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People came by the thousands to the 33rd Annual Seabird Island First Nations Festival, held May 24 to 26.

Festival co-ordinator Angie Chapman of the Seabird Island Band estimated that a record-breaking 10,000 participants and tourists came and went throughout the three-day event. There was something for everyone.

For sports enthusiasts, there were men's and women's ball hockey and soccer, and co-ed two-pitch. Youth soccer teams competed for trophies and T-shirts. Said Chapman, "We had 40 teams-it's the largest youth soccer tournament in the province."

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In a tiny lab surrounded by microscopes and boxes upon boxes of slides, Judy Joseph (Ditidaht) and Susan Cootes (Uchucklesaht) are helping scientists answer some of the most perplexing questions in salmonid science.

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An ancient river has a new life, thanks to the Huu-ay-aht and Ditidaht First Nations.

The two neighboring nations on the west coast of Vancouver Island recently agreed to put aside overlapping boundary issues and work towards a brighter future, restoring valuable salmon runs that have been adversely affected by decades of heavy logging.

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A lawsuit launched last month by the First Nations Treaty Negotiators Association (FNTNA) to stop the provincial referendum on treaty principles has failed.

British Columbia Supreme Court judge Madam Justice Smith ruled against an interlocutory injunction that would have prevented the counting of ballots.

Page 5

Ahousaht men once again outdid themselves in their tribute to the women of their Nation. From young moms-to-be to the eldest great-great-grandmother, each woman was treated as royalty on their special day-Mother's Day.

In what has become an annual tradition, the men of Ahousaht wake early in the morning of Mother's day to fish, crab, pick ha-ish-tup, tuts-up, barnacles, mussels and dig clams.

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Aboriginal delegates travelled to Vancouver from all over Canada last month to attend a national conference on emergency preparedness.

The two-day conference titled Disaster and Emergency Preparedness for Aboriginal Communities in Canada was presented by W. Zarchikoff and Associates Ltd. and held at the downtown Holiday Inn on May 22 and 23.

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Aboriginal parents must overcome their fear of school and take an active part in their children's education, according to experts at the inaugural First Nations Parents Club conference, which took place May 24 and 25 in Vancouver.

Approximately 130 parent delegates from parents clubs across the province attended a wide variety of workshops and exchanged everything from parenting and advocacy tips to nutritious recipes during the two-day event, organized by the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) and the First Nations Schools Association (FNSA).

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The British Columbia Liberal government is offering $30 million to support First Nations involvement in businesses such as forestry, tourism and mining. But many leaders are suspicious of the fund, saying it's merely a withered carrot to entice Nations back to the treaty table after the referendum was finished on May 15.

Page 2

Aboriginal delegates travelled to Vancouver from all over Canada last month to attend a national conference on emergency preparedness.

The two-day conference titled Disaster and Emergency Preparedness for Aboriginal Communities in Canada was presented by W. Zarchikoff and Associates Ltd. and held at the downtown Holiday Inn on May 22 and 23.

Page 3

The very people who need help most are being hit the hardest by provincial cutbacks, said Gord Edwards, regional manager of the Native Courtworker and Counselling Association of British Columbia (NCCABC) at a meeting at Hupacasath Hall the end of May.

"We're very concerned about provincial cutbacks which are going to affect us. The government has already announced the closure of all Native community law offices and have scaled back legal aid services, and this will have a big effect on First Nations people," said Edwards.