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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.
Page 12
For several weeks in advance, three national Aboriginal political organizations requested a seat at the upcoming first ministers' conference on health in Ottawa on Feb. 4 and 5.
On Jan. 28, Assembly of First Nations health secretariat spokesman Bryan Hendry told Windspeaker the Aboriginal leaders have resigned themselves to the fact that the answer is "no."
The AFN…
Page 11
It seems prophetic that her Mohawk first name translates in English into "beautiful word," because 14-year-old Skawenniio Barnes has put much of her energy into providing some beautiful words for her community.
When Barnes wrote a letter in October 2001 to her chief and council requesting a library in her Kahnawake, she had no idea the request would garner attention from…
Page 10
John Herrington went on a little trip recently. It was more or less a business trip, but he did get time to do a little bit of sightseeing.
What made the trip particularly noteworthy was that it was aboard the space shuttle Endeavor, and Herrington's destination was the International Space Station, in orbit 270 km above the earth.
What also makes it noteworthy is…
Page 8
Chief Sandford Big Plume and his Tsuu T'ina council have committed $10,000 to re-energize the Native political organization that is widely credited with stopping the 1969 White Paper.
The Indian Association of Alberta (IAA), led by Harold Cardinal, was a central force in the fight against then-Indian Affairs Minister Jean Chretien's attempt to end the reserve system and…
Page 6
Dear Editor:
What Mr. David Ahenakew stated was merely what he has been indoctrinated in to believing. I agree that racism is a vulgar practice that needs to be set aside before it plagues future generations, but to put this practice aside would mean the dissolution of the many nation states that insidiously practice racism in their ongoing game of colonization.
…
Page 6
Dear Editor:
Re: David Ahenakew, RCMP investigation.
I have been around the Native movement all my life (50 years). I have been involved in Native politics and it is always the same story.
It goes like this: A young leader puts his life on the line, because he loves our people. He or she gives everything for their people. After years of hard work and toil,…
Page 6
Dear Editor:
I agree wholeheartedly with the letter writers in the January 2003 issue of Windspeaker, who shared their dismay over David Ahenakew's racist comments about Jewish people. I also share their disappointment that such an attitude could be possible within the Aboriginal community in Canada, since Aboriginal people and Jewish people share, as Georges Erasmus wrote…
Page 6
Dear Editor:
Over the past 10 years I've been looking at the state of the First Nations affairs and found serious issues are all around us-sexual abuse, rampant drug/alcoholism, corruption, and a feeling of hopelessness. As a young citizen of the Anishinabek Nation, I am constantly wondering why this has happened and what needs to be done in order to change it.
…
Page 7
Dear Editor:
My name is Nichole and I am 14-and-a-half years old. I come from a little reserve in northwestern Ontario-Migisi Sahgaigan (Eagle Lake).
I have a very strong belief that alcohol and driving (and I mean anything that moves) don't mix. No matter what people advertise in books, magazines, or in commercials, people never seem to get the message.…
Page 6
Music Biz 101
Besides shedding blood, sweat and tears, an artist needs to "spend money to make money." Thankfully, there are a number of financial resources with varying eligibility criteria that support the music industry.
The various arts councils in each province and the Canada Council for the Arts (1-800-263-5588) have some programs geared specifically to the…
Page 5
Dear Tuma:
Is it true that the RCMP need to have the permission of the chief before they can come onto the reserve and search your home?
Knocking At My Door!
Dear Knocking:
No, the RCMP does not need the permission of the chief or council prior to searching your home. What the RCMP (or any other police force) need is permission from a Justice of the…
Page 5
I once read in a book somewhere about one of those blessings a person can bestow upon you that can either be a good benediction or bad one, depending on how it pans out. It goes something like "May you live in interesting times." It sounds innocuous enough, but during the last few months in the Native community there seems to be nothing but interesting times to be lived. And to…
Page 5
Medium Rare
A lot of Native Americans, as Indians in the United States prefer to be called, have been pouring abuse upon a couple of TIME Magazine reports from last month. TIME, one of the world's most influential and powerful newsmagazines, published a two-part series on Indian casinos in the U.S. It used the headlines "Dirty Dealing" and "Wheel of Misfortune" to draw…
Page 4
With the internal plans in the Department of Defense and the creation of the new Department of Homeland Security, the United States has embarked upon a program of spying on citizens and deceiving them at the same time, a program unprecedented even during times of total war (as in the Second World War).
William M. Arkin, a military affairs analyst, has written an article…
Page 4
Last month, dozens of Aboriginal people-including many leaders-used the pages of this publication to express their outrage at the hatred-based statements of David Ahenakew. And we were extremely proud to provide that space.
But let's not be hypocritical, folks. Windspeaker has over the years, and is still, following stories where First Nations leaders don't want Bill C-31s…