SEPTEMBER 2009

FREE

VOLUME 12 - NUMBER 9

Welcome to ourBack To School IssueComing In October :Role Model IssueCPMA #40027204

SHOOTAGIRL?CharlotteJolly’sdeathwasbrutaland tragic. Police need help inlocatingherkiller.

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METISCHAMPIONTheJudgepassedawayrecentlyleavingalegacyofachievementand contributions to theMétiscommunity. - Page 7

STRONGWORDSDavid Anehakew looks back ona lifetime of accomplishmentandcontroversy.

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NEWPREZMonell Bailey was recentlyelected president of theMétisWomen’s Association.

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STUDENTUNRESTFirstNationsUniversitystudentAdamMartin sees opportunitydespite the turmoil.

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By John LagimodiereOf Eagle Feather NewsTheAboriginalMusic Festival has been a staple of

back-to-school for the past six years.Always heldin early September, the celebration of culture and

education has grown in a bigway and hasmorphed froma music festival to much more.

Alex Munoz is the driving force behind the musicfestival which is hosted by the Indigenous PeoplesProgram at the University of Saskatchewan.

From humble beginnings at Amigos Cantina, theevent now takes over TCU Place in Saskatoon for twofull days and has incorporated a career developmentelement into it. While the youth are visiting booths,Aboriginal entertainers are performing in the main hallat the top of TCU Place.

The Music Fest, with over 15 acts, including Junowinner Leela Gilday, caps off day two.

“We had over 55 schools so far today and over 1,500students, but by the end of it, we expect over 2500students,” said Munoz. “We decided to offer the careerdevelopment angle to complement the music side ofthings. These youth are going to breakouts that includehealth, the media and lots of career angles.

“Winston Wuttunee has been a real treat. He

makes the kids laugh and can really connect withthem. It is amazing to see the kid’s faces. He is anentertainer, but also an elder. So with him, it is goodfor the kids.”

Brett Lafond is one of the students brought in for theevent. From Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Lafond is atypicalGrade 12 student, trying to balance friends, schooland his passion for hockey.

“This event is alright and it shows us what to dowhenwe are done school, and themusic is cool too,” saidLafond.

“I want to focus on school and hopefully graduateand go to university. I will figure out my career later.”

The challenge for Lafond, who playsAAAhockeywith the Beardy’s Blackhawks is to balance everything.

“I try to put school first, but it is tough as we travellots with hockey.”

Torin Greyeyes was a little less excited about beingback in school.

“My favourite part of school is home time,” he saidwith a chuckle. “The music is pretty cool here.”

His pals chipped in that they love recess and gymthe best and the best part of the career fair was the candy.And when you were a kid, who didn’t love gym, candyand recess?

It’s back to the books!

Music Fest kicks off new school year

These students from Muskeg Lake Cree Nationattended the IndigenousPeoplesProgramCareerFairandMusicGala.They thought themusicwas cool andthe best part of being back to school was recess.

SEPTEMBER 2009Eagle Feather News2

By Andréa LeddingFor Eagle Feather NewsAdozen years and still growing,John Arcand’s Annual AugustFiddle Fest kept up the trend of

drawingmore andmore visitors frombothfurther afield, and closer to home.Atten-dance for the four day event was at about5,000 visitors, and 46 fiddlers and 27jiggers from acrossWestern Canada tookhome over $10 000 in prize money.

Vicki Arcand noticed an increase inday attendance.

“I hope the locals are realizing, ‘Wowhere we have access to this amazing

music’–whether they take in one eveningconcert or all four, it’s an amazing deal,”she said, chatting between duties asfiddling competitions got underway.

Thursday and Friday freeworkshopsare provided for all skill levels fromabsolute beginner to advanced – jigging,fiddling, and piano or guitar accompani-ment.

“The instructors are second to none,and they love coming here too,” Arcandsaid. And visitors came from the US andall parts of Canada, some even takingadvantage of the un-serviced camping aweek early, withwhat she described as “a

mini village” in their hay meadow.And three years into the “Raise The

Roof” campaign – to provide a permanentstructure rather than relying solely oncanvas and large tents – the Arcands arehopeful that 2010 will be the year it allhappens, with less than $40,000 to go.

“We’re getting really close – peoplehave been generous and supportive –hopefully next spring will see us puttingup that structure.”

They are doing another fundraiser onNov. 10 – a Christmas fiddle and comedyshow featuring Metro, at the WesternDevelopment Museum. Tickets are

available for $20 – much like the fiddle-fest itself, reasonably priced.

“Forty dollars for an entire weekend– including workshops, camping,children’s activities, and concerts everynight –where else can you go for that kindof deal,” musesArcand. Children 12 andunder are free of charge, and one of herfavourite parts, which others also raveabout, is the Saturday night concert –kicked off by youngsters paired withinstructors, eventually all taking the stagetogether for a finale. “That’s what it’s allabout – passing it on to the next genera-tions.”

Arcand’s Fiddle Fest just keeps getting bigger and betterBeginners get some valuable tips from the old masters of the fiddle. Everyone welcome, including Maggie Hills who is warming up her fiddle skills.

SEPTEMBER 2009 3Eagle Feather News

SEPTEMBER 2009Eagle Feather News4

Readers Forum

Those were the last words of CharlotteJolly, the latest victim of violent crime inSaskatoon.

Jolly and her friends were coming homeearly in the morning on Sept. 1 and were chal-lenged by some young men in an alley. Herfriends went to approach the men when oneperson proceeded to pull out a rifle and takea shot at them.

The men then fled. According to witnessesCharlotte Jolly confronted the men and askedthem if they were going to shoot a girl. At thattime, Jolly was shot. She died later thatmorning. She is the third murder victim inSaskatoon this year.

Jolly was 19 years old and the mother ofAlexis Jolly-Ross. Alexis is not even two yearsold. Alexis is now in the care of Charlotte’smother. A trust fund for the care of Alexis hasbeen set up at the Affinity Credit Union.

To contribute, you can go to any branchof Affinity Credit Union in Saskatchewan andquote the following account number No.

10218691.The police are still investigating thecase. If you have any information relating tothe events on the night in question, no matterhow trivial it may seem, please report it to thepolice.

The investigation continues and the coldblooded murderer must be brought to justice.The police can be reached anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

“If, under the guise of education, residential schools were tools todisconnect families, take children away from communities, language andculture, shouldn’t then education be the tool that supports the resurgenceof language, supports the reconnection of families to their culture, to theirlanguage, to their land?”

- Shawn Atleo, National Chief of the Assembly of First NationsCertainly those are wise words from the Grand Chief of the Assembly

of First Nations. Chief Atleo has hit the nail on the head. The only way that Aboriginal

people are going to take their due place in this country is if we raise oureducation levels to that of everyone else. Sadly, we are far from that.

Depending on your source, an average First Nation student on-reserveis funded anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 less per year than a studentattending school off-reserve. On-reserve, according to the AFN, gradua-tion from Grade 12 is rare, with 70 per cent of on reserve students NEVERgetting their high school diploma. The chronic under-funding leaves manyreserve schools at a disadvantage as they often watch many of their studentshop on a bus and head to the nearest town for their education.

