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Well, the kids are back to school at Thunderchild. And most parents are sighing at least a small sigh of relief. Our youngest child, Jack, born in January, is just a few days past the deadline to start school this year. He's not very happy about his four brothers and sisters going back to school and leaving him home alone.

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A new challenger stepped into the Aboriginal political arena this summer, vowing to stamp out corruption in Saskatchewan's Metis government and become the opposition.

"We would like to be the monitoring system," said John Melenchuk, a spokesman and member of the New Metis Party of Saskatchewan.

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Visitors to the 34th Thunderchild Powwow located near Turtleford got a taste of it all over a long weekend filled with blue skies and sunshine and then rain and mist.

It was like being in the eye of a storm, peaceful and sunny at the powwow while thunder and lightning storms raged all around in every direction. The rains held off until late Sunday afternoon and then cleared in time for the final grand entry. Some said it was good luck, others said the prayers of the Elders had been strong.

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The Big River First Nation hosted the 25th anniversary of the Saskatchewan Indian Summer Games from August 15 to 19.

The turnout of athletes, coaches and spectators was excellent on the first day of competition, however rain later on postponed some of the first events of the games.

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Janice Acoose, a graduate student in the PhD program in English who also teaches at the Saskatchewan Federated Indian College (SFIC), uses her Indigenous roots and teaching abilities to build a bridge between the university and the community at large. Her approach to teaching is to point out that "there is no truth: the students become their own authorities and I act as a conduit toward their self empowerment. Whenever possible, I make the classroom alive through story-telling, and each student takes his or her own truth away from that."

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There were a few glitches and some nerves were evident but the show went on and the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network is now on the air.

Those who made their way to the Forks to attend the gala opening of the network that will feature programming by, for, and about Aboriginal people, saw more than two hours of non-stop Aboriginal entertainment. The viewers at home caught glimpses of the live show mixed with pre-recorded tapes and live interviews conducted by CBC North's George Tuccaro and Quebec documentary filmmaker Evie Mark, who anchored the broadcast.

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Band creates labor code

The Kamloops Indian Band has become the first First Nation to enact its own labor code. Chief Manny Jules said the code is designed to ensure that the traditions of the community guide matters of labor relations on the reserve.

"The traditional roles of labor and industry have polarized the people of this province. We do not want that to happen in the reserve. We are seeking balance and consensus," said Jules. "Our labor code is part of our move towards self governance and has the strong support of our First Nations community."

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In the Thompson dialect of the Shuswap language, the words we quaw can be roughly translated as "let's go learn."

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Frank Thomas, 15, is being honored with awards and accolades after his daring rescue of a drowning father and son in Port Alberni's Somass River last summer.

Thomas will be receiving the Silver Medal of Bravery from the British Columbia and Yukon branch of the Lifesaving Society at their Annual Commonwealth Honor and Rescue Awards ceremony at the Pacific Palisades Hotel in Vancouver on March 27.

He is also one of only five young people across Canada short listed as a finalist in the bravery category of the 10th anniversary YTV Achievement Awards.

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You can watch her every weeknight at 10 p.m. on CBC Newsworld Tonight. From Kitimat to the heart of Canada's media world, Carla Robinson has come a long way, becoming the first Aboriginal person to anchor a national television newscast.

Television news got her interested in journalism in the first place and it was an Aboriginal reporter, whose name she has forgotten, that inspired her.

"He looked so professional and I said 'Wow, that's what I want to be,'" she said. "I didn't see myself as a TV reporter. But I knew I wanted to be a storyteller."