Native Communications students from Grant MacEwan Community College will travel to Europe this month. The students' trip has been sponsored by Aboriginal support groups based in Germany and Austria. The students will speak at workshops, lecture at universities and high schools, and participate in media interviews. They have been brushing up on their culture in anticipation of some tough questions from knowledgeable audiences. Margaret Deranger, Caleb Hughes, Erik Christophersen, Elaine Ross and were selected to accompany instructor Byron Christopher on the two-week trip. In addition to speaking engagements, the students will be on a fact-finding mission to discover why some Europeans are so interested in Native culture. The students are pursuing further education or employment in the communication field after graduation. The group will raise money selling an authentic Cree tipi in Europe. Christopher said the tipi is expected to fetch a handsome figure among the European Native enthusiasts.
A limited number of scholarships are now available for Native writers and journalists to attend a unique three-day workshop in Waterton Lakes National Park. The workshop, geared toward writers who cover nature, outdoor recreation and environmental topics is being held Sept. 25 to the 27. Guest speakers include Canadian Geographic magazine editor Rick Boychuk, writers Candace Savage, Bruce Masterman, Wayne Norstrom and Shirley Bruised Head and many other writers, editors and publishers. Workshop and field trip topics include improving writing and presentation, self-publishing, use of the Internet, Native perceptions of landscape and more. The scholarships are available through Indian Affairs Canada, but applications must be made through the writer's tribal office and the workshop sponsors. For more information contact Viewpoints Communications 1-403-626-3658.
The League of Canadian Poets announced its shortlist for the 1997 Gerald Lampert Memorial Award, and Métis poet Marilyn Dumont from northeastern Alberta is among eight writers nominated. The award is for the best first book of poetry by a Canadian published in 1996. The Lampert award is given in memory of Gerald Lampert, an arts administrator who organized authors' tours and took particular interest in new writers. The award carries a prize of $1,000. It is given out annually. Deadline for entries for the next award is Dec. 31.
The federal government will spend $2 million over the next two years to provide Aboriginal youth living on reserves and in Inuit communities with work experience and skills development in housing related fields. This initiative is expected to employ 100 youths annually. "This program is an investment in the future for our Aboriginal youth," said Diane Marleau, Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. "CMHC will work in partnership with sponsor organizations to develop housing employment projects to meet specific community needs. It will provide youth, ages 17 to 29, with the valuable work experience and skills development needed for construction, renovation, maintenance or property management jobs," added Marleau.
The Métis Nation of Alberta is once again hosting the Provincial Métis Youth Role Model Search to be held in conjunction with the MNAA's 69th annual Assembly in Drayton Valley. This year's theme will be Investing in Youth - Builders of Our Future. Twelve role models (six females, six males) are chosen from every corner of Alberta and will compete in the provincial event. They will undergo three days of intensive training which will consist of public speaking, personal development, Métis history-current affairs and there will also be a workshop on leadership skills. As Zone role models, their duties will include traveling to schools within their region. The purpose of the visits are:
· to provide a positive image for other Métis youth in Alberta.
· to promote self pride through a better understand of Métis culture and heritage.
· to encourage stay in school attitudes among Aboriginal youth.
· To advocate a drug and alcohol free lifestyle.
The Métis Nation is currently fundraising to support this project. Contact Trevor Gladue at 1-403-849-4654 for more information.
Oki. It's finally spring! With all the events Mother Earth has been involved in, flooding, freak weather changes and so on, we should think more about why she is doing this? I watched The Nature of Things when CBC aired its show on the Boreal forest and it blew me away. What we do as human beings can be harmful. Mother Earth has been showing us the balance of good and bad. We are the bad and she is the good. I don't usually talk about these kinds of things, but they sure make me wonder if the great advancement of human kind caused these problems.
I was talking with a cousin of mine who lives in Fort McMurray and he was giving me the scoop on what he has been doing. He is the president of the Cree Burns Lake Preservation Society. He too has fear for Mother Earth, but he walks alone in this crusade of getting the word out. I told him I would try to help him in anyway I can. If you want more information on what he stands for, write him at Cree Burn Lake Preservation Society, 185 Eymundson Road, Fort McMurray, Alberta T9H 4N1.