The on-reserve schools are also at a competitive disadvantage whenit comes to recruiting teachers. Only a handful of on-reserve schools inSaskatchewan allow their teachers to be part of the Saskatchewan TeachersFederation. Being part of this union allows teachers some job security andaccess to benefits and training.

On the other hand, many on-reserve schools go with year-to-yearcontracts and with the lack of money from the federal government,programs and extra curricular activities are always threatened. This scenariois not easy to explain to teachers that you are trying to lure to yourcommunity.

The challenge of getting an education doesn’t get any easier in the cityeither. Many Aboriginal people face issues related to poverty and wind upliving in substandard housing in rougher neighbourhoods. With the lureof gangs, drugs and the party lifestyle, many kids never get a decent shotat an education, preferring often to drop out and go street.

That it is why it is so important for our province and school boards toinvest the proper amount of resources into inner city schools.

Many people were upset when the province of Saskatchewan madethe Saskatoon Catholic School board reduce in size by 15 per cent the newSt Mary’s School. This school is already a hub of the neighbourhood andwill be even more so once the new school is built in 2011, but the provin-cial government seems to be a bit shortsighted in reducing the size of theschool.

There will always be lots of kids being born in the ‘hood and they willalways need lots of services. Shortchanging the investment in an inner cityschool will cost you more in health, justice and social dollars in the longrun. We thought that politicians knew that.

Now it is on the shoulders of both the provincial and federal govern-ments to do their best to invest the correct amount of money into theeducation of First Nation and Métis youth in Saskatchewan.

Current statistics say that First Nations will take 28 years to catch upto the mainstream education levels. I am afraid we don’t have that kind oftime.

Considering the birth rates on reserve and that over half of the FirstNation population is under the age of 20, this trend can not continue

October is our role model edition and we will have profiles on youth,old people, athletes, artists and you name it. There will be a story on anavid historian who has sleuthed that fact that an historic picture has beenmisidentifying three provincial Chiefs for almost a century.

We will correct the history. Also in October, we will give you miniprofiles of every candidate who is running for the FSIN election in October.

Chronic under funding undermines education Are you

going toshoot agirl?

What’s next in Eagle Feather News

SEPTEMBER 2009 5Eagle Feather News

The political actions of the late HarryW. Daniels of Regina Beach led tothe recognition of the rights of ‘the

Métis people’ in the 1982 amendments tothe Constitution of Canada. In the 19thcentury the political actions led by LouisRiel gave rise to the recognition of Métisrights in the new Constitution of theprovince of Manitoba in 1870.

What political actions of today andtomorrow will lead to a workable under-standing of the identity of ‘the Métispeople’ and to meaningful recognition ofMétis rights?

Last month we took a glimpse at thehistory of Canadian federal policyregarding the recognition of the FirstNations. That was the first commentary ina series that will examine the issuessurrounding the challenge of identifyingand defining the Aboriginal peoples ofCanada. This month we look at the Métisside of history.

When the Government of Canadabegan to enter into Treaties with the FirstNations it did not make it its business todecide who belonged with a First Nation.Even when the federal government passedits early ‘Indian’ laws in the 19th century,it recognized as an ‘Indian’ anyone livingwith a First Nation community. So ‘white’persons could be included where theymarried into or lived with a First Nation.

Later on, about the mid-1800s, in whatis now Ontario, government officials metthe presence of many persons of mixedEuropean and First Nation parentage. In

some cases these folks lived with the FirstNations and in other cases a number of‘frontier families’ lived in separate commu-nities. Again the government took the viewthat anyone belonging to a First Nationcommunity would be recognized as an‘Indian’. But distinct communities ofpersons with‘mixed-ancestry’would not be recog-nized as Indiancommunities.

Meanwhile, inwhat is nowWestern and North-western Canada, anumber of thingshad led to the emergence of a large numberof people who identified as distinct fromboth First Nations and Canadians. Their‘mixed’ ancestry was only one factor. Mostimportant were their ways of living as partof the fur trade system, and their comingtogether to live in large communities atconvenient places along the waterways oftrade and commerce.

In addition, they had joined thebuffalo-hunting and horse culture of theGreat Plains. Moreover, they engaged inrelations of war and peace, includingtreaties, with their First Nation neighbours,thus cementing their distinct identity at thesame time as their place as an indigenouspeople. By political action they obtainedpractical recognition as a distinct peopleby both First Nations and Canadians.

Out of the political action led by Louis

Riel at Red River came the Constitution-al recognition of the rights of the Métispeople in the Manitoba Act 1870. After thestalemate, broken promises and fraud thatmake up that history, came the troubles thatended at Batoche in 1885, and the end ofthe era of freedom for the Plains Aborigi-

nal peoples. Meanwhile, the

lands promises thatwere made to theMétis in Manitobawere again repeatedin the more Westerlyregions of what isnow Saskatchewanand Alberta and the

Northwest Territories from the late 1870sand well into the 20th century. But nowpaper certificates or ‘scrip’ was substitutedfor lands. The story of the dispossession ofthe Métis is well known under the labels of‘Road Allowance People” and ‘theForgotten People’. Railway and Landscompanies made fortunes for their share-holders out of the inheritance of the Métispeople. Western fortunes that fuelledCanadian expansion have tainted histories.

The government set aside land‘reserves’ for the use of the First Nations,but generally not for Métis communities.In Alberta there are eight Métis settlementsthat originate from 12 reserves set aside inthe late 1930s by the Social Credit govern-ment.

The official reasons for giving Métispeople individual lands or scrip certificates

instead of reserves come from the racistthinking associated with the originalmeaning of the word ‘Métis’, or ‘mixed-blood’. Racist ideas suggested that Aborig-inal people were inferior to ‘Whites’ andtherefore those who were ‘part’ Aborigi-nal by parentage were somewhat lessinferior because of their ‘White’ ancestry.

The Métis scrip system is based on theidea of ‘enfranchisement’ that was set upfor First Nations in the Indian Act. Thosewho fit the model of the ‘civilized’ citizenof the day and who were seen as able toprotect their own lands in the public marketwere granted individual lands apart fromthe Indian reserve communal lands.

The scrip system applied this modelto all Métis persons. It just happened alsoto be an easy way for friends of the govern-ment to make fortunes in scrip-trading. Inthe 1950s Indian Act amendments set upa new registration system for reserveresidents and band members. Its disastrousadministration left many thousands out ofthe system. The early Métis organizationsin the West were alliances of ‘non-statusIndians’ and Métis people.

Some may believe that a Métis iden-tification or definition system can be builtat the boundary of the Indian Act registra-tion system. Its history and administrationshow conclusively that a rational systembased on the Act is not possible.

The issue of creating a rational systemto identify the Aboriginal peoples ofCanada requires some challengingpolitical action.

Métis not served well by Indian Act

We’ve often heard that in these moderntimes “education is our buffalo” andthere are many teachings this saying

offers us.Like the buffalo from the old days,

education today will help look after us. Gainingan education, whether in the trades or inacademics, will provide our young people themeans to make a good living and break thepoverty and welfare cycles that run rampant inour communities. Receiving our certificates,diplomas and degrees is also like counting coupbecause it we earned it, we beat the odds, and canlive independently with pride.

