Drama at the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations hasn’t ended after former Chief Guy Lonechild stepped down.

Lonechild resigned, taking a severance package for himself and his staff, at a Special Assembly on Sept.1 that was set to discuss and possibly vote on his leadership.

Since then, however, the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority has moved into the spotlight.

Seven-hundred strong poured onto the grounds of the Legislature in Regina on Sept. 26 raising their voices to demand the provincial government hear them.

“What a lot of people don’t realize is the transfer of obligations and responsibilities that came when the province was given rights to the minerals from Canada,” said Yellow Quill First Nation Chief Larry Cachene, who helped organize the event.

Rank Comix is the creation of the talented Adam Martin, a Kahniakehaka artist from Six Nations of the Grand River who currently lives in Regina, SK.

Adam's cartoons are generally motivated by news stories of his own choosing, and the space we provide in Windspeaker allows him a regular venue for his perspective to be recorded and shared.

It is our hope that RanK Comix will promote reflection and discussion regarding issues impacting Canada's Aboriginal people.

Blackfoot Elder overcame fear to pass on traditional ways

To walk into Maggie Black Kettle’s tipi from the bustling grounds of the Calgary Stampede was to enter the peaceful eye of a pounding, frenetic storm.

Walking alongside his father from Cochrane, Ont., and now with about 800 km left until they reach Halifax and the third national Truth and Reconciliation Commission event, Patrick Etherington Jr. has come to realize that the blisters on his feet and his aching legs do not compare to what his father and other former students of residential schools went through.

“It’s hard what we’re doing but my suffering is nothing. It really puts me in my place,” said the 28-year-old member of the Moose Cree First Nation.

Though he’s now in his fifties, former Canadian boxing champion Wayne Bourque still likes to be in the middle of the action.

Bourque, who is Metis, opened up a gym called Centre Ring in Toronto 22 years ago. This facility offers Boxercise classes.

Another provincial tournament
Aboriginal youth teams are being sought for a provincial basketball tournament in British Columbia.

The inaugural BC Aboriginal Provincial Basketball Championships are scheduled for Oct. 21 to Oct. 23 in Prince Rupert. This event will feature both girls’ and boys’ divisions in the under-14, under-16 and under-19 age groupings.

An online resource designed to provide Aboriginal women with sexual health and reproduction information was launched this summer. To access the site go to Aboriginalsexualhealth.ca

“In Canada, Aboriginal women have the highest rates of cervical cancer, STIs and HIV/AIDS, diabetes, including gestational diabetes, among other sexual and reproductive health issues,” explained Alisha Nicole Apale, Aboriginal Health Initiative Coordinator at the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) in Ottawa.