Artist—Jason Chamakese
Song—Irresistible
Album—Native American Flute Songs
Volume 2 (2010)

Windspeaker: What one quality do you most value in a friend?

Scott Ward: A friend who has my back when I needed them.

W: What is it that really makes you mad?
S.W.: People who constantly complain about things and don’t make changes in their life.

W: When are you at your happiest?
S.W.: When clients are so happy that they had brought my hypnosis show and workshops into their community.

W: What one word best describes you when you are at your worst?
S.W.: Frustrated

Three thousand Indigenous people came together for the 19th Annual National Aboriginal Achievement Awards gala held in Vancouver Feb. 24.

The evening was dedicated to outstanding individuals who have given their time and skills to transforming the health, arts, political, business and environmental spheres for Indigenous people in Canada.

THE URBANE INDIAN

Not that long ago, I was approached by the CBC to see if I could somehow encapsulate the history of Canada’s First Nations, post contact, in 120 seconds or so. ‘Wow,’ I thought.  This is why people get PhDs. This assignment was for their 8th Fire documentary Television series.
Intrigued by the challenge, I decided to accept the task.
To make it more interesting, I decided to approach it from the perspective of a new gospel – The Gospel of Drew.

Heretics welcomed.

So here it is, and pay attention, there may be an exam later.

The latest signatories to the First Nations Land Management Regime have now made the program national.

“Those are very deserving communities,” said Robert Louie, chief of the Westbank First Nation and chair of the First Nations Lands Advisory Board.

With the acceptance of Tsuu T’ina and Alexis Nakota Sioux in Alberta, Mashteuiatsh in Quebec, Membertou in Nova Scotia, and Miawpukek in Newfoundland, there is now at least one First Nation from each province undertaking the process of fully managing their own lands.

The Assembly of First Nations, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, and the Canadian Human Rights Commission forced a three-day judicial review in federal court Feb. 13 to Feb. 15 to argue against a decision by Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Chair Shirish Chotalia.

In 2011, Chotalia dismissed a claim that accused the federal government of discriminating against on-reserve people by underfunding child welfare services. Core to the argument was a comparison with the provincial funding provided for those same services offered to the off-reserve population.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is urging federal, provincial and territorial governments to take immediate action to provide adequate mental health supports for residential school survivors and their families and to develop curriculum in schools and educate the general public on the impact of residential schools.

“We have identified certain issues that we believe require immediate attention,” said commission chair Justice Murray Sinclair. Twenty recommendations were outlined in the TRC’s 30-page interim report which was delivered Feb. 24.

‘He Walked This Far’ is the name of a national campaign that has been inspired by the death of Burton Winters.
The 14-year-old boy was found dead several days after the first call had gone out that he was missing in the harsh environment of a Labrador winter.

Now a whole community has rallied to encourage a search and rescue unit be established permanently in Labrador.

On Feb. 3 and 4, nearly 4,000 people came together in cultural pride and celebration to recognize the Nisga’a Nation’s New Year.

This year’s celebration was the largest to date, said organizers with the Nisga’a Ts’amiks Vancouver Society, the group that hosted the event. The society represents the 1,400 Nisga’a citizens who reside in the urban centers of greater Vancouver and on Vancouver Island.
Loosely translated, ‘Tsamiks’ is Nisga’a for ‘the twinkling lights off the water in the bay’ referring to Vancouver’s urban landscape.

A private member’s bill that won’t be introduced until May at the earliest has proven controversial already.

“Somebody misspoke. It shouldn’t have been put out until Mr. Clarke brought it forward,” said a spokesperson in the office of Rob Clarke, Conservative MP for Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River (Saskatchewan).

The private member’s bill, which has been on the order paper since Dec. 7, calls for the repeal of the Indian Act.
Clarke’s intention was made public following the First Nations-Crown gathering on Jan. 24 and came as a surprise.