Trust. Integrity. Reputation.
1998 Windspeaker July Headlines
 |
Patted down! Police made sure members of the Native Youth Movement were not carrying files or other property of the Westbank Indian Band as they exited the administration office building after a 33-hour occupation on May 25. Twenty-three of the occupiers were arrested. They were scheduled to appear
in court on July 11. The organization has been protesting the British Columbia
treaty process by mounting occupations of the treaty commission's offices
in Vancouver and this most recent one in Westbank, which is the only Okanagan
Nation participating in the process. Photo Credit: Joan Phillip |
AIM - The history
Quebec chiefs want to negotiate new approachLaw changed - band can tax members
United Church, feds both liable
Residential schools violated UN lawCuster's last stand performed again
Order of Ontario medal for first female band councillor
Reconstructing Aboriginal history- Guest Column
The above is only a partial list of all the stories featured in the July, 1998 issue of Windspeaker. If you are not receiving your own copy of Windspeaker, then you have missed out on a great deal of news, information and humour.
Click here for Windspeaker subscription information.
AIM - The history
By Donna Rae Paquette
Windspeaker Contributor
STILLWATER STATE PRISON, Minnesota (Beginning 1962)
It's fitting that the birth of the American Indian Movement took place inside prison walls. It was born at a time when Indians in the United States and Canadian had no voice in the affairs of the two nations, when their land holdings had shrunk to leave them hardly a place to bury their dead, when they were held in the lowest esteem by people who went to church weekly and sang about the brotherhood of man, and then, on weekdays, insisted their children not play with their dark-skinned neighbors, when Indian women were sterilized without their consent, Indian men were routinely jailed over minor offences, youngsters committed suicide in unparalleled numbers, Indian veterans were denied war pensions, and seniors lived in appalling poverty.
In 1962, in Minnesota's Stillwater State
Prison, two Ojibwa inmates, Clyde Bellecourt and Eddie Benton Banai, organized
46 Indian prisoners into a group to study Indian issues. Paroled two years
later, Bellecourt tried to organize the Indian population in the Minneapolis,
Minnesota ghettoes into a red civil rights movement, but made no headway
until 1968. In July of that year, with Banai, George Mitchell, and another
ex-convict named Dennis Banks, Bellecourt founded the "Concerned Indian
Americans," but the odious acronym was quickly changed to AIM - the
American Indian Movement.
The new group created the Minneapolis AIM Patrol, the Division of Indian Works, and the Legal Rights Center. The organizations were meant to address extensive police brutality on homeless Indians and to assist in legal issues facing Indian people. Two years later they founded the Heart of the Earth Survival School, a kindergarten to Grade 12 school that was designed to stem the high drop-out rate among American Indian students and offer the cultural programming missing from mainstream schools. It was the beginning of the red power movement.
The movement caught on, and a First Nations conference was held with representation from 18 newly formed AIM chapters. The objective was to develop long-range strategy for future directions of the movement. In 1972, AIM members marched on Washington, D.C. and occupied the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters, and presented a 20-point solution paper to then-President Richard Nixon to resolve Indian rights issues.
AIM spread like wildfire across the nation, and reached into Canada where thousands of young people from disparate tribes and bands put their cultural and traditional differences aside to unite in correcting the glaring injustices the "Red Man" faced every day.
Early AIM leaders visited a Lakota holy man named Crow Dog on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. Crow Dog told them if they were to be successful, they had to have the spiritual involvement of the holy men and healers. The movement then became, not a civil rights movements, but a spiritual rebirth of the people.
Armed with that philosophy, AIM became active in Sioux country in North and South Dakota and in Nebraska. Two incidents gelled their commitment, and their reactions to those incidents set the stage for a conflict that would end in death for two Federal Bureau of Investigation officers, and caught more than 100 AIM members and supporters and Dakota bystanders in the middle.
In February 1972, Raymond Yellow Thunder, a middle-aged Oglala from Pine Ridge, was beaten, kicked, stripped and paraded before partygoers at an American Legion dance in Gordon, Nebraska. He was beaten unconscious, his body stuffed in the trunk of a car where he was left to die. Two white men, brothers named Hare, were charged with involuntary manslaughter.
