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Top News - August - 2003
Published August 18, 2003
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New healing lodge opens for offenders
PAGC victor at games
Métis history celebrated at Back to BatocheThis is only a partial listing of the stories featured in the August 2003 issue of Saskatchewan Sage. If you are not receiving your own copy of Sage, then you have missed out on a lot.
New healing lodge opens for offenders
Cheryl Petten, Sage Writer, Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation
Harry Michael sees the process of healing as a life-long journey. And it's a journey he will soon be helping others to begin.
Michael is executive director of the Willow Cree Healing Lodge, located on Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation. The lodge, a 40-bed minimum-security facility for male Aboriginal offenders, had it's official opening June 25, although the first residents won't be arriving until September.
The healing lodge was created through a partnership between the First Nation and Correctional Services Canada as part of the department's efforts to provide Aboriginal offenders serving federal sentences with culturally appropriate facilities and programs.
The goal of the healing lodge is to meet the needs of Aboriginal offenders in ways that mainstream facilities haven't been able to, Michael said.
"It's the programs really that we'll be implementing, and the fact that they'll be in the Aboriginal environment, so they'll be in a community that they're familiar with ... I think they can identify more with this community than in another setting. And really the healing lodge is established right in the heart of the community. They're not isolated." he said.
"We'll have healing circles, an orientation kind of thing, some basic living skills. We'll have some adult upgrading, vocational skills. Some of the programs will focus on cultural and spiritual awareness. And they'll address specific issues as well, like substance abuse, anger management, sexual offending, family violence, parenting issues."
While offenders incarcerated anywhere in Canada can apply to be transferred to the healing lodge, the majority of the offenders that will be housed there will be from the Prairie provinces. And only those offenders who don't pose a threat to the community will be considered.
"Basically the three criteria we look at is they have to be a low risk to abscond, a low risk to escape. They have to be a low risk as far as what we call institutional adjustment-whether or not they are willing participants in their healing, participating in programs, their attitudes towards authority, whether or not they'll abide by the rules and regulations of the healing lodge, whether or not they'll work with the Elders and staff here-all those kinds of things are institutional adjustment kind of issues. And the other factor is public safety concerns. It's really their life history, particularly their criminal history. Are there any issues of sexual deviancy or violence, and that sort of thing, that would be a concern to us, that would jeopardize the safety of the community or society in general," he said.
"We're basically establishing a blueprint on what a healing facility can be like, and I think we're up to the challenge. And I think we will prove over time that we will be successful in helping others to make changes in their lives so that they become productive members of their own communities. Really, by and large, that's what it is. Because healing is the lifelong journey. We may initiative their healing here, but that doesn't mean it's going to stop here, and I think we will have a number of people that will come, that will have success stories, and will turn around and help others heal and do some preventive work. And overall, I think it helps the Aboriginal community as a result."
John Lynch, Sage Writer, Flying Dust First Nation
First Nations athletes from across the province converged on Flying Dust First Nation from July 6 to 10 to take part in the 2003 Saskatchewan First Nation Summer Games, but in the end it was the team representing the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) that emerged victorious.
This year's competition not only saw the PAGC team successfully repeat its top place finish in the last summer games, held in La Ronge in 2001, but also saw the team widen the points gap between itself and the second place team from Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC), the host council for the games. The MLTC team had also placed second in the 2001 summer games, earning only half a point less than the top place finisher. Prior to those games, the MLTC team had laid claim to top spot in the three previous summer games, and has also had a lock on top spot in the winter games for years as well.
The final tally saw PAGC with 565 points, followed by MLTC at 556 points. Saskatoon Tribal Council came in third with 340.5 points, Battlefords Tribal Council finished in fourth with 315.5 points and Agency Chiefs Tribal Council placed fifth with 244.5 points. The team representing the File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council placed sixth with 228.5 points, Onion Lake First Nation came in seventh with 205 points, Touchwood Agency Tribal Council placed eighth with 172 points, Southeast Treaty #4 Tribal Council came in ninth with 110.5 and Yorkton Tribal Council placed tenth with 101.5 points.
"The Games went well as planned with a good response from the general public as well as athletes, participants and everyone that was involved," games manager Wes Durocher said.
However, the games did have to overcome some weather-related difficulties.
"We had a lot of rain during the first two days so we had to postpone competition and do rescheduling and that caused a bit of chaos," he said. "We got everything back on track within a day but it made for longer days, especially for soccer and softball."
The other sports at the games included track and field and the demonstration sports of golf and bicycling.
"We went from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. instead of 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Durocher said. "We caught up with all that, however, and got everything completed on time in the end."
Three Flying Dust organizers -Durocher, Jim Norman and Jeremy Norman-worked up to 20 hour days during the event, along with the 2002 Meadow Lake citizen of the year Elaine Yaychuk and Shirley Greyeyes-McDonald of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.
