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Published August 17, 1998 Last minute preparations Hobbema's Allan Morin gets some final touch-ups to his face paint before taking part in the Grand Entry at the Enoch Cree Nation's Powwow over the July 10 weekend. Photo Credit: Rob McKinley Naming ceremony for police chief draws fire by Paul Melting Tallow Native groups leave Cheviot legal attack by Lynn Redl Elder has 83 years Stampede attendance by Paul Melting Tallow Record numbers flock to pilgrimage by Terry Lusty Women get funding to learn own-business protocol by Yvonne Irene Gladue Back on the powwow trails by Ethel Winnipeg Terrying About - Fun abounds for young and old by Terry Lusty Here is a full list of additional stories featured in the August, 1998 issue of Alberta Sweetgrass. If you are not receiving your own copy of Alberta Sweetgrass, then you have missed all this information. Click here for Alberta Sweetgrass subscription information. Coyote Kids cause to howl North country talent sweeps down south Play fires up level of understanding Buffalo days draws a crowd Climb to better health could be a real cliff-hanger Multi-Job business has Wolfe leading the pack Report highlights white man's rule No zones, no elections at Métis Assembly Naming ceremony for police chief draws fire By Paul Melting Tallow Sweetgrass Writer CALGARY Calgary's top cop was honored with the Blackfoot name "Blue Bird" by Pikuni Nation Elder Joe Crowshoe at a naming ceremony held at the Calgary Stampede's Indian Village on July 11. Crowshoe had promised a traditional name to Chief-of-Police Christine Silverberg when he transferred ownership of the Calgary City Police tipi to her at last year's Calgary Police Service Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Camp on the Pikuni Nation. "Joe Crowshoe transferred the Calgary City Police Tipi twice before, and the last time he transferred it to a new owner it was Chief Silverberg," said Reg Crowshoe, Joe's son and naming ceremony organizer. "He found out at that time when he was saying his prayers that she didn't have a name. At that time he asked her to come to the Stampede to the big council tipi and he would give her a name." Silverberg that the honor she received from Crowshoe adds to "the deep commitment and abiding commitment I have to furthering a community which truly values the diversity of its community. It is a great honor for this to have occurred today." Reg Crowshoe said his father's wish is for his people to understand white people and vice-versa. "I think it's with that in his heart that he uses his ceremonies to try and bridge gaps the best he can," said the younger Crowshoe. Not everyone was in support of the naming ceremony for the police chief, however. One Siksika Nation Elder who didn't want his name used said the ceremony was not held correctly. He said Crowshoe simply told Silverberg her new name and pushed her forward to symbolized her going ahead in life with her new name. That's not traditional, said the upset Elder. He said that the person giving the name should take the person receiving the name around the village and announce the new name to everyone. But it wasn't just the protocol which upset the Elder. He said Silverberg and the Calgary police do not deserve the honors bestowed upon them by Crowshoe. He pulled no punches in explaining his reasoning. "They treat us like dogs." Roy Littlechief, Siksika member and co-founder of the Committee Against Injustices to Natives, agreed with the Elder that attitudes by the police towards Natives do not warrant the honors that Silverberg received. He said that though Joe Crowshoe is a respected Elder, he lives on the reserve and doesn't see what happens in the larger metropolitan areas. "There's too much prostitution of our culture. People are getting beat up in the city," Littlechief said. "I don't think she deserved it. It's wrong, totally wrong." Native groups leave Cheviot legal attack By Lynn Redl Sweetgrass Writer HINTON A federal court judge has struck down a challenge by environmentalists and Aboriginal groups to stop the proposed Cheviot Coal Mine from starting up operations just outside Jasper National Park and on land used by a Native community. The environmental coalition has immediately planned to appeal the decision, but it will be continuing the challenge without the help of two Aboriginal groups. A coalition of five local, regional and national environmental groups recently filed an appeal of the June Federal Court ruling in Vancouver which dismissed a lawsuit over the controversial open-pit coal mine. Representation by the Smallboy Camp and the Treaty 8 First Nations was not made on the appeal. The major point of contention between conservationists and the Aboriginal groups is a park proposed by the environmentalists, but not discussed with the Aboriginal groups. The protected park area would occupy lands currently occupied by the 160 members of the Smallboy Camp. It was, according to environmentalist Chris Baker, "highly theoretical in nature" and simply "an alternative push back against single-minded development of the area." Buff Parry, spokesperson for the Smallboy Camp, says there is no excuse for the lack of consultation with the Aboriginal people. "We will have no further involvement with the environmental coalition that is proceeding