Olympic committee will appoint Native

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CALGARY - The Calgary Winter Olympics board will soon be appointing a Native board member who will have full voting power, will participate in organizing Olympic events, and will ensure Native participation will be more than just "feathers and beads" said the OCO '88 (Olympiques Calgary Olympics) volunteer chairman of the Native Peoples Committee.

In an interview in his downtown Calgary office last week, Harold Millican said he is more than happy to disband his and ad hoc committee for a permanent committee which will be formed soon to work directly with OCO's Native liaison co-ordinator, Chiniki band member Sykes Powderface.

Powderface confirmed that an announcement on the new Native board member will come within the next few weeks and added that the new member would likely be one of the seven chiefs from the Treaty 7 area.

"Right now, all the chiefs, except Blackfoot Chief Leo Youngman, are faced with elections so we are going to wait until that is out of the way," said Powderface in an interview Monday.

A workshop and "think-tank" session between OCO and various chiefs and councillors took place this week and a permanent Native committee will be formed

soon, said Powderface.

"We've still got a long way to go," he said. "And there is so much to do. But I hope to get a co-ordinating body made up of Treaty 7 band members soon."

Right now, Powderface admits, he is being inundated with requests and proposals from Native people from all parts of the province and even the North West Territories. "There will be some Inuit involvement, particularly with the crafts," he said. "But this is traditionally Indian country and most of the participation will be Indian."

OCO '88 has come under sharp criticism for its lack of what many people call "real" Native participation. Critics have complained the organization is relegating Native people to the "beads and feathers" brigade of opening and closing ceremonies. However, Powderface says this gloomy scenario is far removed from reality as efforts are currently underway in the fields of economic development, cultural participation and socio-economic participation.

"All groups want a piece of the economic pie," said Powderface. "And we are currently holding negotiations to help bands get true involvement, such as employment opportunities," he said.

Powderface is also working on a plan to hold demonstration sports, such as rodeos, on some of the reserves near Calgary.

"We also want to encourage Native volunteers. There is a training program already available for volunteers but because of the special circumstances of Native people, we are working on a subsidy program so people can be reimbursed for their time and expenses," he said.

Powderface says negotiations are currently underway with both levels of government and the Native Economic Development Program (NEDP) to help fund this and other program ideas.

"These Olympics are a great opportunity," he said. "And right now with the Indian Association of Alberta (IAA) spotlighting the problems our young people have with drugs and alcohol, I'd like to see a youth conference held here during the Olympics so our young people can see the young healthy athletes from all over the world."

In fact, Powderface is currently negotiating with gold medal winner Alwyn Morris. Morris, a native from Ontario, won a gold medal for canoe racing in the 1984 Los Angels Olympics.

"Alwyn is a great role model," said Powderface, "and he knows the pressures young people are under from their peers to get into drink and drugs."

Powderface also stressed that the Olympics won't be just an event for the wealthy as OCO will be holding tickets for handicapped Native children and children whose family cannot pay the high ticket prices.

"We're trying to involve anyone and everyone," said Powderface. "We don't want anyone left out."

Already the Calgary Native Friendship Centre has been approached to help co-ordinate urban Native people and plans to appoach other institutions and organizations are being negotiated.

"Sure, a lot of people think of Native crafts and there will indeed be plenty of opportunity for Native people to bring their crafts to the Olympics. But we are doing much more than that."

And Millican says he is fully supportive of Powderface's plans and adds that one of the reasons he got involved in OCO '88 was to help ensure someone like Powderface was hired.

"I held a number of meetings with the ad hoc committee and I realized that things would go a lot smoother if Native people were directly involved," said Millican.

"A luncheon will be held in the Calgary Native Friendship Centre to get feedback, and most of the Native people who attended agreed with this idea."

Millican added that many bands had expressed interest in the economic windfall that the Olympics could bring to their reserves.

"And it's not too late. We are currently negotiating a system of sub-contracts with a variety of companies and bands," he added.

An announcement on the OCO board member and OCO co-ordinating body is expected shortly before Christmas. Until then, Powderface says he welcomes any proposals or ideas on Native participation at his OCO office in Calgary.