"Collectively, we have been to 30 games before this," Durocher said, referring to the group of three organizers from Flying Dust. "It is not as easy as it looks, believe me. I have to commend our staff and volunteers for coping through the often chaotic situation ,but we got it done," he said.
"The games were over just as we wanted to kick it up into high gear. As hosts, I was hoping to win it at home but unfortunately, we had to settle for second place," Wes Durocher said.
For her part, Elaine Yaychuk, who chaired the volunteer committee, said she enjoyed being involved in organizing the summer games.
"When you have 3,000 athletes coming, you have to build a community for a week," she said.
"I recruited over 400 volunteers for this, with most of them being from the Meadow Lake area. I have been involved with some other big volunteer things in the past but this was probably the biggest."
Lyle Daniels, director of sport, culture, recreation and youth for the FSIN also praised host Flying Dust First Nation.
"Flying Dust did very well with this," Daniels said. "After these games, I definitely know where that place gets its name from. Even when we had the rain, the ground just sucked the water up and the dust was flying in no time again."
Daniels said the next games will be the 2004 Saskatchewan First Nation Winter Games, to be held in Nipawin in April. The next summer games are to take place in 2005 at a site yet to be determined.
"Before I came three years ago to this position, there was a winter and a summer games every year. The very first thing I did was change it so we have alternate years for each of the games and not the two of them every year," Daniels said.
"This makes it easier for everyone including our sponsors. We found the sponsors were able to increase their contributions to the games once we did this restructuring."
Daniels indicated it takes between $500,000 and $700,000 to host a summer games and between $300,000 and $500,000 to host the winter games.
Métis history celebrated at Back to BatochePeter T. Derbawka, Sage Writer, Batoche
Thirty-three years and going strong, this year's Back to Batoche Days, July 24-27, was again a success, giving Métis people from across North America a change to get together and celebrate a shared history and culture.
Batoche has been a well-known gathering place for generations and the annual Métis festival continues that tradition. Senator Nora Cummings, Métis Nation of Saskatchewan Senate chair, has only missed one year since the event began in 1970.
"Back to Batoche Days are very spiritual for me, and that's exciting," she said. "I meet new and old friends here, and I've watched our Batoche grow. Now we have a nice building for shows, and an Elder's building, and we're excited about that. We have to respect the Elders and make sure they are looked after. We feed approximately 3,000 Elders a day and it's all done by volunteers."
There is something for all ages at Batoche Days, with a rodeo, chuckwagon racing, ball and horseshoe tournaments, fiddling and old-time Métis dancing demonstrations, talent competitions, and the Métis voyageur games.
But there's something even better for many who visit Batoche. Jackie Maurice, who has been out to Back to Batoche for the past five years-about as long as she has known she is Métis-said "The best thing about coming back to Batoche, especially for someone like me, is the sense of belonging. I learn a little bit more about my Métis heritage and culture."
For Nelson Sanderson, organizer of the voyageur games, learning is the main reason for the games. "I'm trying to teach the youth that our people were the backbone, the mules, of the fur trade. They did this as a job but now they do it as pleasure."
Sanderson tells the story of one voyageur: "At that time the stronger the voyageur, the more money he made. The depots on the Grande Portage by Lake Superior were about half a mile apart, and this fellow carried 450 lb between depots.
"I like to present Métis history in a challenging but also in an educational way," he said. "These games are Métis history and we're bringing it back so we can revive some of our culture."
For many years, the voyageur games have included various events such as the 180 lb run for men and the 90 lb run for women, but this year a new event was added, the Métis strongest man competition, a timed medley of four contests.
Contestants start by carrying 450 lb of flour for 20 yards. Then they carry a 250 lb log the same distance. Then it's back again with two 125 lb cream cans, then a 320 lb rock for three yards.
The Back to Batoche festival is always well attended. "We have people from all over Canada and at least five different states," noted Helen Johnson, an organizing committee member. "And there are lots of family reunions during the celebrations."
One group that drove more than five hours from Manitoba to attend was the Duck Bay Métis Junior Square Dancers. The group of eight, aged 12 to 15, had a great time and performed very well at the competition. For them, the best thing about Batoche was the fun, the music, the talent, and the fiddlers.
For Cummings, the best thing about Batoche is family and youth. "I have 10 children, 25 grand and 14 great, so children are my priority," she said with a smile. "I see the young people here and it's a good feeling because I know now our culture will continue to grow and stay within us."
As the culture and traditions continue, so does Back to Batoche Days. "If the good Lord permits, we'll all be here next year," Cummings said, "and I'm inviting a whole lot more people out here. There's lots of room, and there's always room for more."