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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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I was watching one of our big chiefs on TV a few weeks ago face off against a young Native "radical." The chief was smugly dismissive in defending his own mature, patient and co-operative approach to resolving our problems. He was using words like "negotiation," "accommodation," "reconciliation" and "compromise." It saddened me that the chief has forgotten what we are fighting…
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So 1999 and the 20th century come to a close.
We could be negative and say, "Good riddance!" This century has been marked by some of the most horrific events in the history of mankind. A non-Native reader would think, upon reading those words, of the two World Wars, the Nazi holocaust and events of that type. Of course, the North American Indigenous holocaust was in…
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On Nov. 7, the Coalition for a Public Inquiry into Ipperwash joined forces with representatives from First Nations and Canadian Human Rights organizations in Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec and the United States to honor those who have sacrificed their lives for Aboriginal people's land, treaty, economic, social and cultural rights.
The gathering of about 150 people maintained…
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Justice Minister Anne McLellan released a report on Oct. 12 that concludes Canadian authorities followed proper procedure in the extradition of Leonard Peltier.
Peltier, an American Indian Movement member who was charged in the 1976 shooting of two FBI agents on the reservation at Pine Ridge, South Dakota, fled to Canada to escape prosecution. It has long been believed…
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Finance Minister Paul Martin won't give his much-anticipated budget speech until February but the political maneuvering has already begun in every corner of Ottawa and around the country.
In the budget, Martin is expected to announce details of how the Liberal government plans to distribute a $100 billion fiscal surplus. Staff members in every ministry and every interest…
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The victor will never be asked if he told the truth - Adolph Hitler.
Alarming examples of racial hatred are smoldering in various corners of the North American continent at this moment, ignited by fear, ignorance and more than a bit of resentment of gains being realized by Native people.
Threats to the status quo, as courts undo injustices left over from colonial…
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While the British Columbia Liberal Party and the federal Reform Party rage impotently against the imminent ratification of the Nisga'a Final Agreement in the House of Commons, chiefs of a people directly affected by the terms of the agreement have abandoned the political process and are preparing for the worst.
The Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs have already secured a legal…
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At a recent children's conference, it was the adult delegates who came to listen. That is why two young Native women came to the First Circle children's forum. They came to be heard and to find solutions to the many issues that affect them and other young people, said Caramele Auger, 19 and Crystal Gladue, 17.
"The kids have something to say and for once the adults have…
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A city Native agency is among the groups who will benefit from the sales of the Toronto Maple Leafs' official calendar this season.
The National Hockey League club has hooked up with the pharmacy chain Shoppers Drug Mart to produce a rather unique calendar.
Instead of on-ice action shots of its players, the Maple Leafs' calendar features its members in various…
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REVIEW
Prison Writings:
My Life Is My Sun Dance
By Leonard Peltier
St. Martin's Press, New York
256 pages, $22.95 (sc)
"When the oppressors succeed with their illegal thefts and depredations, its called colonialism. When their efforts to colonize indigenous peoples are met with resistance or anything but abject surrender, it's called…
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Lenore Richardson, program supervisor at Native Addictions Services in Calgary, Alta., says she previously acquired some academic background for her profession at Mount Royal College, but it's Nechi's hands-on approach to training that's really helped her to help her clients.
She's taken two of Nechi's training programs. First, while working full time for her present…
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Brenda Daily, a consultant for Nechi Institute who moved to Kamloops, B.C., a year ago, wore many hats in 14 years of working in the Nechi fold. She was a trainer-educator, a curriculum developer, and was one of the people they called on for critical incident intervention.
Daily says "Nechi's about a movement; it's not just about a place or an organization." For her, the…
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Greg Krivda, from Thompson, Man., is an experienced counsellor who works with youth at the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre in Yellowknife, a city of about 18,000 people. He's also a walking advertisement for Nechi.
Krivda has taken four Nechi courses: "I think I crammed five years into two years," he said. These were Community Addictions Training; Advanced Counsellor…
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Harold Tookenay is Nechi Institute's senior trainer and has been involved with both Nechi and Poundmaker's Lodge since 1983 in the roles of counsellor, trainer, senior trainer and more. Back and forth between the two - working, learning, listening, sharing -Tookenay appreciates the intertwining of the two organizations with a similar philosophy of commitment to addictions-free…
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Judy Blackburn, executive assistant to Nechi's CEO, Ruth Morin, is an enthusiastic spokeswoman for the institute, both its people and programs.
She says the glue that holds Nechi together is the bonding that occurs between staff and students, volunteers, board members and everyone else who comes into the mix, which results in friendships and professional relationships…