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Wet and cold weather wasn't enough to detract carnival organizers from staging the water balloon toss at the Gitxsan First Nation's inaugural Family Fun Night.

Held in conjunction with the declared International Family Day on May 15, hundreds of community members poured into the Gitanmaax Hall for frivolities.

The hall was large enough to accommodate the event, yet small enough to offer a constant swarm of activity for more than two hours.

Twenty-one booths with food and games meant there was plenty to do at the festival.

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Now that the world can travel to Kincolith (Gingolx), the community is showcasing itself on the World Wide Web.

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Gingolx (Kincolith), one of four major communities within the Nass Valley in the northeastern part of the province, is connected to the rest of the mainland by a 28 km, two-lane, all-weather road, now that the Kincolith Extension Highway Project is complete.

Kincolith, an isolated community only accessible by boat, ferry or float plane service from Prince Rupert, is the last community of four including New Aiyansh, Greenville and Gitwinksihkw, to be accessed by a roadway.

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Rob Jerome, a La Ronge artist who carves intricate scenes into antlers, was one of two local artists to have their work selected for inclusion in a province-wide art show co-ordinated each fall by the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC).

Jerome was among a group of 22 artists who recently took part in a regional art show held in La Ronge, which gave participants a chance not only to show off their work, but also to have their creations adjudicated.

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In the early 1870's, Batoche was a new community, settled by Metis families who left the Red River Settlement in Manitoba after federal government policies took away their lands and right there.

By the mid-1880's the same problems began for them again in their new home, with government surveyors sent into the area to open the land to European settlement.

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Don McKay is a runner, and this fall he's headed to Holland for one of the most significant races of his life.

McKay will be part of Canada's Team Diabetes in the Amsterdam Marathon on Oct. 19.

"My mother is diabetic, and I'm running this marathon in honour of my mother, Virginia," said McKay, who is originally from Cumberland House but now lives in La Ronge and works shifts at a northern mine.

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The Big River First Nation celebrates Diabetes National Awareness Week each May, but the community's dedication to fitness doesn't end with one week of activities. For the past year, the 1,700 residents who live on the reserve, located approximately 120 kilometres from Prince Albert, have been enjoying a friendly competition with one another to accumulate kilometres of walking for fitness.

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Aboriginal communities across northern Saskatchewan have benefited from the success of Tron Power Inc., a 100 per cent First Nation owned company working in the mining sector.

Tron Power was founded in 1985, and after a successful joint partnership between the company and the English River First Nation, the band bought Tron Power in 1996. Jim Elliot, one of the company's founders, stayed on as company president.

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On Nov. 9, 1885, Metis leader Louis Riel sat down and wrote a letter to James Johnson, editor of the Ottawa Daily Citizen. In the letter, Riel thanked Johnson for the support he had provided to Riel in the pages of his paper, where he called for leniency.

"These men are to be pitied," Johnson had written in the Citizen. "We believe the country at large would approve of their being pardoned."

Seven days after he wrote to Johnson to thank him, Riel was hanged for treason.

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With this year's summer solstice fast approaching, communities across Saskatchewan are getting ready to celebrate National Aboriginal Day.

Since 1996, when Governor General Romeo LeBlanc officially announced that June 21 would be set aside to celebrate the contributions of Aboriginal people, all Canadians have had the opportunity to experience Aboriginal culture at its finest. This date in June, coinciding with the longest day of the year, gives First Nation, Metis and Inuit people a chance to share their hospitality and showcase their skills.