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Halloween hijinx!Jeremy Rink was just one of the children all dressed up for the Mother Earth and Me Headstart program's Halloween activities on Thursday, Oct. 30. The children at the headstart program came to class in a variety of costumes ranging from cute bunnies and clowns to vampires and witches. A number of activities were dished out to the youngsters courtesy of the headstart staff and the helpful mothers. For more pictures of the fun-filled day, turn to Page 13 of the printed version of Alberta Sweetgrass.Photo Credit: Rob McKinley |
Grassroots groups fire up in wake of reserve upsets by Rob McKinley
Hundreds for flock to pay last respects to Chief Twinn by M. Partington-Richer
Hobbema community shocked as baby delivered in ditch by Anthony Kovats
Veteran seeks respect by Rob McKinley
House arrest made by Rob McKinley
Huskies ready to scrimmage after 30 year break by Rob McKinley
Terrying About - Sadness on the trails by Terry Lusty
Here is a full list of additional stories featured in the November, 1997 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.
Monuments pay tribute to Elders
Diabetes education is key to battling growing epidemic
Don't gamble on Addictions Awareness Week
New Health Centre opens
Tom Jackson brings Hollywood to Calgary
Volunteer spirit helps select boy for Disneyland trip
Looking for donors to help keep winter cold away
Exhibit celebrates heritage
Local wins art contest
Huron Carole tour continutes to grow
Alexis sub-office opens in Whitecourt
Celebrating the Metis tradition
Man charged in House assault
Huskies ready to scrimmage after 30 year break
Dreamcatcher conference a hit
Powwow one of season's last
Child Find and Halloween Hijinx feature pages
by Rob McKinley
Sweetgrass Writer
EDMONTON
Edmonton police took only a week to lay charges in connection with the alleged assault of North of 60 star Dakota House.
On Oct. 19, the 23-year-old actor was found lying in a pool of blood in a hallway of the river-front apartment building where he lives.
He was rushed to Edmonton's University Hospital with injuries to his head, face and upper body. The alleged beating left him with a severe skull fracture. He remained in the neurological ward of the hospital in serious condition. Several days later, he was released.
Edmonton police spokesperson Sgt. Bryan Boulanger said an investigation showed the victim was attending a social function in an apartment in the same building when an altercation occurred.
Moving outside the suite, the victim is believed to have been hit with a wooden club. When the victim fell to the floor, the attacker continued the alleged assault, striking the victim several more times. Police have recovered a wooden club believed to be the assault weapon.
As a result of the investigation, police arrested a 22-year-old male acquaintance of the victim at a west-end Edmonton home on Oct. 28.
The accused appeared before a justice of the peace on Oct. 29. He was released pending a trial date.
House, who plays TeeVee Tenia, on the CBC television's weekly series about the people of Lynx River, a fictional Native community dealing with social problems and change, could not be reached for comment.
The alleged assault fell between filming of the series, which is shot in Bragg Creek.
by Rob McKinley
Sweetgrass Writer
LAC LA BICHE
After an absence of 30 years, high school football returned to Lac La Biche this fall and, yes, after a three-decade break the team looked a little rusty at times this season.
The J.A. Williams High School Huskies are just wrapping up their first season in Alberta's Wheatland high school league.
Half of the team is made up of Aboriginal athletes who live in the town or in neighboring métis settlements or First Nations. And even though this was the first time any of them had ever played in an organized league, the players said their first season has been a blast, despite the fact that they lost every game in the regular season.
They may lack the experience of more seasoned teams, but the young Williams high rookies are packing a lot of heart. That spirit is what drives them.
Speak with the players and none of them think their losing streak is a negative thing. They all looked to the positives of playing in their first ever season.
"It's for the fun and to get to know the sport," said defensive tackle Parker Cardinal, from the Kikino Métis Settlement.
Cardinal, a Grade 10 student, said his first season on the grid iron has been "an excellent experience."
His fellow defensive tackle and Kikino neighbor Travis White said the best thing about playing on the team is simply the opportunity to play and learn.
"We get to go to some new places and to experience some new things," said White, a Grade 9 student.
But don't get the wrong idea. They don't do this just for the education and geography lesson. These guys like the physical contact of the game. The team is quickly becoming known as a hard-hitting crew. White said the full contact is one of the best parts of the game.
