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Trent University, nestled in the heart of ancestral Iroquois-Anishinabe lands in Southern Ontario, has always been a special place for Aboriginal peoples in Canada.

As the home of the first Native Studies department in Canada, Trent will be celebrating 30 years of ground-breaking education with the addition a new Ph.D. program - the first of its kind in Canada - which will be welcoming four new doctoral candidates in September.

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The construction of a $4 billion natural gas pipeline is scheduled to begin in Alberta in the New Year with help from Aboriginal people. The partnership was marked by the signing of contracts by the Metis Zone IV Regional Council, Metis Nation of Alberta and the Western Cree Tribal Council with Alliance Pipeline.

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For eight or nine weeks, at least two times a week prior to mid-December, anyone at the Canadian Native Friendship Centre in Edmonton would find six women methodically practicing their lines in preparation for Drum With Me, a play written and directed by the centre's community relations worker, Ann M. Nipshank.

The all-Native women's drum and drama group, known as Red Players Theatre, staged the play - their first - on Dec. 19 and 20 before appreciative audiences that braved two of December's coldest days.

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Tansi!

I really do hope our readers had themselves a swell festive season. I know mine was pretty good and I hope all of you have a super New Year.

Sadly, we lost a few community members over the holidays. Isn't that the way it seems to go most every year?

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In my first column for Sweetgrass, I wanted to introduce myself in a way that whoever is reading this could get to know me, however my Aboriginal inclination towards shyness gets in the way. So read if you wish and form your own opinion.

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You always see him at powwows, round dances and other Aboriginal functions in and around St. Albert and Edmonton. He's always out there, working the crowds and selling 50-50 tickets to help raise funds for one worthy cause or another.

And, despite dealing with the condition of Parkinson's Disease, Lloyd Auger was still at it on New Year's Day at the Poundmaker's Lodge Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Centre round dance.

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Did somebody say, 'dreams do come true?'

You certainly don't have to twist the arm of Gordon Russell to convince him of that fact.

While children at this year's Crystal Kids Christmas party were delighted with the gifts they received from Santa Claus, Gordon Russell was nearly driven to tears over his gift. Russell is the director of the Crystal Kids Youth Drop-In Centre located in northeast Edmonton. He has been pursuing a dream to put up a new facility for his Crystal Kids program.

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Only seven days after the provincial government announced the week of Nov. 15 as Celebrate Adoption Week, Lyle Oberg, minister of Family and Social Services, admited the adoption record for Aboriginal children in the province is shameful.

Alberta Liberal Family and Social Services critic, Linda Sloan, questioned Oberg about the inadequate support for Aboriginal children and the adoption process. She said more than 1,000 Aboriginal children are in limbo waiting for adoption.

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After six years of recommendations, the Alberta government gave final approval to Bill 1, the Protection of Children Involved in Prostitution, which will come into effect on Feb.1. An Aboriginal sub-committee on Bill 1 held a forum on Oct. 21, last year after concerns were raised about how the Bill will affect Aboriginal children.

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The funding received from the provincial government by Metis settlements so that they can ready themselves to take control of their communities will end in 2007, but a small determined group of Metis people believe that the settlements are far from ready for self-government.

The group gathered on Dec. 10 at the provincial legislature to meet with David Hancock, minister of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs, and to protest living conditions in their communities.