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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.
Dear Editor:
Re: "A little retribution," May 2006
It is unfortunate for your readership that your editorial was out of date by the time it was published. The editorial alleged that the final agreement on residential schools reconciliation was in jeopardy because of some perceived political pay-back by the Conservative government. This was immediately proven to be false and ill-…
An open response to Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine from Windspeaker:
First let me thank you for taking the time to respond to the editorial printed in the May 2006 issue of Windspeaker. (See letter entitled "Retribution not an issue.") Please know that it is an unusual step for us to respond to a letter to the editor. Our policy is to print the opinions of others…
Traditional healer offered help when doctors said ‘no’
“You’ve brought me to heaven.”
That’s all the late Sophie Thomas could say when her daughter Minnie Thomas drove her to Tamarack Lake near Skookumchuk, B.C. years ago.
“She looked around and she saw the plants,” recalled Minnie. “All the medicines she needed were growing there. It didn’t take much to…
Joe Talirunili was born in northern Quebec near Kuujjuaraapik on the shores of the Hudson Bay. There are differing accounts as to the year of his birth. Government records show he was born in January 1899, but he claimed to have been born in 1906. In either case, he was present to experience the traditional life lived by the Inuit in the area, and to witness firsthand the changes that would…
Any writer should be eager to get published in any publication. Being published accomplishes two things. First, it earns the writer a bit of money, and I'm being literal when I say "a bit of money". Second, it exposes the writer's style and talent to a wider audience, which is important to any serious writer. On the other hand, writing can have its share of misadventures.
Early in my…
Dear Tuma:
Our chief just resigned from council. We do not know what to do and wonder, can a chief really resign? Can council reject the resignation? Do we need to have a by-election, as regular elections are not until the fall?
Chiefless in Seattle
Dear Chiefless:
The quick answers to your questions is: Yes, no and maybe. A chief or a councillor can resign from…
It's not often I have brainstorms about topics not usually in my realm of expertise-in this case such as tourism-but if anybody is interested, I do believe I have a wining idea for the city of Saskatoon. It's a unique way to capitalize on some free publicity and for a service that already exists.
I got the idea when I was in Ottawa, of all places, attending an Aboriginal policy…
There's a chance one of the largest teams of athletes set to compete at the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) could be pulling out of the event. Officials with Team Ontario, a squad comprised of about 500 athletes and an additional 100 coaches, sport leaders or chaperones, are upset with NAIG organizers and the housing arrangements they've made for them.
The Games are scheduled for…
A car accident ended Bob Rice's elite running career and prevented him from becoming an Olympian. Yet Rice is on the verge of becoming a hall of famer.
The 40-year-old, who lives in Owen Sound, Ont., will be one of this year's inductees into the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame in Parry Sound.
Rice, an Ojibway, is from the Wasauksing First Nation, located near Parry Sound.
Induction…
Erin Seymour has won yet another national hockey title, but this time for her work as a coach.
Seymour was an assistant coach for the Ontario South entry that captured the gold medal at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC). This year's NAHC was staged April 30 through May 6 at Kahnawake First Nation in Quebec.
Ontario South blanked the Ontario North squad 5-0 in the…
The occupation of Douglas Creek Estates in Caledonia, Ont. put Six Nations' land claims in the international spotlight in May.
In Geneva, Switzerland, the Lubicon Cree Nation gave up a couple of their precious minutes before the United Nations committee on economic, social and cultural rights to Six Nations' delegate Doreen Silversmith, who spoke about the unresolved land issues behind…
For now, the people of Six Nations are solidly behind the Douglas Creek Estates occupation in Caledonia.
That was made clear during a series of public meetings in late April and early May. The citizens see the blockade as a way of getting the government to finally address their land issues.
In a community that has historically been paralyzed by internal divisions, the tone that…
One lane of Argyle St. in Caledonia was opened on May 16 to provide limited access to emergency and local traffic as a sign of good faith by Six Nations protesters. It will take some of the pressure off the most dangerous focal point for angry confrontation between townsfolk and members of the Native community there.
The Argyle St. barricade is one of three erected after a police raid…
· Former Indian Affairs minister Jane Stewart had promised to re-create the specific claims process so the government would not get to decide which claims against it were legitimate and would not get to be judge and jury in the claims settlement process. After raising hopes for an independent claims tribunal, Stewart backed off saying the central agencies of government would not approve the…
One lane of Argyle St. in Caledonia was opened on May 16 to provide limited access to emergency and local traffic as a sign of good faith by Six Nations protesters. It will take some of the pressure off the most dangerous focal point for angry confrontation between townsfolk and members of the Native community there.
The Argyle St. barricade is one of three erected after a police raid…