The Aboriginal Newspaper of Alberta
One youth performer from Edmonton and one from Calgary will
be contracted to perform at the 1997 Dreamspeakers Festival, who
will be selected at the First Annual Aboriginal Youth Talent Search.
To be held noon at Edmonton's Canadian Native Friendship Centre
on March 15 and the Calgary Native Friendship Society on March
16, the contests are open to First Nations, Métis and Inuit
talents between the ages of 13 and 25. Acceptable performances
will include traditional and contemporary song, dance and theatre
and the general public is welcome to attend. For information or
for a registration form, contact Marion Fayant at 471-1199. The
deadline for application is March 1. (RJH)
The recreation development policy review for Kananaskis Country, a 4,000 sq.km multi-use area located 90 km west of Calgary, is continuing. Public surveys conducted in 1995 indicated that Albertans were generally satisfied with the recreational facilities and level of development to date, but extending the period beyond the original completion date of July 1996 has provided the time needed to determine if additional recommendations are required to address other issues, such as over-development. Recent designations of large areas of Kananaskis Country as "Special Places," including the Wind Valley Natural Area and the Elbow Sheep Wildland Park, has added protected land to the three provincial parks already in the area. Much of the area falls into the traditional lands of the Stoney and Tsuu T'ina First Nations. (RJH)
Right after celebrating its 20th anniversary, Calgary's Muttart Public Art Gallery will put on "Artful Reflections," a benefit art auction for the gallery. Auction committee co-chair Christine Corbett Yuill has put out a call to artists to donate their art and their time, with the additional benefit that up to 50 per cent of the proceeds is returned to the artist. Call her at 244-4716 or call the Muttart at 266-2764 for information, procedures, time lines and descriptions of volunteer support. Those who want to attend the April 12 "an evening on the Bow," which will include both a silent and live auction, as well as a gourmet dinner and live entertainment, should contact the gallery for information. (RJH)
The most recent issue of the World Wildlife fund Canada's Species at Risk bulletin, called "Focus on the Prairies," identifies a couple of dozen species of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and plants that have populations at risk on the prairies. Only one is extinct - the passenger pigeon - but four have been wiped out on the prairies that exist elsewhere, while the rest are categorized as endangered, threatened or vulnerable. WWF is campaigning to have programs put in place to rescue the prairie populations, where possible, including the endangered burrowing owl. Saskatchewan's private land owners can get subsidies if they're willing to install nest boxes for the owls; the WWF wants to see a similar program put in place in Alberta. To receive a copy of the bulletin, write to WWF Canada, 90 Eglinton Avenue E., Suite 504, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Z7. (RJH)
Edmonton's Safer Cities Initiatives Advisory Committee is seeking 15 new members. The committee advises Edmonton city council on initiatives which can lead to crime prevention through social development and urban design. In the past, it has covered lack of family support, poverty, attitudinal barriers, urban design, diversity and structural barriers. Applicants must be at least 18 years old. For an application package, call Pijush Sarker at 496-5821. (RJH)
Alberta youths aged 18 to 25 looking for adventure and who have an interest in global development are invited to apply and participate on Youth Challenge International projects in Costa Rica and Guyana. Youth Challenge fosters global and youth development by working with community projects, many of which involve Indigenous people in Central and South America. Young people from across Canada will work on a variety of community development, health and environmental projects for 10-week periods next fall and winter, under the guidance of experienced volunteer group leaders and project managers. Application forms can be had by calling (416) 971-9846, extension 300, or on the internet at <http://www.yci.org>. (RJH)
Alberta Family and Social Services encourages Métis and non-status Indian students to upgrade their skills and education in the social services field by providing financial assistance through bursaries. Applications will be accepted between Jan. 1 and April 30 each year, and registration at a university or college is not required when submitting a bursary application, but will be needed before the bursary is approved. Funding decisions are made in June each year. Bursaries will be granted based on whether or not the applicant has dependents and whether they are enrolling in a college or a university program. For inquiries and application forms, contact Linda Desaulniers at 422-8003 (call 310-0000 and ask to be connected if the Edmonton number is long distance from where you are. (RJH)
By R John Hayes
Sweetgrass Writer
CALGARY
When the Canadian Native Arts Foundation announced the 14 recipients of the 1997 National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, three Albertans were included in the list. It is a fitting achievement for the first version of the four-year-old awards to be held in Alberta.