Post-secondary education is a hard roadpaved with many trials, challenges, andhardships. For students it takes a lot of willpower,skill, hard work and support from family andcommunity to succeed. It requires a lot ofpersonal sacrifice to succeed.

There are only a few sources for post-secondary student funding: family, loans,bursaries (needs based), scholarships (meritbased), and First Nations students can apply forfunding from their Bands. The Bands get theirfunds from Indian Affairs post-secondaryprogram monies, but there is never enough fundsto support all the students who apply for it. Manystudents are forced to rely on Canada StudentLoans.

When Indian students first started tricklinginto universities and colleges in the early 1900s

the only funding they could get was from thechurches but only on the condition they went intomedicine, teaching or theology. Indian Affairsdid not provide any assistance until the late1950s.

It wasn’t until the 1972 “Indian Control ofIndian Education” position paper by the NationalIndian Brotherhood that Indian Affairs createdthe Post-SecondaryEducation AssistanceProgram (PSEAP)which was adjustedeach year to accommo-date the growingnumbers of Indianstudents enteringcolleges and universi-ties.

The PSEAP funding was first seriouslycapped in the early 1980s when INAC cutfunding for off-reserve adult upgrading. WhileINAC cut off university prep support, it washappy to fund mature students to attend univer-sity who didn’t have university preparation,which basically set them up for failure. One ofthe results was that less than half the first yearstudents didn’t make it into second year.

The next cap in post-secondary fundingcame in 1988 Indian Affairs announced therestructuring of PSEAP. First Nation studentsand supporters across the country held protestsand sit-ins at INAC offices and a hunger strike

to oppose the unilateral decision of INAC tochange the PSEAP policy. But all our efforts hadlittle impact and INAC went ahead with its plan.

Students and supporters were rounded upand thrown in jail for standing up for our TreatyRight to education because we truly believed thatpost-secondary is a Treaty Right and that INAChad no right to unilaterally change our Treaty

Rights. But the federalgovernment rejectsthis interpretation.According to IndianAffairs, it onlyprovides post-secondary assistanceas a matter of socialpolicy which meansthat Indian Affairs can

change its policies whenever it feels like it. 20years later INAC wants to download its ‘socialpolicy’ to Canada Student Loans or some otheragency. It seems we are losing ground on TreatyRights protection at a time in our history whenwe have the highest number of First Nationstudents enrolling in universities.

We are fortunate that many of our peopleare going on to Masters, PhD and professionalprograms. The funding challenges for graduatestudents, however, are even more difficultbecause of the INAC guidelines and the fundingpriorities established at the Band level.

A young Anishinaabe student I know

completed a Bachelor of Arts double degree andwas accepted into the Masters of Oral Historyprogram at Columbia University in New YorkCity. His family is so proud that he was acceptedinto an Ivy League school (among the best inNorth America) and is the first, First Nationstudent person accepted into that program.

But he can’t go to Columbia this year,though, because his Band won’t sponsor him andCanada Student Loans does not support out ofcountry studies. Neither can he apply for fundingin the U.S. because he’s not a U.S. resident, andsince he does not belong to a U.S. “federallyrecognized tribe” he is also not eligible for NativeAmerican scholarships and bursaries. It’s awfulsad that his Treaty Right to education is notprotected, that INAC sees no value in sponsor-ing graduate students, and that the Band won’tsupport him.

He’s not giving up, though. The Mastersprogram in Oral History at Columbia is the onlyone of its kind in North America. The skills andknowledge he will gain from his studies therewill be of tremendous benefit in helping us allpreserve the knowledge and teachings of ourElders, especially now when so few are leftamong us.

He plans to spend the next year working asmany jobs as he can to save money and tryfundraising.

I have no doubt he will make it on his ownwith help from family and friends.

We’re losing ground on treaty right to education

SEPTEMBER 2009Eagle Feather News 6

The World Council of Elders heldits third annual International SunDance in August near Prior,

Montana. It sounded good and no doubtmany traditionalists from WesternCanada would have made their way therehad the little known event been betterpromoted.

Those who finally heard about itweren’t entirely convinced it was worthattending when they heard more aboutthe gathering and the people holding it.Woody Vaspra is the World Council ofElders founder, president and “Interna-tional Sun Dance Chief .” He claims tobe of Hawaiian descent. The MontanaSun Dance was by invitation only, afactor that upset many traditional Elderswho say ceremonies should be open toall and come without a price tag.

The World Council of Elders isdescribed on their website as a non-profit,tax-exempt, educational organization.Their stated goal is “to facilitate thegathering of the world’s wisdom keepersand to help them share their wisdomworld wide for the benefits of all people.”

The World Council website makesno mention if the gathering had thesupport and participation of the CrowNation on whose ancestral lands it washeld. There is also no mention of theKutenai, Rocky Boy Cree, NorthernCheyenne or Blackfoot Tribal Councilsnor their tribal Elders. These MontanaTribes and their Elders represent amongthe most traditional people the WorldCouncil of Elders purports to value andpromote.

The leading watchdog on spiritualfrauds exploiting Aboriginal culture isthe Internet website newagefraud.org.This Aboriginal run site uses manyAboriginal sources across North Americato share information about fraudsabusing Aboriginal culture.

Some of the posts involve some veryserious criminal abuse against womenand children by some very phony anddangerous individuals. They namenames and research dubious claims bywould-be impostors. There have beenmany attempts by the fraudsters to shutdown this site including legal action anddeath threats but the site, like theEnergizer Bunny, just keeps going andgoing. There is no condemnation of theWorld Council of Elders yet but theyremain a very carefully watched andcontroversial group.

I find New Agers to be, for the mostpart, lost children running amuck in aspiritual candy store.

Criticism is not limited to New Agewant-to-be Indians but also to Aborigi-nal exploiters of Aboriginal culture. Thenewagefraud.org site examines thespiritual misadventures of

Saskatchewan’s own LawrenceAgecoutay also known as Kaneekaneet.This individual from Pasqua First Nationis not the Lawrence Agecoutay fromCowessess. The Cowessess Agecoutayis a well-respected individual.

Kaneekaneet proclaims himself tobe, the “Seventh Generation TraditionalHead Chief of the Anishinabe Nations ofthe Great Turtle Island” … I possess foursacred pipes. I am Head Chief of theLeague of Indian Nations of NorthAmerica. I am further recognized asChief of the United Indian Nations ofNorth America.”

Modest he is not.Kaneekaneet is nuttier than a fruit

cake.He was convicted of running a

marijuana grow-op on the Pasqua FirstNation. Clinging to his medicine bundlein court he vigorously defended himselfto the bitter end. He was later imprisonedand given his background may just havea chance of making Chief of the NativeBrotherhood in whatever correctionalcenter he may still be languishing in.

The list of frauds Aboriginal orotherwise goes on and on ad nauseam.Where do these people come from?

This past month I was invited to afasting camp held in the mountains westof Vanderhoof, British Columbia hostedby the Carrier Sekani Family Services.Their land is beautiful and so are theirpeople.

My family was treated well. Wewere formally introduced at a Potlatchceremony by the Caribou Clan withwhom we sat. I was impressed by theirculture and history but I was somewhatangry when I heard how a phonymedicine man from Saskatchewan hadabused their kindness. He took a lot ofmoney from them and was, in the end,caught by police with outstandingwarrants for his arrest and in possessionof a stolen car.

