Windspeaker

Windspeaker: What one quality do you most value in a friend?
MAL: Integrity.

W: What is it that really makes you mad?
MAL: Feeling useless. It can be frustrating being in film, because sometimes I doubt myself if I don’t have the latest and greatest equipment. You just have to get over that and shoot something.

W: When are you at your happiest?
MAL: I’m happiest when I finish a film and complete that loop. Film can take a long time from concept to distribution, so I work on other projects as a cinematographer or editor. I’m healthy and happy as long as I’m busy and especially if I’m helping someone else.

W: What one word best describes you when you are at your worst?
MAL: Apathetic.

W: What one person do you most admire and why?
MAL: My wife. She is always encouraging and supporting others, including me, while accomplishing her own projects.

Author and historian sought to set the record straight on Aboriginal peoples

“It came as an absolute surprise,” said Sandra Laronde, when asked about her nomination for an honorary degree at Trent University’s upcoming graduation ceremony June 1.

Laronde, who is Teme-Augama Anishnabe of the Temagami Nation in Ontario, said she is doubly honored to be one of five distinguished Canadians selected for this degree, and to give the keynote speech to the graduating class.

Although a graduate of the University of Toronto, Laronde said “I have developed a special affinity to Trent University because of its Aboriginal programs.”

Trent is the first university in North America to establish a department dedicated to Aboriginal people. It began with Indian-Eskimo studies in 1969 and evolved into the Department of Indigenous Studies in 2006. This department includes not only a PhD program, but innovative and trail blazing programs for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.

Lance Cardinal welcomed Windspeaker into the Aboriginal Gathering Place at Emily Carr University in Vancouver to have a look at his model of the classic Muppet Theatre, complete with Muppet models, a secret door and a red, draping curtain that actually opens with the pull of a golden rope.

Cardinal, 35, is from the Bigstone Cree Nation at the Calling Lake reserve in Alberta. He built the model Muppet Theatre over many weeks, and he became a bit of an Internet sensation when he put pictures of the work online at lancecardinal.blogspot.com

The Muppet Show ran for five seasons, starting in 1976. It featured a vaudevillian-style show with sketches completely acted by Muppets, a puppet creation by the Jim Henson Company.

When he was growing up Cardinal had access to only one channel, CBC. He loyally watched the Muppet Show on CBC every week.

The University of Manitoba opened its campus up to showcase three extraordinary Aboriginal sculptures this month that represent core Inuit, First Nation and Métis culture.

In an effort to have more Aboriginal representation on campus, the university sent out a call nationally for art proposals and selected three professional artists to accomplish the work.

“The sculptures are beautiful and help Indigenize the campus by having something visibly identifiable as Aboriginal centrally located on campus,” Kali Storm, Aboriginal Student Centre director, told Windspeaker.

On April 4, the sculptures were unveiled on the eastern side of the Aboriginal House and a ceremony helped to celebrate the artists, culture and story behind the work.
“The statues are symbolic of the Métis, First Nations and Inuit communities who call this place home,” she said.

Lyndon Suvanto had no idea how much a sport would dominate his life when he was introduced to team handball five years ago.

Suvanto agreed to try out the sport only because his brother’s high school squad was searching for a goalie.
It didn’t take long, however, for Suvanto to make a name for himself with his Onoway High School team.

As it turned out he had a natural knack for playing goal in the sport and he quickly progressed up the ranks to compete at provincial and national levels.

“I never expected to get where I am now,” said Suvanto, a 19-year-old Métis.

Suvanto is currently a member of the national junior men’s squad. That club travelled to Brazil to compete in the Pan American junior men’s tournament, which ran from April 15 to 23.

Besides the national team, Suvanto also toils for four other handball teams, including Alberta’s under-21 club.

Members of Akwesasne’s minor professional hockey team can now officially be called champions.

The Akwesasne Warriors captured the inaugural Federal Hockey League (FHL) championship title on March 26 with a 5-2 victory against the visiting New York Aviators.
With that triumph, the Warriors, who play their home games on the Canadian side of the Ontario/New York border Mohawk community, defeated the Aviators 3-1 in their best-of-five championship series.

Akwesasne was the only Canadian squad in the six-team FHL this season. The league also featured four clubs from the state of New York and one from Connecticut.
Warriors’ president/general manager Basem Awwad was confident his club was capable of winning the FHL title.

“We pretty much had hand-picked previous champions,” he said. “We picked our team from guys that knew how to win.”

Bossy Ducharme from Duck Bay, Man. had a vision, and from that vision he made a change that few would consider an easy one.

For one year he will only eat pre-European-contact foods indigenous to North America before colonization brought non-native plants and food sources to this county.

Why is he doing this? He says what began as a year-long documentary film project turned into a spiritual journey.
“The catalyst to this documentary was the startling statistics of high diabetes rates, over representation in the prison system and higher teen suicide rates in Aboriginal youth,” said Ducharme.

Event helps reward
Family and friends of a pair of Aboriginal teenagers that were last seen in Quebec three years ago are organizing a run/walk to raise funds for the reward to help find the girls. Maisy Odjick and Shannon Alexander were 16 and 17, respectively, when they were last seen in early September of 2008 in Maniwaki, Que. So far more than $16,000 has been raised for a reward to help find the pair. Further awareness about the girls’ disappearance will be raised thanks to the KZ Run/Walk for Maisy and Shannon that will be staged June 19 at the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, a small Algonquin community in Quebec. A Web site, www.findmaisyandshannon.com, has also been set up to detail the case. The Web site also provides all registration details for the walk/run. Participants, who can walk or run the courses, can choose one of three distances to enter; two kilometres, 5K or 10K.

