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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 17
She's taking her ballet slippers, tap shoes, and oxfords to Disneyland and she plans to proudly represent her people.
Randi Lightning, 14, from the Ermineskin First Nation, will be performing in Disneyland from July 3 to 8 with her dance group from Andy and Tina's Dance FX studio in Wetaskiwin.
The group will represent the studio and Canada during their trip. But…
Page 15
Metis tradition and culture will be celebrated in grand style this summer during "Back to Batoche 2000, A National Festival in Celebration of Metis Culture" being held in Batoche July 24 to 30.
This year's event will feature an arts and cultural festival, sports and recreational games and children's and youth programming.
The event will showcase Metis arts and…
Page 15
A professional carpenter for the past 15 years, Herb Nelson looks at the House of Huu-ay-aht, the first bighouse constructed in Huu-ay-aht territory in more than 100 years, as one of his crowning achievements.
Adopted out as an infant, Nelson only recently discovered his Huu-ay-aht ancestry and has returned to Anacla, B.C. to work on the mountain-top structure that will…
Page 14
Alex Little Bear is disturbed by the slow response from Indian Affairs in dealing with his people's specific land claim. In the meantime, he and 20 descendants of Chief Big Bear who signed Treaty 6 will continue to occupy a section of Crown land 30 miles southeast of North Battleford they says belongs to them. The land is currently leased to somebody else.
Chief Big Bear…
Page 13
A few days after his remarks appeared in print, Newfoundland Premier Brian Tobin appeared on CBC-TV's The Journal to talk about his comments.
"I despair. I have a great feeling of personal frustration . . . when I hear upon waking in the morning that there's been another suicide, or another tragedy of some sort in an Aboriginal community.
"I spent several days…
Page 11
Born into Mistawasis First Nation in 1976, Lorne Horse Duquette grew up street-wise and nomadic, moving from city to reserve and back again, serving time in residential school as a child and prison as a teenager.
He is a young man whose life journey has taken him from a boyhood spent in the wilds of Saskatchewan to the bright lights of Montreal, and then national exposure…
Page 9
Frank Dreaver and Leonard Peltier have an extraordinary working relationship. Their destinies are bound together in a sacred trust, tied to a moral, spiritual duty that has become a life mission for one man seeking the freedom of the other.
Leonard Peltier, American Indian Movement activist, political prisoner and victim of Canada's most controversial extradition, has been…
Page 9
In a surprisingly swift decision, the United States parole examiner has crushed the latest hope for freedom for Leonard Peltier, recommending that Peltier's sentence be continued until his next full parole hearing in 2008.
The recommendation came during an interim parole hearing held for Peltier June 12 at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Kansas.
Peltier, a…
Page 8
Exercising the right to free speech almost cost the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs a half million dollars last month.
The provincial government cut the First Nations organization's funding by that amount ($250,000 in each of the next two years) because UBCIC President Stewart Phillip spoke out against the British Columbia Treaty Commission process and in favor of…
Page 7
The Warrior Society flag now flies where the Canadian flag used to wave above the guardhouse at the main gate of the former CFB Ipperwash and, since 1993, it's been a kind of no-man's-land in the cold war between traditional Pottawami protesters and Canadian authorities.
The world's attention was focused on this camp and on Ipperwash Provincial Park, just a kilometre down…
Page 7
Anger and resentment were still the dominant emotions at Camp Ipperwash just days after the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld the conviction of Warren George.
The 27-year-old began his six-month jail sentence on May 18 in Sarnia's maximum security facility before being transferred to Guelph's medium security Wellington County facility on May 31.
George was charged with…
Page 5
Dear Editor:
I am in strict agreement with this [Taiaiake Alfred's] views and beliefs [regarding Time to kill the treaty process]. I find all the talk about treaty negotiations frightening and, sure as God made little green apples, we are going to get shafted again. It is definitely another stab at assimilation.
If any British Columbia nation thinks they are on the…
Page 5
Dear Editor:
RE: Time to kill BC Treaty Process, Windspeaker, April edition.
I have just read Mr. T. Alfred's diatribe blasting the BC Treaty process and I am left somewhat confused by his column writing. After nearly 750 words of a damning thesis he eventually concludes that British Columbia does, after all the verbal condemnation, need a treaty. HELLO! What are we…
Page 5
Dear Editor:
It disturbs me greatly that CSIS thinks the activities in Indian Country are worth recruiting Native folks to monitor their fellow citizens ("Good times with CSIS and me" by Taiaiake Alfred).
Native activists don't need to hide their work to where it merits Canada's intelligence service looking into their affairs. I mean, it's all about being public and…
Page 5
Dear Editor:
As a result of comments made in a recent Vancouver Sun article (Old disputes cast dark shadow on land claims, May 1), RCMP in northwest British Columbia interrogated Gitanyow hereditary chiefs this past week.
The article by Stephen Hume pointed out the Gitanyow's connection to the Mid-Nass River Watershed in northwest B.C. and the Gitanyow's "fight" to…