Top Stories - May - 2001 Published May 14, 2001 Basketball Championship The intensity of the struggle shows as players battle for a loose ball during the women's final in the National Indian Athletic Association final in Calgary on April 21. Arizona (in white) defeated Oklahoma-Dakota 92-90 to claim their third straight NIAA championship. Photo Credit: Paul Barnsley Métis conference links past with present Pipeline will bring cash to northern Natives Cree Elder celebrates 90 years Métis conference links past with present By Bruce Weir Sweetgrass Writer CALGARY The Power of Youth, Wisdom of Elders conference hosted by the Region III Métis Nation of Alberta brought delegates from as far away as Ontario to Calgary in late April for four days of meetings and workshops. Although designed to encourage interaction between Elders and young people, the conference accomplished much more. "We're here for four days of deliberating, learning, understanding, and having fun," was the way Zone III president Ephram Bouvier summed up the goals of the conference in his opening remarks. With a cultural showcase on the opening night, and a dance party, country hoedown and barbecue during the run of the conference, there was certainly fun to be had. There were, however, some serious issues to address, which Bouvier mentioned in his opening remarks. "From the beginning, we, the Métis people, have been nation-builders. It saddens me to see our people not running for federal, provincial and municipal governments. I hope the youth will take the torch and run with it." Workshops topics were health, justice, suicide prevention, Métis history and culture, and career planning-all critical to the future of the Métis Nation. With roughly 18 Elders in attendance, the fact that the future of the Métis is in large part tied to their past was not lost on the delegates. It certainly was uppermost in Wayne Flaathen's mind. Flaathen, the co-chair of the Métis National Youth Advisory Council, travelled from Bonnyville to be there. He is currently establishing an Alberta Métis Youth Council, a task he hopes to finalize in August at the annual general meeting in Bonnyville. Although his focus is on youth, he acknowledged a debt to Métis Elders. "I can't stress how much help and assistance the Elders have given us. It is their wisdom that is so beneficial. We need the Elders to help teach the youth. Life is changing and it is that change Elders help with, ensuring our morals and traditions are carried on and ensuring there is a support system." Life is changing for the Métis Nation as well. Gerald Morin, president of the Métis National Council, is optimistic about these recent changes. "From my involvement in Métis politics I can see that it's like a renaissance, the resurgence of Métis pride and determination to move forward as a nation, to be recognized for who we are-we're a unique people pursuing our rights in self-determination," Morin said. For Morin, the resurgence in pride is linked to the past as well as the present. "There's nobody like us in the entire world," he noted. "We've literally carved out our homeland, our nation, with our distinct language, culture and values. We have our distinct and powerful political institutions, our unique legal status. All of that has come together to shape us as a people." In order to underline his point, Morin related the story of his visit to St. Peter's mission in Montana, where Louis Riel settled while in exile. The church where Riel prayed is still standing there. Morin said that it was the centre of a vibrant Métis community in the 1870s and 1880s and "if you go up in a plane and look down, you can still see the ruts that were carved out by the thousands of Red River carts we took out there." Although this sense of Métis history is important, Morin's day-to-day concerns are firmly rooted in the present. He attended the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, and Métis representatives are active at the United Nations and the Organization of American States. At home, discussions with the federal government continue on a framework agreement that would address a wide range of Métis issues. Morin also noted that the Métis have been active in the courts recently, launching actions designed to establish Métis land rights, hunting rights and fishing rights. "Those court cases operate as a hammer in the political process. They give us strength politically, so we are negotiating from a position of strength," he said. That position was reflected in the theme of the conference. The energy and determination was supplied by the youth. For pride and a sense of their unique culture, delegates looked to the Elders. They needed to look no further than Cora Fedyk who delivered the opening prayer and then stood with her hand over her heart while singing along with the Métis Anthem. Top

Pipeline will bring cash to northern Natives By Joan Taillon Sweetgrass Writer EDMONTON Joe Handley, Northwest Territories minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, along with Resources deputy minister Robert McLeod, accompanied Premier Stephen Kakfwi to Edmonton last month to promote the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline route as the best way to move Arctic gas to market. On April 10, Handley and McLeod talked to Sweetgrass about why they believe the N.W.T. will get its pipeline application approved. They say it is the most economical way to supply Mackenzie Delta gas to North American markets. The N.W.T. wants gas from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to be piped under the sea to the Mackenzie delta, then piped up the Mackenzie Valley along with Canadian Arctic gas into Alberta. Both Yukon and Alaska, however, want to ship gas through their territories. They want gas from Prudhoe Bay to be piped along the