with the appeal," explained Parry. "The Smallboy Camp is extremely unhappy with the lack of communication between all groups involved." The Smallboy Camp gained intervener status in the lawsuit in late March, followed closely by the Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta. The groups argued that the review panel that selected the site for the coal mining operation, failed to give proper consideration to the environmental effects of the project on the Smallboy Camp. Although the involvement of the Native groups was important to the cause, those still appealing remain optimistic. "The Aboriginal interests of Smallboy Camp and Treaty 8 added a depth to our case by showing the overall impact of the mine," said Chris Baker of the Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development. "However, we will have less court time so we need to put less information on the table...We are still fairly optimist about the appeal." The Native groups are still planning to fight the proposed mine site, and according to Gray Jones, executive director of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, the splintering of the coalition could help. "The attack against Cheviot is more decentralized, so interested parties can attack from many fronts, basically in multiple approaches," he said. Despite the rejection in the federal court, all groups are hopeful that a continued awareness campaign and the upcoming appeal will have favorable results. "We are optimistic about our chances of succeeding in the Court of Appeal," said Stewart Elgie of the Sierra Legal Defence Fund, the primary funding organization behind the coalition. The 23 km long mining project isn't only getting getting world-wide attention. Last year, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) asked Canada to reconsider its approval of the mine. The United Nations body was concerned that the $250-million mine would jeopardize the integrity of Jasper National Park, which is considered a World Heritage Site. At a meeting this June in Switzerland, UNESCO asked for a status report on the Cheviot mine in order to review the project further this fall. Back at the Western Canada Wilderness Committee offices, Gray Jones said if that report comes back with less than favorable findings, the ecological safety of the park could become an international concern. "The next step UNESCO could take is to place Jasper National Park under the category 'World Heritage Site at Risk'. At [that] point there is usually intervention by prime ministers," said Jones. There was no word on when a coalition appeal could come before the courts. Elder has 83 years Stampede attendance By Paul Melting Tallow Sweetgrass Writer CALGARY It only takes John Lefthand Sr. two hours to get to the Calgary Stampede from his home. It used to take him 14 hours, but that was back in 1915. Since then the 93-year-old Nakoda elder hasn't missed one Stampede yet, and now almost a century later, his lodge and family are a regular part of the stampede's Indian Village. He doesn't come just to be a part of the Indian Village, but to make all visitors be a part of the Indian Village, said Clifford Jimmy John, Lefthand's grandson and interpreter. "He's hoping he can preserve the culture by coming every year and teaching us young fellows about the old ways and how the tipi is important to us," his grandson explained. Lefthand Sr. now makes his home in Eden Valley, but the first year he participated in the Stampede, he was camped with his uncle along the Oldman River somewhere between Eden Valley and Morley. "They came on horseback," Jimmy John said. "The tipi poles were also brought in on a wagon. "He used to tell us it took them from six in the morning to about eight in the evening to get here." Lefthand has done more at the Stampede than pitch his lodge at the Indian Village, he has been a champion wild cow milker and a contestant in almost all the other rodeo events from saddle-bronc to chuckwagon racing. The Elder also danced in the competition powwows at the village until just six years ago when he was 87. Lefthand has seen many changes in the world, Canada and the First Nations of Treaty 7. Some of those changes have been for the worse. Many First People are no longer speaking their mother tongue and are in danger of losing it. In the Nakoda communities and within their section at the stampede's Indian Village, only Nakoda is spoken. "Our Elders teach us," Jimmy John said. "They hardly speak English and to learn English we have to go to school." The tradition of representing the family at the stampede may soon passed on to a younger generation. When it eventually becomes Jimmy John's honor, he'll be ready, "when it comes around to my time." Record numbers flock to pilgrimage By Terry Lusty Sweetgrass Writer LAC ST. ANNE What may well prove to be a record attendance saw more than 40,000 people attend the Lac St. Anne Pilgrimage from July 25 to 30, Less than one hour's drive northwest of Edmonton, the religious gathering of the faithful attracts people from all over the country and even Europe. With a mostly Aboriginal crowd, the pilgrimage is considered to be one of the largest religious gatherings of its kind. For many, who camped on the shores of the lake, it was a daily ritual to wade into the shallow waters, many of them hand-in-hand or arm-in-arm, scooping