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Lake of the Prairies:

A Story of Belonging

By Warren Cariou

Doubleday Canada

318 pages, (hc)

$32.95

Lake of the Prairies is, first, a story of a man and the forces that have made him what he is today. It is also a nuanced portrait of Meadow Lake, Sask., the author's hometown and the place where he grew into adulthood.

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Who is Hartley GoodWeather?

According to Tom King, author of six award-winning books of fiction, and creator/host of CBC Radio's Dead Dog Cafe, GoodWeather just penned the new mystery novel, DreadfulWater Shows Up.

"A few years ago he [GoodWeather] came to me and said he'd like to write anything but a literary piece, and he wanted to make a lot of money from it," King said. "And I thought that'd be the end of it, and he'd be good and forget all about it. But he didn't."

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Joanne Swanson first picked up a paintbrush at the age of 41, but she has quickly joined the ranks of accomplished artists who started their careers much younger.

Today her contemporary and traditional paintings depicting village scenes and portraits are included in both private collections and Native-owned corporations and businesses across the north.

Swanson was born at a fish camp in the community of Shaktoolik, which is a coastal village located near the Norton Sound in the Bering Sea in Alaska.

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She has been acutely aware of her culture since a very young age. She has cherished this knowledge and passed it on to other youth. Her name is Melissa Bromley.

The 21-year-old from Sudbury, Ont. is one of five 2002 Metis youth role model winners announced at the National Metis Youth Conference in Vancouver April 26.

Bromley, the winner in the Metis culture and heritage category, is a student in the Native Child and Family Worker program at Cambrian College.

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A panel created by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has concluded that the fall lobster fishery conducted by the Burnt Church First Nation is a threat to lobster stocks. The report recommends that all parties in the region share in the spring fishery and that the federal government should take drastic action to bring peace and stability to the region.

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Deborah Grey reacted strongly when she heard the Assembly of First Nations national chief allege that his organization's budget was cut mainly because it opposed the First Nations governance act initiative. The Edmonton North MP urged the Liberal members of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs, Northern Development and Natural Resources to question their government and look into the accusation.

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Signs of frustration with the leadership have been evident on the Wikwemikong Unceded Reserve in recent weeks and emotions have been running high.

One of the more dramatic manifestations of discontent occurred March 25 when several people carrying placards descended on the band administration building.

The protesters called for the resignation of Chief Gladys Wakegijig, who had been elected in a byelection Sept. 15, 2001.

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National Aboriginal organizations are once again throwing their support behind Bill C-5, the proposed Species at Risk act, after amendments to strengthen Aboriginal involvement and protection of Indigenous knowledge received government support.

Some Aboriginal leaders had threatened to pull their support of the bill when the parts of the bill dealing with those issues were watered down by the government at the report stage.

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When Dan McLean passed away on April 9 at the age of 89, his passing left a void in the lives of many people.

Described by some of those who knew him as a trailblazer and a progressive thinker who was dedicated to making things better for his people, McLean was also remembered as being a man that was filled with humor, who never failed to make those around him feel good.

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A former employee who successfully sued the Dakota Tipi First Nation for unjust dismissal testified during the labor arbitration hearing that people employed by Chief Dennis Pashe attempted to intimidate him. The testimony also states that those people had Manitoba Warrior Society tattoos.