Albertans make the grade

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Two Albertans have been named among 14 people to receive National Aboriginal Achievement Awards at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on March 28.

Oilman Mel Benson is a member of the Beaver Lake First Nation and will be recognized in business and commerce category.

"Mel Benson, he's the most successful Aboriginal person ever to work in the oil and gas industry," said John Kim Bell, executive producer of the awards show. "He ran all of Imperial Oil's oilfields at Drayton Valley. He was in charge of 1,200 oil wells, eight natural gas plants, he had hundreds of employees under his management...then he was hired to install a $4-billion pipeline in Africa. So as a business leader and an entrepreneur, it's hard to get bigger than those numbers."

Benson said he was "absolutely thrilled" to find out he was going to receive the award.

"I felt deeply honored and quite humble....I was so pleased because it's your own people that are making the choice. Most importantly, I think, what it means is that we can tell as Aboriginal people some positive things about each other. Because we hear so much negative all the time, and society, including our own people, tend to dwell on that."

Leroy Little Bear, a member of the Blackfoot Confederacy, is being recognized in the education category for his academic contributions.

He founded the Native American Studies Department at the University of Lethbridge where he served as chair for 21 years. He was also the founding director of Harvard University's Native American Program.

"Educating Native students was my way of making a difference," he said.

Little Bear has co-authored three books on self government and Aboriginal rights and also contributed to publications for the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and for the Assembly of First Nations. He has provided legal advice on land claims, treaties and hunting and fishing rights.

"They're all very accomplished and good people in their own right," Bell said of this year's award recipients. "All the people in their own way have a profound accomplishment and they're being recognized for them."

There have been 15 Alberta recipients since the award program started in 1993. The program is a special project of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation established in 1985 by Bell.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the achievement awards that Mohawk conductor Bell created to recognize the achievements of Aboriginal professionals.

"In our community, you know, we were so critical of each other, and there are so many good people out there who are participating in all walks of life, and we just don't honor them. We don't congratulate them. We don't support them. I think that the achievement awards, hopefully, are the beginning of a trend where instead of criticizing people who do well, they are applauded and embraced, and supported and recognized," Bell said.

The foundation provides financial assistance to Aboriginal students. It has awarded $2 million in individual scholarships this year and $14 million since its start. The NAAF organizes two career fairs annually-Blueprint For The Future-to introduce students from grades 10 to 12 to potential careers.

The other National Aboriginal Achievement Award's 2003 recipients include Saskatchewan Metis fiddler John Arcand in the arts and culture category; Winnipeg physician Dr. Judith Bartlett in health services; University of Victoria legal scholar John Borrows in law and justice; Regina-based engineer and entrepreneur Gary Bosgoed in science and technology; Saskatoon engineering student, athlete, actor and community volunteer Matthew Dunn in the youth category; Ontario-based writer of four best-selling novels Thomas King in arts and culture; Inuvik's Edward Lennie, the creator of the Northern Games, in the heritage and spirituality category; British Columbia's fishery conservationist Chief Simon Lucas in the environment category; British Columbia Chief Sophie Pierre, the builder f the St. Eugene Mission resort, in public service; Winnipeg-based community worker and language protector Mary Richard in community development; rock legend Robbie Robertson for lifetime achievement; and Vancouver-based physician and AIDS researcher and advocate Dr. Jay Wortman in medicine.