Heading the honorees at the Feb. 7 ceremony at Calgary's Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium will be historian, writer and journalist Olive Dickason, who will receive the lifetime achievement award for her work as a chronicler of Canada's Aboriginal history. Dickason, who was a professor of history at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and still lives in the Alberta capital, revised the written history to include the Native contribution with such essential works as Canada's First Nations, now considered to be a standard text for those studying Canadian history.
Dickason came to history later in life, after a distinguished career as a journalist. When she began to study Canada's past, she discovered that the Aboriginal heritage, including her past, was barely touched on in the process. Rather than accepting the status quo, Dickason questioned it and, eventually, changed it. Her other books include Indian Arts in Canada and The Myth of the Savage and the Beginnings of French Colonialism in the Americas.
She has already been awarded the Order of Canada and the Macdonald Prize, one of Canadian history's most prestigious awards.
The two other Albertan nominees are film and television director and producer Gil Cardinal and Aboriginal justice reform worker Chester Cunningham.
Cardinal grew up as an Aboriginal foster child, and grew more and more isolated as he got older. He began to cut classes as he became more withdrawn, but a social worker suggested that he enroll in Edmonton's Northern Alberta Institute of Technology radio and television arts program. He found his calling and, upon graduation, his career took off.
From work in the early 1970s as a cameraman, Cardinal made his first documentary, a portrait of pianist Mark Jablonski. Based on that work, he was taken on to direct the television series Come Alive. By 1980, Cardinal was freelancing for the National Film Board and his subjects began to touch on Aboriginal concerns. His documentaries included Children of Alcohol, about kids from alcoholic families, and one on Aboriginal spirituality in prisons.
In the 1980s, he made Foster Child, for which he was given the Gemini Award for best director. The story was his discovery and contact with his birth family, and it awoke an interest in Aboriginal self-discovery.
Since then, Cardinal's work has been dominated by Aboriginal themes and issues, he's directed episodes of North of 60, worked with the BBC, CBC and Atlantis Films, and been featured at numerous international film festivals.
Chester Cunningham was the founder of a program, the Native Court worker Services Association, that has interpreted the justice system for Aboriginal people and vice-versa. It has developed in the quarter century since into the Native Counseling Services of Alberta, Canada's first Aboriginal court worker program.
Before Cunningham began the association, he worked with the Canadian Native Friendship Centre, and spent some of his time assisting Native people dealing with the justice system. What he saw shocked him. Often, Aboriginal people would plead guilty to charges they did not understand, while others were convicted without any verbal communication at all between them and the judge. Some would plead guilty when they weren't.
Native Counseling Services of Alberta hasn't just stopped there. They have sponsored half-way houses, a young offender group home, a homemaker program and a fine-option program. Cunningham also developed one of the first educational programs that informed Aboriginal people about alcoholism and its treatment. Under his leadership, Canada's first Aboriginal-operated prison-healing centre, the Stan Daniels Centre, began in 1988, and it has proved to be a model for the world.
Cunningham has been awarded the Order of Canada, been made an honorary chief of the Peigan Band and received an honorary doctorate of laws from the University of Alberta.
The three Albertans, as well as 11 other award recipients,
will receive their awards on Feb. 7, and the ceremony will be
televised nationally on CBC on Feb. 13. Since the awards were
established in 1993, 55 outstanding individuals have received
National Aboriginal Achievement Awards. The award recipients were
selected by an all-Aboriginal jury that included many previous
winners.
People and places
Stories about and congratulations for some very special people
Oki.
I was reading this interesting story about Art Piche; I thought I would share this with you. There are times when the mean streets of the big city take people on a rough ride. Sometimes, people don't make it back. This is what happened to Art. He was lost on the streets for the longest time. Either he was in jail or back out on those mean streets. He had to make a choice between his kids or the bottle. Six years ago, he chose to gave up everything that contaminated his body, mind and spirit. The government of Alberta had a project for inner city families. The project was to get the people off the streets and the booze, drugs that go with it. Art was a part of this project. He would befriend families until they trusted him. He counseled and gave them an insight into life that they'd forgotten. Some took the good way and others didn't. But, if you have one success out of the whole bunch you did make a difference. As all good things come to an end, the project did. If there were other projects like that, gee, the streets would get softer, Native people would live in harmony with themselves. Wow, what a beautiful picture that would be!
