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Former NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) students and instructors of the business programs sponsored by the Women of the Metis Nation and the Asokan Project were invited back to school to take part in Reunion 2004-Back to the Nest. The reunion conference ran from Aug. 20 to 22 and celebrated Aboriginal women's culture and training, as well as Edmonton's 100th anniversary.

Activities for the weekend included a welcome reception, a series of culturally focused workshops entitled Classrooms Without Quizzes, as well as a tour of Fort Edmonton Park.

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More than 200 teachers became students on Aug. 11 when they attended Poundmaker's Lodge Treatment Centre for lessons in Aboriginal culture and customs.

The teachers were taking part in Social Studies K-3 Summer Institute, a four-day workshop hosted by Alberta Learning that provided teachers with an early opportunity to learn about changes coming to the social studies curriculum across the province. The changes include a look at the diverse perspectives and experiences of Aboriginal people in Canada today.

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A new agreement signed between the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and the Maskwachees Cultural College (MCC) on July 26 will result in more programs being offered at both institutions, while still allowing MCC students to keep the cultural components of their classes while attending NAIT.

A memorandum of understanding to jointly pursue training opportunities for students was signed by NAIT president Dr. Sam Shaw and MCC president Barbara B. Louis at the EnCana Aboriginal Students Centre at the NAIT campus in Edmonton.

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This fall one school in the Edmonton Catholic School District is going to be offering a Cree bilingual program. It will start in kindergarten at St. Francis of Assisi school and, if successful, will be expanded to other grades in the coming years.

Joe Naccarato, principal of St. Francis of Assisi, is excited about the program. While the enrollment hasn't been in the numbers the school had expected, things should pick up once the new school year starts and people hear about the program, he said.

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The Third Gathering on Aboriginal Health will be held Oct. 4 to 6 at the Sheraton Cavalier Hotel in Calgary.

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Lyle Willier says he goes where he's needed. And since he started Four Directions Consulting a year-and-a-half ago, Willier has been needed across Canada.

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More than half a million members of the Dene Nation are being invited to Calgary this fall for the International Dene Elders Gathering. It is hoped that there the Dene tribes of North America will be reunified.

Organizers are calling for each of the Dene tribes, spread over an area as far north as Alaska and as far south as Mexico, to send delegates to the gathering scheduled for Oct. 13 to 15. There they will meet and discuss the history of the Dene and will open lines of communication, some of which have been closed for thousands of years.

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On July 7, members of the Blood Tribe celebrated the grand opening of the Blood Tribe Child Protection Services Corporation (BTCPSC) with the signing of the delegation of authority agreement by Blood Tribe Chief Chris Shade and Alberta Children's Services Minister Iris Evans.

The signing of the agreement puts the Blood Tribe one step closer to achieving its goal of helping Blood children keep their identity and Aboriginal culture while in care and in seeking legislation that would give the tribe more control over the welfare of its children.

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Leroy Good Eagle, a member of the Siksika Nation council, said the opening of the Siksika Interpretive Centre in the summer of 2005 will jump-start an exciting host of tourist attractions in the area.

The Siksika Interpretive Centre is a part of the Blackfoot Historical Park Project which has an estimated budget of $26 million.

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The Lac Ste. Anne pilgrimage began July 25 with the blessing of the lake. Amid children playing in the healing waters, the devoted followed the cross hip-deep into the lake or took up positions nearby to pray in small groups. A service hosted by the communities of Gift Lake, Whitefish Lake and Atikameg held in the shrine before the blessing was well attended. Alberta MLA Pearl Calahasen was on hand to do a Bible reading.