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No editorials or columns were written about it in national mainstream newspapers.

There were no political or public affairs talk shows that took up the question or looked for an explanation.

There was nothing - nothing but silence.

When Cheryl Soucy launched a heated attack on Marji Pratt-Turo in front of the Saskatoon provincial court building on May 3, the CBC and other media outlets covered it, but that was where it ended.

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Thundering applause momentarily drowned out Nisga'a president Joe Gosnell as he told hundreds of celebrants gathered in Gitwinksihlkw that their hard-won treaty has now taken effect, ending more than a century under the Indian Act.

"We are no longer wards of the state; we are no longer wards of the government," Gosnell said, pausing to be heard over the crowd's approval.

"We are no longer beggars in our own land. We are free to make our own mistakes, savour our own victories, and stand on our own feet."

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Charges laid against six Metis men under the province's Wildlife Act were dismissed on April 28 when provincial court Judge Don Waurynchuk ruled the men were exercising their Aboriginal right to hunt.

Dan LaFrance, John Grant Howse, Leonel Courchaine, Frederick Laboucane, Ronald Monsen and John Pratt expect the province to appeal the case, but they were delighted by the decision that LaFrance said vindicates their claim that the provincial government has refused to come to grips with court decisions that define Aboriginal rights.

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A few months ago, I got a stranger than usual telephone call at my office in Victoria. My usual friendly Mohawk "Kwe Kwe!" greeting was met on the other end of the line with a few seconds of silence, and then some muffled grunts and a bunch of funny clicking noises. I always chalk this kind of thing up to another old white guy from the Reform Party (sorry, I mean the CRAParty) calling me up for a verbal showdown then panicking at the last second and dropping the phone. But this time, someone actually spoke up.

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A poignant moment at the Indigenous Bar Association's annual meeting in Edmonton on March 17:

Revered educator James sakej Henderson, the research director for the University of Saskatchewan's Native Law Centre - the beginning of the road for so many Aboriginal lawyers in this country - posed a question of University of Alberta law professor Dale Gibson.

'Would you say there's a conspiracy among legislators to deprive us of our Aboriginal rights?'

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For centuries Aboriginal people have used art as an important tool in expressing identity. On Aug. 9, 1999, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development invited all new, emerging and professional artists of Aboriginal ancestry to submit their original artwork for the National Aboriginal Day poster competition. They received almost 200 submissions in the Celebrating First Nations category.

Taking Time to Remember, 1999

by David Hannan

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Troy Rupert knows life on the street is tough and usually leads to life behind bars.

He's been there. He got out of that world and now he makes his living by making it easier for others to get out of the trap of crime and punishment. His Winnipeg Native Alliance has been helping young Native people in that city since the early 1990s.

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On May 20, 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada rendered a unanimous decision confirming the right of off reserve Indian band members to vote for chief and council. The Supreme Court suspended the implementation of this declaration for a period of 18 months. At this time the court gave all First Nations time to adjust to their new election rules and regulations and the government time to carry out extensive consultations with both on and off reserve band members.

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Tensions are building slowly yet surely in south-central British Columbia as members of the Sto:lo Nation's Cheam Band block a road to protest what Cheam Chief June Quipp calls government stalling in dealing with her people's legal rights on their traditional territory.

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The Native man whose complaint started the process that led to an RCMP investigation into the conduct of Saskatoon city police officers, and which then led to charges filed against two police officers on April 12, is worried that the social and legal questions at the centre of the issue will not be confronted during the criminal prosecution process.