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Dear Tuma:

Is it true that the RCMP need to have the permission of the chief before they can come onto the reserve and search your home?

Knocking At My Door!

Dear Knocking:

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I once read in a book somewhere about one of those blessings a person can bestow upon you that can either be a good benediction or bad one, depending on how it pans out. It goes something like "May you live in interesting times." It sounds innocuous enough, but during the last few months in the Native community there seems to be nothing but interesting times to be lived. And to tell you the truth, I'm sure many skins across this country wish things weren't so darn interesting.

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Medium Rare

A lot of Native Americans, as Indians in the United States prefer to be called, have been pouring abuse upon a couple of TIME Magazine reports from last month. TIME, one of the world's most influential and powerful newsmagazines, published a two-part series on Indian casinos in the U.S. It used the headlines "Dirty Dealing" and "Wheel of Misfortune" to draw readers into the stories. You can guess why Native Americans hit the roof.

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With the internal plans in the Department of Defense and the creation of the new Department of Homeland Security, the United States has embarked upon a program of spying on citizens and deceiving them at the same time, a program unprecedented even during times of total war (as in the Second World War).

William M. Arkin, a military affairs analyst, has written an article entitled "Lies enshrined: Pentagon making deception a major, stated goal." And these lies are not designed to simply fool an enemy, but also to fool the citizens of the United States.

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Last month, dozens of Aboriginal people-including many leaders-used the pages of this publication to express their outrage at the hatred-based statements of David Ahenakew. And we were extremely proud to provide that space.

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Lyle Donald and Brenda Blyan Calliou are trying to force a recount in the election that saw Audrey Poitras returned as president of the Metis Nation of Alberta.

The two were unsuccessful candidates in the most recent election. Bylan Calliou was the MNA vice-president in the last administration. She ran against Poitras, the MNA incumbent, for the top job and was defeated. Donald ran for a zone presidency this past summer and was likewise defeated.

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Fourteen exceptional people will be honored in Ottawa March 28, as the tenth annual National Aboriginal Achievement Awards are handed out at the National Arts Centre.

This year, two awards will be given out in the arts and culture category, with both Metis fiddler John Arcand and writer Tom King receiving the honor.

Arcand has worked to preserve Metis music from the past, and help promote it among future generations.

King has written four best-selling novels, although he is best known for CBC Radio's Dead Dog Cafe Comedy Hour.

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Gerald Morin, then president of the Metis National Council (MNC), was charged with assault and mischief by Ottawa police after a complaint was filed on Dec. 11, 2002.

But that's just the beginning of a long and complex story that ended with Metis Nation of Alberta President Audrey Poitras succeeding Morin as national Metis leader, at least in the interim.

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The team of academics that conducted the highly-respected Harvard University study of Native American governance and economic development has examined the First Nations governance act (FNGA) and found it lacking.

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Paul LeMay works inside the system and is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada, but that hasn't stopped him from coming to the conclusion that the party is in need of serious reforms.

The bureaucrat lobbied hard against the government position on Bill C-12, which seeks to modernize the legislation governing Sport Canada, because he sees it ignoring the constitutional provisions that guarantee equal rights to minorities. He described the response from government officials to his efforts as thin-skinned and bullying.