water to self-anoint themselves and pray. The professed healing waters of the lake were also stored in containers from milk cartons to pickling jars and pop bottles. Dipping into the sacred waters, attending church services, taking in personal consultations with priests, meeting old friends and making new ones are what makes the annual pilgrimage a staple for thousands of peoples summer holiday plans. For 78-year-old J.P. Janvier from LaLoche, Sask., it is a "special" and "sacred" time and place. He recalls traveling to the event many years ago by dog team. He has been at Lac Ste Anne every year since his childhood. Edward Strong, 93, from Alexis and Sam Beaver from Wabasca remembered the days when they used to arrive by horse. Both gentlemen wouldn't miss the pilgrimage for anything. Not all the action takes place in or near the water. Surrounding the pilgrimage site are the vendor booths. Hundreds of religious objects - medallions, statuettes, rosaries and key chains- are displayed by industrious entrepreneurs who view this religious Mecca as a ready-made sales arena. The first three days of the pilgrimage involve evening candlelight processions and hymn singing that is joined into by hundreds of campers and is always a very moving experience. There are the special services in Blackfoot, Cree, Dene, Dogrib, Ojibway, and Stoney, and special prayers are said for the elderly, the sick, those with AIDS and the substance abusers and the needy. Many people use the pilgrimage to network with traditional healers, herbalists and other holistic practitioners who may be able to help cure some of their ills. These thousands of people, many the same ones, will return again With the numbers increasing, many of the people going to the Lac Ste Anne Pilgrimage are return visitors. The pilgrimage has fast become a destination point for the spiritually faithful and the curious. Women get funding to learn own-business protocol By Yvonne Irene Gladue Sweetgrass Writer EDMONTON Anne McLellan, Canada's Minister of Justice and Attorney General released $168,000 in funding to Edmonton-based Communicating Power Incorporated on July 7. The funding will assist 11 young women in developing their business plans in the Young Woman's Entrepreneurial Program. The project runs from March 31, to Dec. 31, and will prepare the students to recognize their capabilities in running a small business. The 40-week program will help the young women prepare financial plans, do market surveys, and recognize business opportunities. Classes run from Monday to Wednesday, with Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) sponsoring the students with a living allowance. "We, as a government, like to provide the young people with a chance to get ahead." said McLellan. She said the problems young people face when applying for jobs is, "No experience No job, No job No experience." This program is hoped to break that catch-22 cycle, she said. At the small reception at the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees office, 10 former students of the program were on hand to display their ventures ranging from flower arrangingg to outdoor wear. These small business managers claim that this program has helped them to succeed. "There is an 80 per cent success rate after this program" said Barbara Thrasher, the executive director at Communicating Power. Thrasher added that women are leaving the corporate business market at a rate of one every 11 seconds to start their own businesses. McLellan said the funding will help make a brighter future for Canada's young women. "The 21st Century looks promising for woman in small businesses," she said. Vanessa Chalifoux , 22 and Deana Carmichael, 22 are two Métis women enrolled in the program. Chalifoux is hoping to open own retail store and create own line of clothing for both men and woman. She already has a certificate in dress making and retail fashion and is using the program to get a better understanding of the business world. She is happy with the program and highly commended the instructors, guest lecturers and fellow students. Carmichael wants to open own arts and crafts business in Edmonton. She started to work on Aboriginal arts and crafts when she was a young girl and has been selling her work out of her home for the last two years. Carmichael hopes to open her shop right after finishing the course. "Hopefully before Christmas I would like to see my business open," she said. The funding to the Communicating Power group is made possible through the Youth Entrepreneurship Canada program at Human Resources Development Canada. Back on the powwow trails by Ethel Winnipeg Sweetgrass Columnist Oki. How has everyone been? I know, we haven't spoke for the longest time. I have been keeping myself pretty busy, going from powwow to powwow. Most of the summer I have been just travelling in and around the Edmonton area. Let me start with the first powwow I visited, Poundmaker Lodge 25th anniversary powwow. Well, it turned out pretty good, but you know what the Creator always has in store for Poundmaker - rain! When we arrived, they were performing a ceremony, which I didn't know until they let the eagle go. The story I heard about that eagle was that someone had found it and both it's wings had been broken. The people at Poundmaker's Lodge cared for it until it was