The work of 15 Aboriginal artists from across Canada has been unveiled, chosen to be on display at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, and then auctioned off to raise money for the Aboriginal Youth Legacy Fund.

It’s an unusual project, sponsored by Coca-Cola. The artists used the contour of a supersized bottle as their canvas.

The one-of-a-kind bottles were unveiled along the route of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay between November and February.

Nk’Mip Cellars, an awardwinning, world-class vineyard
owned and operated by the Osoyoos Indian Band, has partnered with Kanata Cuisine and the BC Aboriginal Culinary Team to provide a gourmet Aboriginal dining experience during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

The event takes place at the Native Education College’s Longhouse located at 285 East 5th Ave. in Vancouver, near the trendy Main St. district.

The Longhouse is a place of positive energy, teaching and sharing, and it is considered the perfect venue to host this unique opportunity highlighting Aboriginal cuisine.

Former Chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN), Lawrence Joseph, is unfazed by criticisms thrown in his direction by MP Rob Clarke, in regards to the highly debated issue of the First Nations University of Canada (FNUC). Both men are not afraid to get dirty as they compete to represent Desenthe-Missinippi-Churchill River in the next federal election.

“If he’s going to throw mud, let him throw it,” said Joseph, who referred to an editorial written by Clarke for The StarPhoenix on April 22.

The Indigenous Peoples Program (IPP) operates through the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) to conduct Aboriginal Youth Leadership Training Retreats based on Arts and Culture.

The retreats are separated into Iskwewak (Cree for women) and Napewak (Cree for men) youth retreats with the main focus on leadership, self-esteem, drama, active participation and cultural topics.

“It allows concerns of both females and males to be addressed in a comfortable environment,” said Alex Munoz, IPP Program Manager.

Three communities in northern Saskatchewan are receiving a $300,000 boost from Health Canada’s Aboriginal Health Transition Fund (AHTF) to aid the Ministry of Health and the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan(MN-S) in developing a youth suicide prevention project.

An Aboriginal soccer team in Saskatoon is doing everything they can to scrape together almost $100,000 in order to attend an international soccer tournament in Europe.

Charity golf tournaments, coin drives and sponsor requests are all on the agenda for ‘Native Sons First Nations United’ soccer team, as they work towards their goal of raising $90,000 to attend The World Youth Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden.

An old light green truck drives along a dirt road on the Saskatchewan prairies, as a narrator – a young Native girl – describes her conflicted relationship with her mother.

This was the opening scene of ‘Run’, a film telling the story of a young Native teen called Ashley Littletent, who spends the summer with her grandparents while her lawyer mother takes a trip to Chicago.

An old light green truck drives along a dirt road on the Saskatchewan prairies, as a narrator – a young Native girl – describes her conflicted relationship with her mother.

This was the opening scene of ‘Run’, a film telling the story of a young Native teen called Ashley Littletent, who spends the summer with her grandparents while her lawyer mother takes a trip to Chicago.

A man from Pinehouse Lake is hoping to break the cycle of pain that has come from his father’s time in residential schools by learning to forgive. It’s a long journey, but one he is determined to complete one step at a time.

Dale Smith, 42, began walking from Pinehouse Lake in northern Saskatchewan on March 23 in order to begin what he referred to as his personal journey to forgiveness. The goal is to travel to Regina then on to his final destination of Ottawa, Ontario, almost 3000-kilometers away.

A bit of history was made early on at this year’s Saskatchewan First Nations Winter Games.
This year’s Games ran March 5-10 in Saskatoon, attracting approximately 3,500 athletes from across the province.