*****
Pretty soon powwows will be held all over Indian Country. That reminds me, if you know when your community is holding a summer event, give me a call. This year I volunteered to get a list of all the powwows and other summer events for our up and coming powwow calendar. Speaking of powwows, there is a few happening this month of May. Of course, Ben Calf Robe is having their annual in a short time from now. To tell you the truth, I haven't gone to this powwow for quite a long time. So this year I'm determined to go and visit with my old friends in the powwow circle. If you are going on the powwow trail a bit early this year, Tsuu T'ina Nation is holding a powwow on May 17 and 18. They had to postpone because there was a death on the reserve.
Check out the powwows held out of the province. There is Cathedral Lakes annual powwow in southern British Columbia the weekend after the Tsuu T'ina powwow. I visited that powwow. . . hmmm. . . about three years ago. Boy, did we ever have a great trip. Full of surprises and jokes on the people who I went down with.
Sometime in June, a powwow is happening in Morley. I would give you details, but these people are so hard to get a hold of.
*****
Sometimes when you question people on why they do what they do, you can create opportunities for yourself. Students from Grant MacEwan's Native Communications Program asked one question and that was 'Why are European people so interested in Native culture?' And now, four of those students have the opportunity to go to Germany and Austria to find out why. The lucky students are as follows: Maggie Deranger, Cree from Fort McMurray area, Caleb Hughes, Cree from Sawridge Band in northern Alberta, Erik Christophersen from Ermineskin Tribe and Elaine Ross, Ojibway from Northwest Angle, Ont. The two ladies are going to Austria to lecture and put on workshops for the university there. The gentlemen are going to Germany to teach students at high schools. They will be there for two weeks, leaving on the May 24 and coming back on June 8. Their hosts are paying for the airfare and accommodation for the two weeks.
I was talking with Elaine about the trip and she asked me to ask you to help them out with information about the Native people. I suppose they know about the culture, but they would like more information to teach the right way to the people. If you would like to help them out with that information, call me and I can relay the message to them.
Maybe, I should ask questions and get the opportunity to go out to find out why. You gals and guys have a great time out there and take care!
*****
The other week, Bert Crowfoot and I went to Hobbema to a career fair. We sat there, handed out papers and, of course, I handed out my bingo cards. People would come over to say hi or ask a few questions. But these two girls were hanging around like bees to flowers. Bert took a picture of them and they told him 'we want to be in the paper.' The two bees are Kaylynn Buffalo (left) and Melissa Cutknife (right).
TANSI!
Condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Anne Anderson-Irvine. Truly a fine, accomplished lady.
Congrats AMMSA on the new British Columbia paper, Raven's Eye.
Hockey has always been big in Native communities. So, it follows that professional hockey, to which many Native youth aspire, is of interest in Native circles. This talk, of course, is leading to the current rounds of NHL playoffs, and who would ever have believed it? In Game 2 of the first playoff round, the youthful Edmonton Oilers upset the Dallas Stars with a 4-0 shutout. But, they weren't done. They took the Stars to the bitter wire, then upset the cart again, beating them 4-3 in overtime. Now, the Oilers are in deep playing the Colorado Avalanche, last year's Stanley Cup champs, and this year's league leader. Chances? Slim and none, no matter how much I support the Oilers. Still, just great hockey!
Then there's the Great One who many say is aging. Nonetheless, in Game 4 of the playoffs, Gretzky racked up yet another NHL record, scoring a hat trick in a speedy 6:23 minutes during a shift in period two. Wow!
Are the dogs of war destined to return. Throughout Alberta, and Canada for that matter, Aboriginal groups and communities participated in demonstrations, protesting the fed's choice to ignore and neglect the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People of Canada. Most of the protests, along highways, city streets, etc., involved sign-carrying pickets and marchers.
The Bigstone Cree up at Wabasca are building a new band office but, the old roads have been taking quite a beating and are in need of repair.