In 1973, a young Oglala, Wesley Bad Heart Bull, was stabbed in the heart by a white businessman named Darrel Schmidt. Schmidt, too, was also only charged with involuntary manslaughter.
When local law officials refused to lay more serious charges in both incidents, relatives of the dead men came to AIM leaders, hoping against hope, AIM could help them get justice.
AIM stepped in, putting itself in the sights of state troopers, Bureau of Indian Affairs police, and earning the undying enmity of the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Lawmakers were forced to change the lesser charges to more serious ones, reflecting the nature of the murders.
When the Lakota people realized AIM could be a force for change, they contacted leaders for assistance in dealing with corruption within the BIA and their own tribal council, led by Richard "Dickie" Wilson.
The tribal council's enforcers were known as GOONs, an acronym taken from their title as "Guardians of the Oglala Nation." Wilson and his GOONs ruled Pine Ridge. Wilson's personal vendetta was to rid Pine Ridge of "traditionals," band members who kept to the old ways and Lakota religion. Wilson was violently opposed to AIM.
Brutality against the people was an everyday occurrence. Men, women and children were subject to abuses of every nature, and Wilson, backed by the BIA, seemed unimpeachable.
From all parts of the United States and Canada, AIM members and supporters travelled to Pine Ridge to support the traditional people, and in a bold move, took over the hamlet of Wounded Knee. They stayed 71 days, surrounded by a force of militia and state and federal military units.
During this time, Wilson signed away one-eighth of the reservation for uranium mining, a move the people of Pine Ridge vehemently opposed. Confrontation was inevitable and came on June 26, 1973 when two FBI men, Ronald Williams and Jack Coler, came to Pine Ridge to serve a warrant that they didn't have, on an Indian that wasn't there, over something that hadn't happened.
A firefight occurred that ended in the shooting deaths of Williams and Coler, and Joe Stuntz, a Lakota AIM member.
A surrender brought numerous charges against the Indian forces, but many of the leaders managed to escape, only to be captured later. Many served time - most notably, Leonard Peltier, who is still serving two life sentences for the deaths of the FBI officers. Others were acquitted. The armed resistance was over, but the AIM philosophy remained.
AIM is still active, but no longer is it in its original form. Much of its work centres on the human rights of Indigenous people around the world and environmental issues. A great part of the work of AIM chapters revolves around seeking presidential clemency for Peltier, his only hope for freedom.
Dennis Banks, Clyde Bellecourt, Steve and Bob Robideau, Ted Means, whose brother Russell was in the front lines at Wounded Knee, and many other original AIM leaders and members, remain in the forefront of this work. They travel , speaking to heads of state or ordinary citizens about the unresolved Indian issues.
Banks has been especially active. In 1977, he travelled to the United Nations in Geneva to present testimony on the Indian situation. In 1978, Indian nation members walked across the United States from California to Washington, D.C. to protest legislation calling for the abrogation of treaties.
Banks organized the Sacred Run, an annual 500-mile spiritual run across the nation carrying the message of the sacredness of the earth and our human responsibilities towards its safekeeping. It later spread to sacred runs across the globe with runners in Europe and Japan.
In 1991, AIM stepped in to address the issue of using Indians and Indian icons as sports team mascots. In 1992, AIM set up the Food Connection, a summer youth jobs program with an organic garden and camp. In 1994, AIM organized the Walk for Justice, a six-month walk from Alcatraz to Washington, D.C. to bring public awareness to Native issues and the imprisonment of Leonard Peltier.
An additional Run For Freedom, an annual event launched in 1997 in support
of the release of political prisoners worldwide, begins this year in Ohio
in July and ends 10 days later in Thunder Bay, Ont.
By Sabrina Whyatt
Windspeaker Staff Writer
QUEBEC CITY
After rejecting the Quebec government's newly announced guidelines on how it hopes to deal with Aboriginal affairs, First Nations leaders await the opportunity to negotiate a new approach, one they hope both sides can agree upon.
