Inquiry report
shows more Samson woes
By Rob McKinley
Sweetgrass Writer
SAMSON CREE NATION
The release of a report which was intended to dig to the root
of troubles at the Samson Cree Nation didn't make much of an
impact when it was unveiled by a band-appointed board of inquiry
on Sept. 3.
The need for the
report stemmed from problems on the reserve which boiled over
last August when several band members locked themselves in the
Samson band office in Hobbema. The protestors, some belonging
to a group called the Warriors, wanted more say in band council
decisions, and more accountability from their leadership.
Samson Chief Florence Buffalo
On Sept. 3, last year, a general band meeting resulted in
the creation of the board of inquiry to look into the issues
brought up by the protestors. The board was made up of community
members, including one member of the Warriors group.
One year and more than 50 public hearings later, the report's
release was very low key. Even the Samson chief hadn't read the
140 page document, despite receiving an advanced copy the week
before.
"I've been quite busy. . . I haven't had time to read
it, but I will make time to read it," said Chief Florence
Buffalo, adding that she didn't know if any of her 12 councillors
had read the document either.
Within the report there were three main issues addressed by
most of the people making presentations at the hearings. Board
chairman Tony Mandamin presented a summary of the report's highlights.
The Election Law of Samson Cree Nation has long been in question.
Some believe the current chief and council should not have been
put into office because the Election Law was flawed. Mandamin
said the board of inquiry found nothing wrong with the current
law, but told the band members that they have the right to amend
the law to ensure proper representation.
"This is your law. This is the law that the members make,
not chief and council, not Indian Affairs. The power to make
that law is an Aboriginal right that Indian people have had since
before the coming of the white man," he said. "In it,
you set out the rules by which your leaders are chosen and in
it you may set out how your leaders are expected to carry on
their important work."
The board also advised the band members to amend the law to
include a code of ethics and conduct for the leadership.
A second large issue was band finances.
In the report, the board recommended that the chief and council
hold more meetings on the Samson reserve, keep travel expenditures
in line with that approved in the budget, and if travel is necessary,
to reduce the number of band officials going.
To deal with the finances, the board of inquiry recommended
more access of band members to the finances of the Samson First
Nation. The board also called for the creation of financial laws
to govern and monitor what monies are used for band operations.
To enforce the creation of the laws and the conflict of interest
amendments, the board suggested hiring a person as a band watch-dog
called the Samson Government Opisaste-ikew ino.
An opportunity for questions about the report, council and
the board met with little response from the people at the Samson
Cultural Centre.
It may have ended there, if Harley Rain hadn't asked his question.
He wanted to know if the band council, all of them, would
meet with the membership at an open band meeting in the near
future.
Chief Buffalo's answer was evasive.
"Last month I told the council that whoever wanted to
take their holidays could take them now," she said, letting
Rain know that there may not be many councillors around, and
even for the ones who were not on holidays, schedules were tight.
"Our days are pretty booked. If I can, maybe I'll sit down
with council. . . I'll mention to them about the open band meeting."
After another band member asked for a more definite commitment,
Buffalo finally nodded her head to the open meeting suggestion.
She hinted that it could be sometime in September.
"Somewhere around there," she said. "It's got
to be done very soon, quite soon."
Rain said a meeting cannot come soon enough. The people have
waited for one full year since the band office occupation and
nothing has changed, he said.
He can't see why an elected official would not take the time
to read a document which may point out the cause of troubles
amongst her people.
"She should have read it overnight ," he said. "It
doesn't take a week to read something like this."
He was also angered that only two band representatives showed
up.
"They should have been here. This is important. We are
the ones who put them there."
But he was also disappointed at the turnout of band members.
He thought there was a good reason for the empty seats, however.
Many people don't want to draw attention to themselves by speaking
out, he said.
"It's best if they don't say anything in front of chief
and council otherwise they won't get a handout or something,"
he said, adding that many members were probably out shopping
with their quarterly oil revenue cheques which the band handed
out the day before the meeting, two weeks earlier than normal.
Band member Dennis Green agreed.
"A hungry man is not going to complain on a full stomach
the day after," he said.
Although Green said he was very disappointed in the report,
he said it may be a stepping stone to better things.
