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Published July 6, 1998 Final preparations! Rachel Snow helps to get her brother Tim ready for the powwow held at the Calgary Native Friendship Centre on June 19. The powwow was part of the Calgary Native Awareness Week activities and the June 21 National Aboriginal Day celebration. Tim and Rachel came in from Morley to perform at the powwow. Spectators came from as far away as Germany. For more photos of the celebration, click here. Photo Credit: Paul Melting Tallow Cities see big crowds for Aboriginal Day by Terry Lusty and Paul Melting Tallow Kids look for answers in Ottawa by Shari Narine Awasis Day celebrates learning by Linda Dumont Shell puts byte into Native learning by Paul Melting Tallow Aboriginal gallery gets gold by Rob McKinley Terrying About - There's a busy summer coming by Terry Lusty Here is a full list of additional stories featured in the July, 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. Not-so-shabby Abbies Chief Crowchild award honors local job finder Southern friendship Native grads give present to seniors Cree Gathering sends message Young country singer on the rise Tough play brings dark side to light Asani prepares first CD Studi-ous actor gets Dreamspeakers recognition Southern graduates prepare for future Access to patch could reduce smoking epidemic Gambling - a high stakes addiction Help available for cop recruits Cities see big crowds for Aboriginal Day By Terry Lusty and Paul Melting Tallow Sweetgrass Writers EDMONTON Across the province, thousands of people took part in Aboriginal Day celebrations on June 21 and during the week leading up to the special day. From small, quiet lunches to an attempt to organize the world's largest round dance, the activities varied depending on the location. In Alberta's two largest cities, the activities leading up to the specially designated day drew more crowds than seen in the previous two years the event has been held. In Edmonton, they almost broke a record at the Alberta Legislature. . . Almost, but not quite. National Aboriginal Day organizers needed 2,000 souls to sign in and take part in a giant round dance on June 21; expected to be the largest in the world. When the dust had settled, however, event co-ordinator Jane Woodward said they were about 500 people short for a mention in the next Guinness Book of World Records. Although rough estimates put the attendance at more than 2,000 people, many people were busy sampling foods or taking in some performances and may have forgotten to sign in, but Woodward wasn't too disheartened. After all, she said, who can be disappointed when that many people come to an event. "With that to build on," said Woodward, "next year could be even better." The record attempt was just one part of a weekend of activities put on to honor Canada's Aboriginal people during the third annual National Aboriginal Day in Edmonton. The celebrations began in Canada Place, Edmonton's downtown federal building, with a color guard of Aboriginal veterans, and a grand entry including Elders Delia Gray and Ken Saddleback, Métis Nation President Audrey Poitras, Mayor Bill Smith, and a number of other dignitaries. A variety of performers entertained throughout the day, including the Hay River Dene Drummers, the Aklavik Delta Drummers, the Canadian Native Friendship Centre Junior Reelers, fiddler Homer Poitras and powwow dancers. Following the Canada Place kick-off, the friendship centre hosted a round dance, more entertainment and feast. Hobbema's Aaron Lee had his craft table set up. More performers entertained for the crowds the following two days at the Provincial Museum of Alberta and at the legislative grounds. The performers included traditional flutist Amanda Woodward, Mother Earth traditional performers, the rap group War Party, comedian Don Burnstick, Dancing Thunder Theatre, Q-Jib, Donita and Debbie, and fashions by The Blue Butterfly and Entente. At the legislative grounds, an open stage area was hosted by John Waniandy. Throughout the weekend, children were treated to storytelling, mural paintings, the Métis and Indian villages and the food booths. A drama production by Big Sky Theatre rounded out the entertainment. During the almost-record-breaking round dance, a hawk release ceremony was held to cap off the weekend of activities. Heritage Canada staff member Val Kaufman, expressed her pleasure with the event but voiced some disappointment that there were not more non-Aboriginal people present. She said she hopes next year might be different and attract more non-Natives to help assist in bridging the gap of awareness and understanding between the two cultures. In Calgary, events took place for an entire week to celebrate Native Awareness Week and National Aboriginal Day. From June 15 to 21, Calgary was brimming with events for Aboriginal people and non-Aboriginal people alike. The events were hosted by the Calgary Aboriginal Awareness Society and the Calgary Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee. The society celebrated its 10th annual Native Awareness Week and the committee hosted Aboriginal Day at city hall. It rained on the awareness week opening ceremony held at Olympic Park but didn't dampen the spirits of Carol Carpenter, society program director. She was pleased with the attendance at the ceremonies, art exhibitions and events held in the city. "It was excellent," Carpenter