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An exhibition of paintings and drawings by eight of Alberta's most important First Nations artists opened at Prairie Art Gallery in Grande Prairie on Sept. 6.

On loan from the collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts are pieces by Dale Auger, Bruno Canadien, Joane Cardinal-Schubert, Alex Janvier, George Littlechild, Frederick McDonald, Jane Ash Poitras and Heather Shillinglaw.

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Metis writer Jacqueline Guest is an award-winning author of children's sports books, but what makes Guest's books unique from others in the same genre is that in each of her books the main character is Aboriginal.

Guest's first book, titled Hat Trick came out in 1997. It is the story of a young girl, Leigh Aberdeen, whose parents are divorced. Her mother lives on Tsuu T'ina reserve and she lives with her Metis father in Calgary. Aberdeen is the only female player on her hockey team, and she is one of the team's best players.

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Sitting on hay bales in the sunny backyard of historic Firkins House at Fort Edmonton Park, about a dozen children and their parents enjoyed the lively stories of days gone by.

Denise Miller told Native legends "from here and there" at the Storytelling Festival during the September long weekend.

Her family stories are full of energy, sound and grimaces. She jumps around, bangs her drum and is all over the place, her body expressing happiness, fear, pain, or joy. She lives it; she sees it.

"In my mind, I'm seeing a movie and I'm telling what I see."

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Don Gladue's new CD entitled Spirit of the Wind will be in stores by the end of the new year, but one of the tracks on it is particularly important as we commemorate the Sept, 11, 2001 attack on the United States and the beginning of the war in Afghanistan.

It is simply called Private Richard Greene, and it was written by Gladue as a tribute to one of the Canadian soldiers killed in the friendly fire incident while on a military exercise in Kandahar.

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A book focusing on the successes and talents of Aboriginal people in Alberta is slated to be released in 2005 during the Alberta Legacy Celebration for Alberta's 100 birthday.

The book entitled Great Aboriginal Albertans will highlight two groups of Aboriginal people that have lived and achieved during the past 100 years. The first group will have received a recognition award, as in a military honor, achievement award, or the Order of Canada. The second group will include the unsung heroes that work in the communities to make Alberta society a better place.

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An artist whose work will be on display until the end of September in a main walkway in the city's busy downtown arts district has drawn on his talents to tell several stories within the single exhibit.

The display entitled The Little Western is located in the busy thoroughfare that joins the EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts and the Glenbow Institute where the Truck Gallery, among others, has display space.

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Raymond Cardinal, 66, is the 2002 Citizen of the Year at Kikino Metis Settlement, an annual honor awarded in conjunction with Kikino Celebration Days and Silver Birch Rodeo.

Cardinal moved to Kikino in 1940, when he was four years old, with his parents Alex and Stella (Jackson) Cardinal. He recalls travelling from Goodfish Lake to the new home at Kikino Metis Colony by horse and wagon.

"There was nothing but bush-no roads, no highways," he said. "We brought a few cows and a few horses."

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Alongside a picturesque lake in northern Alberta, the first northern residential school conference titled Regaining our Spirit was held from Aug. 26 to 30. Workshops were held in tents adjacent to the community hall and included instruction on traditional parenting, healing through the abuse, the justice system, as well as an addictions workshop.

Facilitators and speakers included Shirley Armstrong, Albert and Alma Desjarlais, Loretta English, Priscilla Lalonde, Rodney Ward, Bob Miracle, Willie Blake, Carola Cunningham and Yvonne Maes.

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Some people consider 13 an unlucky number, but the only bad luck for the Kikino Metis Settlement in their 13th year of hosting the Kikino Celebration Days and Silver Birch Rodeo is the event has grown so popular it's outgrowing the facility.

"We're at a point where we have to go bigger or smaller," said settlement administrator Roger Littlechilds. "We can't stay at the midway point anymore. Parking is becoming a big problem and there's not much room to expand."

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The Gift Lake Bears won the 10-team Metis Settlements Accord Cup Slo-Pitch tournament again. The tourney was held over the Labour Day weekend in Lac La Biche.

Five of the eight Metis settlements in Alberta sent teams: two from tournament host Buffalo Lake, two each from Kikino and East Prairie, three from Gift Lake, and one from Elizabeth.