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.
'Page 1
BONNYVILLE - Quentin Watchmaker, a seven-year-old mentally handicapped Kehewin boy afflicted with fetal alcohol syndrome, has been removed from the Duclos School special education class here by his mother following allegations of child abuse.
The boy was in the news late last year when he was removed from a foster home after it was discovered his sleeping quarters were…
Page 1
VANCOUVER - Expo hype is growing. Vancouver stores are busily cleaning and redecorating, hotels are raising rates and clearing out their regular residents, and the rattling skytrain is keeping Vancouverites awake at night.
However, despite the glitter and glitz, many visitors are already asking why there is no pavilion for the original peoples of this land.
Canada'…
Page 1
OTTAWA - The Nielsen Report review on program delivery to Native people has been described by its critics as "dangerous," "offensive" and "completely out of touch with the reality of Native life in this country."
To let you decide for yourself here are a few of the suggestions made in the report.
On Native Housing:
The report suggests that the government…
Page 18
VANCOUVER - The investigative journalist conference held at the Pan Pacific Hotel, March 15-16, drew 151 journalists from throughout Canada.
Various techniques of investigative journalism were discussed. Native self-government and policies workshops were aimed at the mainstream media. The bigger portion of time was taken by third world issues.
The journalist…
Page 18
VANCOUVER - The Save South Moresby Caravan (Supercontinental #3) arrived at 1:30 p.m. January 15, to a hero's welcome, with approximately 1,500 people clapping and cheering the caravan group at the CN station.
The caravan group left St. John, Newfoundland on March 4, and picked up supporters at station stops. The caravan group split in two at Winnipeg with one group…
Page 16
Nominations of Indian athletes for the Tom Longboat Award are still being sought by award organizers.
The deadline for nominations, originally set for December 6, 1985, has been extended to April 20, 1986. The regional winners and the national winner will be selected during May and the National award will be presented to the winner at the VIIth Annual Chiefs' Assembly in…
Page 15
The concerted efforts to produce a three-part television series of Native Nashville North (NNN) by producers Gail and Rocky Woodward have now come full circle. And what a fine piece of work it was!
For those who attended the March 18 and 19 on-location taping sessions by CBC-TV at the Citadel's Rice Theatre, they were treated to an excellent return on a small five dollar…
Page 14
A day-long Native Talent Show offering $3,850 in cash prizes will be held at
Elks Hall in Fort Macleod, April 5.
The show will be followed by a dance in the evening featuring the Sarcee Indian Reserve's Silver Creek Band, and a Lip Sync. Competition during intermissions at the dance.
Talent show categories will include amateur male and female (18 and up),…
Page 14
When entertainer Winston Wuttunnee walked up on stage inside the Alexander Reserve's school gymnasium, March 17, his professionalism as a great performer came through.
Wuttunnee, who had just recently finished a concert in Manitoba, flew down to Edmonton and on the request of the Alexander Reserve, performed for two hours for adults and children alike.
The next…
Page 11
Milt Pahl, Alberta minister in charge of Native Affairs, extends his condolences to the families of those who died in the Peerless Lake tragedy, and says his government will look into how such deaths can be prevented in the future.
Pahl says as of yet it's a little too early to implement policies in response to the methyl hydrate incident, but he stresses that "you can…
Page 8
Unemployed, no money 'til the welfare cheques arrive, hating the world, no food in the house. What goes through one's mind while laying around watching television and its world of wealth and opportunity while living in the reality of poverty?
Epidemics of drop outs, child abuse and neglect, lack of activities and all night parties ...With all the headlines in the papers,…
Foester home experiences
Page 7
Once, at the first foster home I can clearly remember being in, all nine of us tried to escape the place at once. All that night we spent skulking along, jumping in the bush every time a set of headlights swung by.
What happened was someone had used a cake-pan for bow and arrow practise.
Of course they blamed us Indians right away.…
Page 6
The aftermath of the Peerless Lake tragedy offers some hope that its six victims have not died in vain.
A special hope lies in the fact that it coincides with the growing impact of the success achieved by the Alkali Lake Band in B.C. in battling alcoholism on their reserve.
One clear problem in solving the severe problems facing communities like Peerless Lake is in…
Page 4
The president for the Alberta division of the Native Council of Canada (NCC) attributes many of the problems of Peerless Lake residents to economics and the fact that the federal government "reneged on a once-promised reserve for that community."
Doris Ronenburg, speaking at a press conference on March 14, said that a 48-year-old survey of the area in 1935 by government…
Page 3
"I feel it's unfair to pick on Indians," was the reaction of Sawridge Band Chief Walter Twinn in the March 19 article in the Edmonton Journal which focussed on the band's political contributions.
The article in question compared the Band's donation, which totalled $90,000, to that of other donors whose amounts were appreciably less than theirs. The tone of Journal staff…