Alaska Highway, through the Yukon and through northern British Columbia. It is estimated that route would be three times as costly to build. If they get their gas to market first, however, it could devalue the price of gas and cut demand for N.W.T. gas. The Alaskan senate is proposing Bill 14 to prohibit leases on state-owned "land" in the Beaufort Sea, which means Alaskan gas producers would not be able to use the Mackenzie Valley route. Handley said the key to the success of the N.W.T. proposal will be the partnerships formed with Aboriginal people, who are nearly all on side, unlike the other jurisdictions where the issue of the pipeline is more contentious. "They're on side because our position has always been that we'll do this in partnership, not just (to suit the N.W.T. government)." The Aboriginal Pipeline Group got $500,000 from the NWT government and "have been working hard the past year to put together their business plan of how they're going to have an equity position in the pipeline-they'll be able to own a piece of it. "So we have, I think, a much more positive, business-like approach in the N.W.T. than is the case in the Yukon, where the Yukon government sort of went on their own without ensuring that all the Aboriginal governments were on side." That's true of the Yukon's Kaska Dene, who were opposed to an Alaska Highway pipeline, and vowed to fight the deal until their land claim is settled. They announced April 11, however, that they were withdrawing lawsuits against the federal government, in exchange for Ottawa agreeing to resume land claim talks. The federal government now says it will negotiate with Kaska communities in the Yukon and in northern British Columbia as one unit and will include the Kaska in talks and decisions on resource issues. The N.W.T. government maintains the Mackenzie Valley pipeline route is shorter, flatter, and safer environmentally. Handley continued, "(The pipeline is) a key issue for us, especially with President Bush talking about a continental energy policy. . . . We probably have the biggest reserve of natural gas in Canada-we'd better be there." Although the Canadian federal government has stopped short of endorsing either N.W.T. or Yukon at this point, Handley said he was "very optimistic." If the N.W.T. gets the go-ahead, Handley said an environmental review, which will involve all the Aboriginal governments and land claim groups, could take two years. "The one area that the proposed pipeline would have to go through where there is no [settled] claim is in the Deh Cho in the southwest corner." But Deputy Minister McLeod added, "They're signing off on a couple of agreements on protection measures and land management." They estimate two to four years to settle the land claim, but said the Deh Cho are "supportive" of the pipeline. Doug Cardinal, a Deh Cho representative for the APG from Hay River, is reported as saying the APG wants 51 per cent ownership of the pipeline to start, and to acquire ownership of all of it as they acquire the expertise to run it. Cardinal admitted that Aboriginal ownership isn't an issue along the Alaska Yukon route. Top Cree Elder celebrates 90 years By Rob McKinley Sweetgrass Writer BEAVER LAKE FIRST NATION To hear about his daily activities, it would be hard to believe that Beaver Lake Cree Elder Leo Mountain is 90 years old. Celebrating the big birthday with friends, family and community members on April 28 at Beaver Lake's Maria Munro Hall, Mountain joked that he'd need to swipe his cap over the birthday cake if he was going to generate enough wind to blow out all the candles. "I'll have to take my cap and swing it to blow them out," he said with a laugh. Born at the Kehewin First Nation on April 30, 1911, Mountain moved to Beaver Lake when he was 10 years old. Never afraid of hard work, Mountain has worked on farms, trap lines, in sawmills and on the railroad. "I retired quite a while ago, but that doesn't mean I stopped getting around," he said. An avid fiddler, Mountain still runs the bow across the strings every chance he gets, said his step-daughter Rose Nichols. "He'll play four or five fiddle tunes every morning," said Nichols, who is one of Mountain's seven step-children. Mountain also has three children of his own. Although he is technically her step-father, Nichols doesn't refer to him that way. "Leo was in our lives since I was a teenager, so he is my dad," she said. Nichols' mother passed away in 1980; since then, Mountain has been taking care of himself. He's very independent, said Nichols. "He looks after himself and cares for himself, and the community looks after him as well." Nichols still has a hard time believing that her step-father is entering his ninth decade. "Does he look or act 90? No he doesn't. It's hard to believe my dad is 90. It's unbelievable." Mountain said he owes his good health to a strong work ethic, and the support of family and friends-and a decision to quit a couple of bad habits. "I quit drinking 20 years ago, and I don't smoke anymore," he said. Smoking was a long-time habit for the Elder, who took his first puff at the age of 11. "I quit that just five years ago," he said, explaining that after more than 70 years of cigarettes, it was time to live healthy. "I just thought it was getting to be no good for me to smoke." Although he stopped some habits, there's a new one that he can't stop and really doesn't want to. "I go to bingo just about every day," he said. "I like it. I like playing. It's the only hobby I do a lot of now." Surrounded by friends and family at the birthday party, Mountain was asked what kind of a present is good for a 90-year-old. After 89 birthdays, there's not many new presents left to get. "They can buy me whatever they want to. I could do with money. That never goes out of style," he said with a smile. Top