The Quebec government released Partnership, Development, Achievement, a paper which describes how the province will deal with Aboriginal governments in furthering Aboriginal issues. But Ghislain Picard, chief of the Assembly of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador, said the guidelines were one-sided and lacking in Aboriginal input.
"It appears absolutely inconsistent that such a wide-ranging document, which claims to be the reflection of a would-be partnership, was worked out without our contribution or our co-operation."
Shirley Bishop, press secretary for Guy Chevrette, the minister responsible for Aboriginal affairs in Quebec disagrees saying that for the past two years the minister has been accumulating information from Aboriginal people for the policies.
"He (Chevrette) did have input from the different Aboriginal communities. These guidelines are partly based upon comments and suggestions from different chiefs and First Nations people."
The government's guidelines were initially voiced at a meeting with First Nations leaders in March, and a tentative agreement was reached.
After a official document outlining the policies was released on April 2, Aboriginal leaders immediately opposed them, stating the government failed to mention some very significant details at the meeting.
Bishop said she is really surprised by that implication and has difficulty comprehending the sudden switch.
"Everything contained in the document was discussed openly at the meeting with the Aboriginal leaders. I don't know how they could approve of it one day and change their minds the next."
Picard said it seems Aboriginal people's rights are protected only when it doesn't interfere with Quebec policies.
"They basically said we can talk about the guidelines, but there are some issues, like the sovereignty of national assembly and territory integrity, that can't be touched," he said. "Quebec has a set of rules, and this is how we have to play."
Leaders of the five national Aboriginal organizations, (the Assembly of First Nations, Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, the Métis National Council, the Native Women's Association of Canada and the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada), submitted a request to the provincial government to discuss new goals pertaining to First Nations issues. This set of goals was created and unanimously adopted by Quebec chiefs, but it may be difficult to convince the Quebec government to change its own guidelines.
Bishop said the minister has no plans to change the guidelines, but will continue to work together with the First Nations people who support him.
The First Nations leaders hope to head into discussions with the government soon, although no date has been set.
The guidelines to be submitted outline what Aboriginal leaders feel are essential areas of concern. They include child welfare, social policy, economic development and equality.
The leaders agreed it is imperative that Aboriginal people be involved in discussions and decision-making relating to children and youth because of the large proportion of youth in the Native population.
As well, Aboriginal leaders believe there must be inclusive Aboriginal participation at all levels in changes to the social policy renewal process including seats on the ministerial council for social policy renewal, participation in sectoral initiatives and in the process of developing a national framework agreement.
Promoting equality of Aboriginal men and women is a goal that's extremely important for the leaders. They want a partnership approach in order to address social, economic and environmental conditions and to ensure that the needs of and resources for Aboriginal people are factored into every federal, provincial and territorial agreement based on treaty rights and federal fiduciary responsibility.
Picard believes part of the problem in reaching a collective set of guidelines lies within the provincial government's attitude.
"They always point out that no government has gone as far in recognizing the Aboriginal nation."
He said First Nations people are pleased with the progress made since the 1985 resolution on the recognition of Aboriginal rights. Yet, there remains an imbalance between First Nations people and the Quebec government.
"Our concerns are not being met. Quebec is always pointing out how far they have gone in terms of satisfying Aboriginal concerns. And how they are the only government to put on paper how they want to deal with our people. We still need to move forward instead of staying in the same place."
Because each Native group has their own issues to address, it's difficult to define a main objective, he said.
"There needs to be a relationship with Quebec. In order to move forward we need to conduct business in a peaceful manner and to create harmony," said Picard.
By Paul Barnsley
Windspeaker Staff Writer
OTTAWA
Kamloops Indian Band Chief Clarence "Manny" Jules sees an imminent change to a federal law as an opportunity for his community to raise its own money and escape its dependence on federal funds. Opponents to the change, both inside the Kamloops community and across the country, see it as the thin edge of the wedge that may eventually lead to the errosion of Indian tax exemption.
Tax lawyers say Bill C-36 - Part 4 of the Budget Implementation Act of 1998 dealing with "Certain First Nations' Sales Taxes," - is a deal where the federal government is giving away part of its taxation authority to two British Columbia band councils.
