Lubicon band receives award

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Lubicon Lake Chief Bernard Ominayak arrived in New York this week to receive an award on behalf of his band for their stand against the government on their 47-year-old land claim

The Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization Inc. will be holding an awards dinner as part of a 20th anniversary celebration Saturday Dec. 5. During this dinner Ominayak will receive a plaque for the band's long struggle against the government announced executive director Lucius Walker.

Walker says that the Lubicon's struggle counters the myth that in the "current climate of conservatism, poor people cannot fight back and hope to win."

The ecumenical foundation says it has raised more than $15 million for community projects all over the would and more recently helped to organize the Spokane relief caravan that travelled to the band's home in Little Buffalo in April 1985.

Meanwhile, in Alberta the band received further support for its boycott of the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympic Games from well-known Metis Elder Dr. Anne Anderson and the Peigan band.

In an interview from his Calgary office Olympic Native Liaison coordinator, Sykes Powderface said he felt the Peigan band, was being "pragmatic."

"You have to remember that there is a lot of pressure on the chiefs. You can't blame them for wanting to get involved in the economic benefits of the Olympics."

Powderface points to his own tribe, the Stoney band which is hosting a powwow for the Olympics as particularly in need of economic development.

"What is the chief (John Snow) supposed to do. Are we supposed to live on welfare," he said.

Powderface pointed out that the president of the Treaty 7 Development Corporation, Norman Greer, is a Peigan band member but "still is involved in the Olympics which will benefit his own band and the other Treaty 7 bands."

At press time, several media carried a story that the Blood band had also announced its support of the boycott. However, when acting chief Bernard Tallman was contacted in Standoff, he would neither deny nor confirm the rumor.

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