Welcome to AMMSA.COM, the news archive website for our family of Indigenous news publications.
Launched in 1997. A news publication specifically designed for the Indigenous people of British Columbia and Yukon.
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The Things We Do exhibit is on loan to Victoria's House of First Voices Aboriginal Art Gallery from Kamloops' Secwepemc Cultural Education Society until the end of April.
The exhibit presents 60 photographs, 12 of which are black-and-white, depicting traditional Shuswap life from the late 1890s to 1990s. The photographs are sorted by seasonal activities into 10 groupings…
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Hope, courage and strength will be the main issues discussed at the Believe in the Healing conference in Victoria on April 14 through 16. The conference will explore traditional and contemporary strategies for healing, moving on and reaching a higher moral, spiritual and accepting ground.
Dr. Martin Collis, former professor at the University of Victoria, singer and…
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Several members of the Shuswap Band near Invermere took over the band office Feb. 25 in a peaceful, but determined protest. Chief among their concerns, they said, is the financial accountability of the council.
Eleven band members went into the band office just before noon and said they were not leaving until the chief and council and a representative from the Department…
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Drum beats mixed with chants as more than 20,000 British Columbians marched onto the lawns of the provincial legislature in late February.
People from unions and labor organizations, women's groups, students, and disabled people joined with Aboriginal groups, anti-poverty activists and environmentalists on Feb. 23 to protest debilitating cutbacks in programs announced by…
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People around the world working to preserve and promote Indigenous languages now have a new tool at their disposal, thanks to the launch of First Voices Aboriginal Languages Resource.
First Voices is a project of the First Peoples' Heritage, Language and Culture Council (FPHLCC), a British Columbia-based Aboriginal organization that has been working to support language…
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The British Columbia government's massive restructuring plan for the delivery of health services has predictably raised the ire of people who work for some of the agencies affected who will be out of a job April 1. In health, as in other sectors of the economy being mauled by the majority Liberal government's austerity measures, it is predictable that many are hostile to the…
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British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell slashed ministry staffing levels on Jan. 17, and cut the provincial Treaty negotiations office by more than a third.
A total of 51 positions were cut from the office, which takes the staffing level 86 people from 137.
The office's budget was also slashed, taking a $7 million hit, taking the overall budget to $18 million from…
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Two First Nations teens are looking to chop and kick their way through the competition to win gold in karate at the British Columbia Winter Games in Williams Lake on Feb. 21 to 24.
The games are held every two years and, according to the official B.C. Winter Games Web site, "These games give young, developing athletes the opportunity to improve their skills while learning…
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With more than $25,000 in prize money at stake, the 18th annual Lumber Kings All-Nations hockey tournament is not only one of the richest hockey tournaments in the province, but attracts a large and loyal following from players and fans alike.
The tournament takes place April 12 to 14 at the Kin Centres Multiplex in Prince George, which is also the home of the Prince…
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When we think of land claims and Aboriginal rights on this side of the globe, we tend to think of the uniqueness of our complaint. We tend to think, as the Nisga'a possibly thought many times before they achieved their landmark treaty, 'this has never been done before.'
But it has. And organizers of the upcoming conference entitled A Just and Lasting Reconciliation: First…
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The Environmental Awareness Program (EAP) at Mount Baker Secondary School is designed to provide students with outdoor experiences that connect certain disciplines. In the past two months, the EAP Grade 12 students have worked with the Aboriginal Education Program of School District Number 5 in conjunction with Kootenay Columbia Fisheries Renewal Partnership on a project titled…
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Contamination of the town of Walkerton's water system by E. coli in May 2000 that resulted in seven deaths and 2,300 ill people, some of whom may experience permanent health effects, raised an outcry nationwide.
When the facts came out that this disaster probably could have been prevented had the provincial government not cut its approvals and inspections programs and if…
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A totem pole raising ceremony will be held in Vancouver Island's Courtenay on April 27.
The poles are replicas of two long-standing totem poles that are more than 50 years old and symbols of the Comox First Nations. The original totem poles were called the Lewis Park Poles because of the park in which they once stood. The original poles are being replaced because their…
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The second annual Aboriginal Governance In Urban Settings conference will be held March 7 to 9 in Vancouver.
As many as 350 people are expected to attend the three-day conference that will spotlight the success of Aboriginal organizations and groups in regards to Aboriginal governance in urban settings.
Over the first two days of workshops and meetings,…
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On Feb. 3, the St. Mary's Band council met with a large gathering of their members to discuss the recent posting that all hunting privileges on the reserve had been revoked, effective immediately.
The council's decision was in response to allegations of over-hunting and abuse of rights. Although the council could not legally revoke the hunting rights, they certainly…