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A national coalition of First Nation's activists demanding greater accountability from chiefs and councils across Canada say they have finally received assurances from National Chief Phil Fontaine that he will present the group's concerns at a meeting of Canada's 600-plus chiefs slated for later this fall.

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Papaschase band descendants who want to pursue recognition by the federal government and who may be interested in going after compensation for land given up or coerced from them in the last century will want to take a hard look at any group claiming to represent their interests. At least two groups hold themselves out as bone fide in Edmonton.

Audrey V. Gladue identifies herself as the president of the Papaschase First Nation Band #136 Association (also called Papaschase Indian Band Association), a position she has held since June 26.

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Aboriginal leaders who worry the British Columbia treaty process is on shaky ground because of the NDP's woes got a harrowing new scenario to fret about over the summer.

It came in the form of the election readiness activities of the provincial Liberal party.

Widely seen as the government-in-waiting that will eventually replace the NDP in Victoria, the Liberals are positioned a good distance further to the right than their federal namesakes.

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Heart of the Earth , a 13-part, half-hour television series that focuses on the diverse cultures of northern Saskatchewan, will be available for viewing in October. The series is expected to be aired both on Saskatchewan's Communications Network and on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. It will explore the people of northern Saskatchewan's ongoing relationship with the land and how the names of the northern towns came to be.

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Those who made it to the Forks had a great time at the Sept. 1 launch of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network - until the fireworks were set off.

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The Native Council of Canada in Alberta hosted a conference Sept. 11 to deal with problems resulting from the delay by First Nations and the federal government in implementing Bill C-31. About 60 delegates directly affected by the 1985 Indian Act amendments attended.

Doris Ronnenberg, president of the council, addressed the assembly regarding the group's 12-year battle to have people's band membership rights restored following the Federal Court of Appeal judgement in the "Twinn" case. Ronnenberg linked denial of band membership rights with denial of women's rights.

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The Ontario Trillium Foundation awards $20,000 each year to five "Caring Communities." These awards go to communities whose imagination and collaboration have led to specific and long-lasting achievements, especially in the face of limited resources and difficult situations. The Rainy River First Nations, in secluded northwestern Ontario, is one of these exemplary communities. The reserve will put the prize money toward the creation of a new community resource centre.

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The Saskatchewan First Nations Veterans' Association is hoping to use its legal action against the government of Canada as a rallying point for First Nations veterans all across the country.

That was the intent of Keeping Our Strength, a three-day conference held in Winnipeg from Aug. 25 to 27.

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The ceremonial reunification of the Huron Wendat confederacy in Sainte-Marie Park on Aug. 28 was in preparation for the highlight of a three-day homecoming reunion - a Feast of the Dead.

The descendants of the confederacy returned to the land known as Huronia from as far away as Alaska, Virginia, California, Michigan and Quebec. It was the first reunion of the Huron Wendat confederacy since the people were dispersed across the continent in 1649 by conflict, disease and famine.

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When hundreds of descendants of the Huron Wendat confederacy gathered in Midland, Ont., it was for a homecoming that was three-and-a-half centuries in the making.

They reunited in their ancestral homeland on the southern shores of Georgian Bay on Aug. 28 after an absence of 350 years.

They came from far and wide, but from the moment they put their paddles in the river, confederacy members knew that, finally, they were travelling in the wake of their ancestors.