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The Akwesasne International Pow-wow will be held September 11th and 12th at the A'nowara'ko:wa Arena on Cornwall Island, Ontario. It is a two day event that attracts the best Native artisans, drummers and dancers from the region, including Smoke Dancers. Gates open to the public at 10:00 a.m. on both days and festivities begin with a grand entry at noon.
In Manitoba the RCMP have charged reputed Indian Posse member, Jeffrey Bruyere, with the brutal assault of a woman that took place on the Peguis First Nation reserve in July, 2009. Because the RCMP also allege that the attack was committed to further the interests of the Indian Posse gang, Jeffrey Bruyere was further charged with participation in a criminal organization.
In order to promote traffic safety, the Minister responsible for SGI Tim McMillan, announced a partnership with File Hills First Nation that would see a intoximeter (formerly referred to as a breathalyzer) and a radar gun added to their current traffic safety resources. File Hills First Nations Police Service, which polices the Little Black Bear, Okanese, Peepeekisis, Star Blanket and Carry the Kettle First Nations, is the only self-administered First Nations police service in Saskatchewan.
Some Aboriginal communities, located in northern Saskatchewan, are interested in storing nuclear waste, something even the provincial government has not yet made a decision on. Representatives from the Metis village of Pinehouse have gone to Toronto to visit the Nuclear Waste Management Organization which is looking into setting up national storage facilities. The Saskatchewan government has a policy to reserve decisions on supporting communities interested in nuclear waste management facilities until such proposals are well into the regulatory process.
CBC Saskatchewan is airing a 6-part summer series with a Prairie point of view. On August 28th, at 7:00 p.m. CBC will air "Denendeh" which looks at the cultural clash that has been going on in La Loche since the Hudson Bay opened a store there over two-hundred years ago. The CBC series so far has included "Harmony", which looks at the Truth and Reconciliation event that took place in Winnipeg; "Red Road Forward", which discusses the last Residential School at the George Gordan Reserve; and on September 4th at 7:00 p.m., the CBC series will present "Last Bannock Standing", a story about the Bionic Bannock Boys, a Regina-based Aboriginal comedy troupe, and their search for a new member.
The Caldwell First Nation has ratified a land claim settlement that will provide $105-million to buy land and set up a reserve. More than 200 years ago, at Point Pelee, members lost their traditional lands and this settlement compensates them for that loss.
On Tuesday, August 24th, 2010, the British Columbia government and the Stk'emlupsemc of the Secwepemec Nation, located near Kamloops, signed a mining agreement that will share royalties. The agreement, the first in B. C. history and perhaps the first in Canada, involves the New Afton mine, producing gold-silver-copper and set to open in 2012.
Rob Clarke, Member of Parliament for Desnethe - Missinippi, on behalf of the Honourable John Duncan, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, along with Donna Harpauer, Minister of Education for Saskatchewan, and Robert Sylvester, Chief of the Birch Narrows First Nation, unveiled a new $25-million comprehensive school on the Birch Narrows First Nation on August 17, 2010.
Completed nearly 11 weeks ahead of schedule, the project resulted in over 105,000 work hours, with local workers logging 60,000 of those hours. Birch Narrows First Nation is located approximately 580 km northwest of Saskatoon and has an estimated population of 650.
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, is scheduled to visit the women, men and youth behind the success of the La Ronge community. Her Excellency will be attending a round table discussion with representatives of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. Later a community celebration is planned where traditional fish fry will be featured as well as cultural performances.
Seven mothers and grandmothers of the Labrador Innu community of Natuashish are protesting against drug dealers in an effort to drive them out of their community. They have posted large banners on their homes that read: “Take your dirty business somewhere else.”
Madawaska First Nation anglers fishing on the Kedgwick River have been confronted several times this past summer by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans officials – reigniting the debate of native fishing rights in New Brunswick.
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010, John Duncan, the newly appointed Indian Affairs Minister, began the process of reconciliation over a program that displaced northern families in the 1950's. In his apology the Minister called the events a "dark chapter of our history". In the 1950's, in the small community of Inukjuak, the RCMP persuaded Inuit families to board a ship that would take them to Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord. A fund had previously, in 1996, been set up for families of the relocation and John Amagoalik, 6 years old at the time of the relocation, feels there is no need for further compensation.
For more information see: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, which also contains a map of the route taken for the relocation.
The City of Vancouver project that brings together Vancouver’s diverse cultural groups, that was launched in April 2010 at the UBC First Nations House of Learning, consists of a year-long series of interviews, dialogue circles, cultural exchanges, and other activities.
In response to an incident in July in which a manager told two people not to speak Mi’kmaq while on the job at the Membertou Market, the chief of Nova Scotia’s Membertou First Nation has written a memo saying everyone who works in the community has the right to speak the Mi’kmaq language at all times.
The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, other First Nation leaders, youth and elders camped in the Porcupine Provincial forest to raise awareness about aboriginal rights and the need for consultation on resource development. The peaceful occupation took place from Wednesday, August 11th to Sunday, August 15th.
On August 6, 2010 Vancouver Island North MP John Duncan was appointed as Canada's Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. Duncan was first elected to the House of Commons in 1993 and re-elected in 1997, 2000 and 2004 before losing to the NDP's Catherine Bell in 2006. He defeated Bell in the October, 2008 federal election to win the seat for a fifth time. Under leader Preston Manning, Duncan was the Reform Party's Aboriginal Affairs critic from 1994 to 1997. Then-Opposition leader Stephen Harper re-appointed him to the position with the Canadian Alliance Party in 2003. He's been parliamentary secretary to Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl since returning to office in 2008.
