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More than 2,000 people gathered on June 21 to help the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (SIFC) celebrate its new campus and new identity.

The SIFC, which has been providing post-secondary education to students for the past 27 years, is now the First Nations University of Canada. The name change was timed to coincide with the official opening of the school's new Regina campus, and makes the First Nations-run institute the only one of its kind in North America.

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Attention post-secondary students, Greg King has a lot of advice to share about how to increase your chances of actually getting the scholarship you apply for.

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Native people living in Ontario who are struggling with literacy problems don't have to struggle alone, thanks to the efforts of the Ontario Native Literacy Coalition (ONLC).

The coalition has been around since 1988, providing networking opportunities and support to Native literacy practitioners and learners across the province.

"The main goal of our Native literacy programs is to empower Native people to make healthier choices, and to help with skills upgrading," said Ellen Paterson, executive director of the coalition.

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North Spirit: Travels Among The Cree And Ojibway Nations And Their Star Maps

By Paulette Jiles

Anchor Canada edition 2003

391 pages, $21(sc)

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MUSIC BIZ 101

Negotiating a performance booking involves considerations that are unique to each performance contract. However, the elements of any negotiation are the same. The first point of contact involves determining the booking potential, whether initiated by the presenter or the booking agent. Preliminary information about the venue and its past bookings should indicate whether or not the booking is worth pursuing. If it is, criteria will guide both parties to respond to each of their needs. The main considerations will include timing, venue and money.

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THE URBANE INDIAN

Far out west, a tempest in a teapot is brewing. Or more accurately, a coffee pot. Where the Pacific Ocean meets the Great White North, Haida Gwaii (better known as the Queen Charlette Islands) has become an unusual battle ground between the coffee empire known as Starbucks, and the lesser known Haida restaurant/coffee shop empire called HaidaBucks.

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MEDIUM RARE

The place is anywhere, another emergency meeting of chiefs. The specifics aren't important because it's happened so many times. Chief after chief rises to condemn the organization for "not getting the message out." The people have to know, they say. However, there's not a single reporter in the room. The chiefs threw them out.

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NASIVVIK

The first Indian Department in Canada was created in 1755 as a branch of the British military in North America. This reveals that it took more than 200 years for some manifestation of government administration to reach Inuit. This may not be any wonder, as Inuit are not Indians. At least, not until we unfortunates in Quebec's Arctic were legally declared Indians by the Supreme Court decision In Re: Eskimo in 1939.

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Pro Bono

Dear Tuma:

I have been having problems with my employer. They do not want to pay me my back pay, plus pay me for the time I spend on the board as the secretary/treasurer. The employer does not want to sit down and meet with me about my job. I'm at my wits end and don't know where to turn.

Frustrated

Dear Frustrated:

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The communities in the Nunavik region of northern Quebec have gone through a number of changes in the last quarter century, and the Makivik Corporation has been there, working to make them changes for the better.