Published May 10, 1999   Try it on - it might fit! These two Regina high school students got involved in one of the interactive exhibits at Aboriginal Careers '99, Planning Tomorrow's Success Today. The career fair, hosted at the Regina Agribition Building on April 28 and 29, attracted young Aboriginal people from all over the province. Organizers say it was a big success. Please see the story for more details. Photo Credit: Richard Manns North gets victim service program by Paul Barnsley Casino to become an Indian reserve by Mervin Brass Organizers pleased by success of Aboriginal Careers '99 by Richard Manns Quillworking: traditional artform is being resurrected by Pamela Sexsmith Green Why not try surfin' the web? by Christopher Tyrone Ross The importance of language by Denis Okanee Angus Here is a full list of additional stories featured in the May, 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. Native students protest; university says don't worry First Nation pipe layers getting ready to work Young offender gets rough ride Vision on schedule Justice alternatives needed Quillworking: traditional artform is being resurrected Saulteaux student earns CBC scholarship Meadow Lake captures third straight Winter Games title Aboriginal model and talent search turns up lots of talent Arts festival a bonanza for students: organizers Artist uses interesting methods to make her point Artist enjoys work with youth After 40 years, Elder enjoys return to high school May 17 to 23 - North American Occupational Health Week Wrecker's ball claims White Calf Collegiate Elder back in school North gets victim service program By Paul Barnsley Sage Writer BEAUVAL Saskatchewan Justice will provide $60,000 in annual funding to start up a program that will assist victims of crime in the Churchill River region. Athabasca MLA, Buckley Belanger, made the announcement at the Beauval Arena on April 21. More than 20 people were present to hear Belanger say the provincial government will also kick in $5,200 to help with start-up costs. Tom Opekokew represented the Canoe Narrows First Nation. Ile-a-la-Crosse Mayor Max Morin and RCMP representatives also attended. "As with other police-affiliated victim services programs in Saskatchewan, it is a cooperative, community effort," Belanger said. "But this program will deliver services in a unique way to meet the specific needs of the area and its residents." Four Cree or Dene speakers will be hired as part-time civilian police assistants in Pinehouse, Ile-a-la-Crosse, English River and Canoe Narrows. They will work in cooperation with the RCMP to provide information, support and referral services to victims of crime. The service assists victims immediately after the crime and throughout the justice process. Speakers at the announcement ceremony noted the justice system in the province is moving away from dealing with only the accused and is now paying more attention to crime victims and their families. This is the 16th such program initiated by the province. More than 80 per cent of the more than 600 communities in Saskatchewan now have access to a victim services program. Casino to become an Indian reserve By Mervin Brass Sage Writer YORKTON A deal that will see an Indian-run casino operate on an urban reserve is getting the green light from the city's top politician. The Painted Hand Casino which operates in downtown Yorkton will be the second reserve-based casino but the first to operate in an urban municipality. The Bear Claw Casino on the White Bear Indian Reserve near Carlyle was the first Indian casino in the province. The federal department of Indian and Northern Affairs has confirmed that a deal could be approved as soon as the middle of May. More than 130 casino employees with Indian status will benefit from this change. But just as important, the city of Yorkton will also reap the fruits of this agreement when it is in place. Yorkton Mayor Ben Weber flashes a grin when he says the deal spells more money for everybody. "The extra money people save will be an advantage at the local level," said Weber. "If they don't pay income tax, they buy more houses and cars." Currently, status Indians who live in Yorkton and work at the casino pay the federal tax. The rules are different for status employees who commute from the surrounding Indian reserves. They catch a break and are not federally deducted. But the agreement will change all that with every status employee becoming tax exempt. Warren Zubko, a casino slot manager, says with a laugh he wishes he was status Indian so he could take home a bit more money. But Zubko says this is still the best job he has ever had and it's great that some of his co-workers will benefit from the change. And Zubko knows the casino has been very good to him as well. "It's allowed us to buy a home, stay in Yorkton close to the farm," said Zubko who's from Stenen, about 100 km north of Yorkton. "It's been a very good experience working with First Nations." And the new urban reserve experience will not affect municipal taxes either. Mayor Weber says the city will not lose a tax base but will ensure a business relationship. The agreement has service fees that are similar to business taxes without the education tax, he said, and the schools don't lose money because the provincial government provides grants to make up for any lost revenue. If anything, the casino has more than made up for any lost revenue through some of its community contributions. As Yorkton's director of economic development, Larry Horncastle puts it, the casino is a "good corporate citizen." He says at first the people of Yorkton weren't too anxious to have a casino in