Perserverance and triumph was experienced by many

The first Métis Cultural Centre in Canada opened in 1984. Its founder, Dr. Anne Anderson, taught Cree classes to the community from the new and improved location in west Edmonton, which also contained a library and other artifacts of the Métis history. She had already written about 40 books aimed at perpetuating the Cree language, and at the time of her death in 1997 when she was 90 years old, that number exceeded 100. This also included a history book about the Métis people and a Cree dictionary.
Ermineskin band member and prominent lawyer Willie Littlechild was named Indian Businessman of the Year by the National Indian Businessman's Association. Working from his Hobbema office an hour's drive south of Edmonton, Littlechild also owned a business management company in the community and a travel agency in Wetaskiwin, as well as serving as a director on the boards of Peace Hills Trust and Venture Capital Corporation.
Digging began that summer at Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo-Jump, located in southern Alberta near Fort Macleod. The site had been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site a few years earlier and was attracting tourists and scholars from around the world. The sophistication that the First Peoples needed, to organize the herding of the buffalo and the harvesting of their main source of food and clothing, has been well documented and much appreciated. A team from the Archaeological Society of Alberta had suggested the buffalo jump was used for at least 6,000 years and it was hoped that further digging would determine more about the life of prehistoric plains peoples. Today an amazing interpretive centre tells the story to hundreds of visitors each year.
The Alexander First Nation established control in 1981 of the teaching in its schools, and by 1984 the success of the Anise method was so effective that a film was made showing the holistic program's success.
While the Alberta Education curriculum was still followed, the concern was for the individual child's personal development. Cree was included in the classroom, and teaching of legends by Elders was incorporated. This greatly increased the attendance and graduation rate in the Edmonton-area community. The film was viewed by other cultural groups as well, including a showing at a conference in New Delhi, India.
Dialogue was ongoing in 1984 concerning the federal government's anti-discrimination legislation that would recognize the lost rights of Aboriginal women who had married non-Aboriginal men. Band councils feared that the increase in women and their families who regained their status would flood the already-crowded communities, severely taxing the housing and social services, as the government had made no provision for this obvious result of the legislation if passed.
A true story of human courage was observed when Richard Paul, a member of the Alexis First Nation, who had been struck down by a blood clot to the brain, showed the world that he could rise above his disabilities. Doctors had worked frantically to save the 27-year-old, and when he pulled through, he was left with only partial use of his upper body and required the use of a wheelchair to get around. Unfazed, by 1984 he was enrolled in college courses and keeping up to an exhaustive exercise regime in order to continue his life as best he could.
Muriel Stanley Venne was honoured by Native Outreach for her commitment to improving employment opportunities for Aboriginal people in Alberta. The Métis woman had been appointed as one of the first seven commissioners of the Alberta Human Rights Commission in 1973. She went on to establish a solid reputation for dealing with human rights and social justice issues, founding the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women. The mother of four has been honoured by the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, the Métis Women of Alberta, Alberta Human Rights, and Native Counselling Services of Alberta, to name just a few, and continues to be active in the province today.
Calgary-born Douglas Cardinal was in the news, as the Aboriginal architect chosen from among 80 others to design the new national museum in Ottawa-Hull, known today as the Canadian Museum of Civilization. He practiced in Edmonton for 18 years, designing the Grande Prairie Regional College and St. Mary's Church in Red Deer, among other exciting ventures, before moving his practice to Ottawa in 1985, and has since been involved in projects worldwide.
In the sports world, John Chabot got his first taste of NHL action in 1983-84, playing 56 games with the Montreal Canadiens before going on to impressive stints with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings, European teams, and a successful coaching career. Chabot's parents were from the Riviere Desert First Nation in Ontario and lived in various locations throughout Canada, following his father's years in the Air Force. But no matter where they were located, a skating rink was always found in the back yard where the young centre learned his skills.
At the University of Alberta campus, Aboriginal high school students from around the province travelled to celebrate Native Awareness Days and to become familiar with the sprawling campus. Current students met with the prospective scholars to encourage them to consider the university for post-secondary training. Jo Ann Daniels, vice president of the Métis Association of Alberta, inspired the students in an afternoon address, and approximately 400 people joined in a pow wow later that day. Services for Aboriginal students were not as plentiful as they are today, and many of the successful graduates of First Nations ancestry were present and recognized for their perseverance. Earlier in the year, the U of A had approved the establishment of a School of Native Studies.
Blue Quills College announced a new Trades School and Health Sciences Centre, with construction starting in the summer. Located near Athabasca in east-central Alberta, the school's announcement coincided with the 14th anniversary of the takeover of the institution by the Aboriginal people of the area. Students who attended and went on to further post-secondary programs or found employment following their courses were in attendance to share their success stories.
The Aboriginal Veterans Society of Alberta held inaugural meetings throughout the year, with President Vic L'Hirondelle stating that membership in the non-political society was open to all Aboriginal people who served in world wars, as well as in the militia or peace time duties. The Society started off with 38 members, and its goals were to remember and recognize the sacrifices of Métis, First Nations and Inuit soldiers, and to get federal government support for its activities. Along with other groups, the Society lobbied for financial recognition of their services and for a monument dedicated to the memory of Aboriginal soldiers, which was unveiled in September of 2003 on the Alberta Legislature grounds.
At Edmonton's Friendship Centre, staffers Georgina Donald and Gordon Russell were busy ensuring the building was accessible to members with disabilities. Operating out of the former Wesley United Church at 117th Street and 102nd Avenue, the design was not physically convenient for those with limited mobility who wished to take advantage of its many services and programs.
In government matters, Premier Lougheed was criticized by NDP leader Grant Notley for stalling on the settlement with the Lubicon Lake band over oil and gas royalties. The First Nations community, located near Peace River, was in land claim negations at the time. Lougheed stated that his government was working to ensure non-status and Métis people in the area were not forgotten in any upcoming settlement.
Manitoba's Métis were on the move too, as residents of the community of Camperville bravely set up their own government. Assisted by the Manitoba Métis Federation, the representatives had received positive feedback from provincial deputy minister of northern affairs whose department is responsible for about 50 Métis communities.
And in an inspiring reminiscence of the past, trapper and Elder Felix Laboucan related how satisfying life was at Little Buffalo near Peace River, while he was growing up. He stated that his family needed to buy only tea, sugar and tobacco, as everything else was obtained from the land by hunting, fishing and trapping. But with oil and gas industry development reshaping the area, he and many others were being forced to be content with their memories and to share with the young people so they were not forgotten. Together they were looking ahead to a new year and to another way of life as 1984 drew to a close.