I have written about this before. Hefooled a lot of people. Despite thisoutrage the Carrier Sekani people remaingood friends with the Cree, especially theCree people from Saddle Lake, Alberta.

I feel the culture blossoms best whencaring people come together with goodintentions.

They need not all be Aboriginals.My time in the mountains was time wellspent. The phony healer is gone and willnot return.

The strange world of New Agefrauds and phony Aboriginal Elders

7Eagle Feather News SEPTEMBER 2009

By John LagimodiereOf Eagle Feather NewsThe Métis Nation-Saskatchewanlost three long serving advocatesin August. Jeff Morin, a pipe

carrying Elder from Ile-a-la Crossepassed on August 11. Morin was anadvocate for residential school survivorsand a tireless champion of land claimsand Métis rights.

The long time President of Local 31in Meadow Lake, James Kennedy, alsopassed in August. He had initiated theAll-Aboriginal hockey tournament thatran in Meadow Lake for many years.

And in late August, Métis Nation-Saskatchewan Senator Roy Fosseneuvepassed away. Better known as the Judge,Fosseneuve always had a kind word foreveryone and was an advocate for Métisveterans and their families.

The Judge was faithful in ensuringthat Remembrance Day ceremonieswere honoured by the community. Hewas the former chair of the Senate wherehe worked to bring awareness of Métisspecific rights.

A traditional man, the Judge oftenperformed ceremonies for the MN-S.His funeral was held in CumberlandHouse.

Fosseneuve leaves to mourn hiseight children, his special friend, PauletteHofkamp, and several grandchildren.

The body of a Saskatchewan soldierkilled in Afghanistan has beenreturned to his home at the Big

River First Nation. More than 100 people were on hand

for the arrival of the plane bearing thebody of Sgt. Darby Morin, 25. He wasburied on Sept. 1. His funeral attractedalmost 1,000 people from around NorthAmerica. Morin, who was serving withthe U.S. Army, died in a vehicle rollover.

When he was 11 years old, Morin toldhis mother Irene he would make her proudsome day when he joined the army. Rightafter he graduated from the Big River FirstNation High School in 2003, Morin joinedthe United States Army. He spent fouryears stationed at Fort Eustis, Virginia

before being transferred to Fort Drum,New York in April of 2008.

Later that year in December, Morinwas deployed to the Charkh Districtcentre in Logar province, Afghanistan. OnAugust 22, 2009 Darby was on nightpatrol traveling on a foggy mountain roadalong the Afghanistan-Pakistan borderwhen the driver lost control of theirmilitary vehicle and it rolled. Sgt. Morindied in the accident, the immediate familywas told by the U.S. Army.

Federation of Saskatchewan IndianNations Chief Lawrence Joseph describesthe late Sgt. Morin as a hero and rolemodel.

“I want to send my deepest condo-lences to the family of Darby Morin. It’sreally sad that he leaves behind his wifeand two small children but at the sametime they can be extremely proud of hismemory and honour,” says Chief Joseph.

“Darby joined the fight for freedom.He makes us all proud for the sacrifice hemade against the war on terrorism.”

Morin and his wife, Veronica, had twosons, Christian, 3, and Blue Sky, 19months.

The Big River community is alsomourning the loss of Kyle Whitehead, aprivate in the Princess Patricia’s CanadianLight Infantry. He also died on Aug. 22when a car he was driving on the BigRiver First Nation went into a ditch androlled several times. He had been in theCanadian Army for only a year.

Fallen soldier dreamed ofmaking his mother proud

Métis Nation loses champions

SGT. DARBY MORIN

ROY FOSSENEUVE

Family and comrades were present when the body of Darby Morin came home.

SEPTEMBER 2009Eagle Feather News - Health 8

Dear Sandee,I am a single parent and I work two

jobs and as a result I am away fromhome a lot. I want to make a better lifefrom me and my daughter. I know Ishould spend more time with her but Ineed to pay the rent.

My daughter recently came homewearing a bandana and covered inbruises. I am concerned that the gangsmay have got to her. I read somewherethat gangs initiate new members withbeatings, is this true?

EmmaDear Emma,It never ceases to amaze me the

violence and rules that the kids are willingto put up with in order to join and tobelong to a gang. That is why, once theybecome a member, it is very difficult toget them out. So the obvious solution isto try to prevent their involvement in thefirst place.

This can be done by having a ZEROTOLERANCE attitude towards gangattire and gang affiliation. Keeping thechild involved in sports or other activi-ties will help to keep them occupied sothey won’t be tempted because of idletime.

Knowing where they go and who

they go with, and keeping in touch andhaving an open line of communicationwith their friends’ parents will also help.But probably the most important thingyou can do as a parent is to be educatedand know what to look for.

Many kids are intrigued by thelifestyle of thegangsters and aredrawn to them likemagnets. They willhang with themconstantly trying toprove their alle-giance. They maybe asked to commitcrimes to provethemselves.

Once they have proven themselves,they will be initiated. Once a kid gets intoa gang, over and over they are told thereis no way out.

They fear serious reprisals fromfellow gang members if a defection issuspected. Some are told they will bekilled if they try to get out.

The best advice is to stay away fromgang activities no matter what. Partici-pants have said the mere interaction ofmembers, listening to each others’problems and sharing the other trials and

tribulations today’s teens are faced withare the drawing card for them to becomea ‘banger’.

Gang members also claim to enjoythe respect or fear others exhibit aroundthem. Then, they say, the money beginsflowing, and with that comes all of the

things associatedwith materialwealth that isusually beyond thereach of theseadolescents withoutthe criminalactivity of beinginvolved in a gang.

Check yourneighborhood community centre and seeif they offer after school programs thismight help to keep your daughter busy.Reaffirm your love to her and let herknow she is the most important person inyour life.

Dear Sandee,I am in a new relationship and I

thought things were going great, butwe just had a huge fight and both ofus said some pretty hurtful things toeach other. Is it possible to fight nice?

Will the respect come back?

I am so confused right now. Shirley

Dear Shirley,All relationships go through difficult

times – it’s how you handle those timesthat makes the difference between stayingtogether and splitting up. Happy andsuccessful relationships are based onunderstanding – of yourself, your partnerand how you relate.

Talking and listening are probablythe most important skills in a relationship.There’ll always be tensions and disagree-ments, but if you can communicate well,you can overcome almost any problem.

The most successful couples arethose that make spending time together apriority. Like a plant without water, a rela-tionship without time can wither and die.You need it to share your hopes anddreams, as well as your fears and failings;to keep in touch with what’s happeningin your lives … and to have fun.

Thank you for your emails and lettersI enjoy hearing from the readers. Pleasesend your question tos.ahenakew@yahoo.ca or you can mailyour questions to Eagle Feather NewsC/O Sandee Sez PO Box 924 StationMain Saskatoon S7K 3M4

Zero tolerance best defence against gangs

In 1990, the Federation of SaskatchewanIndian Nations’ (FSIN) Chiefs-in-Assembly ratified the IndianChild and Family Services Act (amended 1994). This piece oflegislation was the collective effort of the First Nations Chiefsacross Saskatchewan to assert their jurisdiction over First Nationschildren, and to address the high number of First Nations chil-dren who were in the care of the province’s child welfare agen-cies. Later that same year, Touchwood Agency Indian and ChildFamily Services opened its doors in Saskatchewan, the first of 17such agencies that deal with First Nations children on reserve.

