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The Spawn on Kelp Operators Association (SOKOA) plans to launch its Gold Komochi Konbu brand for British Columbia's spawn on kelp industry at the Listel Vancouver Hotel on Jan. 31.

Japan is the foremost market for spawn on kelp, but demand is rapidly increasing in British Columbia and in Los Angeles, Hawaii and New York.

It's the result of First Nations' enterprise that the delicacy comes to the table in this part of the world.

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Sandy Scofield would have loved to be in attendance to accept a pair of Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards that she won.

But the Vancouver resident was unable to show up for the awards ceremony, held on Nov. 28 in Toronto. That's because at the time Scofield was in Australia as part of a month-long cultural exchange. She was one of seven British Columbia-based Aboriginal people who took part in the exchange.

"You can't have everything," said Scofield, who is Metis, when she found out she had won a pair of awards a day after the Toronto show.

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Carole James became the first Aboriginal leader of a major provincial political party when she was chosen to lead the B.C. New Democratic Party recently.

With little prior political experience, the Metis mother of two adult children is out on the road trying to rebuild a party soundly defeated by the Liberal Party in 2001.

James talked to Raven's Eye about her priorities regarding Aboriginal and other issues.

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The greyness of a typical rainy winter day in Vancouver quickly dissipates after one tastes a fresh piece of bannock offered at a little shop in the city's downtown.

As owner of a new business amid the corporate coffee-selling competition, Darryl Alexcee hopes to perk up the java-crazed west end. Darryl's Coffee and Native Art Shop offers more than just a shot of caffeine-induced warmth. His customers are invited to relax and admire a variety of crafts and prints displayed within the cozy 50-square-metre setting.

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Just a few months after he was appointed chief of staff of the Assembly of First Nations, Manny Jules resigned.

He was conspicuously absent from the chiefs' meeting on Dec. 9, the opening day of the Confederacy of Nations in Ottawa. It turned out there was very good reason for his absence.

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Evidence of an old Katzie First Nation village has forced TransLink, the provincial Crown corporation that manages transportation in the Lower Mainland, to reroute a section of a road it is building to service a new bridge across the Fraser River.

Archeologists stumbled on the site located near 203 Street in Maple Ridge while conducting an environmental impact assessment.

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Two British Columbians are among the 14 recipients of this year's National Aboriginal Achievement Award.

Chief Clarence Louie of the Osoyoos Indian Band received an award in the Community Development category and artist Susan Point was awarded the Arts and Culture prize.

Louis has been chief of his nation since 1985. He has consistently prioritized economic development to raise the standard of living of his people and take care of the band's health, educational and social needs.

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Now in its 21st year, Native Earth Performing Arts Inc. will soon present the final play of the organization's performance season. The Artshow, written by Alanis King and directed by Paul Thompson, will run from Feb. 26 to March 14 at the Artsword Theatre in Toronto.

"The Artshow is basically the life of Daphne Odjig, who is a renowned Ottawa painter," said Yvette Nolan, managing artistic director for Native Earth. It tells Odjig's story "through the imagining of the creative life of the Odawa artist."

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While the Locust Slept

-a memoir

By Peter Razor

Minnesoa Historical

Society Press

200 pages hc

$19.95 U.S.

It's not just another boarding school story, this book by Peter Razor. As a ward of the state of Minnesota, Razor truly lived it. He tells his survival story authentically, movingly, without any trace of self-pity. It is honest and it flows.

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"We are resilient as a weed and beautiful as a wildflower. We have much to celebrate and be proud of." With these words, Metis artist Christi Belcourt introduces her first solo exhibit in a public art gallery.

Walking into the Lessons from the Earth exhibition at Thunder Bay Art Gallery, one is greeted by large pieces that look for all the world like fine beadwork. Instead, they are acrylic paintings with floral themes.