said. "I think it was our best ever." Events included a children's fashion show held at Stephen's Avenue Mall, Elders panel discussions, bannock cook-offs, a talent show, and a powwow. "We had a lot of calls into the office from non-Aboriginal people wanting to know all about the events," Carpenter said, adding that the week showcased the vitality and the vibrancy of the Aboriginal community and hopefully will help remove stereotypes. "It's more than just beads and feathers," she said. Calgary Mayor Al Duerr helped celebrate Aboriginal Day on June 19 at city hall along with Siksika Nation Chief Darlene Yellow Old Woman and Tom Jackson. "We recognize there are a series of ongoing challenges in bridging the gap and creating a greater awareness," Duerr said. "When we look at the challenges, I see those challenges as tremendous opportunities. "Do we have a long way to go? Yes we do. I'd be the first to admit that, but are we making strides together? I think the answer would have to be a resounding, 'Yes.'" Calgary's Aboriginal urban affairs member John Dempsey was pleased with the co-operation and team-work at this year's celebrations. "This year with the support of the Mount Royal College Native student society, Treaty Seven Tribal Council, the Indian Resource Council and Indian Oil and Gas Canada, we decided to put a good local celebration together," Dempsey said. "We plan on doing it every year now." Inside the city hall atrium, spectators were treated to a grand entry led by the chief and the Mayor, dance exhibitions by a family dance troupe, a hoop dancer and handicraft tables. Later that night, the Calgary Native Friendship Center powwow saw well over 500 people attend. Some came from as far away as Germany. The week ended with a Sacred Day of Prayer at Nose Hill Park on June 21 to commemorate Aboriginal Day. Kids look for answers in Ottawa By Shari Narine Sweetgrass Writer OTTAWA It's a trip that 25 Grades 5 and 6 students at Napi Playground Elementary School on the Peigan reserve are not likely to forget. The students, with 10 chaperones, including principal Gayle Strikes With A Gun, teachers Margaret Thomas, Sheena Jackson, and Elder Elsie Crow Shoe, took their classroom on the road - all the way to Ottawa to see the workings of the nation's capital first-hand and to lobby the government for a new fine arts centre on the reserve. The group left on May 15 and returned on May 24. "It fit totally into their curriculum," said Grade 5 teacher Sheena Jackson. "After all their learning and researching, they saw things for real." Travelling across the country on a large bus stands out in the students' minds as much as the actual destination. "Canada's landscape really stood out," said student Lawrence Jackson. "When we went across Saskatchewan and it was so flat, I didn't think there'd be anything in Manitoba, but there were trees and that surprised me." "For me, it was how many hours it took to get from one place to another," said student Charmaine Little Moustache. "Canada is so big!" The trip took the students - many who had never been out of Alberta - to many cities, including Regina, Winnipeg, Sault Ste. Marie, Toronto and Niagara Falls, before making it to Ottawa, where they spent a couple of days visting parliament and other important government addresses. Equipped with a drafted plan of action for how they would like to see the education system revised on their reserve, especially the need for a fine arts centre, the children were expecting to meet with Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Indian Affairs minister Jane Stewart. Unfortunately, both appointments fell through. Chretien sent a letter of regret, said Sheena Jackson, and Stewart sent a representative from her department. "I had some questions the prime minister could have answered," said disappointed student Joseph Big Bull. Making up for a little of the disappointment was a meeting with Senator Joyce Fairbairn, who's an honorary chief of the Bloods. "I was a little nervous, having to say a speech to someone that important, but she was nice," said Lawrence Jackson, who presented the group's report to Fairbairn. Although the trip was a whirl-wind of places and faces, their teachers feel that in the end, the students got a real taste of how things work in government circles. Jackson said her students realize that they won't be getting the fine arts centre anytime in the near future and, indeed, more trips to Ottawa and more lobbying may be necessary. "I think they realize that this is just the beginning," she said. While the trip may have only taken nine days, the planning has been a long work in progress. The idea for the journey came from the students themselves, after they received letters from the prime minister and former Indian Affairs Minister Ron Irwin. The letters were in response to concerns the studnets had passed on to visiting speaker Ovide Mercredi. "The kids were shocked the prime minister had responded," said Jackson. "He was very positive in his response to the kids. He was proud to see they wanted to pursue a better future for themselves." What transpired next was planning for a trip to Ottawa to meet with the prime minister and the Indian Affairs minister in person and research as to how the education system at Napi Playground Elementary could be improved. They determined that a fine arts centre was needed on the reserve. They also researched the route