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.
Raven's Eye Page 17
Three women involved at different levels of the sex trade give insight into their life living and surviving as prostitutes in the one-hour TV documentary, A Safer Sex Trade. The film explores the lives of Scarlett Lake, who has been a madam for 30 years, Jennifer Allan, a former drug addicted survival sex trade worker who is now dedicated to helping prostitutes on…
Page 16
People wanting to find out more about their Aboriginal ancestry now have a new tool that can help them in their search.
Tracing Your Aboriginal Ancestors in the Prairie Provinces: A Guide to the Records and How to Use Them was published in the fall of 2006 by the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society with financial support from the Metis National Council.
The guide…
Sage
Page 16
After two years of serving as Saskatchewan's poet laureate, Louise Halfe handed the reigns over to Robert Currie on Jan. 1.
Halfe, who is also know as Sky Dancer, said she found great satisfaction in travelling throughout the province and interacting with the people during her time in the role.
Halfe travelled the province extensively almost 25 years…
Page 15
Saddle Lake's Akina Shirt has a big gig coming up-she's singing O Canada in Cree in front of the entire country.
The 13-year-old honours student says she's excited "but a little nervous" to deliver her powerful rendition of the anthem on Hockey Night in Canada on Feb. 3. Her song will kick off the game between the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks.
"I've…
Alberta Sweetgrass
Page 15
When the Alberta government told Caslan school principal Tim Murphy that his school wasn't a success he challenged that notion.
"What is success? How do you define it?" he asked.
Murphy felt his Metis students faced challenges that many other students didn't have to overcome.
"A lot of the kids here are dealing with fetal alcohol…
Ontario Birchbark
Page 14
Aboriginal squads were fairly successful at a unique hockey tournament held in Toronto in late December.
Four Aboriginal clubs competed in the second annual Canadian Multicultural Hockey Championships, which were staged from Dec. 27 to 30.
The tournament pitted teams featuring players from various ethnic backgrounds.
During its…
Page 13
All nations have their own political origin, and rhythm. The imposed, foreign, titanic Indian Act, does not give pattern, reason or logic to the rhythm of First Nations "dialogue." Yet, it speaks directly to, it speaks directly for, and speaks directly against First Nations cultural integrity, political autonomy and human dignity in a not-so-comedic monologue.
Absent…
Page 13
I left home, a small Ojibway First Nation in central Ontario, way back in 1980. The reason:
college and a desire to see if there was more to life then country music, mosquitoes, and baloney. Twenty-six years later, it looks like I will be returning home. Much has changed in that intervening time ? both in my community and in myself.
When I left home, I was young,…
Page 12
The section of the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) that prevents those living under the Indian Act from filing human rights complaints will soon be a thing of the past if the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper gets its way.
On Dec. 13, Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice introduced legislation to repeal Section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act.
"Since…
Page 11
With his private members' bill to revive the Kelowna accord passing first reading in the House of Commons, former Prime Minister Paul Martin is confident that the Kelowna Accord will one day become the law of the land.
Martin spoke about Aboriginal issues on Jan. 17, after spending a day visiting Aboriginal high schools in Winnipeg with Liberal MPs Tina Keeper and Anita…
Page 10
The Alberta Court of Appeal has overturned a lower court decision that would have stopped a land claim covering the southeast part of the city of Edmonton dead in its tracks.
Lawyers for the descendants of Chief Papaschase and others with ties to his community were in court on Sept. 7 looking for their day in court.
That's because lower court Justice Frans F.…
Page 9
A significant moment in the legal history of First Nations' people passed with barely any notice over the holiday season. The latest step in the now 17-year-old epic court battle launched in 1989 by two Alberta First Nations came and went with little fanfare.
On Dec. 28, a three-judge Federal Court of Appeal panel dismissed, in a two-to-one ruling, the Samson Cree and…
Page 9
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Dec. 15 that McDiarmid Lumber Ltd. of Winnipeg had the right to garnishee funds in a First Nation's off-reserve bank account.
After the God's Lake First Nation (Manitoba) fell into arrears with the lumber company, McDiarmid successfully sued the band for payment in 2003. Even though the parties worked out a repayment plan, the band was…
Page 8
The writing was on the wall in the words of Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench Justice Dennis Ball who rendered his decision on the Ile-a-la-Crosse residential school on Dec. 15, but it was Jan. 18 before Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice made it official. Metis students who attended the school will not be part of the Indian residential school compensation agreement.
…
Page 8
The Attorney General of Canada has challenged part of a Saskatchewan court's approval of the residential schools compensation agreement.
In the three-page notice of appeal filed on Jan. 15, the federal government challenged a decision reached by Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench Justice Dennis Ball regarding payment of legal fees to the Regina-based Merchant Law Group (…