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You see her at the powwow, sitting. Her hands are folded gently in her lap, her buckskin dress carefully smoothed. It glistens with the soft green and blue beads that have been carefully stitched across the hem and the yoke. Her eyes are bright and they sparkle as she watches every step and sway of the young girls performing the intricate fancy dance.

With a nod, a gesture and a smile she sparks all those old memories of favorite aunties and grandmothers. She smiles and it lights up the heart.

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Over two hundred years ago, there was a story about two tribes who were bitter enemies, always fighting over hunting territories, horses and women. At that time, most tribes were nomadic on the plains, following the buffalo and game.

There was a large war party, estimated in the hundreds, whose dust from their horses could be seen for miles. The battle went for days, as war parties charged and then retreated. Many coup and scalps were taken. During one of the invading party's retreats, a feather had fallen and was left behind.

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An elite society known as Red Feather (or Akicita) has evolved to recognize and pay homage to Indian war veterans who were wounded in war while acting on behalf of their country or people.

Based in South Dakota (S.D.), the society honors the veterans each year during an annual powwow at Spearfish, S.D. Renewed in 1983, the society has close to 20 inducted members most of whom saw action in World War II or the Vietnam War.

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It is "back to culture" for Back to Batoche, the Metis Heritage Days celebration. Such was the decision of the cultural committee which plans this annual event, says committee member Murray Hamilton.

"There've been a lot of requests from our Metis local and Metis people in general that we get back to some of the old time traditions," explained Hamilton.

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Out of 320 entries by 56 Native artists, Kim McLain emerged as this year's winner of the Asum Mena Alberta Native Art Festival and received an award of $5,000.

McLain was last year's runner-up in the contest which is sponsored by the Alberta Indian Arts and Crafts Society in Edmonton.

The winning piece was a bold, impressionistic depiction (which McLain refers to as representational art) entitled 'Victoria May,' an acrylic painting on paper creation.

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Bill 33 has the potential to limit, even remove, vital funding for the ethnic projects and programs, including those of Native groups which often rely on cultural grants.

The Alberta Cultural Heritage Amendment Act received third and final reading on June 4 and will soon be given legislature assent. It contains amendments that will dissolve the Alberta Cultural Heritage Foundation and the cultural heritage division of Alberta Culture, which is to be replaced by the Alberta Multicultural Commission.

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Changes and additions to the school act may not be too far off with the newly-proposed School Act, Bill 59, having been introduced in the Alberta legislature recently. The new bill demands very close scrutiny before it passed by those whom it will affect.

One section of the new act has made provision for the establishment of school councils that would be comprised of "parents of the students who are registered in the school."

Two teachers at the Blue Quills Native Education Centre near Saddle Lake ? Dave Hansford and Marlene Craig ? say the attendance rate at the junior-senior high school is pathetic. Furthermore, Hansford says "the kids we're missing aren't missing anything."

"I've had Grade 10 students that couldn't even spell their name," adds Craig

The teachers spoke up after any anonymous letter about Blue Quills was sent to local media. The letter said that the centre's board "worry and talk more about control then they do about good management and good programs."

Rumors of another Pope's visit to Fort Simpson can rest. Officials from the vatican staff have confirmed that Pope John Paul II will fly to Fort Simpson September 20.

The Pope will fly to the Northwest Territories from Detroit, his last stop on the U.S. fall tour. He will be spending the night of September 19 at a Grey Nuns residents in Edmonton before flying up to Fort Simpson. There are no public functions planned for Alberta's capital.

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At a recent public forum in Calgary, Conservative MLA Janet Koper said the Lubicon Lake Indian Band is in "some ways blackmailing" Calgarians by boycotting the Olympics. She added that the federal and provincial governments have "acted in good faith" in dealing with the Lubicon's 47 year old land claim.

Liberal MLA Nick Taylor, who was also present, disagreed with Koper. He said the government exploited the land they granted to the Lubicons by leasing it to oil companies.

"If it was done to a white group, there'd be blood in the streets," he said.