The Samson Cree Nation Band Council held it's regular meeting
on the Wednesday Alberta Sweetgrass is printed. It was not know
as of deadline if a date for the open band meeting had been set
at the council meeting.
Chief Buffalo did stress her commitment to working on the
more important issues noted in the report.
"We will certainly try to deal with the ones that need
to be dealt with right away," she said.
Each member of the board of inquiry received $200 for each
of the 50 hearings attended over the last six months. The project
is reported to have cost $150,000.
Homeless Tsuu
T'ina residents take over abandoned barracks
By Paul Melting Tallow
Sweetgrass Writer
TSUU T'INA FIRST NATION
A shortage of housing on the Tsuu T'ina Nation, west of Calgary,
has forced more than 100 young families to move into vacated
houses on a former Canadian Forces Base situated on the reserve.
The Harvie Barracks, which sits on land leased to the Department
of National Defence until the year 2000, is now home to dozens
of families who said they couldn't find anywhere else to go.
Defence department officials had originally issued orders
to the families to vacate the barracks but on Aug. 21 they reversed
their position and allowed the families to remain in the barracks.
Before the move, the families had been living in overcrowded
conditions, in many cases where several families were sharing
one house. Some lived in tents and tipis.
Hal Eagletail, spokesman for the families who moved into the
barracks, said there are more than 1,100 registered Tsuu T'ina
Nation members but there are only 230 houses to accommodate them.
"They're taking houses because some have been living in
tipis, tents, trailers, motorhomes," Eagletail said. "It
affects the social fibre of our people having to live in degrading
conditions."
Eagletail dismissed concerns raised by the defence department
and the Tsuu T'ina chief and council that asbestos still present
in the buildings and the possibility of live ammunition left
behind could be a health hazard. "There's over 240 units
not being used that are perfectly livable," Eagletail said.
"The army's been living in them for the past 40 years and
they haven't had any problems with regards to asbestos or mustard
gas or any other contaminants left on the grounds.
"Having four to five families living in one house is
more of a health hazard [than] potential bombs six to eight feet
under the ground."
The units are fully functional with electricity, water and
telephone services, a few lucky families enjoy fireplaces.
Eagletail said that the ultimate goal is to provide adequate
housing for the families and if the barracks should become their
permanent homes, then they are prepared to accept living away
from the main populated area of the reserve.
The families have already organized a committee to establish
rules and negotiate with Tsuu T'ina Chief Roy Whitney and the
council. They have submitted proposals to the administration
for an office that they can use as headquarters and provide services
such as security.
"I've never seen such a unified stance from our people
since some of our past chiefs have been alive," said Eagletail.
Nolan
teaches life skills and slap shots in Hobbema
By Rob McKinley
Sweetgrass Writer
HOBBEMA
Although Ted Nolan has had some difficulty getting back into
coaching at an NHL level, the one -time Coach of the Year has
been filling some time with more rewarding work.
After what he calls a "disappointing year" of waiting
for a head coaching job in the NHL, Nolan is back on the ice
and back to calling out drills, offering encouragement and pushing
his players to be the best they can.
Instead of from behind the bench of the Buffalo Sabres, more
recently Nolan was coaching from Hobbema's newest ice rink on
the Ermineskin First Nation.
On Aug. 18, Nolan was in Alberta to coach for a day at the
Aug. 17 to 21 Miyo-Wahkotowin Community Education Authority's
first annual hockey school.
Bringing his NHL experience to 60 participants ranging in
age from 10 to 17, Nolan said the opportunity was an all-round
rewarding experience.
"I get as much enjoyment out of it with the kids as the
kids do with me," he said.
Nolan, who left the Buffalo hockey franchise 18 months ago,
has his own consulting company that offers motivational education.
He has worked with several First Nations across Canada and has
offered his leadership training, goal setting workshops and motivation
classes to many large groups including the Assembly of First
Nations.
His suit and tie job comes in handy when teaching the skate
and jersey crowd.
Mixing some words of advice for life into puck handling drills
is a good way to get a message out to young people without preaching
to them about the right path they need to take, said Nolan.
Following an hour long skills training session with groups
of skaters split into three age categories, Nolan spoke to them
about the importance of succeeding at whatever they attempt,
on the ice or off. He told them to listen to what others told
them and not to be put off by failure.