strong enough to go on it's own. It was pretty amazing and a feeling of pride filled up inside me. The next stop was Enoch, which was a surprise and a half. The turn out was great. It's funny, I didn't even know about it until Thursday night. Can you believe that? I used to know every event going on in Alberta. Now, I don't even know, so this maybe an opportunity for you people to keep me informed. I went to Onion Lake powwow. The people from there know how to put up a good powwow. I met up with Ray Blackwater from Standoff. He was invited to this powwow to initiate Brian Waskewitch into the Chicken Dance society. You know the chicken dance has been around for years, but it's just coming back with such a force, makes me proud to be Blackfoot. Now, onto Tsuu T'ina Powwow. It was hot, hot and more hot!! It was so hot that I only danced at the nighttime on Saturday and Sunday. I was so proud of myself because I actually danced (without screwing up) and finished the Ojibway round dance. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's the jingle dress dance. A friend of mine told me if I had any Ojibway in the my blood. I asked why he is asking me that, he said my style of dance is like the Ojibway style. I thought that was the best compliment I ever received. It was my goal as a dancer to dance the Ojibway style. Thanks for the compliment, Vince!! On Aug. 1, my brother Hector got married. Congratulations, Hector and Rhonda! Hey, here is an up and coming hockey superstar from the Wetaskwin and Ponoka area that came to visit CFWE. Remember, his name, Steve Wariner. He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues. Good luck Steve!! Terrying About - Fun abounds for young and old By Terry Lusty Tansi! Sure great seeing lot of my friends and acquaintances while on the road this summer. I hope that you, like I, get home safely whenever and wherever you travel. · At the tender age of 7, Drew Siltala is already a hero. The Grade 2, Ben Calf Robe School student pulled one year-old Jacqueline Cook from sure death when the toddler fell into a scorching pit fire at a North Buck Lake campground. In recognition of Siltala's bravery and quick thinking, Edmonton Catholic School Superintendent, Jerry Fortin, presented the young lifesaver with commendation certificates. · Métis Local 87 at Calgary has been running a special needs and cultural enhancement camp at Na-ok-oi which is located between Calgary and Bragg Creek. The first camp, in early July had 28 children between five and 14 years of age. They went fishing, horseback riding and all sorts of neat stuff. A second camp in early August had a six-year-old girl named Chelsea catch the first fish, a 14 inch Rainbow trout! ith FAS, FAE and ADHD (attention deficit hyper disorder). This is the fourth year for the summer camps but only the second time it has received any funding. The precious dollars come from HRDC's Métis Pathways. Coordinator Faye Favel-Beazley says the camp staff and councilors are all social work students and grads. Local 87 also operates a four-week day camp during the summer. Favel-Beazley says the camp administration was so pleased with how well the Métis camp was run that they offered two free weeks of service for next summer. · Our friends at Ft. Chipewyan have had something of a hit with the DARE (Drug Resistance Awareness Education) Program which is aimed at Grade 5 and 6 students. Just recently, according to the local RCMP, 23 youth graduated from the program. The DARE program first started in Los Angeles and migrated northward into Canada where it is being embraced by Native communities. The courses in Ft. Chip run for a one-week period and have been so successful that they may branch out to include kindergarten to Grade 4. · Zone 2 of the Métis Nation is about to make history. Folks at Ft. Kent, just north of Bonnyville, are really investing in education. Lynn Gauthier Labour Market Development Manager, says the zone is in the midst of a transfer agreement with Alberta Advanced Education and Lakeland College to assume control over the Ft. Kent school which has been vacant for the past year. "It would be the first Métis-owned and operated institution" of it's kind claims Gauthier. She said the 300,000 dollar facility is a gift that is hard to turn down. The Elizabeth Métis Settlement is also hoped to join the educational arrangement. · Dust off your boots and hats cowboys and cowgals. The High Prairie School Rodeo is set for action Sept. 11 to 13 for Grade 9 to 12 students who are members of the Alberta High School Rodeo Assoc. Boys take part in bull and bronc riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, cutting and team roping. Gals enter pole bending, goat tying, breakaway, barrel racing, cutting and team roping. There's also a Jr. Jackpot category for those in Grade 8 and under. · The chuckwagons were rollin' on the World Pro circuit at Strathmore in early August. Aboriginal racers did well. By day four, "Rocket," Glen Ridsdale was in fourth place, Edgar Baptiste 23rd, Leonard Delaronde 26th, Wally and Dave Shingoose were 31st and 35th. · Métis Elder Alvina Strasbourg has just released Memories of a Métis Woman, a book she wrote and published. So far, it has received good feedback and, hopefully, I'll have a book review soon. Always good to see Aboriginal words by Aboriginal people in print.