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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.
It’s been an odd week for me, Aboriginally speaking.
First things first, I was trying to figure out something interesting to do last weekend when a friend of mine suggested I head down to Toronto’s Lake Ontario and look at some of the tall ships that had recently taken up berth.
I thought about it for about a second before I told her that as somebody who is First Nations, the…
“I was nervous and I was scared because I’m actually going to follow through with something. It was like a choiceless choice in that moment. It was something that needed to be done. It was like my heart’s calling. It was saying ‘this is the opportunity to do it. You’ve been waiting for the opportunity. Do it.’ And there is no arguing against it. I couldn’t argue against it. And I did it.”…
Windspeaker: What one quality do you most value in a friend?
D.B.: An understanding that although we can’t always hang out like we did before kids, marriage and careers, we’re still there whenever one of us needs the other.
W: What is it that really makes you mad?
D.B.: Toronto traffic, lying politicians, pollution and anyone who thinks that just because Lil Wayne makes more…
Linguist and author preserved Lakota language
Albert White Hat Sr., who passed away on June 11 at the age of 74, was an inspiration to anyone working to preserve or learn Indigenous languages.
The Elder was an activist for traditional Lakota ways of living, according to his daughter, Emily White Hat. He authored Reading and Writing the Lakota Language, and…
Back to Batoche Days will be an emotional affair this year when the Bell of Batoche is unveiled on July 20 in a special ceremony.
“I cannot describe to you what it means to the Métis people to have the bell returned… Everything about that bell has meaning,” said Claire Belanger-Parker, event manager. Parker has worked diligently since March when she was brought into the hush-hush plan to…
Michif artist Christi Belcourt is a visionary, an activist and a community organizer. Most of all, though, she’s a believer.
She’s a believer in the power of art to create positive change, and a believer in people. But even Belcourt was overwhelmed at the response when she put out a call on social media for people to contribute to the commemorative art installation called Walking With…
Artist—Billy Joe Green and the Inglorious
Bluez Blasterz
Song—No Way Home
Album—Swingin' Tomahawk
Year—2013
Billy Joe Green is well respected in Canada’s blues community and is a superstar in Manitoba as the original Nish Bluesman! The combination of Aboriginal culture and popular blues music lays down Green’s roots of where he came from and who he is. On Swingin’…
A Saskatchewan First Nation is about to become the first First Nation to have sole control over money Ottawa holds in trust for it.
In a referendum held June 28, members of the Kawacatoose First Nation voted 1,009 to 201 in favour of opting into the First Nations Oil and Gas and Moneys Management Act. There were 1,988 eligible voters. The referendum had to pass by a double majority,…
“It’s got the word ‘major’ written all over it,” Bob Rae quips as he describes the vast northern Ontario mining region dubbed the Ring of Fire, to which he is now devoting his energy.
On June 19, the long-time Member of Parliament, one-time Liberal Party chief, and former NDP provincial premier revealed he would be stepping down in order to negotiate on behalf of nine First Nations over…
At least 31 people have now been arrested in anti-shale gas fracking protests in New Brunswick, including a journalist who alleges police attempted to pay him to become an informant.
Most of those arrested trying to stop SWN Resources Canada’s seismic testing have been Indigenous land defenders at a Sacred Fire encampment organized by local Mi’kmaq opponents from Elsipogtog First Nation…
One in every 25 Native children is taken from their families, according to new data. That is 13 times more than the non-Aboriginal apprehension rate, despite Natives making up just a fraction of the general population.
With more Native kids in custody today than ever attended Indian residential schools, child welfare advocates continue to raise the alarm about the record numbers of…
Every morning I wake up and, coming from my radio, I hear the latest update on the ongoing goings-on of the Canadian Senate. I am of two minds on the topic. First of all, as someone who’s spent about 25 years in Canadian theatre, it’s hard to argue with the theatrical appeal of what’s going on. Not since Pierre Trudeau has Canadian politics actually become so … interesting. And entertaining…
I’ve been around the ceremonial life and the teaching lodges of my people for over 30 years now. It doesn’t seem that long. The very fact of being part of a spiritual community lends time a different quality, one where time passing becomes more like time inhabited, each day, month, year, joined in a stream of vital energy.
As I get older I look back and recognize significant moments in…
First Nations and Women's groups are critical of British Columbia’s government for not implementing recommendations from the missing women’s inquiry, which looked into the failures of the investigation of serial killer Robert Pickton. “We’re sick and tired of going to funeral after funeral after funeral. Enough is enough,” said Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs.…
Canada has signed a multi-million dollar land claim settlement with Tsuu T’ina First Nation in Alberta. Tsuu T’ina Nation will receive $20.8 million that will resolve three specific claims which relate to three separate transactions involving the Glenmore Reservoir in the 1930s in which the nation did not receive adequate compensation. “On behalf of Tsuu T’ina citizens, and my council…