To one group of youngsters, the young coach told them how
he couldn't turn left on skates properly until he was 21. He
told them he never stopped trying, and with a lot of attention
and some people to help, he finally managed to perfect the skill.
So while the youngsters all probably realized they learned
some new moves or perfected some rusty skating manouveurs, so
basic life skills were probably learned also.
"Through hockey, you can subtely slip a message in,"
said Nolan.
Ernestine Saulteaux, whose son Levi, 13, was in the hockey
school, said she sees the benefits of hockey and what it can
teach the children.
"I truly believe it builds their self esteem and it keeps
them out of trouble," said Saulteaux, a single mother who
said that although the sport can be costly, it keeps her kids
happy, and that is what is important.
"If my kids are happy, then I'm happy," she said.
Also happy were the organizers of the hockey school.
Randy Ermineskin, the program designer for the hockey school
and the physical education teacher at the Ermineskin school,
said the event is a big success.
"This has been a learning experience for us," he
said.
Participants in the school came from as far away as High Prairie
and Calgary. With the support of the four nations of Hobbema,
Ermineskin said the players got the opportunity to learn some
new moves and new ideas about hockey and life from a top calibre
instructor.
"The skills he is teaching them are excellent,"
said Ermineskin about Nolan.
Nolan was one of 12 instructors at the camp. Other coaches
included collegiate and provincial level Native hockey players,
including Brent Dodginghorse of the Calgary Hitmen of the Western
Hockey Association.
Air service
takes off
By Lynn Redl
Sweetgrass Writer
FORT VERMILION
Little Red Air Service is on a direct flight for success.
The air service is being piloted by 29-year-old Michael Nanooch,
who was hand-picked for the position.
Nanooch who received his engineering diploma from Northern
Lights College in Dawson Creek, B.C. and a Business Diploma from
Grande Prairie Regional College, has been with Little Red since
1989.
Originally, Little Red River First Nation created the air
service as a cost-effective air taxi to fly chief and council
to business functions at the First Nation's three reserves. Eventually,
the First Nation extended the service and made it a business.
"When the plane wasn't being used there were people who
were asking to be flown somewhere or who wanted to hitch rides
when it was in use," said Don Ste.-Croix, chief pilot for
Little Red Air Service. "Eventually, the plane spent so
much time in the air that the First Nation turned it into a business."
Located in Fort Vermilion, 600 kilometres north of Edmonton,
the air service began in 1986 with a six seat, single engine
Cessna 206. After purchasing and leasing several other planes,
the company expanded in 1990 to include a second office in High
Level. In 1994, they obtained a five-year Alberta Health contract
for air ambulance service.
"We have the greatest area of responsibility in all of
Alberta," said St. Croix, a pilot since 1970.
Little Red provides air charters, air freight, aircraft maintenance,
fly-in fishing services for tourists, air ambulance service,
and environmental survey flying. This year, the air service also
worked on the fire lines of the huge forest fires in Northern
Alberta.
"The entire northern part of the province seemed like
it was on fire," said Nanooch. "We were moving firefighting
crews and freight. It certainly made up a big part of our business
this summer."
The company services Little Red River Cree Nation's three
reserves which include Fox Lake, John D'or Prairie, and Garden
River Settlement. The company's 11 planes also fly as far north
as the border of the Northeast Territories, as far west as Rainbow
Lake, and as far east as the Saskatchewan border. The air ambulance
also makes the trip to Edmonton on a regular basis.
One of Nanooch's pet projects is the Kewetin Flight Training
Centre, after a year of planning, it will open in mid-September.
"The idea is to train people that already live in Northern
Alberta," said Nanooch, a pilot since 1992. "What we
are finding is that a lot of pilots will come here to work for
a few years, but they have family elsewhere so the turnover rate
is high. We're hoping this will help lessen that turnover."
The training centre will remain a separate entity from Little
Red Air Service, employing one person, with a second employee
added during the spring.
According to Nanooch, Little Red flew between 5,500 and 6,000
hours last year alone. The air service, which grosses, $3.5 to
$4 million annually, employs 26 people during the summer and
36 in the winter months.
