Welcome to AMMSA.COM, the news archive website for our family of Indigenous news publications.
Launched in 2002. A publication specifically designed to serve the Indigenous people of Ontario.
Page 7
Wellness is not just a buzz word for health promotion specialists in the Manitoulin Island district. They have issued a serious challenge to sedentary employees or fitness procrastinators.
The Manitoulin First Nation Triathlon is scheduled for Sept. 21, according to Peggy McGregor of the Noojmowin Teg Health Centre. The event will include canoeing, running and cycling on…
Page 6
The Wikwemikong competiton powwow on Manitoulin Island continues to draw visitors from throughout Turtle Island because it consistently includes culture.
According to Peggy Pitawanakwat, one of three masters of ceremonies presiding over the 2002 event, "Traditional aspects are included in the planning for both the participants and the audience. This powwow is by far the…
Page 6
"Honouring Our Children" was the theme for Whitefish Lake First Nation's fourteenth annual traditional powwow held July 27 and 28. Whitefish Lake is just west of Sudbury.
Even with humidex temperatures soaring into the thirties, the turnout was excellent. At least seven drums and 100 dancers braved the high heat and hot sun on Saturday to dance.
There was a good…
Page 5
Between 400 and 500 people, mostly Elders, attended what was at least the tenth and possibly the fifteenth annual Elders Picnic, which was hosted this year by the Dokis First Nation on the shores of the French River July 25. The picnic was sponsored by the Dokis Health Centre.
"Christmas in July" was the theme for this year's picnic.
Bernadette Restoule, one of…
Page 3
The residents of Bear Island, Temagami First Nation and the nearby town of Temagami launched the Temagami Community Foundation on Bear Island on July 28.
The Temagami Community Foundation has been in the works since February of 1999.
"The sole purpose of the Foundation is to receive and distribute contributions for the benefit of the community and whose accumulated…
Page 3
The appointment of Ontario's first Aboriginal lieutenant governor is a morale boost for First Nations communities throughout the province. James K. Bartleman included Manitoulin Island on his recent goodwill tour of Northern Ontario.
"I have never had the pleasure of visiting Manitoulin before," he said. "I am very happy to visit the largest fresh water island in the world…
Page 2
Deadline for nominations for the third Ontario Aboriginal Partnerships award is Sept. 16.
David Young, attorney general and minister responsible for Native affairs, will decide this year's award recipients based on recommendations from the province's Working Partnerships Advisory Committee. The committee is made up of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal corporate sector…
Page 2
Despite ominous roving thunder storms and unpredictable downpours, the Kenjgewin Teg science and technology camp refused to be rained out.
The sessions conducted by outdoor expert Andre Leblanc ran for two weeks in late July and early August on Manitoulin Island.
In its second year, the camp offered both an indoor and an outdoor component for First Nations children…
Page 2
"We are family and we want stay in our home," say the people of M'Wikwedong.
The M'Wikwedong Native Cultural Centre in Owen Sound has been based in a house rented from Westside United Church for the last two years.
The church has informed M'Wikwedong that they must vacate the property by Sept. 30.
On July 22, about 20 members of the M'Wikwedong, including a…
Page 12
What is it like for a mother and daughter to participate in the largest Aboriginal sports event in Canadian history? Ask Kathy Jones, a Chippewa of Nawash First Nations athlete, fundraiser and organizer.
Kathy, a volleyball player and daycare centre supervisor, and 11 other Nawash athletes, including Kathy's teenaged daughter Brittany, will be competing in the 2002 North…
Page 12
Tony Belcourt, president of the Metis Nation of Ontario, has pledged to send one fully funded staff member to work with the United Nations. The pledge is equal to $100,000 per year going towards the United Nations permanent forum on Indigenous issues.
The permanent forum on Indigenous issues is unprecedented in the international community, according to Mary Robinson, the…
Page 11
The sole owner and operator of the newly minted Rez Bluez Productions, Elaine Bomberry, said that 10 years ago she would never have envisioned herself owning her own multimedia production company.
But then, 10 years ago who could have predicted the Aboriginal People's Television Network? In recent memory, popular movies usually still featured Native people in secondary…
Page 11
Featured on the CD cover of the album, Skintight Blues: First Peoples' Blues Compilation, is a beefy-faced, barrel-chested guy blowing on a saxophone, with a string of colorful beads flowing from him like musical notes.
It's an apt cover, representing how the harmony between the Native experience and the blues musical tradition draws many talented Native musicians into…
Page 11
There was a special moment in the audience's exuberant applause for world championship hoop dancer Lisa Odjig's performance-a moment when an incredible bond of respect and admiration for Lisa and the other Native female performing artists united both audience and performers.
The audience, an eclectic mix of Native and non-Native people, were gathered to watch Lisa and…
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High on a hill in Elliot Lake, stands an independent, post-secondary art school and innovative centre like no other in the world. Housed in a brand-new building filled with natural light are plants, a ceremonial court, skylights to naturally light the eight artists' studios, an extensive multimedia artists library, a world class gallery and art shop unique to northern Ontario.…