Welcome to AMMSA.COM, the news archive website for our family of Indigenous news publications.
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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Members of the traditional Blackfoot Confederacy have issued a declaration that says they are rejecting Canada's and the United States' jurisdiction over their traditional territory and reverting to the state of affairs that existed before European contact.
Acting on the advice of University of Illinois international law professor Francis Boyle, the Blackfoot Confederacy…
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Lawsuits seeking huge awards are front and centre in Indian Country these days. Those involved in the biggest cases say the government made huge mistakes in the name of assimilation or racism or politics.
The Samson Cree Nation will begin the trial phase of its civil action in Calgary this May, seeking more than a billion dollars in compensation for what it alleges was…
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I wrote in an earlier column (What about my human rights? Sept. 1999) how I believe that it is our people's basic human right to determine their own membership. This is a basic belief that underlies the whole debate from an Indigenous perspective, and one which separates those of us who believe in true justice from those who adhere to its historically modified Canadian (read:…
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They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing and we think Reform MP Jim Pankiw proved it this month. The 33-year-old chiropractor and acupuncturist who grew up on the family farm in Unity, Sask. was quick to jump in with his views on affirmative action when the University of Saskatchewan decided to try and make its workforce begin to reflect the population of its community.…
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We leave the 20th century as survivors. Our greatest triumph is that we are still alive as Indians. This is something to be proud of, but it is also a challenge to us, because we are here and we know that mere survival is not good enough. The ancestors and Elders who carried the torch through the years of this dark century have placed a burden on our young shoulders. Their voices…
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One very interesting and, at times, very troubling theme kept coming up this month as we went about the business of trying to keep up with the hectic pace of life in Indian Country.
Whether it was a question of who will coach the national Junior Indigenous hockey team or who speaks for Indigenous nations at the United Nations, the people who work in a number of fields are…
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Chief Ralph Akiwenzie is outraged the Ontario natural resources ministry has banned the purchase of most Bruce Peninsula fish, effectively closing down a Native fishery.
"We're not going to stand by and let this happen. We have to use every means at our disposal to address this injustice," said Akiwenzie, chief of the Chippewas of Nawash at the Cape Croker reserve on the…
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The Innu Nation of Labrador says part of a loaf is better than no loaf at all. The agreement they signed Nov. 24 with Canada and Newfoundland, which returns to the Innu some control over their own affairs, is but a step along the way to regaining autonomy as they negotiate land title and self-government. Still, perhaps for the first time in the unhappy history of outside…
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The old pie-in-the face gag has acquired heightened meaning in an era requiring engaging pictures to accompany the delivery of political messages. Last spring B.C. Attorney-General Ujjal Dosanjh became the target of a banana-cream protest for his role in overseeing the biggest police operation in his province's history. "That's for Gustafsen Lake," announced his critics, as the…
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The future of declining Aboriginal languages got a little brighter Dec. 9 when a memorandum of understanding was signed by two organizations, one political, the other cultural, that believe their combined efforts could save 50 languages from dying out.
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN), which drives policy for First Nations nationally, and the First Nations Confederacy…
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The question of whether Canada followed the rule of law in dealing with the acquisition of Native land could be addressed next October when the parties in R. v. Ochapowace Band and others return to Saskatchewan provincial court.
Chief Denton George of the Ochapowace First Nation (located about a two-hour drive east of Regina) and his council are preparing to take on the…
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It's officially known as the Canadian Aboriginal Festival featuring the Toronto International powwow, but everyone knows it as the SkyDome Powwow simply because the venue, with its Jumbotron and removable roof, dominates everything about the event. The drummers and singers echo in the huge building, it's noisier, and you can watch the powwow from anywhere because it is televised…
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A unique project under way in southeastern British Columbia has found a way to revitalize a piece of history while providing a big economic boost to the region.
The St. Eugene Mission Resort project is currently under construction and, according to project manager Helder Ponte, is one of the largest Aboriginal projects being undertaken in the country.
The St.…
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A unique project under way in southeastern British Columbia has found a way to revitalize a piece of history while providing a big economic boost to the region.
The St. Eugene Mission Resort project is currently under construction and, according to project manager Helder Ponte, is one of the largest Aboriginal projects being undertaken in the country.
The St.…
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The efforts and achievements of the Construction Career Development Project have been officially recognized by the Saskatchewan Labour Force Development Board (SLFDB), with the project receiving one of the board's annual Training for Excellence awards.
The project was the recipient of this year's award in the Promotion of Aboriginal Participation category, one of six…