their city, but after talking to Indian leaders their minds quickly changed. "It was like attracting another shopping centre," said Horncastle. "They see it as a great way to entice visitors." And the saying, "If you build it they will come," proved to be absolutely true. In 1996 the city moved its tourism department to the east side of the city along Highway 9. Tourism Yorkton likes to keep track of people who visit the city by having them sign a guest book. In that year, a little more than 5,000 tourists signed the book. Nearly three years and one casino-opening later the number of signatures in the book has skyrocketed to almost 25,000 names. Randy Goulden, executive director of Tourism Yorkton, says having the casino in the city definitely attracts a crowd. She says she doesn't foresee any problems with the casino obtaining reserve status. "They're treated like any other property owner in the city," said Goulden. "No different from Wal-Mart coming in. We have service agreements with them." Organizers pleased by success of Aboriginal Careers '99 By Rick Manns Sage Writer REGINA There was something for everyone at the Aboriginal Careers '99 show that took place at the Regina Agribition Building on April 28 and 29. Aboriginal Careers '99, Planning Tomorrow's Success Today, was presented in partnership by Saskatchewan Tourism Education Council, the Aboriginal Workforce Initiative, and the File Hills Qu'appelle Tribal Council. Carol-Lynne Quentin, the career awareness co-ordinator for STEC, was the co-chair of the event. She said the two main purposes of the event were to, first, show Aboriginal youth in Saskatchewan the career opportunities available to them in the areas of science, technology, trade and tourism, and second, to have youth of all cultures interact with each other in order to promote respect and harmony between different ethnic groups. The other co-chair, Milton Tootoosis, from the Aboriginal Workforce Participation Initiative, said the two-day event, geared for students in Grades 7 through 12, was an enormous success during this, its second year of operation. He said it attracted young people from all across the province with more than 2,000 pre-registrations and between 200 and 500 walk-ups. The event was opened with a prayer by Elder Bigknife, while the ribbon-cutting duties were performed by Trevor Kennedy, president of the Métis Youth Council. The school buses that transported the students to Regina from across the province were each met by an Elder and representatives of the different tribal councils across the province, providing positive Aboriginal role models for the students from the moment they arrived. The event attracted more than 65 exhibitors. Many of the exhibits were inter-active, giving the students a hands-on experience and a sense of participation in areas of interest to them. When asked what was the most popular exhibit, the students could not reach consensus, stating that all the exhibits provided interesting insights into possible future career opportunities. However, there was great interest in exhibits such as the Regina fire department and the RCMP, along with Cable Regina where students could surf the net and make an actual video of themselves. Their were many other exhibitors representing a variety of specialized fields such as the Regina Health District, Saskatchewan Labor, Weyerhaeuser Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces, Tourism/Government of Canada, Cameco Corporation and Regina Police. There was also representation from all the province's major post secondary educational institutions, such as the University of Saskatchewan, University of Regina, Saskatchewan Indian Federated College, Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology , and the Gabriel Dumont Institute of Métis Studies and Applied Research. The event provided the students with a complete picture of what's available to them after high school, leaving them ewith an abundance of options to choose from. The cost to put on this event was expected to run somewhere around $170,000. Both Quentin and Tootoosis acknowledged the fact that without the support of their sponsors the event would not be viable. "We would like to thank all our sponsors " said Quintin. "Especially our platinum sponsors. Without their support and dedication to the Aboriginal youth of Saskatchewan, this event would not have taken place." Reaction from the students was positive. "The event was well worth attending," stated a young girl from a Regina high school. "It gives us something to work towards and allows us to start planning for our futures." Why not try surfin' the web? By Christopher Tyrone Ross Sage Youth Columnist SASKATOON One way I like to relax and relieve stress is when I'm on the internet, or as most people would call it . . . the worldwide web. The number of teenagers who surf the web on a daily basis is amazing. You could be on a 'Teen Chat' website and be talking to other teenagers from around the world. The internet also has its many surprises - you could be chattin' with another teen, who you think is 14 years old from New Mexico, when in fact he's an old man who's alone at 78 and living in a trailer park in Arizona. Trust me, you don't want to download his pictorials. We all know that sex is the Number 1 thing that everyone downloads, so as teenagers who surf the web for the first time, we are what you would call, "Internet Virgins." Our journey usually begins at www.Yahoo.com, the number 1 search guide for teenagers. Although it's not meant for teenagers in general, it's a search guide so easy that everyone can use it, even a six year old. When I first logged on, I admit