Edmonton Briefs - August

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Throat singing part of Folk Fest

Nunavut throat singers Celina Kalluk (left) and Tanya Tagaq keep the rhythm as they deliver the goods at the 2010 Edmonton Folk Festival on Aug. 6. The cousins performed at the five-day festival held at Gallagher Park in downtown Edmonton.

City alderman won’t seek re-election
A strong proponent for Edmonton’s Aboriginal population will not be seeking re-election on city council. Alderman Ron Hayter,73, who has served for 33 years, announced last month that he will not be running in the next municipal election. The Ward 2 councillor served two separate terms for the city, returning in 2001 with one of his goals to provide greater recognition of Edmonton’s Aboriginal population. Hayter negotiated the declaration “strengthening relations between the City of Edmonton and urban Aboriginals,” a ground setting accord in Canada. Mayor Stephen Mandel told the Edmonton Journal, “(Hayter’s) great leadership on the city’s need to understand the Aboriginal community is one of his wonderful contributions. It would not have been done without Ron. It’s his passion about the issue that helped achieve it.”

Provincial minister given Cree name

Alberta Health and Wellness minister and former Aboriginal Affairs minister Gene Zwozdesky was given the Cree name of “Walking Wolf” in a special ceremony held at the Poundmaker Nechi powwow in St. Albert last month. Said Nechi spokesperson Josie Auger, “We felt a ceremony and honour with a headdress would also be worthy of his title and the significant contributions that he had on Aboriginal people.” Auger noted that Nechi had a long history with Alberta Health and Wellness. In 2008, Zwozdesky received the Blackfoot name of “Running Wolf” from the Blood Tribe. Said Auger, “We wanted to provide a name to him as well from a Cree perspective.”

Bissell Centre continues 100 year celebrations

The Bissell Centre hosted a Block Party of the Century last month with food and special entertainment near the centre’s west building location in downtown Edmonton. Asani and RB5 were among the groups to perform and entertainers from the International Street Performers Festival also wowed the crowd. The Bissell Centre is a community resource centre in the inner city. The centre works to provide supports for individuals and families living in poverty. Bissell Centre has been in operation since 1910.

Boyle Street screens Older Than America

The screening of Georgina Lightning’s Older Than America last monthy was followed by a workshop on Indian residential schools and the Resolution Health Support Program. Lightning, who grew up on the Samson First Nation, wrote, directed and starred in Older Than America, which tackles the issue of abuse of more than 100,000 Aboriginals, who were taken from their parents and shipped off to boarding schools in the US as early as 1869 under President Ulysses S. Grant’s “Peace Policy.” After the screening of the film, the Boyle Street Co-operative provided resolution health support workers to help residential school survivors with the application process as well as hosted discussions on cultural healing and the intergenerational effects of residential schools on family and youth.

Heritage Days celebrations

The Aboriginal pavilion, hosted by the Canadian Native Friendship Centre, was one of approximately 60 booths at the Heritage Day celebrations at Hawrelak Park, July 31-Aug. 2. CNFC has hosted the pavilion since 1979 and has collected numerous accolades including winning several most authentic pavilion awards, hosting world famous traditional dancers. This year, the pavilion introduced cultural awareness, education, and sharing of Aboriginal traditions. It included community partnerships, and an expanded program in entertainment, foods, arts and crafts; and an educational component offered within a Tipi Village. Visitors also got a taste of Aboriginal fare, which included buffalo skewers, berries with bannock stick, and fried bread.

Compiled by Shari Narine