Onistah-Sokaksin, Calf Shirt, was the leader of the Nitayxkax, Lone Fighters Band, and was a great war chief of the Bloods, a Plains tribe in what is now southern Alberta.

Calf Shirt distinguished himself as a brave warrior numerous times in his life, but it was his curious death that makes him live on in history.

Dan Howlett, director of Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, and Andy Dabydeen, Canadian Tire Product Stewardship Manager, prepare supplies to be sent to the the James Bay area, including the Attawapiskat and Kashechewan First Nation communities. Canadian Tire Jumpstart has been working with these communities for the past year and is stepping up their relief efforts by donating 600 pairs of footwear, 550 pieces of outerwear, 300 flashlights, and other gifts, which were sent almost 700 km to the affected areas.

Métis National Council President Clement Chartier was keynote speaker at the Métis Nation Constitution Workshop held Dec. 11 and 12 in Ottawa.

The workshop came as the Supreme Court of Canada was to hear a land claim launched by the Manitoba Métis Federation dating back to the Métis resistance of the late 1800s.

“A victory by the MMF will set the stage for the negotiation of a contemporary land claims agreement which includes self-government,” said Chartier. The Supreme Court heard arguments on Dec. 13.

Despite a resolution passed by chiefs from British Columbia during the September First Nations Summit, there have been no changes to the rules around who qualifies for a deadline extension for those still wanting to apply for Common Experience Payments.

Instead, the federal government has chosen to remain with the conditions of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement that allows for a one-year extension, from Sept. 19, 2011 to Sept. 19, 2012, only for those who have not applied “due to a disability, undue hardship or exceptional circumstances.”

The parties to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement will have to decide in the New Year whether to downgrade the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s duties or ante up more money.

A formal request for more funding has not come yet from the TRC, but chair Murray Sinclair said that it is clear that the $60 million set aside for the commission to use over five years will not be enough to cover all the duties set out in the residential school agreement.

The money crunch does not come as a surprise to Sinclair.

The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) and the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA) have announced that the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women will conduct an inquiry into the murders and disappearances of Aboriginal women and girls in the country.

Legislation announced by the federal government that calls for transparency and accountability from First Nations chiefs has been met with mixed reaction by those it targets.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo said that there is no disagreement with the concept, however.
“What First Nations support and are committed to are the principles of transparency and accountability to their citizens,” he said.

Drawing up guidelines for establishing citizenship has never been a priority issue for Lake Manitoba First Nation, but councillor Florence McLean is reconsidering the urgency.

The community of Attawapiskat First Nation entered the holiday season in a state emergency, with a housing shortage and deplorable living conditions, including a lack of running water, sewage disposal and heating, central to the nation’s concerns for its people.

The current state of emergency was declared two months ago, and the federal government has been criticized for the slow response to the situation.

To make matters worse, Attawapiskat has been put into third-party management, so leadership has lost control over the community’s finances.

THE URBANE INDIAN

In the conclusion to his Governor General Award winning play, Where The Blood Mixes, Kevin Loring talks about the first day of a workshop with noted Cayuga actor, Gary Farmer, a man of considerable size. In theatre-speak, he describes Gary’s reaction to the first draft of his play in a somewhat aggressive manner.

Gary violently slams the script onto the table.

Gary: Thirty-five years in the business and here I am playing another drunken Indian in the bar. So what? He’s a drunk in a bar! So what now?

The young playwright pees himself.