When it comes to the birth of America, most of us are working from a stew of elementary school history lessons, Westerns and vague Thanksgiving mythology. And while it's not surprising those sources might biff a couple details, what's shocking is how much less interesting the version we learned was. It turns out our teachers, Hollywood and whoever we got our Thanksgiving mythology from (Big Turkey?) all made America's origin story far more boring than it actually was for some very disturbing reasons. For instance ...

Louise Halfe is among eight distinguished recipients to be awarded honorary degrees at the Wilfrid Laurier University upcoming convocation ceremonies. Halfe, also known as Sky Dancer, is an award-winning writer and poet. Raised on the Saddle Lake reserve, she earned a BA in social work from the University of Regina and a certificate in drugs and alcohol counselling from the Nechi Training, Research and Health Promotions Institute.

The Dene Tha’ First Nation expects full consultation on shale gas development in the Horn River Basin in northeastern B.C. now that the Consultation Protocol Agreement with the BC Oil and Gas Commission and Ministry of Energy and Mines has expired. Under that agreement, BC held that it did not have to consult with Dene Tha’ because of the geographical scope of the “consultation area.” With the agreement no longer in place, BC is required to consult with Dene Tha’ throughout its Traditional Territory in British Columbia, which includes most of the Horn River Basin.

Activist and former Senate page Brigitte DePape was in Fort McMurray recently joining a delegation of Peruvian Indigenous leaders on a fact-finding mission about the oilsands. The visit was organized by Amazon Watch and Public Interest Alberta. The goal of the visit is to discover how the environment, economy and people — particularly Aboriginal people — in the Wood Buffalo region have been affected by Alberta’s oil development.

Eight new housing units have been built in North Lethbridge by the Aboriginal Housing Society. General Manager Boyd Thomas said the new units help address a long-standing housing crisis that some Aboriginal people are experiencing. Lydia First Rider with the Aboriginal Housing Society said these new homes will have a positive impact on those living there. The society received  $1 million from the City’s Affordable Housing Committee to build 12 new rental units. Another project is being built in Copperwood on the westside and will open this summer.

The Fort McKay First Nation has appointed three new chief executive officers to its senior management team: corporate lawyer Bernd Christmas as CEO of Oil Sands Development; former associate vice president for Red Deer College Sandy Sanderson as CEO of Business Development; and former tribal manager of the Siksika Nation Tribal Government Andrew Bear Robe as CEO of Planning and Administration.

The Federal Court has granted a stay regarding a decision that removed Jim Boucher as Chief of the Fort McKay First Nation.  “Our Chief and council has been apprised that following an application of stay of this decision, the Federal Court has granted Mr. Boucher a stay of decision until his appeal hearing on June 18, 2012. This has resulted in Mr. Boucher being reinstated as Chief of the Fort McKay First Nation until his appeal hearing,” said Alana Yim, media relations for the Fort McKay First Nations, in a news release.

A recent public health report probing Alberta’s H1N1-related deaths found that people of Aboriginal descent were almost twice as likely to die of H1N1-related causes than non-Aboriginal Albertans. That doesn’t mean Aboriginal people were more vulnerable to the disease, Dr. Andre Corriveau, chief medical officer of health, told the Edmonton Journal, but that they were more likely to suffer from underlying chronic health conditions that compounded its effects.

The Saddle Lake Cree Nation has signed a memorandum of understanding with the PTI Group, which formalizes collaboration on employment opportunities as well as explores new workforce accommodations projects in the vicinity of Saddle Lake. In addition to employment opportunities, PTI will ensure that local businesses are informed of contractual opportunities. PTI Group is one of North America’s leading workforce accommodations and catering providers.

A young Aboriginal drummer from Piitoayis Family School was one of many to take part in Aboriginal Youth Explosion.

Aboriginal Youth Explosion