"We have permission to hit," he said with a grin.
In many Aboriginal communities, the choices for recreation are limited. So when he heard about football, White thought it was a great opportunity.
"We don't get too many chances to experience new things," he said.
Defensive halfback John Yellowknee is also happy to see a new sport in town. It's always been hockey in the winter and baseball in the summer, he said. Football is something new to try.
"I can make something of myself out there - plus, I can't skate," he said.
The Grade 11 student would like to continue playing football. Unfortunately, next season Yellowknee will be too old to play in the league.
But that isn't deterring him. Yellowknee is planning to continue his education and try out for a team at the collegiate level.
"I'll just have to wait until I go to university, I guess," he said.
Huskies coach Frank Collins said the new football program offers team members many things, including a higher regard for schooling.
"There were a couple of the guys at this point last year who were expelled from school already," he said. "But is football their savior? We'll just have to wait and see, but the game is definitely teaching them a lot."
The game teaches kids to follow instructions, to work with each other and to push themselves, he said.
Collins, a former University of Alberta Golden Bear offensive tackle, said there are two main things that have impressed him about his players: their spirit and their hitting abilities. These qualities are encouraging, especially with the team's dismal record in the standings. But just give them a little more time, he said.
"I had great athletes, but they're not football players yet. But they did show me they aren't quitters."
Despite having no wins, the Huskies will still be in the play-offs when the seven team league wraps up the regular season. That's only because every team makes it into the post-season. The players and the coaching staff have a healthy attitude about it. They'll play the play-offs just like they played the regular season games - for the experience.
Everybody on the club is looking ahead to where the experience they gain this year will take them next season.
Cardinal is really looking forward to season number two because he now knows that heart and spirit won't be a problem. He said the team just needs the experience under its belt. Then it will start putting up some numbers in the win column.
by M. Partington-Richer
Sweetgrass Writer
SLAVE LAKE
Flags in downtown Slave Lake flew at half-mast on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The streets were quiet as a traditional horse-drawn hearse carried the body of the late Sawridge Chief Walter Twinn to a funeral at St. Peter's Celestin Roman Catholic Church.
Twinn died suddenly of a massive heart attack Thursday Oct. 30, after returning from a ceremonial sweat lodge.
The Sawridge chief's funeral was draped in pomp and pageantry, and was "the closest Slave Lake has ever come to a state funeral," according to Mayor Gerry Allarie.
RCMP members in red serge, carrying country and senate flags led the solemn march to the cemetery immediately following the funeral. At the same time, the former chief was given a full traditional Native farewell. Four riders on horseback and the chief's personal horse with an empty saddle followed the wagon which carried the coffin to the chief's final resting spot overlooking the community.
Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington arrived for the traditional wake on Oct. 1. A Challenger jet carrying as many as 14 senators and their wives from Ottawa was scheduled to arrive on Oct. 2.
To accommodate the estimated 1,200 to 1,500 mourners expected to attend the funeral, town officials set up a remote electronic feed to carry the funeral service via satellite to an overflow crowd at the Alberta Vocational College gymnasium.
First elected as band chief in 1966, Twinn assumed the position shortly after oil was discovered on Sawridge reserve lands. Over the years he used royalties to create a legacy for the Sawridge Band, first with the Sawridge Hotel in Slave Lake, then spreading the small chain to include Jasper and Fort McMurray. He later added the Sawridge Truckstop on Highway 88 to the chain of businesses.
In 1990 the band opened the Sawridge Plaza Mall in the community and, shortly after, took over a water-bottling operation in British Columbia.
The chief was also an integral part of the Lesser Slave Lake Indian Regional Council. In the early 1990s he launched plans for a group which would become the region's first Native police force, serving the eight reserves which make up the region.
Because of its many investments locally, the Sawridge band has long been the town's biggest taxpayer, contributing more than a quarter million dollars in annual taxes. Officials at the town are quick to admit the "town's economic viability is definitely tied to the Sawridge."
Twinn will also be remembered for his many contributions to the sporting community, particularly in boxing circles where he invested heavily. His name also figured highly in minor sporting ventures, with many fund-raisers at the local Sawridge Hotel going toward those causes.