A FISHING STRATEGY FOR 27
First Nations across northeastern Ontario will be developed by the Waubetek Business Development Corporation on Manitoulin Island. The Whitefish River-based organization received more than $44,000 from FedNor, a regional development organization, and will use it to enhance First Nations involvement in commercial fisheries, aquaculture, fish processing, and related industries. The long-term strategic plan for fisheries will outline steps to enhance business capabilities and identify new business ventures, as well as value-added opportunities. “This comprehensive strategy will help us to lay the groundwork for strategic alliances, opening doors to markets,” said Waubetek chair Martin Bayer. Funding for the project flowed through the Northern Ontario Development Program, which funds projects focused on economic development, business growth, and innovation.

One of the largest ever contracts awarded by BC Hydro to a First Nations has been given to Sexqeltkemc of the Secwepemc (Shuswap) Nation.

As part of the regeneration program to meet British Columbia’s growing need for electricity, BC Hydro announced that Horizon North Camps and Catering Partnership will develop a temporary “home away from home” for about 250 contractor employees involved in the Mica Units 5 & 6 project.

Horizon North Camps and Catering Partnership is a limited partnership with the Sexqeltkemc of the Secwepemc Nation, also known as the Lakes Division, which consists of the Adams Lake, Neskonlith and Splatsin. Specializing in the construction and servicing of remote work camps, Horizon North Camps has its B.C. headquarters in Kamloops.

Artist—Colette Trudeau
Song—Freeze
Album—Colette Trudeau
Label—Independent

DEAR  AUNTIE COLUMN

Indigenous communities in the United States have the highest rate of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome [SIDS], according to information collected by the National Institute of Health in the U.S.

And in Canada the situation is the same.

The data, which was presented at the 4th International Meeting on Indigenous Child Health this March in Vancouver, states that in the US SIDS is two to four times more likely to occur in American Indian and Alaska Native [AI/AN] communities.

This makes it the leading cause of death in infants between one month and one year of age. The highest rates of SIDS was noted in the northernmost Indigenous communities of Alaska and those that border Canada.

A new approach to crime prevention is expected to have a positive impact in the city that is home to the second largest urban Aboriginal population in the country.

“We’re learning how to better engage the Aboriginal community in crime prevention in a cultural context, and that’s what’s important about this in terms of the initiative,” said Kate Gunn, executive director for the REACH Council for Safe Communities. “This is hugely significant. No where else in Canada is there an initiative quite like this.”

REACH Aboriginal Leadership Circle was launched on April 14 in a special ceremony at Edmonton City Hall. The celebration included a smudging by Elder Francis Whiskeyjack, drumming and fiddling, and ended with a round dance that included Mayor Stephen Mandel.

Mandel said embracing Aboriginal culture is what will make REACH effective as a crime prevention strategy.

When we hear the name Jane Goodall, most of us think of a woman who studied chimpanzees for 45 years.
First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth can say, however, that the name stands for much more.

Jane Goodall started the Roots & Shoots program for youth in 1991 after being approached by a group of 16 teenagers in Tanzania eager to discuss with her a range of problems that caused them deep concern in their communities.

The Roots & Shoots organization has grown to more than 100,000 groups in over 100 countries. In 2009 Jane Goodall and then-Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine, announced the start of a pilot project of Roots & Shoots for Aboriginal youth. This program would be reflective of Aboriginal culture and beliefs.

ASSEMBLY OF FIRST NATIONS (AFN)

Aboriginal artist Daphne Odjig of Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve on Manitoulin Island, Ont. now has the honor of having her paintings published as a series of postage stamps.

Canada Post announced Feb. 21 the unveiling of three stamps, each showing a different painting created by the artist.

The three paintings displayed on the stamps are entitled Spiritual Renewal (1984), Pow-wow Dancer (1978), and Pow-wow (1969).

“Canada Post is proud to add the work of this respected Canadian artist to our Art Canada series,” said Jim Philips, director of Stamp Services at Canada Post.
“Daphne Odjig’s colorful palette evokes strength and power.”

The province of Alberta, through its Sustainable Resource department, released a draft plan on April 5 that will guide development in the Lower Athabasca region of northern Alberta.

First Nations and environmental organizations say, however, that despite their best efforts to provide input into the plan, their voices have gone unheard.

Melody Lepine, director of government and industry relations with the Mikisew Cree First Nation, said her northern band is concerned about the lack of protection for woodland caribou found in the Lower Athabasca Regional draft plan (LARP).

She said First Nations recommended that 40 per cent of the region be classified as protected area. The draft plan has designated only 16 per cent as protected.

First Nations leaders will start taking action of their own, if the federal and provincial governments don’t do something about the flooding that plagues First Nations communities each year.

Nearly 200 people, including Grand Chief Morris J. Swan-Shannacappo of the Manitoba Southern Chiefs Organization (SCO) and Chief Adrian Sinclair of Interlake First Nation of Lake St. Martin, rallied at the downtown Winnipeg office of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada on April 12 demanding permanent action be taken on flooding concerns. The protestors moved to the Legislature in the afternoon.

Lake St. Martin is one of more than a dozen First Nations in the southern parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan that had to evacuate residents from homes or declare states of emergency in April.