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Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung, "the place of the long rapids," is a sacred living link between the past and the present. Located 40 miles from the headwaters of the Mississippi River, this ancient gathering place was once the centre of a vibrant, continent-wide trading network.

Now, an impressive historical, interpretive centre shows the visitor more than 8,000 years of Ojibway history beside the Long Sault Rapids on the Rainy River of Northwestern Ontario.

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Protocol and etiquette.... the ancient way to honor traditions, and acknowledge the ancestors, animal spirits and the Creator.

The bottom line...positive, respectful behavior at all times, with no drugs or alcohol ever allowed on the grounds in powwow country.

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Imagine walking down a path and entering a small clearing by a creek. You sit down to a meal of buffalo, bannock, berries and other Native traditional dishes. After your meal you walk down another trail and come to a clearing. Dotting the horizon are tipis. You take a seat and for the next few hours you travel back centuries to when the buffalo roamed and Indians rode bareback.

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On the last night of the Gathering of Nations Powwow, 24-year-old Lillian Sparks, a Rosebud Sioux from Randallstown, Maryland, was crowned Miss Indian World 2000.

With the most points racked up in public speaking, interview, traditional talent, and dancing competitions, the second year law student beat out 21 other hopefuls, including three Canadian contestants: Sturgeon Lake, Alta.'s Tara Kappo, Janisha Wildman of Morley, Alta. and Farrica Prince of Oak Lake, Man.

Lillian Sparks, a Rosebud Sioux from Randallstown, Maryland.

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As they lead you through the woods, they peacefuly speak about mother earth's gifts of the trees, plants and four-legged beings.

#For two-and-a-half hours, tourists can join guides for the mystical Escape to Nature at the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation in New Brunswick.

"We teach Maliseet meanings of plants and animals," said Eric Cimon, Maliseet guide. "We begin with a sweetgrass ceremony and sing traditional songs."

This will be the second summer the nature walks have been available to tourists and locals, and the response has been positive.

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Dennis Morrison was found on the dance floor at Checkers in the Landmark Inn, one of a dozen-and-a-half frantic workmen trying to refurbish the Regina pub in time for the next day's grand opening. With a paint brush in hand he was up a ladder touching up grey stones on the ceiling, and readying himself for an all night job of drawing a large mural of a truck driving through mock wallpaper.

#"I was asked to add a dab of orange to the middle of the stones after I had finished the job," said Morrison, who then starts to chuckle.

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The Indigenous peoples known as the Ktunaxa Indians and often referred to in history books and on maps as the Kootenay Indians live in the Columbia Basin. The Columbia and Kootenay Rivers lie within the traditional territory of the Ktunaxa Indian Nation in British Columbia. It is this system of rivers, lakes and mountains that has sustained the Ktunaxa peoples since time immemorial.

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A powwow is a celebration that centres around dance, song, and family. Traditionally it is a celebration presented by one tribe or band of Native people to welcome and honor others.

Powwows are usually three-day weekend events and people often travel great distances to attend them. The main powwow season is summer. All people, including non-Native people are encouraged to attend one.

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The tilt of the earth's rotational axis gives us our seasons. One day in December and the other day in June, the earth's axis is tilted most directly away from the sun or toward the sun. On June 21 in most communities in the North, the north pole is pointed toward the sun. People in the northern hemisphere will then experience the longest day of the year and the shortest night. The day is often called summer solstice.

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Like other First Nations communities across this land, Six Nations has had to deal with unemployment. The various employment strategies of Grand River Employment and Training, GREAT, have set this community apart from others and dealt with unemployment in a culturally integrated manner.

GREAT, which began as a five-person operation in 1993, has grown and matured into a 20-plus person organization on which the community depends. Their innovative and creative approach to battling the unemployment rate has pushed them to the forefront of this First Nation struggle.