Down at Calgary, the Native Friendship Centre is finally getting back on track. After closing it's doors for a couple of months, it is open for business with Tyler White at the helm, plus a couple of assistants. Additional positions will be filled shortly, he said, and summer students will help with sports and rec. The centre scheduled it's annual meeting with a full board up for election May 24, one week before Edmonton centre elections May 31.
The Nistawoyou Friendship Centre in McMurray is on a health kick. Director Ella Johnson reports that their in-home care program is going well. They're also trying to secure funding for syllabic and phonetic materials on health matters. This is in conjunction with regional health, and they aim to have the materials available in Cree and Chipewyan.
Johnson adds that their employment unit is up and running. With summer around the corner, the centre is planning a round dance around June 6 or 7, and its AGM on June 8. And, yes, despite the wetness caused by floods, day camps for youth this summer will proceed as planned.
If you're over Saddle Lake way, why not drop in at Toppy's (pizza place), owned and operated by Marilyn Shirt and hubby Rawi Couch, an Aboriginal person from New Zealand. They could use your business.
Sighted at Bonnyville and Saddle Lake the other weekend were dozens of teens running amok and proudly displaying around their necks newly-acquired medals as Team Alberta qualifiers for the North American Indigenous Games. All qualifiers are now complete. The only ones that missed the boat were bantam/midget/juvenile girls golf, Sr. men and womens swimming, and women's boxing and wrestling. Go get 'em Alberta, and "Good luck." Also, the Indigenous Sport Council (Alberta) AGM is in Calgary on May 30.
Sonya Kobelsky, director of the High Level Native Friendship Centre reports that hand game tournaments are firing up with a lot of Elder participants. They plan to host one every two months and say Meander River is planning a big one soon. The centre hosted a talent show in vocals, fiddle and jig with the uproarious George Tuccaro serving as emcee.
The centre has a raft of summer projects - summer youth camps, pre-natal nutrition program, employment technician program (i.e. proposal writing), clothing depot, food bank, Alberta Head Start, and so on.
Did you know: Elvis may not be alive, but C-Weed certainly is! Errol
Ranville, more widely known as C-Weed, was busy in Edmonton taking over
Longriders Saloon on May 4. It will be a branch of his main C-Weed Bar in
Winnipeg.
Métis Elder, cultural advocate passes away
The Métis community has bid farewell to
one of its most respected and accomplished women, a veritable giant in terms
of her efforts and accomplishments.
On April 26, funeral services for the late Dr. Anne Anderson-Irvine were held at the St. Albert Catholic Church. It was a time of celebration as well as sorrow said her favorite niece, Elaine Rowe, in her eulogy.
This "tall, strong, independent woman. . . made her mark," particularly in fulfilling her mother's wishes "to keep the language and culture of Métis people alive."
Officiating at the service was her grandson, Father Gary Laboucane, who said a Métis Elder once described Dr. Anne as, "the heart of the [Métis] Nation." As well, he stated, "she was always ready to build things that would last a long time. . . people."
Dr. Anne knew and helped a lot of people and vice-versa.
"To us, Dr. Anne was special. . . a teacher," said Métis president, Audrey Poitras. Longtime friend and fellow-Elder, Sophie Hiebert remembered Dr. Anne as "always working for the betterment of her people."
Irene Morin recalled helping her to translate Cree-English tapes, Noweta assisted her in gathering medicinal herbs, and Joe Blyan helped confirm certain Cree words for her books.
Many remarked how nice a service it was for Dr. Anne.
Born to Betsy and William Joseph Gairdner in 1906 on a river lot farm east of St. Albert, Dr. Anne was one of 10 children of whom only two survive.
She went to Bellerose School, then spent three long, lonely years at the Grey Nun's Convent, a few miles from her home. After Grade 10, she had to stay home to help work her parent's mixed farm. Her dad died when she was 16 and she had to help with house work on neighboring farms to earn money to support her family.
In 1926, she married William Callihoe and moved to a farm north of Spruce Grove, raised two children, then learned to type - a skill that later proved instrumental to her in developing the dozens of manuscripts for her books.
Dr. Anne lived in Oregon for several years, and later married Joseph Anderson in 1947 from Frog Lake where she worked as a supervisor of the Fishing Lake Métis Settlement.