I was no smarter than a six year old and, worse than that, I was computer illiterate. I was like, "Teacher, how do you turn this thing on?" This was back in 1996. I remember accidentally downloading the entire website for the Sports Illustrated swim suit issue. So, instead of buying the magazine, I had it printed and stapled. As the days passed, I became more compatible with the only computer in the school library than I was with my girlfriend. I was no longer a computer illiterate internet dummy: I was a wizard, a web surfin' wizard. As I have witnessed in the past, most teenagers like to check out sites that entertain them, rather than educate them. The net can be both a positive and negative influence on teenagers. Take Littleton, Colorado, for example. The teens who were responsible for the deaths of 12 students and a teacher got information from the net on building explosive devices and shopping for the illegal weapons that were used in the shooting. However, the positive influence that teens can gain from the internet are sites like: www.ammsa.com This is the official site of our very own Aboriginal Multi-Media Society, which includes Saskatchewan Sage and many Aboriginal youth links. You can find a number of scholarships that are available for youth, and find out how to apply. Check out www.ammsa.com If you're excited about other interesting things like the most anticipated movie of the century, The Phantom Menace, you can watch the trailer-preview at www.starwars.com. The internet has become an entirely different world than the one we live in today. Soon internet technologies will replace old inventions like the telephone and the fax machine. The net has become a perfect way for people to communicate and find information, especially for businesses. In a world of businessmen and women in a huge market place, we all have become consumers who buy goods and services from big-time producers like Microsoft and Netscape. The worldwide web is like visiting another planet of pretty aliens who disguise themselves as super models. After your visit, you'll never want to leave again. If you still know little about the internet and have never logged on before, I suggest you do . . . that's if you want to survive in the next millennium. Well . . . don't you? Quillworking: traditional artform is being resurrected By Pamela Sexsmith Green Sage Writer LLOYDMINSTER Porcupines leave their stories on the trees. They are our little four-legged brothers from the forest who have long been part of the sacred legends and lives of the people of the Plains and Woodland tribes. Since prehistoric times, Aboriginal people have benefited from the porcupine, learning to weave intricate stories and designs, both personal and magic, with quills, sinew and natural dyes. So it is that the quills of the porcupine have come to carry the same spiritual significance as the porcupine himself, protective shamanistic qualities that ward off harm, similar to the magical power of a tortoise shell. An ancient art form that pre-dates European contact, quillworking is alive and well today in the hands of a few dedicated and patient practitioners. A gift from the Creator that echoes the soft colors of a Prairie sunset, waving fields of sage and sweetgrass, ripe groves of saskatoon, blueberries and juniper - and the feisty spirit of a little critter who carries his own medicine wherever he goes. The modern rebirth of quillworking is part and parcel of a new North American trend. A vigorous and disciplined return to that most authentic of traditional paths, the recreation and preservation of real pre-contact culture and regalia. "Why use smoked moose hide instead of cloth, deer hoof rattles instead of bells, and quillwork instead of beadwork, when cheap modern substitutes are readily available," asked traditional dancer, artist and regalia maker, Norman Moyah. "Because it's totally and completely ours, the genuine article. And like Clovis and Folsom fluting on stone points, it is found nowhere else in the world. If you are pursuing authentic traditional garb, quillwork is the way to go, it's the real thing," he said. The ancient art of quillworking began to lose ground in the 18th century with the arrival of glass beads, a highly prized trade item from Europe. The ease and availability of opaque pony beads and smaller multi-colored seed beads, led to the eventual demise of quillwork as a popular decorative medium, just as the introduction of cloth and woolen goods had replaced brain-tanned leather garments. Beadwork became a prestigious and almost universal decoration of choice among Aboriginal people. Porcupine quillwork was driven so far underground, that almost all that remained were ghost forms of an ancient art, hiding inside beadworking patterns that imitated the layered rows of quillworking. It is a style that is commonly found on the heavy ornamental beadwork that decorates women's traditional regalia in today's modern powwow. "With all due respect to the great skill and deft handling of beadworking materials by Native artisans, and to five generations of beadworkers among the women in my family, I have personally never felt any spiritual connection with a bead," said Moyah. "What we seem to be forgetting is our spiritual connections with the animals, their shamanistic power, place in myth and storytelling and everyday life round the campfires. A tasty delicacy for the ancestors during the long cold winter moons, each mature porcupine would yield between 30,000 to 40,000 quills, more than enough to keep even the most determined quillworker busy. In the past, tradition dictated that we use all of the animal and plants we