they wanted to take across Canada. To make the trip a reality, $35,000 had to be raised. With the children pitching in for fundraising with bottle drives, meal catering, working bingo and other activities, combined with community donations, $6,900 was raised. The parents contributed $3,100. Indian and Northern Affairs gave $10,000 as did the Peigan Board of Education. The Peigan council covered the remaining $5,000. Awasis Day celebrates learning By Linda Dumont Sweetgrass Writer EDMONTON Aboriginal Days at Prince Charles Elementary School kicked off with Awasis Day, Friday, June 19, a day to celebrate the children in the school. "Awasis Day is in it's 19th year. It's gotten bigger, better every year," said Jeanne Carter, the school principal. "Of the 285 students in the school, 85 to 90 per cent are Aboriginal. Lots of parents, Elders and a variety of associations help." Awasis Day began with prayers by the Elders, followed by a traditional feast of stew and bannock. After the feast, everyone assembled on the lawn to watch and take part in the afternoon activities. The princess pageant was the highlight of the afternoon. Pauline Young Chief, a board member of the Awasis Society, organized the pageant. "This is our first ever pageant," Young Chief said. The contestants are judged in three categories; how well the knew their traditional values, an essay contest and traditional powwow dancing. "It embodies everything we're teaching here. It strengthens their culture," said Young Chief. Out of 19 pageant contestants, five were in the tiny-tot category for girls seven and under, and 14 were in the junior princess category. Jessica Johnson was crowned junior princess with Destiny Large, Chelsea Cardinal and Raven Oseap runners up. Kasandra Callihoo was crowned tiny-tot princess with Chloe Auger, Tereasa Ullan and Shanelle Roline runners up. Kristen Wentland, princess of the Eagle Claw Society, crowned the new princesses. Laurie Callihoo was very proud of her daughter, the newly crowned tiny-tot princess . "She's only been dancing a few months. She danced last week at Stony Plain for the very first time," Callihoo said. The afternoon was topped off with a Métis dance performance followed by a round dance for all participants. Shell puts byte into Native learning By Paul Melting Tallow Sweetgrass Writer CALGARY First Nation students will be able to surf through cyberspace a little more smoothly now that they have new computers courtesy of Shell Canada. Shell revamped its computer system and donated 89 of their older 486-model computers, complete with monitors and Windows 95 software, to 12 local First Nation schools on May 30. "We're very much involved in education so we're looking for opportunities to help the schools," Craig Barraclough, Aboriginal Affairs Advisor, said. Shell has contributed to the federally administered Computer for Schools program, but, because Aboriginal schools have had difficulty accessing the program, Shell decided to give the computers directly to the schools. However, Barraclough said that the federal program has been overhauled to make it more accessible for Aboriginal schools and encourages them to use it. Yvonne Crane, acting director of the Tsuu T'ina Adult Learning Centre, supports Shell's direct approach with First Nation schools. "Hearing a little of the background and the history of the program I'm just really happy that the initiative is to finally go direct to the nations, make that contact rather than going around and having someone else trying to make it for us," Crane said. Ken Turner from the Morely Community School on the Stoney Reserve received five computers for the school's computer class. "These will be some extra computers that will run some new programs," Turner said. Kansie Fox, a Grade 12 student from the Kainai High School on the Blood Reserve, appreciates Shell's support and the 15 computers she and her sister, Amanda, hauled away in their truck to go back to the school. "I think it's a real good idea," Fox said. "They're not wasting computers, they're giving them to people who need them." The other schools that received computers from Shell included, Chief Old Sun School and the Siksika Nation Crowfoot Elementary School, Siksika Nation Tatsikiisaapo'p Middle School, Blood Reserve Levern Elementary School and the Saipoyi Community School, the Tsuu T'ina Junior High School, Tsuu T'ina Nation Chula Elementary School, Tsuu T'ina Nation Ta-Otha School - Nordegg. Barraclough said Shell has been involved with First Nation education for a number of years and recently has expanded its support in other areas, including a $300,000 Aboriginal achievement scholarship fund In addition to that fund, Barraclough said Shell contributes to the education of Aboriginal communities in Canada through its Community Investment Program by the establishment of other scholarship funds, sponsoring non-profit events and by hiring from local Aboriginal communities. "Those kinds of initiatives would vary from supporting local powwows to what we refer to as, Stay-in-school bursaries, to encourage the Aboriginal students to graduate," Barraclough said. Along with Aboriginal groups, Shell has helped to create the Economics of Staying in School, Junior Achievement program which is aimed at convincing Aboriginal students to stick with education. The program is working very well and interest is growing. "We got input from the Assembly of