Bloods back Lubicon

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The Blood Indian band located at Standoff in southern Alberta has endorsed the Lubicon Lake band's boycott of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games.

The band is the second southern band to back the Lubicons, offering support to the small Cree band just two weeks after the Peigan band joined the boycott.

Council member Andy Black Water said the Blood band decided to join the boycott during the recent Elders' conference held near Edmonton. During the conference, said Black Water, the band disputed Sykes Powderface's claim that Native participation in the Olympics had the full support of the Treaty 7 bands. In fact, Black Water said the band had never supported the Olympics.

Powderface, a Stoney band member, the Native liaison coordinator of the Games scheduled to being Feb. 13 in Calgary.

Recently, the Blood band-controlled construction company Kainai Industries' tender for a $25,000 building contract for the Games was not successful due to failure to comply with regulations. However, Kainai did receive a $2 million housing contract earlier this year to supply media housing at the Canmore and Mount Royal villages.

At press time Blood Chief Roy Fox could not be contacted for comment.