosted by the Wicihitowin Foundation and will recognize outstanding youth achievements in sport, culture, recreation and education. Another highlight of the event will be a special appearance by former NHL coach of the year Ted Nolan and Canadian heavyweight boxing champion George Chuvalo. Both will be keynote speakers at the event. Nolan will speak at a business luncheon on April 15. Chuvalo will address athletes that evening at the Queensbury Centre. Organizers are also hoping to have either Sandra Schmirler or Catriona LeMay Doan speak at the event. Both were gold medalists at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano. The decision to have Nolan and Chuvalo attend as keynote speakers is one that will emphasize the games underlying message that sports is an important tool in a person's development, said Pratt. But beyond that, the messages they bring will contain important lessons about working toward goals, overcoming obstacles and maintaining a positive attitude and avoiding the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. Over the years, Chuvalo has had two sons die from heroine overdoses. Another son, also addicted to heroine, shot and killed himself in 1985, and Chuvalo's wife, unable to deal with her grief, overdosed on pills in 1993. Chuvalo has since become a champion in the battle against drug and alcohol dependency and has spoken to thousands of students and athletes in his ongoing Fight Against Drugs campaign. "They're not only bringing [stories of] success but they'll also be talking about overcoming obstacles," said Pratt. Organizers of the 1998 Saskatchewan Indian Winter Games are recruiting volunteers for the event. To express your interest, call 1-888-711-1998.