First Nations and the Métis National Council to create a culturally appropriate program for Aboriginal students and that is now expanding across Canada in a lot of Aboriginal schools," said Barraclough. Through the program, Aboriginal role models speak to students about the necessity of acquiring an education to find employment, what kind of skills are needed for different jobs and the finances needed to live in a certain fashion. Aboriginal gallery gets gold By Rob McKinley Sweetgrass Writer EDMONTON Not bronze . . . Not Silver . . . Gold! That's what the team that worked to create the Syncrude Canada Gallery of Aboriginal Culture received on June 16. Almost 50 people on the gallery team, including, Fort McMurray's Pete Ladouceur, Brocket's Reg Crowshoe, Rita Marten from Fort Chipewyan, Russell Willier from High Prairie and even Alberta Sweetgrass writer Terry Lusty, were recognized as 1998 Premier's Award of Excellence gold recipients. At a formal ceremony at Edmonton's Shaw Conference Centre, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein presented 19 awards to public service organizations selected by a review panel for their leadership and people focus, stakeholder focus and their management skills. The Aboriginal gallery was one of only three gold award recipients. "I always enjoy this very special opportunity to celebrate the exceptional achievements of some of the best public service teams this country has to offer," said Klein. The gallery's team leader and director of the museum Dr. Phillip Stepney was very pleased with the award and the recognition. "It's very exciting because its another way of underscoring that this gallery is widely perceived in many quarters as being something worthwhile. It's a very positive endorsement of what we did and what the gallery is all about," said Stepney. About the gallery itself, Stepney said the six-month-old, 900 sq. m facility has seen a "steady flow" of visitors and the feedback has been positive. "They are commenting and talking about what it meant when they brought their children to it, what it meant to them, and in many cases they are very emotional comments where people are coming to grips and addressing a lot of things that needed to be addressed and talked about," said Stepney. "And that's very positive because it's not just a gallery of history then. It is a living gallery that interacts with people and people interact with it." Gallery co-ordinator Tim Willis, the second team leader, said so far, the gallery is doing exactly what it was intended to do. It is attracting a cross-section of the public and creating awareness and education. "If it makes those connections and works for those different people in different ways, then that's good. If it is good for a nine-year-old and if it's good for Aboriginal people and non-Aboriginal people, that's great. That's how it should be." This was the fourth presentation of the Premier's Award of Excellence. It was launched in 1994 by Premier Klein to help recognize and nurture teamwork and growth of public sector projects. Terrying About - Summer starts with big events By Terry Lusty Tansi! Folks all over the country were celebrating National Aboriginal Day from June 19 to 21, and the province's capital sure did do it up in style. Special thanks and congrats to co-ordinators Jane Woodward and Heritage Canada's Val Kaufman. Super job folks! · Despite the low turnout at the Dreamspeakers Festival, the entertainment was very good. People like New Zealand's Maree Sheehan, and Pura Fe, Soni and Jennifer who make up the group Ulali from New York, the Dene Drummers, and more, all made the festival a good time for those who did come out. One personal note. I would like to extend congratulations to a deserving bunch of co-workers from the Native community who devoted time and effort last year to make the Syncrude Gallery of Aboriginal Culture at the Provincial Museum of Alberta the huge success it is today. It was heart-warming that they all were finally and formally acknowledged as "gold recipients" of the 1998 Premier's Award of Excellence. The honors were bestowed June 16 at the Edmonton Shaw Conference Centre with Premier Ralph Klein handing out the awards. Congrats Brenda Blyan, Greg Coyes, Reg Crowshoe, Dorothy Daniels, Brenda Daily, Gail Duiker, Melody Goodstriker, Art Knibbs, Pete Ladouceur, Rita Martin, and Russell Willier. · We'll be watching and listening for those Métis and Indian names at this year's Calgary Stampede in early July. We know Kenton Randle has been doing well in bronc riding. Also, Ben and Jay Louis, and Shawn Henry are equally competitive. Then there's the Munro brothers, Cody and Todd, from Siksika, who have fared well in wild cow milking and how about wagon drivers Ray Mitsuing, Edgar Baptiste, Glen Ridsdale and, Dave and Wally Shingoose? · The Calgary Friendship Centre has a new director - Peter Paige. Originally from Montreal, Paige feels positive about the centre. In May, a Healing Fund Symposium was held to explain what the government's $350 million healing fund is for and how the funds will be distributed . · Oops. Sorry folks! The May issue of my column said the Indigenous Games are taking place in Fargo, North Dakota, from July 10 to 17, 1998. It should have read 1999. Sorry about the mix up. · That's all for now. Let's hope that all the rain we've been having hasn't slowed down the powwow trail. See you on the circuit!