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Vancouver's Sir William Macdonald Elementary School is getting a First nations face-lift. Over the next two weeks, the 88-year-old school's main entrance will see new life, shedding its dull brown brick for a collage of vibrant colours - an elaborate traditional Westcoast design and the work of renown Haisla artist and Master Carver, Henry Robertson.

Macdonald School, located in a predominantly First Nations area in Vancouver's East Side, has a student population of 259, of which 50 per cent are First Nations.

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Athletes competing in the XI Commonwealth Games this summer will be vying for gold, silver and bronze medals designed by west coast Native artists.

Charles Elliot, a Coast Salish native, designed the gold, Art Thompson of the Nuu-chah-nulth nation designed the silver, and Richard Hunt, a Kwagiulth Native, designed the bronze medal.

The newly minted prizes were unveiled May 3. They incorporate evocative Native imagery in conjunction with the games international governing body and the celebration ribbon logo.

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The advent of electricity means progress to most populations, bringing a convenient power source for light and heat.

But to Indigenous peoples around the world, the production of electricity often signifies the loss of land and culture, specifically through hydroelectric dam projects. For Natives in developing countries the loss is compounded by a complete lack of input into projects which profoundly affect their lives.

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The ceremonial taking back of a reserve by a hereditary chief and her followers has resulted in a confrontation with RCMP and the arrests of several members.

Four residents of Cold Lake First Nations in east central Alberta were arrested for setting up a blockade on the reserve in early May. Descendants of the band's first chief, Muchaes Kinoosayo Janvier, had reclaimed the reserve as their own, starting with a patch of land that Barrington Petroleum Ltd. began drilling a gas well on.

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Crafts provide an important source of income for people of various cultures world-wide. One example of a group that produces traditional crafts for a profit is the Minnguq Sewing Group, which manufactures and market seal skin crafts based on traditional Inuit designs and local natural resources.

A study was undertaken to identify how the Inuit members of the Minnguq Sewing Group and the non-Inuit consumers affected the design, production, and marketing of the products.

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Clouds of dust and chunks of dirt filled the Arctic air as the 737 roared down the gravel airstrip. The Inuvialuit school children on board were excited about this special flight that would soar above the frozen Beaufort Sea and over their homes in Tuktoyaktuk.

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Remember when being a tourist meant staying at a nice hotel, eating out, checking out a few of the popular sites and shopping for that special T-shirt? Well, tourism today is taking on a new twist. Tourists seem to want to take home more than the T-shirt and mug and are steering away from the traditional "tourist trap" type holidays in search of an authentic, cultural, hands-on experience. The First Nations of British Columbia have just what' today's travellers are looking for - a real life taste of their own unique cultural traditions and heritage.

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Driving by the seemingly drab and dormant grey building on 3rd Avenue and 20th Street in Saskatoon which houses the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College's

Indian Social Work program one would hardly imagine that this year alone 30 social

work students armed with degrees will be leaving the program physically, emotionally, spiritually and intellectually stronger people.

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It was little more than a month ago when Christos Sirros, Quebec's minister responsible for Aboriginal affairs, was enthusiastically praising a new-found co-operation between the province and the Mohawk community. All parties agreed to put aside their myriad disagreements in favor of discussion and negotiation.

Talks were to focus on policing, self-government, and taxation. The hope was to have a framework for discussions fleshed out by the end of May.

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A human rights tribunal investigating a complaint of discrimination against the Canadian Armed Forces by an Aboriginal soldier will resume May 24.

The Human Rights Commission will hear final arguments on charges the Canadian Army is insensitive to the culture and values of First Nations persons and has discriminated against the Natives in its ranks.