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Established in 1983 to serve the needs of northern Alberta, Windspeaker became a national newspaper on its 10th anniversary in 1993.
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In the summer of 1998, an advertisement in Chatelaine magazine announced a writing competition that invited young women across Canada to write on the topic of body image and self-esteem. The advertisement asked young women to write about peer pressure, the media, eating disorders, sports, relationships, diet, health, and fashion. The writers were to focus on the impact these…
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Dare-devil Evil Knievel would have a tough time bridging the Grand Canyon of chasms separating First Nations, like Snuneymuxw [pronounced Snuh nay mow] on central Vancouver Island, from government negotiators at B.C. treaty tables.
The gulf has emotions running high and both sides are testy. One Native leader, upset by what he feels is a government drive to extinguish…
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A tentative agreement has been reached on sharing $350 million in net profits from Casino Rama.
The agreement, reached at the beginning of February between the province and Ontario's 134 First Nations, calls for 65 per cent of the profits to be shared between the bands, with the Mnjikaning First Nation at the casino site getting the balance.
That amounts to about $…
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The return of 251 sacred objects from Calgary's Glenbow Museum to the Blackfoot Confederacy marks both an end and a beginning. It is the end of 10 years of negotiations regarding the repatriation of objects vital to Blackfoot communities in Southern Alberta and the beginning of a new relationship between the museum and First Nations people.
The hand-over, which took place…
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As winter slowly turns into spring, and the continuous cycle of the seasons completes yet another full year, it occurs to individuals like me that yet another birthday is fast approaching. And you have mixed feelings about it. In your early years, you measure birthdays by different milestones.
For instance, you turn 13; you are officially a teenager (parents be afraid, be…
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On Nov. 25, 1997, Isiah Halkett woke up to a morning much like any other until his brother John called with an emergency. Some children had fallen through the river ice.
Isiah and his brother ran down to the Montreal River at La Ronge, and saw two young bodies floating in the water. Risking their lives, they and three other men - Stanley Ross, Roy Venne and Hubert Ross -…
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The 12,000 member of the James Bay Crees had reason to celebrate Dec. 20 when Justice Jean-Jacques Croteau of the Quebec Superior Court heard a motion and handed down a decision upholding Cree rights under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA).
As a result of his decision, 27 logging and forestry products companies sent a letter to the judge asking him to…
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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is looking to the Native community for opinions and information regarding global climate change.
NASA began consultation with representatives from the American Native community in 1998. The consultation process is part of NASA's involvement in the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), a program tasked with…
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Dear Editor:
Atlantic Canada continues to reap the benefits of massive offshore oil and gas development. Projects like the Hibernia Project located on the Grand Banks off the shores of Newfoundland, has bolstered the provincial economy by providing much needed employment and business opportunities, as well as resource revenues to the provincial government. A second project…
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Dear Editor:
On opening February's Windspeaker, I was greatly pleased by columnist Taiaiake's promise that many readers would be "spitting mad" by the end of his column, "Solving the Indian Problem." Imagine my disappointment to find myself nodding in agreement over every paragraph, and not even miffed, never mind mad, at the end. Couldn't even muster a little mild…
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Dear Editor:
In your January 2000 issue there was an article about the passing of Edwin Burnstick Sr. He was a great role model and a dedicated leader.
I was somewhat surprised and a little shocked to read about his passing. I am a graduate of the NCP (Native Communications Program) and he was the cultural advisor for the program in 1994. It was here that I learned…
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Dear Editor:
I am writing in reference to Gerald Alfred's Windspeaker column of February 2000, and other quotes attributed to him in an article of the same edition, "Membership issues illustrates cultural differences".
In constructing an effective and appropriate response to alleged injustices arising from past federal policies relative to the determination of…
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From the shade of the mighty pine tree I shall emerge with the gifts the Creator has given me.
The emergence of First Nations schools throughout Canada since 1973, with the acceptance of the policy entitled "Indian Control of Indian Education," created a situation where First Nations educators came face to face with some very harsh realities.
The semblance of…
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Dear Editor:
The letter "Suicide is the fault of the parent" published in Windspeaker, December 1999 edition, really disturbed me.
I suppose it was the parents that told themselves to live in the most desolate and barren lands so they could create a reserve. These people were told to live there and make the best of it. The government made up these reserves. You do…
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Dear Editor: Boo-shoo!
I'm writing today to discuss your article "Solving the Indian problem" by Taiaiake Alfred published in Windspeaker, February 2000 edition. I have problems with what you are saying about developing our own membership. With your own community as an example, you put forward the question: "Is it wrong to tell your own people they must marry an Indigenous…