"Our main goal is to keep the air service expanding,"
said Nanooch, and it looks like clear skies ahead for Little
Red Air Service."My ultimate goal is to continue to improve
our image in the community and to ensure that everybody who works
at Little Red enjoys coming into work everyday because your employees
are your number one asset."
Bring on
the next season
by Ethel Winnipeg
Sweetgrass Columnist
Oki. How is everyone?
Summer's over and so are my powwow traveling days for another
year. The last powwows I attended were Kehewin and Frog Lake.
Kehewin turned out to be a pretty good one, but it was cold.
I danced on Saturday and nearly froze my knees because it was
so cold.
Every once in awhile, I bumped into people that remember me
from my writings in Windspeaker. It's really nice to know you're
remembered.
Although the Frog Lake powwow was another good event, I had
some sort of stomach bug, so I really couldn't enjoy my last
powwow of the season.
· Coming up in the warmer indoors is the 6th annual
Dreamcatcher conference at Grant MacEwan Community College. It
is set for Oct. 16 to 18.
I was talking with one of the ladies from the Youth Worker
program which is setting up the conference and she said this
is going to be one of the biggest conferences they have hosted.
Last year, 1,700 youths from all over Canada attended. I was
told that when they started six years ago, they had 450 delegates.
There are various workshops and special activities planned
for youth, including an evening with singing group Asani and
a mini-powwow for the Saturday night. I'll give you the scoop
on how the conference went in November.
· Baseball anyone?
The Ben Laboucan Memorial mixed slow pitch tournament was
held on the Labor Day weekend in High Level. This was the first
year for the tourney, which brought in 16 teams from Peace River
to North West Territories.
The first place team was the Fort Vermilion Diamondbacks,
who took home $2,000. Second place went to High Level. Finishing
in third place were the Jon D'Or Prairie Drifters and fourth
went to the Fox Lake Sluggers. The Lubicon Saints won the honors
for most sportsman-like team. The top pitcher was Lorne Cardinal
from the Ft. Vermilion Diamondbacks. The MVP for men was John
Waniandy from High Level and for women it was Polly Cardinal
of Ft. Vermilion. Giving Mark McGwire a run for his money at
the tournament was Home Run King Bruce Cardinal from the Diamondbacks.
The Home Run Queen was Sonia Kobelsky from High Level.
The weekend turned out to be a success for the tournament
and the Laboucan family would like to thank all who participated.
· Have you heard of the Big Sky Theatre? I thought
so. Let me introduce you to the newest Aboriginal theatre company
in the business. Big Sky Theatre started in April of this year,
doing shows in and around Edmonton.
Their stories are through Aboriginal thought and eyes. There
are three people in the company. Anna Marie Sewell is the artistic
director. She attended the University of Alberta, receiving her
Bachelor of Arts in Drama. She has traveled to many different
parts of the world, giving lots of worldly knowledge which she
passes onto her two other members.
Tanya Tourangeau, company publicist and performer, is originally
from Fort Smith, NWT. She has a zest for life, which, she describes
in her own triple E philosophy.
Life is only worthwhile if you follow the three E's: Explore,
Experience and Enjoy, she said.
Chris Ladouceur is the final member of the group. The Métis
man is the stage manager and performer. Although acting is new
to him, he's been up on the stage in front of crowds lots of
times.
Ladouceur is a former amateur boxer, winning a Canadian amateur
boxing title.
Some upcoming shows are: An Afternoon with Wasukejak. This
show is combined with Mountain Plains child welfare agency, and
will be held Oct. 3, at the Sacred Heart Church. Another show
is: Dance Between the World, on Oct. 27 to 31 at the Sacred Heart
Church.
Terrying About -
Winding down the powwow trail
By Terry Lusty
Tansi!
Hope you are all enjoying the summer
because it's only here temporarily. Yeah, winter is around the
corner.
· The Aug. 21 to 23 Alexander
Powwow was surely a delight for traditionalists who dislike the
money angle that so many powwows have embraced.
The event managed to attract at least
a dozen drums and 230 registered dancers. The weather co-operated,
making it all the easier for visitors and participants "to
get into it," said powwow co-ordinator Audra Arcand. She
said that next year, the powwow will be held in June, likely
on the Father's Day weekend.
Published Sept. 14, 1998
