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Community focused with a grassroots appeal. Established in 1993 to serve the needs of the Indigenous people of Alberta.
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The sky was overcast and the rain fell off and on as 150 people took part in the first ever National Aboriginal Day celebration in Elk Island National Park on June 21.
The White Buffalo dance group performed and Keith Lapatac of Saddle Lake emceed. Buffalo burgers, coffee and other refreshments kept the people going as they watched the dancers perform.
The event…
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Once again this month, I was on the road with the view of Edmonton behind me. I was on my way to Saddle Lake, St. Paul and Lac La Biche. I attended a dinner and the annual powwow in Saddle Lake, stopped in at the friendship centre in St. Paul and I toured Beaver Lake First Nation.
Incidentally, almost no one in any of the communities I visited knew I was going to drop in…
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On June 26, more than 800 people gathered at the Manitou Kihew Arena in Saddle Lake for 'Dinner with Patch Adams', a community initiative to raise money to build the youth facility in the community.
Many of the people in the audience were curious to see the actual Dr. Patch Adams. In 1998, Universal Studios released a film about the life of Hunter D. 'Patch' Adams, which…
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The sky was clear with a slight breeze in the air as hundred of dancers and guests moved to the beat of the drum while making their way into the powwow arbor at Saddle Lake powwow grounds on June 27.
Wearing a traditional headdress reserved for chiefs, Dr. Hunter 'Patch' Adams kept in perfect time with the drum as he moved with the crowd.
Before the people…
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Blood Elder Charles Crow Chief said it takes something "special" for non-Natives to receive Indian names.
In principal Ray Viel's point of view, "special" is the course St. Michael's separate school in Pincher Creek has been on for a number of years, and he and vice-principal Don Kuchison just happened to be at the helm when the Blood nation decided to honor the school's…
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Since 1912 the Indian Village at the Calgary Stampede has been a tourist attraction for thousands of visitors. Each year several tipis stand on the grounds during the 10-day celebration and hundreds of people from the Treaty 7 area that surrounds the city of Calgary live in the tipis while the stampede is underway.
During their stay they host a number of competitions,…
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The southwest corner of Alberta can lay claim to many Native summer events designed to lure visitors to the area, but perhaps the most hands-on activity is the fish rescue on Piikani Nation territory.
For the past 12 years, volunteers spend the Thanksgiving Day weekend recording the species and size of fish left trapped in the irrigation canals of the Oldman River Dam…
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An evening filled with entertainment in an Aboriginal community is not an uncommon occurrence, but when the only language used over the course of the night is an Aboriginal language, then it becomes rare indeed.
On May 29, more than 300 people attended a concert at the Nipihsihkopahk High School in Hobbema. From the moments the lights were dimmed and the concert began, it…
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He wears number 79, but Lloydminster's Lenny Thunderchild was drafted 80th in this year's Western Hockey League's bantam draft.
Thunderchild, 14, captured the attention of many junior scouts when he played for the "AAA" bantam Strathcona Warriors in Edmonton this year. Seven out of the league's 20 teams contacted him prior to the draft, but it was the Lethbridge Hurricanes…
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More than 200 students graduated from the Composite high school in Wetaskiwin, including 17-year-old twins Danielle and Danika Lightning of the Ermineskin First Nation. Parents Inez and Rick were among the hundreds of family and friends that attended the ceremony. More than 50 people gathered at the Lightning's for a barbecue to celebrate the occasion. Danika, who is planning on…
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More than 70 Aboriginal language educators and community language advocates from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories and Alberta are expected to attend the fourth annual Canadian Indigenous Language and Literacy Development Institute (CILLDI) summer courses at the University of Alberta from July 28 to Aug.14.
The courses are geared towards Aboriginal…
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How old is your grandmother? What if she doesn't have a document to prove her age and needs to apply for her old age pension? Jean Fulker, a Metis woman originally from the High Prairie area, was introduced to the hobby of genealogy 26 years ago when she began the search for legal proof of her grandmother's date of birth.
Fulker shared her story and gave many practical…
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Thirteen students from the Chateh Community School are working at earning high school credits and raising funds for a school trip by running the Wolverine Cafe, open from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Thursday.
The cafe serves full course meals, desserts and specialty fruit drinks.
Carlos Spinazzola, the school's cultural director, said the cafe is a creative place to…
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It's been eight years since the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women first began to recognize the achievements of Native women in the province. Since that first year, 183 women have received Esquao awards for their determination and effort in making their communities special places in which to live.
On May 8, more than 800 people gathered at the Northlands…
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It will take three-years to complete, but the community of Fox Lake in northern Alberta will be connected to the rest of the province by an all-weather road. The announcement was made by Indian and Northern Affairs (INAC) Minister Robert Nault on May 9 during a visit to Edmonton.
The 60-kilometre road will be constructed on top of the winter road structure that currently…