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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 promised shake-up in the funding mechanism for Native political organizations continues to be the centre of controversy after a new report commissioned by the Department of Indian Affairs and the Secretary of State was made public this week.
However, despite dark premonitions by many members of the Native community, the report holds many surprises, not the least of…
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Both Milt Pahl, Alberta Native Affairs Minister, and Jenny Margetts, president of Indian Rights for Indian Women, say their meeting on February 28 was a positive one with an excellent exchange of information. Neither would elaborate on their discussions, although the meetings had been scheduled to deal with reinstated women seeking their own reserve.
Margetts said one of…
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OTTAWA - The following statement was made by the Assembly of First Nations in response to the federal government's budget tabled February 26:
1. The government's promise to facilitate economic self-reliance for Aboriginal people and its intention to reduce spending of discretionary non-statutory program dollars is a glaring contradiction. On one hand, the government says…
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A group of Canadian Native leaders called the Indigenous Survival International were able to persuade several European groups to withdraw from the anti-fur lobby recently.
The Native group gave presentations on trapping and it being essential for the economic and cultural survival of some Aboriginal people. Most of the European groups had very little knowledge on the…
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OTTAWA - A 21-member delegation headed by George Erasmus, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, are on a second European trip to present a balanced viewpoint concerning Aboriginal people's rights and economies versus a proposed ban on importation of fur products.
The group, members of the three-country Indigenous Survival International organization, will visit…
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COLD LAKE - Anger, shock, and cries of "foul" are the aftermath of a recent by-election at cold Lake First Nations Reserve which resulted in a white woman gaining the position of chief of the reserve.
Elaine Janvier won the hotly-consented seat by one vote. The by-election was called following the surprise resignation of the chief, Maynard Metchewais, and four of six…
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The Native Economic Developent Program (NEDP) has come under a stinging attack from one of its own board members, who says the program is riddled with problems.
Charging that the program's processing rate for business proposals has been"nothing less than scandalous" and that many proposals go into a "black hole," NEDP board member Muriel Stanley-Venne says there has to be…
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Bands in Alberta are joining forces to fight the 1985 amendment to the Indian act, known as Bill C-31, and have already filed a statement of claim against the federal government.
The suit, brought by the Sawridge, Sarcee, Blackfoot, Ermineskin and Sturgeon Lake Bands, who in turn each represent a treaty area in Alberta, was filed Feb. 15.
However, Chief Walter…
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Death - the result of a drinking party March 10 in the isolated northern community of Peerless Lake. Five people are dead, one is clinging to life, and two seem to be recovering after drinking photocopier fluid containing lethal methyl hydrate.
Dr. E. G. King, director of the University Hospital's general systems intensive care unit, said that doctors could not predict…
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Four Aboriginal people are happy to be the recipients of the Paul D. Fleck Fellowship in the Arts awards because it will help them to further their work.
The Fleck Fellowship is offered by Alberta's Banff Centre and the talented four are among 15 recipients who will enjoy a creative residency at the centre, exploring and researching in their respective areas of endeavor…
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First Nations youth are being invited to star in their own version of Survivor this summer, spending a week living off the land in the northern Manitoba wilderness.
Each week throughout the summer, two six person teams from different First Nations will be transported to Waywayseecappo First Nation, where each team will be given a small amount of food, materials to build a…
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Through her company Muskwa Designs, Adele Pete creates graduation gowns that have a little Native flair, incorporating appliques of feathers, eagles, bears, and buffalo into the design.
The company is a family affair, with Adele's two sisters, Yvonne Pete of Little Pine, and Loretta Hall of Saskatoon, taking part in the business. Yvonne helps with the design and sewing,…
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A group of Elders, health and justice workers, and victims of abuse gathered at N'Swakamok Native Friendship Centre on April 17 to send a warning about the existence of a man operating in the Sudbury area as a healer, who, they say, has sexually abused his clients.
The open forum allowed community members to share their stories and generate ideas on how to protect the…
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Seven hundred delegates participated in the eighth annual Ojibwe language conference held in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan on March 27 to April 1.
The yearly assembly was first organized by language instructors as a forum for networking and sharing of resources, said Sam Senecal, conference planner and co-ordinator. A conscious effort is now made to involve a broader range…
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For 47-year-old Irene Flett-Redwood, going back to school as an adult was not easy, but she graduated from the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College in Regina in May 2001 with a bachelor's degree in education.
A mother of five and a proud grandmother of 10, Flett-Redwood has come a long way from a life without self-confidence and direction.
"I was afraid to try…