The new law will allow the Kamloops band to set a seven per cent band tax, which replaces the GST, on tobacco, liquor, gasoline and propane. It will also allow the band to enter into an agreement with Revenue Canada so that the federal government will collect the tax and then turn it over to the band.
The Westbank band, which has been charging a band tax on tobacco for a year, will have that tax and a new tax on alcohol also collected by Revenue Canada on the band's behalf.
Despite several presentations to the Senate finance committee by opposition groups, the new bill will soon be read into law. It was introduced for first reading in the House of Commons on March 19. It received second reading and was passed on to the Standing Committee on National Finance 12 days later. The committee held hearings on the bill and adopted it without amendments on May 8. After third and final reading in the Commons, the bill proceeded to the Senate on May 28. After going through the committee stage in the upper chamber, it was expected to receive third and final reading there on June 15.
That means it's law, with only the formality of being proclaimed in the Commons remaining to make it the law of the land.
Opposition to the bill centres around a fear that it will erode the tax-exempt protection provided by Section 87 of the Indian Act.
Douglas Maracle, grand chief of the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians, addressed the Senate finance committee on June 11.
"Bill C-36 will open the door to undermining our Aboriginal and treaty rights to tax immunity," Chief Maracle told the Senators. "It will also remove the limited protection we have to tax exemption under Section 87 of the Indian Act. Section 87 provides for a tax exemption for a band and also for each individual member of the band. Therefore, as an Indian, within the membership of my band, the band cannot legally move unilaterally to negotiate my statutory right away without my consent."
Chris McCormick, an anti-tax specialist employed by Chief Maracle's organization, was more blunt.
"I don't think anybody has the right to step on anybody else's statutory rights," he said. "What's worse, in my mind, is that it's imposed by a segment of the community only. There's a petition of 116 Kamloops members that will be presented to the Senate and to the Finance minister which says 'Hold the phone. I have a statutory right to be tax exempt. I'm not willing to get into this process.'"
McCormick is aware that this is a case of a band taxing its own people and using the money for its own purposes. That doesn't put his mind at ease.
"What is a band bylaw doing in front of the House and Senate? If it's a band bylaw and the people decide they don't like it, they can change it or change councils in the next election. A band bylaw goes to the regional director of Indian Affairs who forwards to the minister who has 40 days to accept or reject it. This is carved in stone as federal law. You have to ask yourself why Canada is so anxious to have this. If they can find a way around Section 87 by passing legislation, well, you've got the Reform Party waiting in the wings there and you know they'll immediately implement it across the country if they ever take control," he said.
The petition presented by the Kamloops members claims that Chief Jules is not following his own rules about accountability. The members also accuse the chief of manipulating the vote to ensure that he had the mandate to take this forward. One Kamloops member told Windspeaker that the community vote on this issue was held at 11: 30 p.m. and that the item was not on the agenda. The petition claims the two weeks notice required for a referendum under Kamloops council's own rules was not provided to the membership. The petition also claims there were not enough people at the meeting to make a vote binding under the council's rules.
"Evidence of this can be provided in the minutes of that meeting where membership voiced concern about a quorum not being present," the petition states.
A tax lawyer familiar with First Nations issues told Windspeaker that the new law very definitely has an impact on the Indian Act tax exemption. He said it gives a band the power to tax its own people, which is not the same as the federal government taxing those people for its own benefit. That, the lawyer said, would be illegal under the Indian Act.
"But they are dipping into the pockets of people who used to be exempt," said the lawyer, who asked to not be identified.
Transcripts of Chief Jules' brief appearance before the Commons' Standing Committee on National Finance suggest that Nelson Riis, the NDP member of parliament for the area in which the Kamloops reserve is located, has been well-briefed by the band on this issue. Although Chief Jules did not respond to requests for interviews from this paper (or several other local papers which covered the issue), Riis is widely quoted as saying this is a pilot project which could spread across the country.
During his appearance in front of the committee, Jules was asked by Reform MP Monte Solberg if the band would accept less federal money as its tax base grew.