This Act was the first step on a long and bumpy road to-wards total jurisdiction over First Nations families – a journeythat is not yet complete.

“The history of First Nations children and families inCanada is far more complicated than most people know,” saysVice Chief Glen Pratt of the FSIN. “There is a long history oftaking First Nations children from their parents that starts withthe Residential Schools, goes through the Adopt Indian andMétis Program (AIM) of the 1960s where Aboriginal childrenwere offered for adoption to non-First Nations families, right upto today, when there are more children in the care of Child Wel-fare Agencies than there ever were in Residential Schools.”

According to Pratt, this history shows that the Europeanmethods of addressing the needs of First Nations children at riskhave failed. In fact, rather than improving, the number of FirstNations Children in care, on and off reserve, rose from 3,374 inMarch of 2003 to 4,354 in March of 2009.

“Things are not getting better;” Pratt says. “In fact, they aremuch, much worse. It’s time to try something other than remov-ing these children from their homes and families.”

Pratt points to the recent Saskatchewan Children’s Advocatereport on foster home overcrowding and the United Nations Dec-laration on the Rights of the Child as evidence thatSaskatchewan’s First Nations children are being failed by theprovince.

The Children’s Advocate report demonstrated that children

are being removed from their homes and placed into actual phys-ical danger in overcrowded foster care homes. Further, removingchildren from their families and communities often violates theirright, under the UN Declaration, to access to their culture, lan-guage, traditions and customs.

Currently, the province places a high priority on what theycall ‘permanency planning,’ which is essentially a strategy tomake sure that there is some stability for children who are takeninto care, especially in the long term.

According to Pratt, “First Nations leaders see the need forsome form of ‘permanency planning’ to keep children from be-ing shuffled from home to home of course, but the whole focuson how to deal with children in care neglects to seek preventativesolutions that would keep First Nations children out of care in thefirst place.”

According to Pratt, much of the province’s work in childwelfare is engaged in developing policies regarding how childrenare dealt with after they’ve been apprehended. In fact, theprovince is bringing forward new legislation, The Drug Endan-gered Child Act, which would expand upon its already far-reach-ing powers to remove children from their homes.

“After over 100 years of taking kids out of their homes andaway from their families, maybe it’s time to try something else,”Pratt says.

The FSIN’s Health and Social Development Commission isworking on a number of initiatives that will focus on creatingstrong, safe and healthy homes for First Nations children withintheir families and cultures.

Currently, the 1994 Indian Child and Family Services Act isbeing revised and re-written to provide for more holistic and pre-ventative measures and to encompass an approach that wouldwork with whole families rather than apprehended children.

A second major step towards First Nations jurisdiction is theplanning of a First Nations forum to discuss and develop policyregarding children in care.

“Oftentimes we, as First Nations people, are drawn into de-

pending on someone else’s rules, regulations and policies be-cause we haven’t got our own,” Pratt says.

According to Pratt, the First Nations Chiefs, who representtheir communities on the Health and Social Development Com-mission, and the Chiefs-in-Assembly have long recognized thatin order to take full jurisdiction a series of checks and balancesmust be in place. Those checks and balances, however, must bedeveloped by First Nations people for First Nations children sothat they protect the traditions, values and customs of the childrenat risk.

Another step towards First Nations jurisdiction is the currentlobby to have the province provide funding for a Foster Carehousing strategy.

“Everywhere I go these days I see posters saying that fosterfamilies are desperately needed,” Pratt says. “Yet many familieswho have the stability and compassion to help these childrensimply lack adequate living space.”

Pratt is convinced that if there were appropriate housingavailable, many First Nations families could and would providesafe and nurturing foster care for children at risk.

Finally, according to Vice Chief Pratt, what is needed now ismore cooperation from the Province as First Nations transitiontowards full jurisdiction.

“Currently, we have a lot ofmiscommunication between theProvince and our FNCFS agen-cies,” Pratt says.

“We would hope that as FirstNations communities move to-wards more control over childwelfare, the province will workwith us to incorporate our ideasand solutions into their case plan-ning when First Nations childrenare involved.”

First Nations assert jurisdiction in Child and Family Services

Vice Chief Glen Pratt

SEPTEMBER 2009 9Eagle Feather News

David Ahenakew is one of Canada’s bestknown First Nation leaders. To many heis better known for his controversial re-marks regarding the Holocaust and theJewish community but there is muchmore to Dave Ahenakew than insensitiveremarks and court trials. He was astrong leader who played a huge role inthe advancement of all First NationCanadians. Nelson Bird, the host of CTV’s “Indige-nous Circle,” visited David at his houseon the Ahtahkakoop First Nation for anextended interview recently. Both Davidand his loving wife, Grace, have been di-agnosed with terminal cancer and areundergoing traditional and ‘non-tradi-tional treatments.Here are excerpts from Nelson’s exclu-sive interview which is part of a docu-mentary titled “David Ahenakew: A Manof His Words” set to air Sunday, Oct. 18.

Nelson: Tell me about your childhood.Dave: I was born just across the lakehere in 1933. I was delivered by mygrandmothers, both medicine women. Wewere never in the hospital – never. Wehad all our medicines and everything sothat’s what I call independence and welost it. We could have still had it I’m sure.People helped each other. Someone builta house, people would go there ... peoplelooked after each other.Nelson: What about education? Did yougo to Residential School?Dave: I went to school right on the re-serve. I never went to Residential Schoolbecause my parents didn’t believe in it.We went to school and sometimes walkedseven miles when our horse got out of thepasture. Nelson: You joined the army as a youngman. Why? Dave:Me and my cousin, BenAhenakew, said “Let’s get out of here.There’s nothing to do. We’re never goingto get anywhere. Let’s go see what’s go-ing on the other side of the boundaries onthe reserve.” So, we took the train to P.A.and joined the army at the depot officethere. We were always talking about see-ing the world and wondering what it waslike. Nelson: You married Grace when youwere both around 17 years old. Had youknown her long?Dave: We used to plan in school and in-stead of learning we’d talk about whatwe’d do when we got married and havekids. Three days after we were married (in1951) I left for Yukon to build airstrips forroads in the army; winter training. Engi-neering things like mines and demolition.That’s what I was doing building roadsand destroying them and air strips and soon. Cree was my first language and it washard trying to remember the names of themachines guns, for example. You had toremember each part and I couldn’t thinkof the words and the English words so

