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Raging on Kehewin First Nation territory for four days in May, a forest fire brought to light a growing crisis facing Native communities in Alberta just how ill equipped they are to deal with forest fire season.

More than 30 per cent of Kehewin's 40-sq. km, located north of Elk Point, was engulfed in flames between May 16 and 19. While no houses were lost, damage was only kept to a minimum because of the efforts of 100 people, who assisted in damage control.

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Ever wonder what it would be like to bead, do quill work, or make fish scale art or moccasins? As part of the Native Clothing Design Program, the Northern Lakes College in Grouard will hold a full week of four courses that will show you how. Courses are set to run from July 28 to Aug. 2.

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It's been more than six years in the making, but this summer, the world will be coming to Morley, Alta., when the community hosts the sixth World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE) from Aug. 4 to 10.

The First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium (FNAHEC), the host committee for this year's event, has been working to bring the conference to southern Alberta since 1996, when they first bid on hosting the triennial conference the year it was held in Albuquerque, N.M.

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A new series scheduled to air on APTN later this year will take a look at how Aboriginal organizations across the country are working to prevent diabetes in their communities.

The Sweetness In Life: A Diabetes Story will air in 13 half-hour segments, with the first broadcast planned for November, to coincide with National Diabetes Month.

Award-winning film producer Doug Cuthand is producing the series.

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According to Sandra Caswell, the community program manager of the Institute on Addictions Studies, the world has been affected by the events of Sept.11. That's why global trauma will be centre stage in discussions at the institute's annual conference in Barrie, Ont. from July 14 to 18. People who will most benefit from the conference are those who already work in the addictions field, particularly front line workers.

Page 15

Gold, silver and bronze medals were not the only pieces of hardware handed out at the inaugural National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.

A total of 34 players (17 female and 17 male) were also singled out for their individual efforts by being selected to the tournament's all-star teams.

Each all-star received a trophy, but perhaps more importantly, also an invite to a week-long high performance camp, which will be held in July in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Various quality coaches will provide both on- and off-ice sessions during the camp.

Page 15

There was no question as to which boys' entry was the best iced at the inaugural National Aboriginal Hockey Championships held April 21 to 27 in Akwesasne.

The Manitoba club was Number 1 especially after Manitoba crushed the Quebec reps (Eastern Door and The North) 8-2 in the gold-medal match.

Page 14

The theory that some teams require some time to jell was one that did not apply to the Ontario South girls' entry at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships held April 21 to 27 in Akwesasne.

Some members of the Ontario South side had just met their team-mates a few days before the Canadian tournament began. But that didn't prevent the club from steamrolling over all of its opponents.

Page 13

There's no looking back now.

And with the inaugural National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in the history books, officials can only look forward to an even bigger and better tournament in the years to come.

The first Canadian hockey tournament for Native players earned its share of kudos for the way it was operated. The event, which was organized by the Aboriginal Sports Circle, attracted 12 teams (six female, six male). Matches in the event, which ran April 21 to 27 were held in Akwesasne as well as neighboring Cornwall.

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Review

Letters From Prison: Felons Write About the Struggle for Life and Sanity Behind Bars

By Shawn Thompson

HarperCollins

266 pp., $32 (hc)

Letters From Prison contains only small selections from a fraction of the letters journalist Shawn Thompson has received from 130 correspondents doing time in various prisons over the last 10 years, but that doesn't limit the book's scope. Letters From Prison is a wide-ranging exploration of life behind bars.