The support has stretched across decades, according to Slave Lake's former mayor Peter Moore who said, even before the community had its first arena, Twinn was footing the bill to promote minor sport. In fact, said Moore, his most vivid memory of the late chief was the years he outfitted young hockey players with everything from skates to sweaters and sticks and paid for a trip to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories for a hockey game.
Walter Twinn is survived by wife Catherine and nine children as well
as three sisters and a brother.
Terrying About - Sadness on the Trail
Tansi! Good to speak with all you fine people at the community level once again.
It's been a little rough these last few weeks for a number of people, especially those coping with the deaths of several prominent Native figures. No sooner did the Blood Reserve put the late Jim Goodstriker to rest than communities lost other important people, including longtime Ermineskin councillor Arthur Littlechild, who was a chief and a council member for 23 years. The Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement is mourning the loss of Edward Larose who'd been living at Enoch.
Saddle Lake First Nation is also saddened by the loss of Alphonse Cardinal, a craftsman many people admired for his good-natured ways, and his superlative talents with wooden, miniature scale-model crafts, which he produced and marketed.
Native centenarian Margaret L'Hirondelle, who we featured not long ago as she celebrated her 100th birthday, passed away in late October and was laid to rest in Athabasca on the same day that Sawridge First Nation Chief Walter Patrick Twinn was buried. Twinn, 63, as most people know, was an Honorable Member of the Senate of Canada. He was a gracious financial contributor, especially to the world of sports and, in particular, to boxing and the North American Indigenous Games. The hearts of many are saddened with the passing of such prominent people from our community.
· Saddle Lake councillor Charles Wood is faring as well as could be expected following a recent quadruple heart bypass at the U of A hospital.
· On the lighter side, numerous communities recently hosted Halloween activities for their youth.
Fort McKay, for one, held a Halloween Dance at their school that was well attended, with lots of fun and food, says John Fleming, the new Band activities coordinator. He adds that the school counsellor, Joanne White, is to be thanked for its success.
The Fort McKay band will host a Nov. 20 Day of The Child feast and Round Dance. They are scheduled to open a new community day care centre before Christmas. A pet project of the moms in Fort McKay, it will double as a youth drop-in centre in the evenings with crafts, culture and sports as its prime focus. Then, there's been the McKay Recreation Society, which has put in a new community skating rink next door to their ball diamond. On a final note, the Ft. McKay Group of Companies are donating $1,500 to the school and youth council for their Christmas party.
Up at Trout Lake, community resource co-ordinator Steve Noskiye informs us that their Oct. 3 to 4 Sports Day '97 was a huge success. He reports that they will attempt to make it an annual event, and are extremely appreciative for the help extended by parents and Elders in the community. As well, the Trout Lake Forgotten Ones Society, chaired by general store owner Leonard Bellerose, put up the trophies and prizes for the winners. There were 12 youth and 13 adult events, with all entry fees going to a special fund that is to be used for the community's winter carnival that is planned for February. Another fundraiser was their Halloween Dance, with the proceeds from that going to future volleyball and baseball programs. Additional plans to raise money for community recreation includes raffles and bake sales.
· Hey everyone, just a month or so left before Christmas arrives. Got your shopping done yet? No!! Well, keep in mind to circulate some of your dollars amongst your own craftspeople. The annual Alberta Indian Arts & Crafts Sale is Nov. 21 to 23 at Edmonton's downtown Convention Centre, and the Canadian Native Friendship Centre craft sale is Dec. 6 to 7.
Take care ya all. Talk to ya soon.
In the wake of forensic audits, blockades and band office sit-ins, a group has been formed to deal with concerns raised by band members from First Nations across the province.
CAIN - The Coalition Against Injustice to Natives - is based on southern Alberta's Stoney Reserve.
Stoney received national attention over the past several months after a provincial court judge ordered the province to investigate allegations of band administration mismanagement and financial wrong-doing on the reserve. The judge's order which on Sept. 26 was unsuccessfully appealed by the province at the Court of Queen's Bench in Calgary, has led to several meetings between Stoney members and Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development representatives. There is currently a forensic audit at Stoney, and the financial management is being carried out by an Indian Affairs appointed accounting firm.
Since the Stoney situation, band members at other First Nations in Alberta have staged sit-ins and demonstrations to create awareness at their feelings of discontent.