The Student Teachers Anti-Racism Society (STARS) works to promote anti-racism education and professional development opportunities for teacher candidates at the University of Saskatchewan in the College of Education. The STARS Anti-Racism and Indigenous Education Resource blog is an expanding compilation of educational resources designed to help teachers promote social justice issues in Saskatchewan classrooms.
First Nation University Student Association spokesman, Cadmus Delorme, and others reflected recently on the events and turmoil leading to the suspension of provincial and federal funding for the First Nations University of Canada (FNUC). The students remain hopeful that funding will continue to flow into the university, but if it's not they are prepared to pick up where they left off and fight again.
A portrait of Warwick Thornton was the people’s choice pick for Australia’s Archibald Prize for portraiture. Artist Craig Ruddy said he was inspired by Thornton’s cinematic exploration of dark topics, including Australia’s treatment of its Aboriginal population.
Agreements between Saugeen Shores and the Saugeen Ojibway nation ensure that both communities work together to bring sanitary sewers to about 400 homes, have archaeological assessments completed, and ensure that the First Nation community is consulted in how the site will be recognized and how the digging will proceed.
Metis National Council (MNC) President Clement Chartier is joining Premiers, First Nation and Inuit leaders in urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to convene a First Ministers Meeting on Aboriginal education.
Doug Cuthand, columnist for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, comments on the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Shawn Atleo's plea for increased eduction funding. Cuthand comments that, In pure financial terms, education costs money in the short term but it creates wealth in the long term.
With the federal government planning a scientific study of the sea bottom in the Baffin Island region, the Inuit are insisting that any testing of the Arctic Ocean’s seabed must proceed with great caution. The Nunavut Court of Justice is in agreement and has postponed the planned study, which could have a negative impact on the marine resources that are vital to the Inuit population.
Former Parliamentary Secretary and Member of Parliament for Vancouver Island North, John Duncan, has been named the new Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Canada, and Interlocutor for Metis and Non-Status Indians.
A new training program was unveiled in Winnipeg on Monday, August 9th for 150 aboriginal and Metis people to become licensed practical nurses. The LPN training program is focused on recruitment in isolated communities such as Cranberry Portage, Ebb and Flow First Nation, and Nelson House.
Lisa Shepherd, a Metis artisan, recognizes the importance of documenting Metis history and culture through her artwork. Shepherd designs, stitches, and beads intricate moccasins, jewellery, and garments that she has displayed at events like the Olympics and Back to Batoche.
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People will be taking place at the United Nations Headquarters on August 9, 2010. Organized by the Secretariat of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the theme will be “celebrating indigenous film making”.
On August 26-29, 2010 the International Metisfest will take place at the International Peace Gardens on the Manitoba-North Dakota border. Features fiddling, jigging, dancing and more.
The first nations community of Tl'etinqox, near Alexis Creek, British Columbia, is asking the government to take action against forest fires ravaging their community.The Chilcotin region where the band lives is surrounded by wildfires including a 5,500-hectare fire west of Alexis Creek. Three other significant fires are burning in this region, including a 5,200-hectare fire northwest of Alexis Creek, a 7,800-hectare fire southwest of Alexis Creek and a 1,000-hectare fire a little further to the southwest of Alexis Creek. The fires were caused by lightening. Approximately ninety per cent of the trees located in the Tŝilhqot’in (Chilcotin) are lodge pole pine and approximately eighty-five per cent of those trees have been attacked by the pine beetle.
On August 11 & 12, 2010 the Wavewalker Group presents, the National First Nations Leadership Conference which will take place in Enoch (Edmonton), AB at the Edmonton Marriott, River Cree Resort. Conference topics include: Governance Seminar, Aboriginal Suicide Prevention and more.
On July 28th, 2010 the United Nations General Assembly declared clean water and sanitation to be a human right. With this new international standard, AFN National Chief Shawn Atleo wants to advance the resolution by compelling Canada to work with First Nations to ensure the same quality of water and sanitation for all. Canada abstained from the vote on this resolution.
The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, on July 29, 2010, announced $110 million in funding over two years for the Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative (ADI) to continue addressing high rates of diabetes among Aboriginal people. The ADI delivers culturally-relevant programs aimed at reducing the incidence and prevalence of diabetes.
The Kawacatoose First Nation , located north of Regina, held its annual powwow over the weekend, showing its resilience after a recent tornado struck the community. Twenty one families were affected by the tornado and have had to live in local hotels until the promised transitional housing materializes.
A contract worth approximately $43 million for remediation work at the former Tundra Mine site was awarded on July 28, 2010 to a joint venture between two Aboriginal firms, Tlicho Environmental Engineering Services Ltd. and Aboriginal Engineering Ltd. The contract, which follows a competitive process, is expected to last until 2015 when the companies will conduct a full and final demobilization of the site.
The Muskeg Lake Cree Nation council has decided to close its 30 bed $2 million elder care home on August 6, 2010 due to a lack of funding. Muskeg Lake Cree Nation chief Clifford Tawpisin says the band can no longer afford to subsidize the Muskeg Lake Elder's Care Home, which employs 50 people. The Muskeg Lake Cree Nation is located 100 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.
A joint announcement by the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and the Railway Association of Canada, stated that prospective aboriginal railway conductors will have their tuition and living expenses covered by the federal government at training programs in Winnipeg, Thunder Bay and Vancouver.
