Top News - June -2002 Published June 11, 2002 Students from Gordon Denny community school in Lac La Ronge learned about traditional Cree camping during an urban cultural camp held May 21 to 24. Pictured, Sarah Carlson, a Grade 6 student, lays caribou meat on a drying rack. The camp was organized by Lac La Ronge Indian Band Elder Ida Tremblay, and Lena McKenzie, who both work with the community school. Photo by Carmen Paul New position announced at U of S SIAST to offer new course in the fall Elder statesmen of Métis fiddling to play at festival This is only a partial listing of the stories featured in the June 2002 issue of Saskatchewan Sage. If you are not receiving your own copy of Sage, then you have missed out on a lot. New position announced at U of S Sage Staff A new position has been created at the University of Saskatchewan to help improve academic and cultural initiatives for Aboriginal students. The main role of the special advisor to the president on Aboriginal initiatives will be to support the president, senior staff and deans in their work with the Aboriginal community. The advisor will also take an active role in the developing new Aboriginal programs, and expanding supports offered to Aboriginal students. The university already offers a number of culturally-based programs-including the Indian Teacher Education program, the Aboriginal Justice and Criminology program, and the Indigenous Business Administration program -but a recent audit of programs shows few graduate level programs are being offered. And, although many Aboriginal students are choosing to attend the U of S, many are leaving university before completing their studies. "There are significant challenges, but this is an exciting time to be part of the University of Saskatchewan," said Michael Atkinson, vice-president (academic) and provost at the U of S. "This job will present a challenge for the successful candidate, but it also provides an incredible opportunity to take part in the university's future." The new position of special advisor was created as part of the Conceptual Framework for Aboriginal Initiatives unveiled by the university last year. The focus of the framework is to coordinate the initiatives for Aboriginal people that already exist at the university, and to identify gaps where programs and services still need to be provided. Six specific areas have been targeted for further development under the framework-academic programs, research programs, cultural programs, community outreach, student affairs, and co-ordination. Top SIAST to offer new course in the fall A new program being launched by the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) this fall is designed to prepare students to meet the growing demand for qualified employees in resource management and enforcement. The resource law enforcement program, which will be offered out of SIAST's Woodland Campus in Prince Albert, will include studies in Aboriginal resource rights, environmental legislation and the Charter of Rights. It will also introduce students to new technologies in forensic science, and help them develop skills in investigation and evidence collection. "Resource law enforcement responds to evolving needs and standards in environmental protection," said SIAST's dean of technology, Arnold Boldt. " It provides a great compliment to the group of natural resource programs we have developed at SIAST over the last three years." The program will ready students for a variety of resource-related careers, including working as environmental protection officers, conservation officers, fisheries officers, wildlife officers and park wardens. The number of jobs available in the sector is expected to rise significantly in the coming years, with many organizations expecting to lose a number of their current officers to retirement. SIAST is also working on implementing a joint degree program with the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College and the University of Regina, which would acknowledge diploma credits from the resource law enforcement program. Top Elder statesmen of Métis fiddling to play at festival Inna Dansereau, Sage Writer, Saskatoon Some call him the master of the Métis fiddle. Some call him a legend. But whatever you call him, 59-year-old John Arcand has polished his fiddle skills to an exemplary degree. Arcand's father taught him to play the fiddle when he was six. And six years later he was playing for the Red River Jiggers, square dancers, and dance troupes. Arcand has also written more than 250 original tunes that are played across Canada and the United States. He is an active promoter of fiddle music, especially of the Red River tradition. Arcand made his lifetime dream come true with the first John Arcand Fiddle Fest in 1998. Now the festival has become one of the major fiddle events in Western Canada and is held annually on the second weekend in August. "Fiddling has been good to me, very good as a matter of fact...I figured I'd give something back to Creator or the people. I just started a really small fiddle fest...that was five years ago, and we are here today about 10 times as big already," he said. The event is geared towards Métis performers, he said. "In order to hold a festival, you have to have the people, so I got the Saskatchewan Fiddler Association to join up with us and we hold the white man's version of the fiddle contest, but we have also our Métis one...there's not enough Métis fiddlers (to have a contest on their own)." "The white man music is structured, the bars are equal, the beats are equal, whereas...with Métis fiddling, the timing is emphasized more than the actual notes are." Arcand said in white man's music you have to have your notes as clear as you can, whereas Métis fiddling is geared more for dancing. This year, Arcand expects 3,000 people to show up for the Fiddle Fest. "We should be pretty close to it, because we have all these 11 Métis fiddlers that were in on this CD project, they're gonna be here for this leg of the CD release." The Drops of Brandy CD has just been released by the Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research and is part of the Drops of Brandy Fiddle Project. "The project began as John's idea. He is adamant about the preservation of the Métis culture and felt that the fiddlers represented on the CD were the Métis masters in their areas and that their traditional material should be preserved for the future. He took the idea to the Gabriel Dumont Institute, and acted as the co-ordinator in the fiddling portion," said wife Vicki Arcand. The other part of the project is a book of the music recorded on the CD. Fiddlers recorded on the CD who plan to play the festival are Richard Callihoo, 82, from Grovedale, Alta. who is recognized by his peers as the elder statesman of Métis fiddling; Albert "Hap" Boyer, 74, from North Battleford, Sask., who can always be seen at Back to Batoche Days and at other Métis celebrations; Richard Lafferty, 58, from Hay River, N.W.T., who plays fiddle tunes learned from the "old time" fiddlers who traveled up and down the Mackenzie River; Homer Poitras, 61, from Elk Point, Alta., who has received many awards for his efforts in the preservation and promotion of Métis fiddle music and dance; Gilbert Anderson, 68, from Edmonton, who teaches and promotes fiddle and dance through the Edmonton Métis Cultural Dancers programs; Henry Gardipy, 53, from North Battleford, Sask., who won the Reg Bouvette Trophy contest at the Back to Batoche Days in 1985-87; Emile Lavallee, 61, from Manitoba, who was part of the Laurentian Valley Boys Band; Mel Bedard, 73, from Selkirk, Man., who is the first recording artist to use the term "Métis" on an album and is an experienced judge and competitor; and Garry Lepine, 52, from Britle, Man. who has attended many fiddling competitions across Western Canada. Pianist Trent Bruner, 47, from Canwood, Sask., who is the national accompanist for the prestigious Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championship in Nepean, Ont., will also play in the August concert. The three-day fest will take place at Arcand's Windy Acres Vacation Farm near Saskatoon from Aug. 9 to 11. Friday night, a three-hour concert will feature traditional Métis fiddling as well as Jess Lee, well known as a founding member of the Midnight Rodeo Band. Saturday there will be a first ever traditional Métis fiddle contest. "The difference is on the Métis one they have to tune the fiddles three different ways like the old people used to do and they have to play by clogging their feet also," Arcand explained. Saturday night the vocal talent contest will take place, as well as the Old Time Dance with Debden's Bannock Country. "And then we have Canadian Red River Jigging championships, Saturday and Sunday," he said. "It's a good-time place...it kind of has a Métis Native flavor. People who attend it seem to enjoy that. If you went to a non-Native one, you wouldn't see the Red River Jig," Gilbert Anderson said about the festival. A one-day pass is $15; a weekend pass is $20. Children 12 and under attend free. Unserviced camping is available onsite. Riviera Hotel and Westgate Motor Inn are sponsors of the festival. For registration or more information, phone (306) 382-0111 or visit www.johnarcand.com. Top