Speaking of addictions. The Poundmaker Lodge will opening a treatment program for gambling. I know it can be hard to get rid of an addiction, especially gambling. At one time, the VLTs kept calling my name and boy, oh, boy, did I ever respond. Well, I never won big but I kept plugging in the loonies. I sat down with myself and gave myself a real good talking to. No more for me! This was five months ago and I have been spending my money on better things. Gambling can become bigger than yourself, a big problem. If you can't talk yourself out of gambling, then go see someone who can help you.
You can have a chance working with the old people. The Native Senior's Centre here in Edmonton needs volunteers. The positions are clerical, kitchen maintenance, crafts, entertainment and a driver. I had a chance to work in the Elders' lodge back home. It was great but I had a hard time with some of the Elders because I couldn't speak Blackfoot and they couldn't speak English. Our communication was not that great. Sometimes, I would be cleaning some of their rooms; they would start telling stories in Blackfoot. Of course, I don't know what they're saying I just nod, and if they started to laugh I would laugh too. One of the Elders used to always give me candy, which I had no problem with. I always wonder why do old people give candy to us young people? Gee, maybe, if you volunteer your reward will be candy galore!
It seems to me that this issue is about the old people. I had to sniff around for these two stories. One is the 50th anniversary of John and Barbara Nanemahoo of Desmarais. Can you believe it? FIFTY YEARS of forever love! John, 68, and Barbara, 67, were married on January 29, 1947, at an Anglican church in Wabasca. Brenda, their youngest daughter, was telling me that her mother was taken to the church by a three-dog team about 13 miles from their home. I wonder if they attached the old tin cans and just married sign to the back of the toboggan after they were married (just kidding)! As Brenda was saying, they have 11 children: Judy, Virginia, Joan, Robert, Willy, Jean, Cecile, Elmer, Dorothy, Brenda and Cameron. They also have 21 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. They haven't celebrated their anniversary because John had a mild heart attack just before their actual anniversary. To John and Barbara Nanemahoo, congratulations and sometime give me a call and tell me what your secret is!
A big happy birthday to Rapheal Cree of Fort McMurray First
Nation. He turned 104 years on January 10, 1997.
Tansi!
Hoo, boy, it's been a bit of a cold winter, eh? Our good friends in northern Alberta have had to suffer through temperatures in the minus-40s, although things had improved to about zero at the time of this writing.
A few congrats are in order: 1) to three Albertans selected as 1997 recipients of the prestigious National Aboriginal Achievement Awards - they are film and television producer/director Gil Cardinal, law and justice contributions of Chester Cunningham and historian and writer Olive Dickason; 2) to newly elected Peigan Chief Peter Strikes With A Gun, a former councilor and employee with the Peigan (alcohol & drug) Prevention Counseling Services, who captured more votes than five other candidates; and 3) to the community of Brocket, which hosted a successful seventh annual Cross-cultural Conference and celebrations. Quenton Crowshoe reports that 12 hockey teams and 16 basketball teams participated.
Speaking of hockey, the Alberta Native Provincials are scheduled for April 3 to 6 in Edmonton and area.
One other annual event, the Dreamspeakers Festival, has set its dates for May 26 to June 1 at Edmonton's Mayfield Inn and Trade Centre.
Ron Lameman is the new acting director for the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations. He replaces the recently departed Sam Bull Sr., who was one fine ambassador for the First Nations people he so ably represented.
Calgarians and Edmontonians were treated to a visit by Gary Farmer, who presented "Savages: Images of Native Americans in Film" on Jan. 21 at the University of Alberta. The film reviews and talk by the eastern actor and the editor-in-chief of that fine Toronto-based magazine Aboriginal Voices was a fine lesson for the uninitiated in bigotry and the misrepresentation of Natives in the movie industry.
There are two 25th anniversary celebrations just around the corner that will recognize that ever-so-important field of education. One is that of the Native Communications Program (NCP) at Grant McEwan Community College, which will honor all past graduates with an April 26 round dance at the Millwoods campus. NCP executive director Jane Woodward raises an interesting statistic about current students: "Nine of the 28 students are at a 3.3 grade point average, or better." That's out of a possible 4.0!
