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A Newfoundland woman, Danika Edmunds, marked a milestone for Native grads this spring as the first woman of Inuit descent to earn a medical degree.

The 25-year-old woman took her place beside the other proud Univer-sity of Alberta graduates in Edmonton and was joined at a luncheon later in the day by Noah Carpenter, Canada's only other Inuit doctor. He serves as a thoracic surgeon in Comox, B.C.

There's a severe shortage of Native medical doctors in Canada and Edmunds hopes to change that by encouraging other students to pursue medicine.

Page 17

A Newfoundland woman, Danika Edmunds, marked a milestone for Native grads this spring as the first woman of Inuit descent to earn a medical degree.

The 25-year-old woman took her place beside the other proud Univer-sity of Alberta graduates in Edmonton and was joined at a luncheon later in the day by Noah Carpenter, Canada's only other Inuit doctor. He serves as a thoracic surgeon in Comox, B.C.

There's a severe shortage of Native medical doctors in Canada and Edmunds hopes to change that by encouraging other students to pursue medicine.

Page 16

The University of Saskatchewan will confer honorary Doctor of Laws degrees to Ernest Mike and Daniel Musqua at the university's annual spring graduation.

Ernest Mike was born in 1924 and is a member of the Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation. He stayed in school until 16, and then helped his father farm.

For more than 40 years, Mike has occupied leadership roles in the Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation, serving two terms as chief (1965-67, 1975-77), and for more than 20 years as band councillor.

Page 16

The University of Saskatchewan will confer honorary Doctor of Laws degrees to Ernest Mike and Daniel Musqua at the university's annual spring graduation.

Ernest Mike was born in 1924 and is a member of the Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation. He stayed in school until 16, and then helped his father farm.

For more than 40 years, Mike has occupied leadership roles in the Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation, serving two terms as chief (1965-67, 1975-77), and for more than 20 years as band councillor.

Page 16

"The message is 'If we can keep our language then we can keep our culture," says al Ducharme, a Saskatchewan Metis whose Master's thesis has yielded surprising conclusions.

Believing the goals that drive education for Aboriginal people were wrong in some way, he set out to interview Native people about what those goals should be.

Ducharme found out that the preservation of First Nations languages was uppermost in the minds of his people.

Page 16

"The message is 'If we can keep our language then we can keep our culture," says al Ducharme, a Saskatchewan Metis whose Master's thesis has yielded surprising conclusions.

Believing the goals that drive education for Aboriginal people were wrong in some way, he set out to interview Native people about what those goals should be.

Ducharme found out that the preservation of First Nations languages was uppermost in the minds of his people.

Page 15

Last week, the Mushkegowuk Council banned the Canadian Wildlife Service from entering the lands of any of its five member bands. The coun-cil says the ban will remain in effect until a dispute between the First Na-tions and the government over proposed amendments to the Canada-U.S. Migratory Bird Convention of 1916 is resolved.

Page 14

The Ojibwa-Cree people of Sandy Lake are poised to halt the spread of diabetes, which is threatening to erupt into an epidemic on remote re-serves, including their own in northern Ontario.

"The community is visionary in some waysthey came to me be-cause they're a forward-thinking community which made (the problem) a political item on their agenda," says Dr. Stewart Harris, who was stationed at nearby Sioux Lookout until recently.

Page 14

The Ojibwa-Cree people of Sandy Lake are poised to halt the spread of diabetes, which is threatening to erupt into an epidemic on remote re-serves, including their own in northern Ontario.

"The community is visionary in some waysthey came to me be-cause they're a forward-thinking community which made (the problem) a political item on their agenda," says Dr. Stewart Harris, who was stationed at nearby Sioux Lookout until recently.

Page 12

Probably the easiest and most effective way to inspire young people to become entrepreneurs is to introduce them to others who have followed, and achieved their dreams.

The Spirit Lives: Aboriginal Entrepreneurs in Canada, is a six-part video series designed to do just that. Produced by the non-profit Canadian Foundation for Economic Education in collaboration with the Kwakiult Dis-trict Council in Port Hardy, B.C., it's designed to be used by educators to act as a catalyst among Aboriginal youth and within Native communities.