All the concerns and feelings of ill will regarding band management led to the creation of the new coalition, said CAIN organizer and director Greg Twoyoungmen.
"It's to help people in need," said Twoyoungmen. "It's to air their grievances. It is a place to show their complaints because they are being ignored by their leaders."
The coalition was created back in July, Twoyoungmen said, and already there are more than 300 people involved.
"We are getting support from across Canada, all the way from B.C. down south and east to Manitoba," he said.
The coalition is based on the concept that 'grassroots' people need to have somewhere to turn when they have problems with band administrations.
He said many of the people calling the coalition for help can't get the answers they need from their own leaders or Indian Affairs representatives.
Twoyoungmen said there is too much distance between the people in power and the people they are supposed to represent.
"They all live like kings and other people live in vehicles," is how he explained the financial problems the coalition is looking into.
Eventually, using political and media contacts, Twoyoungmen said CAIN wants to see Indian Affairs let bands take care of themselves.
"Native government should replace Indian Affairs," he said.
The government department hasn't been helping the 'grassroots' level people in the past and there is no need for them in the future, he said.
"Indian Affairs ignores us and brushes us off. They are useless to us. What are they here for?" he asked.
Twoyoungmen said he has tried to get answers from Indian Affairs on a regional level and even federally, but his letters have been ignored.
"I've [written] over and over and over to the [Indian Affairs] minister and now I'm writing to the House of Commons.
If things are to change, the system needs a shakeup, he said.
"We want to change the status quo. The status quo must go. . . We are rocking the boat right now," he said.
So far, CAIN is relying only on diplomatic resources to get the voices of the 'grassroots' people heard, but Twoyoungmen said the coalition has been contacted by groups that have offered to provide some muscle to the group.
Violence, Twoyoungmen said, "is our very last resort."
He said the group just wants to get some answers and let band members get their voices heard.
Reform MP Myron Thompson is backing the CAIN group, but not the use of violence to sort things out.
"If their voices are going to be heard, they need to come together collectively," he said. "There's been certain militant-type people who have contacted them to see if they want to use their services - I've told [CAIN] to stay away from them."
A group calling themselves the Warriors has also come forward at the Samson First Nation in Hobbema.
Thompson said, despite the name, that group is not looking to violence to solve the problems in their community. They just want to be heard and are trying to create awareness to what they think are problems on their own reserve, he said.
"The warriors are certainly not of a militant attitude," he said.
Some band members at Samson are asking Indian Affairs for their own forensic audit into allegations of band financial mismanagement.
Mel Buffalo, a consultant with the Samson Cree First Nation, said the band administration, with Chief Florence Buffalo is planning to meet with all band members to discuss any perceived problems.
Buffalo said the chief and council is committed to working out any problems with members.
Chief Buffalo returned to her office in mid-October after a three week leave of absence to care for her sick husband.
Indian Affairs' response to the start-up groups is one of non-action.
"It's nothing out of the ordinary," said federal Indian Affairs spokesperson Lynn Boyer. "Having individuals or groups of individuals who raise concerns with respect to their local governments are normal to any community whether Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal."
The department realizes that these groups are out there, she said, but only recognize the elected representatives of a Native community.
"The department deals with the duly elected chiefs and councils for the most part," she said.
Allegations of corruption backed with proof are directed to the RCMP. Indian Affairs will assist any member with a complaint,"without interfering," she said.
Despite the growing numbers of groups now trying to get the department's attention about concerns they have on reserves, Boyer said the government is encouraging them to work things out amongst themselves.
"The days when DIAND ran and controlled these communities are long gone," she said.
By Anthony Kovats
Wetaskiwin Times Advertiser
HOBBEMA
The Hobbema community is mourning the death of an infant after her mother gave birth to the child on a lonely stretch of gravel road Oct. 27.
Lorna Okeynan was in labor when she and her husband, Paul Allen, tried to make it to the hospital in Wetaskiwin on foot.
The couple, who live just outside of Hobbema, have no phone or car and, as they walked to the hospital trying to catch a ride, Lorna began to go into labor.
"We were walking down the road and a truck passed us. I said, 'Honey I got to push, I got to push,' but he said, 'Don't push yet,'" cried Lorna.
But it was too much for her to take and Lorna Okeynan gave birth to her daughter, Tamara, who later died at the University of Alberta Hospital.
