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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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The Alexander band's funding has been cut off after the Department of Indian Affairs declared the Sept. 11 election "illegal" this week.
The band voted to move the custom elections in July, however, according to department officials the band's decision to reduce the number of council members from eight to six or the raising of the voting age from 18 to 21 was not ratified…
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Financial problems still plague Cree Airways
Cree Airways is still not operational despite the reversal of a default judgment last week.
The airline received a default judgment when it failed to submit a statement of defense to a lawsuit. This judgment has now been overturned and the lawsuit will be brought to court.
The airways is being sued by former…
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Alberta Metis may become the first Aboriginal people to have their right to self-government and their land base entrenched in the Canadian Constitution.
After the failure of the First Ministers Conference, which many had hoped would entrench Aboriginal self-rule into the constitution, many Native groups began to look for other methods. But for the Federation of Metis…
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Lubicon protests not reported
An outspoken member for the Committee against racism, supporting the Lubicon Land claim, charged that there's been a news blackout of the Olympic Torch picket.
Speaking at the University of Lethbridge Dec. 2, Dr. Joan Ryan, a university of Calgary anthropologist said the committee set up peaceful pickets at every city where the Olympic…
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The Metis Association Zone 1 vice-president, Gerald Thom is upset over Metis hunters he claims were unjustly charged for alleged hunting violations.
Metis hunter William Boucher was charged with illegal possession of wildlife (failing to tag a moose) under Section 39 of the Wildlife Act and paid a $300 fine on Nov. 9.
And hunter Edward Cardinal of Calling Lake,…
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Coalition will try to meet with federation
The Alberta government has rejected a petition presented to the Minister of Municipal Affairs Ken Rostad by members of the Buffalo Lake (Caslan) Metis Settlement last month.
About 40 members of the Metis Settlement Members Coalition, headed by Caslan member Joe Blyan, walked into Municipal Affairs offices Friday Nov. 27…
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Dr. Anne Anderson, well-known Metis Elder and director of the Native Heritage and Culture Centre in Edmonton, has rejected an offer from the Glenbow Museum to perform during the Spirit Sings exhibition and has sided with the Lubicon Lake Indian band's boycott of the Olympic Games.
In a letter to the Museum, a copy of which was obtained by Windspeaker, Anderson informed Dr…
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IAA may form law
Delegates attending the first Alberta Indian conference on Taxation and Economic Development Issues were told that, "without taxation and revenue self-government is a dream."
In his opening address conference co-ordinator Bob Reiter stated, "It's economics that will bring it (self-government) into reality."
The two day Dec. 2 and 3…
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Lubicon Lake Chief Bernard Ominayak arrived in New York this week to receive an award on behalf of his band for their stand against the government on their 47-year-old land claim
The Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization Inc. will be holding an awards dinner as part of a 20th anniversary celebration Saturday Dec. 5. During this dinner Ominayak will receive…
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When most people think about the Northwest Rebellion of 1885, the first name that pops into their minds is Louis Riel. Fewer people think of the man who stood by Riel's side, commanding a handful of Metis men willing to fight to protect their way of life. That man was Gabriel Dumont.
Dumont was born in St. Boniface in December 1837, near present-day Winnipeg. He was the…
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Silver braids and silver jingles are a rare and beautiful sight. Even in a culture that holds Elders in great esteem, 76-year-old jingle dress dancer Evelyn Thom is outstanding, a powerful role model and inspiration.
"My mother is very respected," said Shelda Thom. "Her age and experience are unique and remarkable. Seeing her dancing out there makes us feel proud and…
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A discussion about Louis Riel and his rightful place in Canadian history was one of the highlights of a three-day conference in Saskatoon in June.
The Indigenous Bar Association of Canada and the University of Saskatchewan's Indigenous Peoples' Justice Initiative jointly sponsored "The Metis People in the 21st Century" conference from June 18 to 20.
Former Congress…
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Neither rain, nor snow, nor peer pressure will keep Alayna Tootoosis from school.
The 18-year-old graduated from Chief Poundmaker school with a perfect attendance record. She hasn't missed a single day in 14 years. She's attended the school on Poundmaker reserve outside Cut Knife since nursery school.
Tootoosis is captain of the school's basketball team and also…
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Memee Lavell of Wikwemikong First Nation is one of the first people to receive a scholarship from the Trudeau Foundation.
Lavell, who is completing her PhD in education at the University of Western Ontario, was one of 12 students from across the country chosen to get the scholarship, awarded for the first time this year by the Trudeau Foundation, a private, non-partisan…
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More than 2,000 people gathered on June 21 to help the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (SIFC) celebrate its new campus and new identity.
The SIFC, which has been providing post-secondary education to students for the past 27 years, is now the First Nations University of Canada. The name change was timed to coincide with the official opening of the school's new…