She married Alex Irvine from Selkirk, Man.
in 1979 and formed her own company, Cree Productions. She fought a long
and hard battle with the schools in Edmonton and the University of Alberta
to include Cree language instruction in their curricula.
She also developed the Dr. Anne Anderson Native Heritage and Cultural Centre, won the Alberta Achievement Award in 1975, the Order of Canada in 1979, plus an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Alberta, and the Edmonton Female Citizenship Award. Edmonton also named a park after her which is located at 105 Avenue and 162 Street which hosts a beautiful life-size bronze buffalo sculpture.
At the time of her passing, the 91-year-old Anderson-Irvine was a grandmother, a retired nurse, a teacher and a linguist who authored more than 90 books on Métis history, Cree language, herbs, legends and children's coloring books. But, that's not all this grand lady of the Métis contributed. Lovingly, her labors also produced Cree language tapes. She collected artifacts and an extensive library of Native books which are housed by the Métis Nation of Alberta. Apart from her language tapes, Dr. Anne was probably best-known for her Cree Dictionary and her book, The First Métis . . . A New Nation.
Dr. Anne leaves behind her husband Alexander, children Patricia Robinson
and Herbert Callihoe, sister Lena L'Hirondelle, brother Adolphus Gairdner,
niece Elaine Rowe, three grandchildren and numerous friends and relatives.
This is one case where being picked by a Yahoo! is a good thing.
Yahoo!Canada is a leading Internet resource which lists thousands of Internet sites on its database. Each week Yahoo! picks four to six sites to showcase to the thousands of people who utilize Yahoo!'s service to search for information on the Internet or World Wide Web.
The home page of the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta (AMMSA) has been selected by Yahoo!Canada as a pick of the week for May 2to9.
"Alberta seems to be taking the lead this week in producing some fine sites. Which isn't surprising, especially with such sites as The Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta currently coming out of Wild Rose country. With everything from job notices to scholarships to news of interest to Canada's First Nations, this site puts in a lot of effort, and it shows. By the way, if you're someone into getting a free T-shirt - and who isn't? - check out their contest," is Yahoo!s comments.
AMMSA's web site was lauched in August 1996 after a great deal of evaluation and research. There were many Aboriginal sites on the Internet already, but many of them just provided links or access to other sites, but offered very little information. AMMSA's site includes top news stories, commentaries, cartoons, photos and features from our four publications including Windspeaker, Alberta Sweetgrass, Saskatchewan Sage and our newest newspaper, Raven's Eye. In addition, community events, career lists and information , and a detailed list of scholarships available to Aboriginal students is included on the site. And yes, the site also contains a links page to get people to other top Aboriginal sites around the world.
"This is a real honor for Yahoo! to pick AMMSA's site," said Paul Macedo, AMMSA's Director of Marketing and leader of the AMMSA web site design team. "Our objective in launching our web site was to expose our Aborioginal news and information to a growing audience, particularly youth who now have access to the Internet through schools and, increasingly, through their homes. The exposure which Yahoo! will provide our site will mean more people will dial in and browse through AMMSA's extensive information. The AMMSA site has something for everyone including regular contests for T-shirts and other giveaways."
To check out AMMSA's web site dial in http://www.ammsa.com or go to Yahoo!Canada
at http:www.yahoo.ca and type "ammsa" in your search.
Prehistoric Aboriginal artifacts may become the latest obstacle in the battle to build a road next to Big Lake in the suburban city of St. Albert northwest of Edmonton.
The two-lane route - intended to make commuting easier for residents in the city's northwest - just happens to run through an area rich in tools, arrowheads and the remains of Native peoples left up to 5,000 years ago.
"This concerns - in my opinion - the history of the entire First Nations in this country long before any white man was here," said Elke Blodgett, a resident of St. Albert for 31 years.
Blodgett is likely one of the first to consider the road's impact on Aboriginal cultural history.
She began walking in the area 30 years ago "and everywhere I went I found Indian artifacts."
Blodgett examined the objects, began studying archeology and even tried to get the Provincial Museum of Alberta interested in the area.