"My husband had the baby in his arms. I was still connected to her when a car pulled up. He just looked at us and drove away."
As the family lay in the ditch a car with two nurses, on their way to a home visit, spotted them near Crane's Crossing and tried to assist. An ambulance was called to transport Tamara to Wetaskiwin and a second ambulance transported the mother and father.
Tamara was airlifted to the University of Alberta Hospital, but she died a short time later in her parents' arms.
Jim Minde, director for Hobbema Indian Health Services, said the intervention of the two nurses was a rare coincidence, as they were traveling to a nearby residence for a home visit.
"They were on their way out to conduct a home visit when they spotted the couple," said Minde.
Minde said there are services in Hobbema that could have helped the family.
"We have a transportation system. It's just unfortunate that these people never used these services," Minde said.
He said the child was still alive when the nurses arrived, but the cold was taking its toll.
A few hours later, doctors in Edmonton confirmed the damage done by the elements on the baby.
The couple was told Tamara's organs had shut down because of her inability to breathe and the fact her body temperature had dropped so low.
Okeynan is devastated and confused about the events surrounding her delivery. She wanted to be admitted to the hospital Saturday, but was turned away.
But the attending physician, Dr. Prem Chengalath, has a different account of the events.
He said Okeynan did believe she was in labor, but three hours of tests and observations gave no indication to the staff. Chengalath added if Okeynan was in labor she would have had the child much sooner, rather than on the Monday when her contractions started to come closer together.
Knowing her condition and situation he can't understand why the family didn't make the necessary arrangements for transportation with existing services.
"This is her 10th pregnancy. If anyone knew she was due it was her responsibility to find a place where she could communicate with the world."
Chengalath called the situation tragic for the family, but he maintains she was not in labor when she first entered the hospital.
The medical examiner's office will be conducting an investigation of the incident.
Although the events surrounding young Tamara's death are tragic, Chengalath said he acted in the best interest of the family.
"Unfortunately she went into labor and could not get to a care facility.
My heart goes out to them, but I don't know what I could have done,"
said Chengalath.
By Rob McKinley
Sweetgrass Writer
KIKINO MÉTIS SETTLEMENT
The dedication of William Erasmus, 73, is one of the reasons Canadians live in freedom. Erasmus has served in two military conflicts as a representative of his homeland.
"What I believe in, I will fight for," said Erasmus.
The veteran was the driving force behind the Kikino Métis Settlement's two new monuments to celebrate the Kikino members who fought for their country and the settlement members who have passed away.
The two monuments were unveiled on Nov. 11 at Kikino.
"It's time that we gave them the recognition," he said.
Erasmus said each year the world takes time to remember the people who gave their lives for their country, but in reality, they should be remembered every day. The monuments will help to keep those memories alive.
Erasmus's own memories of his times in battle are mixed.
One of his memories is of the food dished out during the Second World War to the troops.
"We were given one can of corned beef and hard biscuits for three men for three days," he said.
The lack of nourishment one afternoon led the men in Erasmus's group to take over an evacuated farm house in a small Italian village. Erasmus was part of the front line attack to push the Germans out of Italy. The fighting was fierce in the small village, but the allies managed to push the Germans back. Erasmus and his crew used the farm house as a stronghold. When the fighting stopped, they discovered the farm had chickens and a number of other animals, so they prepared for a feast. After dining well, he said the guys fell asleep.
"The funny thing was that the Germans were only 25 to 30 yards away from us. So there we were, everybody was lying down and sleeping and the Germans could easily have come by and captured every one of us," he said.
Fortunately, one of the men awoke, realized the situation and got everyone out of the building.
That is one of the stories Erasmus tells when he visits schools, relaying his war stories.
He said he tells the kids about the tremendous human toll of war.
"When we were there on the front line and they tell us to go over, I saw guys crying. They just couldn't go. They sat down and cried," he said. "People can only take so much."
He said war and conflict makes a person lose his identity.
That is why Erasmus thinks veterans deserve more. Even if they came back from conflict in one piece physically, many were mentally and emotionally scarred. Those scars don't heal quickly. A little more respect could help to lessen the scars, he said.
"The respect I want for all veterans is all about walking down the
street and having people saying, 'Thanks for going to fight for us.' It's
that respect that we need," he said.
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