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The Metis Association Zone 1 vice-president, Gerald Thom is upset over Metis hunters he claims were unjustly charged for alleged hunting violations.

Metis hunter William Boucher was charged with illegal possession of wildlife (failing to tag a moose) under Section 39 of the Wildlife Act and paid a $300 fine on Nov. 9.

And hunter Edward Cardinal of Calling Lake, pleaded not guilty on the same chares when he appeared in court on Nov. 9.

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Coalition will try to meet with federation

The Alberta government has rejected a petition presented to the Minister of Municipal Affairs Ken Rostad by members of the Buffalo Lake (Caslan) Metis Settlement last month.

About 40 members of the Metis Settlement Members Coalition, headed by Caslan member Joe Blyan, walked into Municipal Affairs offices Friday Nov. 27 demanding that the minister listen to their grievances over the alleged mismanagement of the Buffalo Lake settlement and others.

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Dr. Anne Anderson, well-known Metis Elder and director of the Native Heritage and Culture Centre in Edmonton, has rejected an offer from the Glenbow Museum to perform during the Spirit Sings exhibition and has sided with the Lubicon Lake Indian band's boycott of the Olympic Games.

In a letter to the Museum, a copy of which was obtained by Windspeaker, Anderson informed Dr. Hugh Dempsey, Glenbow's associate director that the exhibition's theme of 'from oral tradition to the written work is not supported by the museum itself.

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IAA may form law

Delegates attending the first Alberta Indian conference on Taxation and Economic Development Issues were told that, "without taxation and revenue self-government is a dream."

In his opening address conference co-ordinator Bob Reiter stated, "It's economics that will bring it (self-government) into reality."

The two day Dec. 2 and 3 conference held in Edmonton looked at ways taxation can be used to promote economic self-sufficiency and the realization of self-government for Alberta Indian bands.

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Lubicon Lake Chief Bernard Ominayak arrived in New York this week to receive an award on behalf of his band for their stand against the government on their 47-year-old land claim

The Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization Inc. will be holding an awards dinner as part of a 20th anniversary celebration Saturday Dec. 5. During this dinner Ominayak will receive a plaque for the band's long struggle against the government announced executive director Lucius Walker.

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When most people think about the Northwest Rebellion of 1885, the first name that pops into their minds is Louis Riel. Fewer people think of the man who stood by Riel's side, commanding a handful of Metis men willing to fight to protect their way of life. That man was Gabriel Dumont.

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Silver braids and silver jingles are a rare and beautiful sight. Even in a culture that holds Elders in great esteem, 76-year-old jingle dress dancer Evelyn Thom is outstanding, a powerful role model and inspiration.

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A discussion about Louis Riel and his rightful place in Canadian history was one of the highlights of a three-day conference in Saskatoon in June.

The Indigenous Bar Association of Canada and the University of Saskatchewan's Indigenous Peoples' Justice Initiative jointly sponsored "The Metis People in the 21st Century" conference from June 18 to 20.

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Neither rain, nor snow, nor peer pressure will keep Alayna Tootoosis from school.

The 18-year-old graduated from Chief Poundmaker school with a perfect attendance record. She hasn't missed a single day in 14 years. She's attended the school on Poundmaker reserve outside Cut Knife since nursery school.

Tootoosis is captain of the school's basketball team and also plays baseball, volleyball, soccer and "whatever comes up."

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Memee Lavell of Wikwemikong First Nation is one of the first people to receive a scholarship from the Trudeau Foundation.

Lavell, who is completing her PhD in education at the University of Western Ontario, was one of 12 students from across the country chosen to get the scholarship, awarded for the first time this year by the Trudeau Foundation, a private, non-partisan organization created in 2002 as a living memorial to former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.