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Indian programs unveiled
OCO '88 is seeking $1.25 million from Native and government agencies to enable Native participation in the Calgary Winter Olympic Games.
During an open board meeting Friday April 24, an Indian events program was unveiled. OCO '88 will be contributing $250,000 toward the event and the remainder will be sought from other sources.
Native liaison coordinator, Sykes Powderface said Native organizations are expected to contribute about $400,000 in arts and crafts with the remaining $850,000 coming from the provincial and federal governments.
Shortly before the announcement, Powderface narrated a 12-minute slide presentation promoting Native involvement. However, he later expressed disappointment that instead of portraying Indian people, the film showed images of ice-skaters, skiers and picturesque sunsets.
After the presentation, organizers of the various Native events addressed the board. Bruce Starlight, a Sarcee band member will be highlighting the Indian people of Treaty 7 in a cultural exhibition. The exhibition will take place in the Burns Building, opposite Calgary's city hall.
The exhibition will include a trade show, which is due to open in July and will feature business, enterprise and industry as well as human resource development, education, sports and recreation.
Blackfoot chief, Leo Youngman is organizing a hug powwow competition event which will highlight the best 1,500 dancers from across the country. This event takes place in Lindsay Park, opposite Stampede Park.
A fashion show highlighting original Native fashions will be organized by Ermineskin band member, Carol Wildcat and an Aboriginal youth conference, to be attended by young people from all parts of Canada, will be organized by Wilton Littlechild from the Ermineskin band and George Calliou from Sucker Creek.
In an interview after the presentation, Powderface said that the Treaty 7 bands had expressed their desire to separate politics from culture.
"We are democratic people. The chiefs support the Lubicon Lake land claim. But say what if there is a settlement two days before the Olympics. Our people would not be able to participate."
Powderface pointed out that Native people had always shown an interest in the Olympic Games as a delegation of Blood band members had made the trip to Baden-Baden when the announcement that Calgary had been appointed was made.
"And people are interested in Indian people. We have learned from Expo '86 that they ran out of Native crafts. We need sufficient inventory for the three kiosks to be located in Calgary.
The three temporary kiosks will be set up in the downtown core, at the Athletes village and one in Chinook Shopping Centre.
Native involvement in the Calgary Olympic Games became controversial after the Lubicon Lake Cree band called for a boycott of the games last year in support of their 47-year-old land claim.
The band has garnered support from a number of Native organizations, including the Indian Association of Alberta and has so far, encouraged about 21 museums from various parts of the world to withdraw their exhibitions from the Glenbow Museum's 'Spirit Sings' exhibition highlighting Native artefacts.
When contacted in his Edmonton office, Lubicon consultant Fred Lenarson said he felt OCO was "buying " Native involvement in the Games. Yet OCO still expected Native people themselves to contribute more money than OCO. Lenarson pointed out that the government has plenty of money for other projects such as the Mount Allen project which cost taxpayers more than $25 million.
Other taxpayer funded projects include loan guarantees for three privately owned hotels in Kananaskis country of more than $14 million and a $9 million 36-hole golf course located near Mount Allen.
The OCO board also announced the appointment of Calgary Fish Creek MLA Bill Payne to the position of Media Manager. Payne, former partner of a public-relations firm in which OCO president Bill Pratt is rmer president and shareholder, will take on the $70,000 a year position in addition to maintaining his seat in the Legislature.
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