The variety and number of artifacts - including obsidian arrowheads probably from British Columbia - suggest the location may have been a significant trading place, said Blodgett. She also suspects there may have been a buffalo jump judging by the lay of the land and the large number of buffalo bones.
While the Provincial Museum declined Blodgett's invitation to investigate, it was required in 1978 to commission a series of digs when the multi-national giant, Landrex Corporation, applied for a subdivision in the area. More digs were done two years later when plans were first made to build a road through the area where the Sturgeon River drains Big Lake.
The findings were not classified as being particularly unusual, but they were not done in the location where Blodgett said she found most of her artifacts.
Reports from the early digs, and artifacts collected by Blodgett, are now in the hands of the nearby Alexander First Nation which is contemplating whether it and descendants of the nearby Michel Band might become involved in the road issue.
Ken Thompson, a Métis freelance writer living in St. Albert, delivered the goods to the reserve April 30 to try and arouse an official response from Native groups.
"If that bypass does go through it's going to mean all the ancestral artifacts that are down there are going to be taken up . . . and then ground into the dirt again under the wheels of progress."
Thompson said significant time should be allowed for an excavation. If there is no archeological dig then the area should be preserved complete with the artifacts in the ground.
A majority of city councilors, however, have a different view.
A stormy council meeting April 21 went until after midnight before council voted 4 to 3 to proceed with the development. Protesters said they will organize petitions to halt its progress.
Objections so far have centred on the environmental significance of the affected area.
An active local environmental group notes that the shoreline is an important staging ground for migratory birds and has eco-tourism potential. Critics also note the road - designed to eventually become a six-lane bypass - will divert traffic from businesses in the city centre (a concern which has resulted in city officials adopting the term "western boundary road" instead of "western bypass").
So far, the archeological angle has been a footnote.
But Thompson believes Native people should become involved and should have a say in whether any findings are significant or not.
He wonders why St. Albert didn't contact Native people when it became evident there were archeological findings in the area.
"Not one Native person or Indian person was given knowledge that these artifacts were found. Instead of holding information back they should have let an Indian council or an Indian representative know these artifacts were found and where they were found."
On the other hand, Blodgett said she has tried to get Aboriginal organizations involved in the past, but without any success.
She speculates this may be because the objects in question predate recent tribal territories making it difficult for any particular Native community to identify with them. But she said Natives have a right to enter the road debate.
"What we have taken away over the years we can't really change, but whatever can still be changed to do justice should still be done."
A spokesperson for the Provincial Museum said further archeological studies could still occur at Big Lake before any road is built.
Dr. Jack Ives, manager of the archeology and ethnology section, said on April 28 that the museum's Archeological Survey is called on up to 200 times a year to investigate development projects. It could be called upon to do more studies at Big Lake if, as appears to be the case, the road's route has changed since the first studies were carried out.
If that happens and significant historical resources are found, the project could be altered.
"We are under the general impression (an archeological study) would be two to three years before the project would actually go forward."
The Archeological Survey usually springs into action after a call from the Minister of Alberta Community Development, but no call has been made yet.
Meanwhile, Ives is cautious about ascribing significance to artifacts found near Big Lake to date.
Some objects appear to be from the middle prehistoric period and could be 3,000 to 5,000 years old, he said. But because they were close to the surface they have likely been disturbed by farming and taken out of their original context.
"As you get to be 2,000, 3,000, 5,000 years of age it's clear that Aboriginal people have left these things behind, but it's not clear just which group."
There has been talk that burial sites are in the area, but Ives said there is no evidence to substantiate the claims.
"These are campsite types of settings, as far as we understand, where you have the domestic debris of living left behind. And principally what we see are stone tools, some projectile points - small arrowheads - scrappers and especially the stone flaking byproducts of working with tools."
Findings would be more significant if excavations were done deeper into the ground, he suggested.
For now, the museum waiting to see what further role it will be asked to play in the road project.
"And until we get an actual referral saying 'alright, part of the
route goes where you thought before, but here are the changes' and we can
assess what the impact of those changes might be, it's a bit premature for
us to try to say exactly what's going to happen."
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