"No, I'm not suggesting that," Jules said. "What I have been suggesting and advocating is a new fiscal relationship with the First Nations of Canada and the federal government, including the provinces."
He told Solberg that it would be premature to look in that direction, adding that the band will realize about $400,000 from this new tax. Jules also said that his membership pays approximately $17 million annually in provincial and federal taxes and receives $5 million in federal funding. He said the money will be used for economic development projects geared to reduce the 35 per cent unemployment rate in the community and to pay for land claim negotiations.
Chief Jules is the chairman of the Indian Taxation Advisory Board. In fact, a caller asking for the chief's office at the Kamloops administration building is greeted with the words "Indian Taxation Advisory Board." He and his council have been exploring and promoting the use of tax regimes as a way to self government since the 1960s.
National Chief Phil Fontaine is also a member of this five-member board. An AFN official said Fontaine will not seek re-election to the board when his term expires this month. Chief Fontaine said the board exists to help those First Nations, who wish to follow the taxation route to self government, negotiate with the federal government.
The AFN, Fontaine said, does not take a position on the issue. That is up to each individual First Nation.
The completion of the legislative process may not be the end of the matter,
the group of Kamloops members which opposes the new tax has threatened to
mount a legal challenge.
United Church, feds both liable
By David Wiwchar
Windspeaker Contributor
PORT ALBERNI, B.C.
British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Donald Brenner has found the federal government and the United Church of Canada vicariously liable - legally responsible - for the atrocities suffered by students at the Port Alberni Indian Residential School.
The June 5 decision came after a month-long trial which centered on the actions of convicted pedophile Arthur Henry Plint. During the trial, witnesses also alluded to mental, physical and sexual assaults they suffered at the hands of other school officials.
In his decision, Justice Brenner wrote that while employed as a dormitory supervisor at the Port Alberni Indian Residential School, Plint severely abused his position as a parental figure by calling boys into his room to physically and sexually molest them, sometimes on the pretext of a telephone call from their parents.
The decision sent shock-waves across the country as other agencies worry about how criminal actions by an employee can put their businesses or organizations in jeopardy.
Justice Brenner cited a number of other liability cases across Canada before concluding in his report that "both the church and Canada were directly involved with, and exerted effective control over, the principal's activities in the furtherance of their joint and several objectives."
Having been found vicariously liable for the abuses at the school, United Church of Canada officials would not speak on the case itself, since legal proceedings are continuing, but a faxed statement was issued by the church: "We repent our role in the spiritual and cultural abuse inflicted upon First Nations over many generations."
Although this statement is not a legal apology, United Church of Canada moderator Bill Phipps said, in religious language, 'repent' carries more meaning than 'apology.'
"We have said all along that we will accept whatever responsibility is defined by our role," said Phipps, who was a practicing lawyer before being elected to his position within the United Church of Canada.
"We repented our role in the residential schools and we set up a $700,000 healing fund controlled by the First Nations members of our church well before the litigation process began."
The local United Church in Port Alberni has been critical of the actions of their governing body and voted unanimously for their local church to make a full apology to the victims of the Port Alberni Indian Residential School.
"The way they [the United Church of Canada] are handling this case is inappropriate and not conducive to healing," said Kathy Hogman, the Minister of St. Andrew's United Church in Port Alberni. "We're trying to get them to understand that they need to acknowledge their responsibility so that the healing can begin."
"The implications are less for them than they are for the national church," said Phipps. "They're more free to do what their conscience tells them to do. We're the ones who are being sued."
The court has booked three weeks in August to hear arguments of direct liability and to decide the percentage of blame between the federal government and the United Church of Canada.
"The government and the church are still fighting," said Peter Grant, lawyer for many of the plaintiffs. "Proportional liability, direct liability, the liability of individuals and the loss of language, culture and spirituality still have to be discussed."
Grant said if this second stage of the case moves along smoothly plaintiffs could begin their damage suits in the new year.
Randy Fred, one of the victims who is suing for compensation, said the decision is welcome news for many of the former residential school students, but he is still a long way from forgiving and forgetting.