you say it in Cree and translate it andthat’s how I used to get by sometimes.Nelson: You fought in the Korean conflictand stayed in the army for a total of 16years. Tell me about that. Dave: I went to Egypt and Lebanon,Gaza and Palestine. That’s where I sawhow the Palestinians were being treated… and I saw ourselves in it. They wereisolated and boxed in and forced in. Wehad fences right around our reserve.Every reserve in Treaty 6 was fenced in. Itwas to be kept in there. You couldn’t saywhat you wanted because the churchwould come after you, and the police.Nelson: Is that when you decided to enterpolitics?Dave: In Egypt and Lebanon, that’swhen I made up my mind. I couldn’t facethis anymore. I couldn’t think about ourown people being treated the same way. Ithought, ‘no way…and if I am going tocomplain about this, I better get in thereand do something and I’ll do something.’I thought I could help achieve certain ob-jectives and change.Nelson: How did you get started as aleader?Dave:Walter Deiter was the chief of theFSI and he always said to me, ‘come andwork with me. Let’s change things.’ Soone morning I phoned him and said‘Look, is the job still open?’ He said ‘yes’and I said ‘I'll be there this afternoon.’ Andthen several months later I took over forhim but he was national president then.You see I was different than what thosepeople were used to. Our people didn’tfight that much. There were only certainchiefs that fought the government andtheir policies and their intrusion into oursovereign territory.Nelson: What was your priority? Dave: Treaties. They automatically bindus together; nothing else, not becauseyou’re a good speaker or people like you,but because they understand it’s thetreaties that do that and not one individ-ual.Nelson: If there’s one thing you could lookat and say ‘we did that’ what would yousay?Dave: Education. The big thing … westarted saying ‘we’re going to take controlof our education. It’s a treaty right andwe’re going to have to save the treaty be-cause it’s going elsewhere.’Nelson: Politically, what was the biggestdisappointment?Dave:The big disappointment was landentitlement. We had that worked out withLloyd Barber, who worked with Trudeau,a good buddy of mine (Barber) and wecalled that unfulfilled land claims. Ours(land claim solution) was simple. For ex-ample, for the last 100 years you’ve de-prived us of so many acres. The popula-tion was this and the population is thisnow. We want that land but we’ve lost allthat money because of your skullduggeryand so forth.

Nelson: What has life been like for yousince 2002 (and the court trial)? Dave: You’re violated, alienated, you’reignored. You’ve busted your rear for thesepeople for such a long time and thenwhen you need them, they’re not there. Icouldn't sleep at night and I’d talk to mywife and kids and say, “What I’m doingin the eyes of many of our people iswrong. I should admit I'm wrong.” Nelson: What are your thoughts on to-day’s First Nation Leadership?Dave:During my bad moments in the lastseven years I use to call them a bunch ofwimps and cowards. There’s no leader-ship out there because if there was, wewouldn’t be losing our treaty rights andinstitutions that we created.

Nelson: What advice do you have for cur-rent and future leaders?Dave: If you’re going to be a leader,you’re going to have strength and knowwhat you’re doing and be able to talk topeople. Understand them and be con-vinced by your convictions and do it. Ifyou’re going to waffle and so forth,you’re not a leader. Nelson: How do you want to be remembered?Dave: I want to be remembered for all thethings we created in this province. I hadsomething to do with. I was the leader andI am proud of that. The big thing was the(First Nation) University because theGrandmothers and Mothers and old peo-ple said education is our survival.

David Ahenakew: A man of his words

David Ahenakew (right) talks about his life with Indigenous Circle host Nelson Bird.

SEPTEMBER 2009Eagle Feather News 10

By Andréa LeddingFor Eagle Feather NewsThe Métis Women’s Association held elections at

the Central Urban Metis Federation Incorporated(CUMFI) offices in Saskatoon during their annual

workshops and meeting in late August. Newly elected president Monell Bailey said the entire

weekend was very positive and well organized. She islooking forward to representing and involving all Métiswomen, and hopes to develop a stronger presence on theInternet to keep women informed and connected acrossthe province.

The organization wants more of a voice at variousorganizations and levels of government in representingtheir concerns and views, and advocating for thecommunity. Bailey hopes to see the Association grow innumbers as well as presence, including an Internetcomponent so they are easily accessible.

“Websites, emails, FaceBook – we can be moreeffective at ensuring communication is accurate. In thepast, the moccasin telegraph hasn't always been reliable.So we’re getting re-established – starting over,” said Bailey.

“And making sure we’re at the table when it comesto decisions that affect our community.”

Besides educational, yet entertaining workshops ongovernance and teamwork, and exercises in leadershipand team-building, health and wellness was not onlyproclaimed, but practiced.

“They really pampered us all, there were manicures,massages, and other services provided to emphasizewellness and taking care of ourselves and of each other,”

she said. “It was a nice treat for the elders, too.”Shirley Isbister, CUMFI president, said the idea for a

‘mini-spa’ came when they were organizing. It seemedlike a great opportunity to really honour and pamper thewomen who were taking time to represent and serve eachother, their families, and communities.

“We want to emphasize wellness and taking care ofourselves and each other too, so we thought it would be aperfect fit. Mary Johnson, CUMFI’s director of Sports andRecreation, organized that end of it for us,” Isbister noted.

She also had high words of praise for the whole event,saying that not only the Saturday workshops but thebanquet, storytelling, and the election itself were verypositive and with fewer tensions than ever before.

“There was laughing, and hugging – we really wantedto focus on unity, teamwork, and getting on the same pageto work together. And I am so proud of our women for whatthey accomplished this weekend. We've come a long way.”

Another popular activity was Métis Jeopardy, a gamebased on the TV game show. Created and designed bySaskatoon Public School Board resource teacher FayeMaurice to teach general trivia while having fun, manyhoped they would be able to get a copy of the game on CD.It is a fun way to learn new facts and polish up their historyand cultural knowledge.

Robert Doucette, president of Metis Nation –Saskatchewan, was present at Sunday morning’s elections,full of praise for the female leaders and the process.

Other newly elected officials to the board include vice-president May Henderson, secretary Pat Letendre, andtreasurer Pat Caron.

Métis Women’s Association determined to improvepro6le under newly elected president Monell Bailey

Monell Bailey in the new president of the MétisWomen’s Assocation after an August gathering.

SEPTEMBER 2009 11Eagle Feather News

Angel Peeace and Ralayna Watcheston took part in the 10th Annual Day ofMourning ceremony and walk of remembrance around the community. (below)Jess and Mike were part of the entertainment for the evening. They rapped aboutlost friends and family. These two have a future in the music scene based on theirperformance as the song moved many to tears. (top right) People who partici-pated in the march through the stroll were each handed a candle to carry. At theend of the walk, before they released balloons with the names of those who havefallen to the streets, people planted the candles in a table garden.

(Photos by John Lagimodiere)

Tenth Day of Mourning held in Saskatoon

SEPTEMBER 2009Eagle Feather News 12

Library on 20th of6cially opens in SaskatoonBy Andréa Ledding

For Eagle Feather NewsThe Library on 20th Street Branch celebrated its grandopening with greetings from officials, dignitaries,employees, and community representatives and organ-

izations. Elder Ina Ahenakew opened the August ceremony with

a blessing in both Cree and English, and Dr. Sue Abrams, Chairof the Saskatoon Library Board the program was the MC.

Coun. Bev Dubois, representing the City of Saskatoon,spoke of the importance of co-operation in opening the newBranch.

“Partnerships are the way of the future,” she observed,listing some of the many stakeholders in the new branchincluding the city, the provinial government, and Sask Housing.“It’s a very tight-working group that we’ve had.”

