An international agreement developed to protect the environment and prevent bio-piracy escalated into a rights war over genetic resources between pharmaceutical companies, governments and Indigenous peoples before it was even adopted.

The Nagoya Protocol is a United Nations (UN) agreement developed by those who were also involved with the Convention on Biological Diversity, which was held in Nagoya, Japan last October.

THE TREATY FOUR FIRST NATIONS

The closure of Little Buffalo School after staff and students complained of headaches and nausea, and the fact that the largest oil spill in Alberta in three decades occurred only 20 km from the Lubicon Lake First Nations community on April 29, seems to be nothing more than coincidence.

“There appears to be no connection,” said Garrett Tomlinson, spokesman for Lubicon Lake First Nation.

“The (Energy Resources Conservation Board) and the Department of Health say there’s no danger in levels of hydrocarbons or other substances in the air.”

Over the years, as a documenter of aboriginal experiences , I have either come across or originated some useful and colorful acronyms that, at best, illustrate the complex First Nations world, or at worst, they muddy up the water and make working in the Native community a little more complicated. So I will let you decide. They are handy to know, and hopefully useful. If you have the opportunity, feel free to use as necessary.

And it should be noted, these are great for texting!

Dear Auntie:
I’ve tried to talk to my boyfriend about my values, and how important it is to me in a committed relationship that we remain faithful to each other, emotionally, as well as sexually, but the discussion seems to be making him uncomfortable. I’ve been cheated on before, and it broke my heart. I don’t want it to happen again, so I need to know before I get too far down the road that we are on the same page. Please, how do I get through to him?
Signed
Never again

Shawn Atleo is optimistic that a majority Conservative government will mean long-range planning to tackle issues that face First Nations.

“Now it’s about us getting back to business,” said Atleo, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

“We want to confirm what the prime minister committed to us in his letter back in December, to have a First Nations-Crown gathering.”

Also outlined in the letter were commitments from Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Cabinet to address inequities in the education system.

No need to wait until fall’s Aboriginal Music Manitoba Festival to get a dose of Aboriginal rock, blues, hip hop and rap. A sample taste of the festival is set to hit the city just in time for summer.

The 6th annual Aboriginal Music Manitoba Festival is on the docket for Nov. 1 to 5, but organizers have planned an Aboriginal Music Week 2011 Warm-Up Weekend that will feature two nights of performances June 17 and June 18.

Members of the Iroquois Nationals have been assured they will be allowed to travel to the Czech Republic on their Haudenosaunee passports later this month to compete in the world indoor (box) lacrosse championships.

Yet team members, who are from both the United States and Canada, are still somewhat skeptical and have adopted a wait-and-see attitude on whether this will indeed happen.

The world tournament, which is being held in Prague, begins May 21 and continues until May 28.

They still had to perform once they were on the ice, but Courage Bear, the manager of Saskatchewan’s female and male entries at this year’s National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC), believes both teams were successful this year in large part because of what they did before the tournament even started.

Both Saskatchewan clubs captured gold medals in their categories at the NAHC, which concluded April 30 in Saskatoon.

Artist—Derek Miller with Double Trouble
Song—Stoned for Days
Album—Derek Miller with Double Trouble
Label—Independent