Also celebrating its 25th is the University of Calgary Native student services and club. Director George Calliou is making a plea for any and all past grads to contact them (220-6687 or 220-6034) because they hope to hold a special celebration - possibly in June. They're hosting their annual awareness week March 12 to 16. President Adrian Wolfleg says it will include workshops presented by former grads and local resource people, topics on traditions such as legends, dances, costumes, etc., and a fashion show and dry dance at the McEwan Centre on campus.
Calgary's Plains Indian Cultural Survival School, founded in 1979 with Maggie Black Kettle as its resident Elder, plans an open house sometime in May and a June graduation and powwow. Secretary Truda Whitfield informs Alberta Sweetgrass that the Grade 8 to 12 program has about 100 students and instructs Blackfoot and Cree language, crafts, drumming, singing, bustle making, traditions (legends, Elders, Native lifestyles), etc. The school began a new semester on Feb. 3.
The Indigenous Sport Council (Alberta) has set dates and places for its qualifiers to the North American Indigenous Games. See story on page 13.
Did you know?? The late Al "Boomer" Adair, whom we
profiled in our last issue, was Alberta's very first minister
without portfolio responsible for Native affairs. He was a good
one!
By Kenneth Williams
Sweetgrass Writer
EDMONTON
Acclaimed Iroquois actor Gary Farmer spoke to about 150 people at the Horowitz Theatre on the University of Alberta campus, Jan. 20. The audience, made up of both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, came to hear Farmer's presentation "Savage Images of Native Americans in Film."
"I am here to share the reality of an Indian man," said Farmer, as he intertwined stories of his own childhood and life as an actor throughout the presentation.
Farmer, focusing on cinema because of his acting background, selected clips from six films - Thunderheart, Cheyenne Autumn, Peter Pan, The Searchers, Black Robe and Fargo. The Peter Pan clip was from a filmed stage version and not the recent animated Disney movie. Each of the clips presented stereotypical Indian behavior. Farmer asserted that these images affect how Aboriginal people view themselves, as well as how non-Aboriginal people perceive and understand Aboriginal people.
The Thunderheart clip was the scene that attempted to portray a Lakota ceremony. In this scene, the Val Kilmer character received a vision of his Lakota father, who is an alcoholic and unable to care for his son.
The Cheyenne Autumn scene had two Cheyenne warriors, played by Ricardo Montalban and Sal Mineo, talking to a white school teacher. The teacher is taking the orphaned Cheyenne children away while the warriors try to escape the army. This scene reinforced the perception that Indian people were unable to care for their own children.
The Peter Pan clip portrayed Indians as childish, cowardly, superstitious, and grim-faced. All of the actors were white and the costumes consisted of head bands with large foam feathers sticking out the back, buckskins and enormous braids.
The Searchers reinforced the idea that the only good Indian was a dead Indian. The scene from Black Robe, which is also Canada's highest grossing movie ever, was the gauntlet scene in an Iroquois village. Farmer, an Iroquois, said that the Jesuit priest was the protagonist, the good guy, the one audience roots for.
The audience was never given the reason why "the bad, bad Iroquois were beating the priest," he said.
The final clip shown was from the Coen brothers film, Fargo. Farmer considered the Coen brothers the best independent film makers in the U.S., but they couldn't rise above Aboriginal stereotypes either. The Shep Proudfoot character in Fargo is a vicious Indian criminal who speaks in monosyllabic grunts.
"This reinforces the concept of the savage Indian," said Farmer. "He has no humanness. The biggest obstacle to being accepted as human beings is how we're perceived - how we're portrayed.
"Only when we take control of our lives will the problems be addressed," he continued. "It's a condition we - Native and non-Native people - are subjected to."
But Farmer sees a way out of this perception problem.
"We must decentralize Hollywood," he said. "The technology is now available to everyone to tell our own stories from our own points of view."
But he also cautioned that Aboriginal people should not allow
themselves to consider imposed images as reality. He used the
example of Indian powwow princesses, an image imposed upon Aboriginal
people, as something embraced by Aboriginal people that he said
had no basis in reality.
| AMMSA
Home Page | Top of This Page |
[ Windspeaker
| CFWE-FM | Alberta
Sweetgrass | Saskatchewan Sage
| Raven's Eye | Aboriginal
Media Services ]
[ Mission & History | AMMSA Marketing | Advertising
| Merchandise | Subscriptions
| Contest ]
Comments: e-mail: edsweet@ammsa.com