"The healing that has gone on around our case has been amazing," Fred said. "I hope a decision on fair compensation will bring a sense of closure for myself and the many other people who were abused at residential schools."
By Paul Barnsley
Windspeaker Staff Writer
VANCOUVER
The man who will write a report to the United Nations on Canada's residential school system said he has seen evidence that the system was an example of forced assimilation, genocide and forced removal of peoples from their traditional lands.
All of those actions are contrary to international human rights conventions, said Rudy James, a member of the International Human Rights Association of American Minorities.
James reached that conclusion after observing three days of testimony in front of a 15-member tribunal made up mainly of Indigenous people, a majority of whom were from the United States. The tribunal hearings were completed on June 14 at the Maritime Labor Centre in east Vancouver.
Tribunal members took note of the fact that the federal government, the churches which operated the residential schools and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, all of whom James said were asked to appear for questioning, did not have any official representatives in attendance.
Witnesses included several former residential school students and a United Church of Canada minister who was de-listed (fired) after criticizing the Port Alberni church executive board.
Many of the witnesses told the tribunal they have knowledge of suspicious deaths which occurred in the residential schools. No hard evidence which could lead to criminal charges was provided. Several witnesses said those who attended the residential schools were transported to the schools by the police and therefore had no reason to believe they were safe to take their concerns to the police at the time the alleged deaths occurred.
The International Human Rights Association of American Minorities (IHRAAM) is one of 1,356 non-governmental organizations in the world with the standing to issue reports to the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights, and the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. A United Nations official confirmed that IHRAAM is one of the 666 organizations world-wide listed on a roster of organizations consulted by the economic and social council.
James, the tribal leader of the Kuiukwaan people of southeastern Alaska and a tribal judge with the Combined Tribal Court of Thlingit Law, is a member of the North American branch of IHRAAM, whose northwest regional office is located in Seattle, Washington. James told Windspeaker that former United Church of Canada minister Kevin Annett asked IHRAAM to investigate potential human rights abuses connected to the residential school system. After recording seven hours of interviews with victims of abuse at the Port Alberni school, James decided an inquiry into the system and Canada's treatment of the victims of the system was appropriate.
The human rights infractions that Canada, several churches, organizations and individuals associated with the schools need to address are: the forced removal of Aboriginal people from traditional lands and waters, institutional racism, psychological warfare, genocide and murder.
James said Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Indian Affairs Minister Jane Stewart and church officials had been asked to appear as witnesses at the inquiry. The Prime Minister's office said no invitation was received, something James said is not true.
An organization with consultative status does not work at the direction of the United Nations and is not funded, but it is fully screened and follows a written mandate.
James said Canada and the churches will be asked to answer for what he believes are serious human rights abuses.
"No one can punish a nation," James said. "But so much of what is done by our organization is done through world public opinion. A report will be sent to the High Commissioner and the Secretary General. Canada could be asked for a formal response to the report in the General Assembly."
James said he expects to complete his report by late July. He said he may send a preliminary report to the churches involved and to the federal government.
"We'll be keenly monitoring the response of the church entities and the Canadian government," he said.
Custer's
last stand performed again
By Sabrina Whyatt
Windspeaker Staff Writer
HARDIN, Montana
A re-enactment of the most controversial battle in American Indian history is gaining recognition from all over the world, but members say the event depicts more than just a vicious war.
"It is a very strong portrayal of brave people," said Laura Lowe, public relations co-ordinator for the re-enactment of Custer's last stand. "It's a chance for audiences to see the complexities of cultures, an opportunity to show skills, traditions and just the daily lives of these people."
She said the performance tells the story of significant events and treaties from the perspectives of the tribes who lived in the area.
The original battle, that took place in 1876, was fought on the Little Bighorn River in remote southeastern Montana between the U.S. army's 7th cavalry, led by Major General George Custer, and the Cheyenne and the Sioux.
Custer and his troops faced the largest Indian fighting force ever assembled and were outgunned by the Indians. None of Custer's men survived the battle.
Consequently, the United States hunted down the tribes that took part in the battle. Some of the Sioux escaped to Canada, including Sitting Bull (who did not take place in the battle.) Others were killed or imprisoned. The Cheyenne were exiled to Indian territory after an attack on their villages.
