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EDITORIAL

This issue of "Windspeaker" features a number of stories about individual Native people - their achievements, and their trials and tribulations in achieving them.

There's Pauline Dempsey, first recipient of the David Crowchild Memorial award recognizing her efforts in successful bridging the gap between the Native and non-Native communities.

There are Elvis Grey and Joe Courtoreille, who have fashioned meaningful and productive lives for themselves despite their blindness.

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GROUARD - Local residents had their last opportunity last week for input before a joint working committee makes recommendations to the provincial government on Alberta Vocational Centre (AVC) Grouard.

The committee, jointly chaired by Robin Ford, assistant deputy minister of Alberta Municipal Affairs, and Grouard's Jeff Chalifoux, has since last July studied Native issues in adult education and the role of AVC Grouard.

Next month, the committee expects to report to the ministers of Advanced Education, Municipal Affairs, and Economic Development.

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EDSON - It was a pleasure to be one of the performers who entertained for the Telerama for the Handicapped held here January 15.

Not only myself and two other members of the Whispering River Band - Brock Ashby and Rob Mitchell - performed, but other Native talents such as 102 -year old Mrs. Marie Wyandi showed up to volunteer their time.

At Calgary City Hall

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CALGARY - It was a day of rejoicing, a day when people came together in memory of a remarkable Indian chief, a day which will not only lie in people's hearts and minds, but also in the huge sculptured pillar which keeps Calgary's new City Hall from tumbling down. The Chief David Crowchild Memorial Award celebration started early on the morning of January 21 as the traditional Crowchild tipi was erected by members of the Crowchild family inside the City Hall atrium.

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There's a delicious political irony unfolding right now in the Yukon. Most of the people in the territory - 75% - are white. Many like to think of themselves as the last of the pioneers and they like to think of the Yukon as the last place in Canada where rugged freedom loving individuals can escape the heavy hand of government.

A minority of the Yukon's population - 25% - are Indians. Most of them, and a lot of other people besides, think of the Yukon as Redneck Country. In fact, if racism was a religion some people say the pope and the priests would be Yukoners.

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When inmate Phillip Bearshirt was transferred to the Edmonton Remand Centre he was denied the right to keep his prayer bundle. Unhappy about what he considered an infringement of his rights, he took the matter to court.

Following a two and on-one- hour appearance on January 20 before Provincial Court Judge J.B. Dea, a favourable ruling was handed down. It is the first known case of its kind in any Alberta court and could, therefore, set precedent for future cases, should they arise.

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Danny Charles battle with cancer is over.

On January 26, Danny Charles died after a long battle with cancer of the liver, and according to his friend, Cher Daniels, "Danny still wants to see the fund raising that was done so he could receive chemotherapy treatments continue to help others who may need money to receive treatments."

The fund raising activities for Charles, started by his friends and caring supporters, were happening - especially in his home town of Leduc and in Edmonton long before this newspaper began to publicize them.

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CALGARY - With the many scheduled cutbacks in government services throughout Alberta, fears that the Native Outreach Association would have its funding drastically cut were allayed by Chief Executive Officer Laurent Roy last week in Calgary.

Roy, who was in town to attend the Calgry Outreach office open house January 22, pointed out that in carrying out its mandate of placing Native people into employment along with promoting the hiring of Native people, the association has saved the govern-ment many millions of dollars each year.

Prairie Treaty Nations Alliance

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Prairie Indian leaders, blocked from participating in constitutional process, sharply denounced Brian Mulroney's recent statement to Pope John Paul that all is proceeding well on Aboriginal rights issues.

During a recent audience with the Pope at the Vatican, the prime minister said that discussions on entrenching Aboriginal rights in the Constitution were proceeding to a successful conclusion.

A tribute to Man-Who-Uses-The-Knife

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This article is a tribute to my grand-grandfather.

In the 1800s, he was a Plains Cree warrior on the Saskatchewan prairies. His Cree name was Moo-koo-man-ka-chim-ma-tat. 'He Who Sticks The Knife Into The Ground.' As the years went by he became known as O-che-ma-tah, which was a shortened version of his name.