Dancers leave empty-handed

Page 21

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By all accounts the powwow advertised as the Rock Island Drum Society Residential School Memorial Competition and held at the airport hanger in Edmonton's city centre April 14 to16 was a great success. But Sunday night when prize winners and organizers should have been getting cash, they got cheques written on a closed bank account or on an account with insufficient funds.

Alfred Beaver and Martha Boskoyous were listed as contact people for the event on powwow flyers.. Beaver won't say who was on the powwow committee.

He says he alone organized the event, wrote some of the cheques and accepts the full responsibility for non-payment. He also says he is trying to get the money from an advance on his residential school settlement.

Beaver's former lawyer at First Street Law Office, Diane Goldie, says she does not give advances to residential school claimants and that only a very big law firm could afford to. Goldie also said she thought it would take at least two more years for Beaver's claim to be settled.

Goldie's assistant, Betty Pasek, said earlier, "Alfred has a (residential school) claim in, but not with us."

Beaver was in Edmonton May 9 at the Terrace Garden Hotel and said in a telephone interview he began planning the powwow and preparing packages that contained information about the powwow, a request for financial support, and his $29,000 budget, in January. He said he made multiple contacts by fax and phone to each Treaty 6 and Treaty 8 First Nation, as well as others.

Beaver said 14 First Nations, which he won't identify, told him they'd donate $37,000 by a "verbal promise." Beaver says "I depended on the word of the Aboriginal leadership, because we are so good at saying the white man speaks with a forked tongue. Well, it turns out we're also guilty of that."

Beaver says he did receive about $800 in cash, some hotel accommodation and a rug by the start of the powwow. He scaled back his budget to $19,000.

Beaver's band, Bigstone Cree First Nation, was asked to donate $5,000 and gave $500, according to executive director Charles Beaver, Alfred's nephew.

Beaver says it was a great powwow until people found out they would not get paid. Then he says their mood changed and all the joy went out of the powwow. He attributes that to "greed."

The last night of the powwow he gave out a letter prepared for him by his associate, Guyo Taylor. It expressed regret that Beaver had no money to pay powwow participants. Yet Beaver told people the money would be in the bank Monday. When the crowd became upset, Beaver claims he felt pressured, and he admits writing cheques knowing he didn't have the cash to cover them.

A list of the dance competition results, compiled by Olin Rain, shows the dancers are owed $10,850. Rain said he received a bogus cheque for $1,500 for his own share of the work.

The Edmonton Aviation Heritage Society, which rented space for the powwow, said it not only got stuck for $1,910, it was left with a big mess to clean up afterwards.

Barbara Cloney, executive secretary for the heritage society, says they usually are paid by cheque seven days in advance. This time they got a cheque the last day of the powwow. When she took the society's cheque to the bank Monday there were no funds to cover it.

Up to Sunday, "they kept assuring me that the money was coming," Cloney said. "I'm very, very, very disappointed. Plus they left me a big mess . . . . It took me almost a week to get it cleaned up." Cloney says just two people from the powwow stayed behind to help her clean Sunday night.

Shannon Awassis, who works at Feather of Hope Aboriginal AIDS Prevention Society in Edmonton, said May 8 that Beaver gave him tobacco and asked him to "help out." He adds, "I was told I would be getting a substantial amount of money as well. I got it by bounced cheque just like everybody else."

Beaver said some money was made from the craft tables and a raffle, which was used to help provide accommodation and minor expenses to Elders and people who needed the help.

Brenda O'Chiese said a $450 cheque to pay O'Chiese's daughter and three nieces was not honored by the bank.

Ray Whitstone was master of ceremonies. He says he's got a $1,500 cheque he can't cash.

Donita Strawberry, whose six-year-old daughter placed second in the Junior Girls Jingle Dress competition, says the little girl got stung for $100 in her first competition powwow.

Rock Island Drum Society is not registered as a society in the province of Alberta. No one could say who the members are.

As of May 12, no charges had been laid.