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In an effort to improve and develop municipal services, 15 communities have joined forces to form the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP). The Tsuu T'ina Nation is the only Aboriginal community currently involved in the partnership. Peter K. Manywounds, a special project consultant with Tsuu T'ina, said what made CRP attractive was its emphasis on collaboration rather than being a new level of government.

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This city's celebrations for National Aboriginal Day kicked off on June 18 with opening ceremonies held at city hall. Festivities continued for more than a week as Aboriginal people across Canada celebrated their heritage.

Ward one councillor Karen Leibovici read the proclamation for National Aboriginal Day. The Boyle Street Hip-hop Performers entertained the crowd and the four winners of the Nellie Carlson Youth Awards were announced.

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"I am Dekanawidah and with the Five Nations' Confederate chiefs I plant the Tree of Great Peace." With these words begins Gayanerekowa, the Great Law of Peace, also called the Great Law or the Great Peace, under which five nations-Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca-ended their years of warring to form the Iroquois Confederacy.

The speaker of these words was called the Peacemaker, his name deemed so sacred it could only be spoken at certain times.

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Most artists live well below the poverty line. They create art in a market economy that does not compensate them fairly for the work they produce.

According to a Statistics Canada special report from the late 1990s (the last time the arts sector was surveyed), the median annual income for writers was $7,500, and for painters and sculptors just $4,000.

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Gilles Sioui is a well-known name in Quebec music circles. He is celebrating 30 years in the business with the recent release of his third CD, Old Fool.

This popular bluesman, whose Huron name means rising sun, grew up in Wendake, the Huron-Wendat community located a few kilometres north of Quebec City.

He was a sportsman on the brink of a university league basketball career when his path took a wild right turn.

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There are many more trees on Juno Beach now than there were 60 years ago, observed Native veteran Philip Favel. It's the first time he's seen the beaches of Normandy since World War II, a day in early June. D-Day.

"There were hardly any trees or shrubs back then," he recalled.

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For five days in July people from around the planet will converge on Edmonton to share their knowledge about and experiences with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Working Together to Keep Our Dream Alive is the theme of the 8th SIDS International Conference, taking place July 2 to 6 at the Shaw Conference Centre and marking only the second time the conference has been held in Canada. The first SIDS International Conference was held in Toronto in 1974.

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An Aboriginal youth inline hockey team from Alberta is about to make a bit of history.

The Alexander First Nation Braves will compete in the World Inline Cup, scheduled for July 5 to 11 in London, Ont.

The Braves, who will take part in the boys' under-12 category, are the first Aboriginal squad to take part in the six-year history of the tournament.

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Artist-Eagle & Hawk

Album-Mother Earth

Song-Indian City

Label-Arbor Records

Producer-Chris Burke-Gaffney, Vince Fontaine and Brandon Friesen

Mother Earth is the fifth album released by Winnipeg-based Eagle & Hawk and earned the group a nomination in the Best Music of Aboriginal Canada category at this year's Juno Awards. The band's previous album, On and On, won in the same category in 2002.

Mother Earth features 11 tracks from the band that has developed a loyal following both here at home and on the international stage.

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Renowned Metis author, playwright, film-maker and teacher Maria Campbell is working on her master's degree, writing a thesis on homeland and identity. A new play and a collection of short stories and poetry are also in the works. Campbell was recently recognized for her contributions to Canada's literary and cultural identity, receiving the Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prize in the Arts.

Windspeaker: What one quality do you most value in a friend?

Maria Campbell: Honesty.

W: What is it that really makes you mad?