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Historian Dr. John Mohawk laughs a lot for a man with a serious message to deliver. Mohawk, a professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo, spoke about endemic Native poverty in the United States and Canada on March 22 at the University of Toronto's Distinguished Speaker Series.

"We're in this together," said Mohawk.

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The Kenora Nechee Friendship Centre was the scene of a special week-long event supporting families and highlighting Metis culture during spring break.

A theme week called Voyageur Days was held March 15 to 19, and included babies' and children's programs sponsored by a committee comprised of the Kenora Metis Council, the Nechee Friendship Centre,Aishinabeekweweg, an Aboriginal family support program funded by the Aboriginal Healing and Wellness Strategy, and Kenora Area Health Access.

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Ontario teams collectively had their most successful year yet at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.

All four Ontario clubs ended up winning medals at the tournament, staged April 18 to 24 in Prince George, B.C.

This marked the third year for the tournament. The first two editions were held in Akwesasne.

For the third straight year the Ontario South girls' entry ended up winning the championship in its division. It defeated the Quebec team, Eastern Door and The North, 5-2 in the gold-medal contest.

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Buffalo, New York may still host the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG), but it won't be next summer. The games have been delayed a year after the games' governing council ended its relationship with the group that had earned the rights to host the games in 2005.

The NAIG council was expected to re-open the bidding to potential hosts after a scheduled three-day meeting in Denver May 13 to 15.

Another group in Buffalo may be awarded the games or it could go to another city.

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Thunder Rolling in the Mountains had its Canadian premiere in Toronto on March 23 and 24, at Dancemakers Studio in the historic Distillery District. Billed as a play, it's actually a monologue based on the story of Chief Joseph and his band of non-treaty Nez Perce, who embarked on a four-month, 1,400-mile journey to Canada after refusing to relocate to a reservation in Oregon.

The monologue, written and performed by Tsimshian storyteller and singer Shannon Thunderbird, offered 60 minutes of overwhelming detail, but absolutely no analysis and no study in character.

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The words come easily to Ken Maracle now, whether he speaks in the Cayuga language or in English, reciting a ceremonial Haudenosaunee speech, or discussing world affairs. As an artist, Maracle specializes in crafting objects used to record events and serve as memory aids, to hand ideas down from generation to generation.

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Xerox Canada is now accepting applications for their 2004 Aboriginal scholarship program. For the past 10 years, Xerox has awarded $12,000 annually to eight Aboriginal students who plan to pursue studies in business and technology at an accredited Canadian post-secondary institution. Students enrolled in university programs may receive up to $3,000 a year for up to four years. Those in a college program may renew their scholarships for up to three years.

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Writer Marilyn Dumont is really excited about a new project. She'd like to produce a documentary about the descendants of Gabriel Dumont, "What they know about their history, and its impact on their lives."

The documentary is in the developmental stage, but Dumont said, "I feel it will take me somewhere different."

Dumont counts herself among the Metis descendants of Gabriel Dumont, although, "My father never ever spoke about it." The family became aware of the connection in the late 1960s, when Dumont's sister-in-law was researching family history.

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In early May more than 200 Aboriginal youth from different regions of Canada will participate in a national Aboriginal youth business competition called E-spirit. Naomi Sayers is one of the many who will participate this year.

Sayers, 17, who lives on the Garden River First Nation reserve, said she learned a lot from the online business strategy last year.

Her goal is to further her education in business and entrepreneurship. Sayers is currently in Grade 11 and plans to study business administration when she gets to college.

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Funding for new facilities and services for the developmentally disabled will not make life any easier for Aboriginal communities in northwestern Ontario. On March 10, the Ministry of Community and Social Services announced it would provide $24.4 million in capital and operating funds to create 178 new facilities. The funding goes to 27 communities in southern Ontario: Toronto, Sudbury, York, Ottawa, Wellington, Hamilton, Manitoulin Island and Six Nations of the Grand River.