Dubois also mentioned Saskatoon’s excellent reputationfor well-run libraries which includes one of the highest usagerates in Canada, and a long-running writer-in-residenceprogram filled with writers of national and international repu-tations.

On behalf of White Buffalo Youth Lodge, program co-ordinator Mike Tanton brought greetings and enthusiasm forthe new neighbourhood meeting space, and opportunities torun programming in conjunction with the new branch.

“This will not only renew this neighbourhood and area,but the minds of the residents who live here,” he noted. “It’s anexcellent way to get kids into books, and not only does it lookgreat, but libraries expand minds and make a good place foreveryone to be.”

Sean Sanford-Beck, on behalf of the RiversdaleCommunity Association, spoke of libraries as “a sacred place”and repository of worlds, views, information, and wisdom.

“Libraries are places where communities gather and share,and they create a vital focal gathering place which is safe foreveryone,” he said. ”They bring us the gifts of energy, wisdom,and compassion.”

Karen Archibald, representing CHEP (Child Hunger andEducation Program), noted that the safe family setting wasnothing less than the power of a community to realize positivechange, observing that five years ago the site was largely aweed-filled abandoned lots with old vehicles, chain link fenceswith a guard dog, and a pawn shop and bar.

“This demonstrates our power to dream of better things,and to dream a better reality,” she said.

Zenon Zuzak, director of Libraries, was pleased with theday.

“We’ve had a great turnout, a steady flow of people from11 a.m. onwards,” he said, noting that minority and ethnicgroups and the aboriginal community were well representedamong the visitors of the core neighbourhood location.

“That’s important to us – it’s their library, and it’s going tohave a good future. We wouldn’t be here without thiscommunity.”

Zuzak was also pleased that Lonetta Hjermanrude, whoselibrary name suggestion was selected from among more than300 entries, was in attendance and was presented with a gift ofappreciation which included an Encyclopedia of Saskatchewanand other Library goodies.

“The name just came to me,” she shared afterwards.“Right off the bat, it seemed like the natural name for it –‘Library on 20th Street’ – but I was surprised that my sugges-tion was the one actually chosen.”

Deborah Lee from the University of Saskatchewan andWendy Sinclair of Regina’s Albert Branch both attended aswell – they are, along with Zuzak, part of the provincial groupoverseeing Library Services for Saskatchewan’s AboriginalPeoples, including local, private, public, and academic libraryrepresentatives from across the province.

“We want a library system that will respect and continue toreflect the community it serves,” said Lee. “It’s important to seeaboriginal people working within it as well as using it.”

Sinclair echoed that sentiment, noting the presence of “abrown face” makes it a safe and welcoming place. Regina’sAlbert Branch has been operating since about 1980 in a similarneighbourhood as Riversdale, with great success.

Their provincial group is also responsible for theSaskatchewan Aboriginal Storytelling which has taken placeevery February the past six years.

“We want to respect First Nation traditions, that storiesare told when snow is on the ground, so we provide money fororganizations and communities to host events by a First Nationor Métis storyteller,” said Sinclair, noting they have a networkof storytellers available across the province, and an event whichgrows every year – 2009 saw about 12 000 attending story-telling events.

Nyasha and Reid helped Saskatoon Library BoardChair Dr. Sue Abrams cut the cake during the grandopening of the Library on 20th.

Clint Arcand and his son, Nolan, checked out thecomputers at the new Library on 20th. The Arcands livenear the library and have been active users of thecomputers and internet. “The kids always want to comehere, about an hour a day,” said Arcand.(Photos by John Lagimodiere)

SEPTEMBER 2009 13Eagle Feather News

By John LagimodiereOf Eagle Feather NewsAfourth person has thrown his hat in the ring to

be the next Chief of the Federation ofSaskatchewan Indian Nations.

Red Pheasant Chief Sheldon Wuttunee officiallylaunched his campaign in August, joining incumbentChief Lawrence Joseph, former Vice Chief GuyLonechild and Chief Reg Bellerose of Muskowekwon.This is one of the most hotly contested Chiefs race in along time.

Wuttunee has beenChief of Red Pheasant forthe past two terms.Elected Chief in 2006, infour years he has movedthe First Nation from thirdparty management to co-management and finallyout of debt. He has alsobeen instrumental in theformation of The Battle-fords Agency TribalChiefs Tribal Council andcontinues to play a leadrole in advocacy relatingto the duty to consult inrelation to First Nations.

“I have served thecommunity of RedPheasant and understand

first-hand issues of underfunded programs. In sayingthat, there are many positive opportunities and we have

time to react,” said Wuttunee. “Access to training in all First Nation communities

is key to develop the necessary capacities for our peopleto obtain employment, manage projects and move furtherinto ownership interests in resource development as wellas other economic development opportunities.”

Wuttunee was one of the leaders of a group of Chiefsthat stood up and blockaded the passage of the EnbridgePipeline.

“I have been fortunate to work closely and collabo-ratively with well-respected Chiefs in both southern andnorthern Saskatchewan and First Nations in Alberta andManitoba regarding the Crown’s duty to consult withFirst Nations on traditional territories,” Wuttunee says.

“This experience has shown me that the FSIN is inan ideal position to advocate and ensure the fiduciaryobligations and responsibilities of the Crown are upheldand to protect and enhance Treaty and Inherent Rights.The FSIN is also an important vehicle to facilitate thenecessary structural changes within government that cancreate meaningful change directly for First Nationcommunities and people,” Wuttunee stated.

Wuttunee has a Bachelor of Education from theUniversity of Saskatchewan and is a champion pow wowdancer and wants to do things a bit different.

“I can bring some fresh ideas. I have led in mycommunity and all my life. I will put my money wheremy mouth is and take direction from the leaders of ourcommunities,” said Wuttunee.

“It is important to realign our approach to inherentand treaty rights as they are being eroded. It is criticalfor our next generation. We have to focus on health care,housing and education because together those aspects

make healthy communities.” The race for the two Vice Chief positions is also

heating up. Though not official, it is believed that MorleyWatson and Glen Pratt are both running again for FirstVice Chief and Third Vice Chief respectively. Runningagainst Vice Chief Watson is Robin McLeod, a memberof the Lac la Ronge Indian Band.

It also appears that Cowessess First Nation councilorand former SIGA CEO Dutch Lerat intends to run forThird Vice Chief.

FSIN election getting crowded

ROBIN MCLEOD

SHELDON WUTTUNEE

SEPTEMBER 2009Eagle Feather News 14

By Eileen TrotchieFor Eagle Feather News

In August, Central Urban Métis Federation (CUMFI) held acommunity barbecue that was open and free to all.

There were rides for the kids, face painting, a fish pond, Mr.Wizzard, giveaways, hot dogs, chips, ice cream, fruit and fiddleplaying.

Shirley Isbister, President of CUMFI, said it was exciting to seeover 700 people come out and enjoy themselves. People were dancing,singing, laughing and visiting.

This would not have been possible without great partnerships andcommunity dedication. A big thank you to Dakota Dunes CommunityDevelopment Corporation, CHEP, Saskatoon Indian and Métis Friend-ship Centre, Kinistin First Nation, Strengthening the Circle forimproved health for Aboriginal people, The Saskatoon Health Region,Mr Wizzard, SCYAP, SIGA, Aboriginal Sport Culture and Recreationand IPAC (Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada) who aremedical students that sent forty volunteers 1000 bottles of water andgive aways. A big thank you to all the CUMFI volunteers, Board ofDirectors, staff, and our summer students who were great.