gathered, even trees were honored. We all have to face up to it sometime, you just can't eat beads." Aspiring quillworkers can gather all the quills they need from porcupine roadkills, a tragic part of modern reality for this slow moving rodent. In an ironic twist, the harvesting of this roadside carnage actually helps to meet conservation needs, while honoring the spirit of the dead animal. "Better to harvest a dead porcupine on the side of the road, than bash a live one over the head in the forest," said Moyah. The quills of the animal are easily removed by following the direction of the hair and pulling them out carefully by hand. Preparation of the quills is very time consuming, from the gathering, washing and sorting to the preparation of natural dyes and pigments. The use of natural dyes in traditional quillwork only adds to the power of Native medicine; berries, roots, grass, flowers, leaves, bark and minerals. "All of my dyes are natural and it's a process of continual discovery and experimentation to rediscover the ways of the ancestors. Saskatoon berries are my favorite for making reddish violet. Thorny Buffalo berries make a vibrant red, while sage, sweetgrass and copper pigments create varying shades of green," said the artist. After coming out of the dye vat, each quill can be flattened and moistened before the final weaving, plaiting, wrapping, folding and attaching with bison sinew or thread, can begin. "Quillwork was traditionally attached to brain tanned leather from moose, deer and elk, and is definitely the way to go, as commercially processed hides tend to stretch," said Moyah. "The oldest quillworkers tool kit found by Plains archeologists dates back to the 6th century AD, something which suggests to me that Aboriginal people have been refining their techniques for many thousands of years. The elaborate and ornate decorations created for ceremonial regalia, everyday household items and sacred artifacts such as pipestems, rattles, whistles and medicine bags, showed a high level of sophistication and mastery of the materials," he said. Quillwork designs that reflected the geometric shapes of mountain and prairie landscapes and the intricate floral patterns of the Woodlands, were once very hot commodities on a vast trade network that stretched across the face of the continent in Pre-Columbian America. Nowadays, most of the trade in finished quillwork pieces, porcupine lore and secrets of the craft is done on the World Wide Web among those with a serious bent for creating and wearing the real thing. "Once we were quillworkers, and the trick is to find that connection, find our way back. I would like encourage more Aboriginal people to take up quillworking, search out books, study techniques, and view museum collections," Moyah said. "The more I work with porcupine quills, the more I grow to respect this shy, nocturnal animal who carries his own medicine on his back." The importance of language By Denis Okanee Angus Sage Columnist When I was young I knew how to speak Cree, at least until they put me in a foster home. Then I did not have anyone to speak Cree to anymore. I am 41 years old and I can't speak my language. I can often understand what people are saying, but I can't carry on a conversation. This hurts me a lot. My children learn Cree at school. It's one of the reasons we moved back to this First Nation. The children can now name animals and count to 10. But this is not enough, in my opinion. The children can't understand the Elders or carry on a conversation. I am wondering why school systems on reserve aren't doing more to promote the first languages, the languages of First Nations people. For me it's the most important thing for our children to learn. My friend asked me the other day, what is this second language thing. I told my friend that I thought they meant French. We both agreed (with all due respect of the importance of the French language to some people) that we thought in a place like the prairies we should be able to go into government offices and expect to do business in Cree, Blackfoot, Saulteaux or Dene languages at least. These are the languages that the Creator put down on the land and my friend and I did not feel that our languages feel someplace less than second-best. I guess it's part of that Canadian myth about two founding peoples, the English and the French. I also know that the students at the University of Saskatchewan have been asking for more courses in Aboriginal languages, especially in Cree. The Native Studies department there has not yet successfully put together a plan to ensure that the need the students have articulated is fulfilled. I know there are some Aboriginal ideas, such as justice and government, that can't be fully understood when they are translated into the English language. We recently had an election at Thunderchild (and, of course, an election appeal). When people spoke during the election and the appeal, they spoke in Cree. I was really proud to be sitting there listening when I realized that the language of business in my community was Cree. However, then I was saddened by the realization that when my sons are grown men and are sitting and listening, they may not have the same experience. If my daughter is elected chief (that's her in the picture), business will be conducted in English. It saddens me that many of our younger generation are not fluent in the Cree language. My children are still young. It's not too late for them. It's not too late for me to keep learning more Cree so I can teach my children. In my view, language must become very important to both our education system and our families which make up the community.