Out of a performance lasting more than an hour, the battle scene takes only about 20 minutes, about as long as did the original. There are other parts to the re-enactment, including scenes depicting Indian traditions, the pioneer way of life, a travois scene, and many others.
"It is important knowing that 100 years ago this really did take place. Everyone works together as a whole to make the re-enactment real. There is a camaraderie of one common goal - to make it a good show. We have friendships with one another, and an excitement to work together to portray the events and the people," said director Julie Luther.
Cast members of the show meet with people at the end of every performance to answer questions. They say many audience members are very affected by the performance.
Luther said the cast members often get very involved in the show, since many of them are connected through ancestry.
"It's very important, because a lot of them are portraying their heritage. No one participates for the money. It is an experience. Common interests in history bring many from other regions to participate as well."
Organizers say the annual performance has sparked a tremendous amount of interest around the world attracting between 2,000 and 3,000 viewers to each performance.
Lowe said the re-enactment is so widespread because of the interest in the history of the American West and the mystery surrounding the battle.
"No one really knows for sure what happened."
Order of Ontario medal for first female band councillor
By Bryan Phelan
Windspeaker Contributor
Kitchenuhmaykoosib, Ont.
An 84-year-old Kitchenuh-maykoosib
(Big Trout Lake) woman believed to be the province's first female band councillor
recieved the Order of Ontario.
Marion Anderson was one of 21 "exceptional individuals" recognized with medals by Lt.-Gov. Hilary Weston in a May 27 evening ceremony at Queen's Park, the site of the provincial legislature. The Order of Ontario is considered the province's highest honor.
"She has shown great leadership through her involvement in local politics, voluntarism, midwifery and through her continued effort to improve working conditions for her people," the provincial awards advisory council, headed by Chief Justice Roy McMurtry, noted in recognizing Anderson.
Now retired, she first became a band councillor in 1950.
"I'm very grateful," Anderson said in her native Oji-Cree language, just before leaving home for the trip to Toronto. "It makes the sacrifices I've made seem worth it."
Anderson's son-in-law, 73-year-old Daniel Cutfeet, said she has always been a person others turn to for advice and help.
Outside of Kitchenuhmaykoosib, Anderson
was an Elder advisor at regional chiefs meetings and for the Northern Nishnawbe
Education Council.
"Those are just some of the important roles she's filled, but she's also one of the people cooking at community cookouts or helping with home care," said Cutfeet. "And when the church burned, she used to take women out to get lumber that was needed."
Anderson's physical strength and skills in trapping, hunting and fishing are legendary among those of her generation in Kitchenuhmaykoosib, a fly-in community 440 km northeast of Sioux Lookout.
"She had the strength and stamina of a man," said Eliza Childs, 76, Anderson's niece.
"Marion used to leave early in the morning to walk to Bearskin Lake and get there when there was still daylight." It's a 75-kilometre trip between the remote communities.
"She had no fear of anything," Childs added. "I would be afraid to chase her across the lake during break-up and freeze-up, but she knew the land, waterways and ice. She fell through the ice several times, but I would just throw her a rope, like a cowboy with a lasso."
Anderson, married to Mike, gave birth to 10 children, and involved them in her work as a midwife when families in Kitchenuhmaykoosib still lived in tipis and tents.
"After she delivered a baby she would send us to look after the new mom, the baby and the siblings for hours at a time," remembered Anderson's eldest daughter, Dorcas, now 68.
Most of all, she was always in the lead, said Childs.
Anderson recalled another occasion when she was recognized as Ontario's first woman band councillor.
"A government representative came and told me there were no other Native women who were recognized as councillors, in the north or south," she said.
"To honor me, he told me to buy something from the Hudson Bay store, whatever I wanted, and that he would pay."
Anderson selected a kerchief. "I was fascinated by it. No one else had one."
Boarding a plane on Kitchenuhmaykoosib's gravel runway bound for the big city and an Order of Ontario medal, Anderson wore her navy kerchief with white polka-dots.
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