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Several members of the Assembly of First Nations executive council travelled to Montreal in the second week of April to meet with the national chief.

"We asked him what his plans were," Manitoba Vice Chief Kenneth Young told Windspeaker.

The executive meeting in Montreal on April 8 dealt with the issue of Chief Matthew Coon Come's absence at meetings. Young said it was quite a few meetings, more than the two that have been reported to date.

He said the executive members didn't ask Coon Come to step down, but they did ask if he planned on continuing.

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Surrounded by anti-referendum placards and signs, the Trek for Treaties group marched onto the steps of the provincial legislature to the beat of First Nations drummers. Started by members of a Nanaimo area church and community groups, the Trek for Treaties group walked from Nanaimo to Victoria in April to show solidarity with First Nations people in supporting the treaty process. They also provided information that spoke against the referendum on treaty principles.

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The federal and provincial governments decided to cut off funding in early April, effectively putting the Siksika Nation Tribal Police Service out of business.

As of the April 1, the officers were stripped of their policing powers and the Aboriginal police department that was started up in 1991 ceased to exist.

Siksika Police Commission director Kathleen McHugh told Windspeaker the RCMP took over policing responsibilities for the community.

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An unseasonably late snowstorm may have raged outside, but the ice inside Saskatoon's Hub City Curling Club on the evening of April 1 was smooth, unobstructed and sparkling under the scrutiny of dozens of curling fans. After four days of intense competition, the 2002 National Aboriginal Curling Championship had reached its final draw, and no one was too concerned with the weather as the men's and women's finalists prepared to do battle for the prestigious victor's title.

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You could say Adele Pete's company, Muskwa Designs, is a dream come true.

Through Muskwa Designs, Adele creates Native design graduation gowns, featuring appliques of feathers, eagles, bears, buffalo, or whatever the customer requests.

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With the cost of attending post-secondary education constantly on the rise, most students can use all the help they can get to finance their studies. One way to get that help is through scholarships.

According to Diedre Desmarais, registrar and director of student services with Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (SIFC), the best place to start your search for the scholarships to apply for is on the Web site of the school you want to attend. If you don't have on-line access, you can also find scholarship information in the school's calendar.

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Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (SIFC) campuses in Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert and La Ronge joined together in celebration on March 25, with each location hosting a pipe ceremony and feast. This is the second year the SIFC has hosted a spring feast at each of its campuses across the province.

"We have a lot to be grateful for," said Jo-Ann Episkenew, academic dean and associate professor of English in Regina. "Whatever good fortune we have came about from prayer and all of our relatives who have gone on before. They help us to continue to do good things."

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The old Balcarres Union Hospital has a new lease on life.

The former hospital, now converted to a personal care home, welcomed its first resident in March.

The moving-in day caps a year of renovations to the Balcarres Personal Care Home and new economic opportunity, and responsibility, for the File Hills Agency, the home's owners.

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The scenic Fort Qu'Appelle Valley will provide the backdrop for a three day gathering designed for sharing information about current Aboriginal literacy initiatives, and to discuss where to go from here.

The Mamawenig "Sharing and Celebrating Our Knowledge" Provincial Aboriginal Literacy Gathering will be held May 14 to 16 at the Echo Valley Conference Centre, located northwest of Fort Qu'Appelle.

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The File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council (FHQTC) hopes that an original staple of the diet of First Nations people will become the new "health food" in one of the world's most lucrative markets.

They're hoping that organic bannock is the key to opening an overseas market for First Nations-produced organic crops, targeting consumers in Germany.