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.
Guide Page 5
For many years Aboriginal people have celebrated the summer solstice on June 21 and in 1996, former governor General, Romeo Leblanc, officially declared it National Aboriginal Day.
This declaration has given thousands of people a chance to showcase the cultures of Inuit, First Nations and Metis people across the country and recognize the contributions that the first…
Guide Page 4
Like an arrow taut on the bow, the pale white steeple of Holy Trinity Church seems to hang in the balance between earth and sky. Framed by evergreens, the lips of the Churchill River lapping a few feet from its front steps, the church stands alone on its rocky point-a place the Cree people of the area call "Amachewespimawin", or "shooting-up place".
In times past,…
Guide Page 4
Whether your idea of a perfect holiday involves living on the land, sleeping in a tent, and hunting or fishing, or if you lean more toward waking up in a comfortable bed and being greeted by room service and a breathtaking view out your window, there are many Aboriginal businesses across Quebec waiting to provide just what you are looking for.
Aboriginal owned and…
Guide Page 3
On April 27, the new Miss Indian World for 2002/2003 was chosen out of 24 contestants at the Gathering of Nations powwow in Albuquerque, N.M.
Twenty-one-year-old Tia Smith of the Cayuga Wolf Clan from Six Nations, Ont. won the coveted title. The runner-up is also originally from Ontario, Kinwa Bluesky.
The former Miss Indian World for 2001/2002 was Ke Aloha…
Page 24
Raging on Kehewin First Nation territory for four days in May, a forest fire brought to light a growing crisis facing Native communities in Alberta just how ill equipped they are to deal with forest fire season.
More than 30 per cent of Kehewin's 40-sq. km, located north of Elk Point, was engulfed in flames between May 16 and 19. While no houses were lost, damage was…
Page 20
Ever wonder what it would be like to bead, do quill work, or make fish scale art or moccasins? As part of the Native Clothing Design Program, the Northern Lakes College in Grouard will hold a full week of four courses that will show you how. Courses are set to run from July 28 to Aug. 2.
"We are expecting people from other provinces to apply to this summer program. It…
Page 19
It's been more than six years in the making, but this summer, the world will be coming to Morley, Alta., when the community hosts the sixth World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE) from Aug. 4 to 10.
The First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium (FNAHEC), the host committee for this year's event, has been working to bring the conference to…
Page 17
A new series scheduled to air on APTN later this year will take a look at how Aboriginal organizations across the country are working to prevent diabetes in their communities.
The Sweetness In Life: A Diabetes Story will air in 13 half-hour segments, with the first broadcast planned for November, to coincide with National Diabetes Month.
Award-winning film producer…
Page 17
According to Sandra Caswell, the community program manager of the Institute on Addictions Studies, the world has been affected by the events of Sept.11. That's why global trauma will be centre stage in discussions at the institute's annual conference in Barrie, Ont. from July 14 to 18. People who will most benefit from the conference are those who already work in the addictions…
Page 15
Gold, silver and bronze medals were not the only pieces of hardware handed out at the inaugural National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.
A total of 34 players (17 female and 17 male) were also singled out for their individual efforts by being selected to the tournament's all-star teams.
Each all-star received a trophy, but perhaps more importantly, also an invite…
Page 15
There was no question as to which boys' entry was the best iced at the inaugural National Aboriginal Hockey Championships held April 21 to 27 in Akwesasne.
The Manitoba club was Number 1 especially after Manitoba crushed the Quebec reps (Eastern Door and The North) 8-2 in the gold-medal match.
A mercy rule was called into play in the final from the 8:27 mark of the…
Page 14
The theory that some teams require some time to jell was one that did not apply to the Ontario South girls' entry at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships held April 21 to 27 in Akwesasne.
Some members of the Ontario South side had just met their team-mates a few days before the Canadian tournament began. But that didn't prevent the club from steamrolling over all…
Page 13
There's no looking back now.
And with the inaugural National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in the history books, officials can only look forward to an even bigger and better tournament in the years to come.
The first Canadian hockey tournament for Native players earned its share of kudos for the way it was operated. The event, which was organized by the…
Page 12
Review
Letters From Prison: Felons Write About the Struggle for Life and Sanity Behind Bars
By Shawn Thompson
HarperCollins
266 pp., $32 (hc)
Letters From Prison contains only small selections from a fraction of the letters journalist Shawn Thompson has received from 130 correspondents doing time in various prisons over the last 10 years, but…
Page 10
There are those who would brand him a trouble maker, renegade, radical or social misfit, but Splitting the Sky doesn't care. He's more interested in getting his message out, a message that the establishment refuses to hear, he says.
He is Dacajeweiah (Splitting The Sky). Among friends he is known as Doc. In the white world he is known as John Boncore and John Hill. In…