Face painting was all the rage for both young and old at the CUMFI community barbecue.

CUMFI barbecue a huge success

SEPTEMBER 2009 15Eagle Feather News - Business

First Nations leaders have announced they aretaking another step toward reclaiming full controlof on-reserve gaming.

Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nation (FSIN)Chief Lawrence Joseph made the announcement at a FirstNations Gaming Expo held last month on the WhitecapDakota First Nation. He says from now on there will bea First Nations Gaming Commission.

Joseph says First Nations have been asserting theirjurisdiction over gaming since the Bear Claw casinoopened in 1993. He says there is historical evidence,some of which was presented at the expo, that supportsthis, as First Nations have been participating in gamingfor hundreds of years.

Joseph says he is encouraged that the Province ofSaskatchewan has indicated it will sit down and discussjurisdiction.

“First Nations indeed have jurisdiction over gaming.Minister Christine Tell, of the Saskatchewan Liquor andGaming Authority, told the media that the province iswilling to sit down and meet with First Nations to discussjurisdiction”

Tell has indeed said this and welcomes their proposalfor taking control of gaming. She says the biggest issuethat could get in the way of this happening is there wouldhave to be changes to the Criminal Code. Tell says inorder for such changes to take place, every provincewould have to be on board.

Even with a willingness to discuss, Tell won’t saywhere the Province stands on First Nations takingcomplete control of gaming.

“I’m not one to presuppose the meeting. We haven’tsat down with a proposal coming from this commission.I want to sit down with them and discuss that issue andother issues,” Tell says.

“At this point in time, it’s really premature for us to

say yes, no, maybe. I want to ensure that these processesand the meetings are respectful, and I want to have thosediscussions face to face.”

FSIN Senator Roland Crowe, a former chief whosigned the original gaming agreement with the Province,says First Nations never surrendered jurisdiction overgaming. He says First Nations aren’t trying to interferewith any of the Province’s casinos, he says they just wantwhat is rightfully theirs.

“I’m just talking from apure common sense,courtesy, and respect for

each other. We don’t intend to try and take jurisdictionoff-reserve from the province in regards to gaming. Andon the other hand, that same courtesy should be to us,that they don’t take the jurisdiction on First Nations terri-tories.”

In addition to the commission being responsible forgaming, it will also be responsible for the SaskatchewanIndian Gaming Authority, the First Nations Trust Fund,and Community Development Corporations.

Demonstrating gaming traditions going back hundreds, if not thousands of years, pre-contact, two teamsfrom Onion Lake First Nation play a traditional hand game. One team sings while their player hides themale and female pieces, and then the other team’s player guesses where the female piece is – left or right.Decorated counting sticks keep track of points. The winning team earns and keeps the most points.

(Photo by Andréa Ledding)

First Nations taking aim atcontrol of on-reserve gaming

By John LagimodiereOf Eagle Feather NewsMany people say the economicfuture of First Nations lies inbeing involved with the devel-

opment of our natural resources. In order to facilitate that industry

development, the Federation ofSaskatchewan Indian Nations has offi-cially opened the First Nations ResourceCentre of Excellence on Packham Avenuein Saskatoon.

“The Centre of Excellence is a benefitfor First Nations, the Province ofSaskatchewan and industry,” said FSINChief Lawrence Joseph. Chief Joseph andVice Chief Delbert Wapass are co-chairsof the Centre.

“We want to learn from the bestpractices of other jurisdictions. InSaskatchewan it is a hot spot for explo-ration in Canada with a real need forexpertise, guidance and service in theresource sector. This Centre of Excellencewill fill those needs.”

With an initial focus on oil and gasdevelopment, the role of the Centre willbe to provide training to member FirstNations; maintain a repository of infor-mation on sample agreements; provideanalysis on government regulations andlegislation; maintain an up to date list ofCrown land sales and network withexperts in the field.

The Director of the Centre is CarlaNokusis.

Resource centre now open

Chief Mike Star of theStarblanket FirstNation is one of themembers of the Boardof Directors for theCentre of Excellence.Beside him is ElderJoe Jimmy who didthe opening prayer forthe ceremony. (Photo by John Lagimodiere)

SEPTEMBER 2009Eagle Feather News - Education16

By Jennifer DuboisFor Eagle Feather NewsTen Aboriginal students fromacross Saskatchewan experi-enced, in one week, how to run

their own business. They were takingpart in the first annual Aboriginal YouthEntrepreneurship Camp at the FirstNations University in Regina.

Bob Kayseas, the department headfor the School of Business and PublicAdministration, said he created thecamp specifically with Aboriginalcommunities in mind.

“The program we have developedhere at the school has focused really onwhat kind of needs we have in ourcommunities, and what kinds of thingswe can provide for our students here forthem to go back and help some of ourAboriginal communities,” explainedKayseas.

The students learned the basics inbusiness, marketing, advertising andpromotion.

Kayseas wants to encourage youngAboriginals to run their own business-es.

“We want them to really startpreaching the excitement of businesseducation, and start sewing the seeds of

new business leaders,” he said. The students developed their own

product and a 30-second commercialbased on their creation. They weregraded by a point system to receiveprizes. An award ceremony was heldfor the students on the last day.

Adam Jack, a student originallyfrom Thunderchild First Nation, wonawards for Best Entrepreneur and BestEssay.

He was awarded with the grandprize of a mini Dell Laptop and FNUnivjacket. Jack, who already runs his ownbusiness called Bigg Entertainment,said the camp will help develop astronger network and further thesuccess of his business.

“It will provide some opportunitygetting contacts, getting some type ofform of moral basics in terms of what Iam already doing with my business,”Jack said.

“It will kind of help me furthermyself in my industry and give mesome more skills and necessities fordoing so.”

Thomas Benjoe, a fourth yearAboriginal student at the FNUniv, wasthe camp organizer. He says this issomething he never had when he was

in high school. Benjoe said he washappy to give the opportunity to otherstudents.

“Just to be able to come to univer-sity and be able to offer this back to thehigh school students and show themthat there are really great opportunitiesout there, and to be able to be a part ofsomething that’s not going to cost thema whole lot,” said Benjoe.

Kayseas says the camp is a small

step towards the future of Aboriginalentrepreneurs.

“I do a lot of work with FirstNations and I recognize that in order forour communities to really getdeveloped we need more businesses.

“The value that I’m going to get isjust one small step to help creatingmore much needed wealth in ourcommunities,” said Kayseas, adding hehopes to offer the camp every summer.

By John LagimodiereOf Eagle Feather NewsThe Medicine Chest Task Force wascreated by Treaty No. 6 Chiefs totake control of Indian health. The

have decided to house the Task Force atthe First Nation University of Canada.

In a mutually beneficial arrangement,the Task Force will provide new andexciting opportunities for FNUniv profes-sionals in health, sciences and social workto contribute to the research, planning anddevelopment of First Nations traditionaland contemporary health systems as it fallsunder First Nation laws and jurisdictions.

“The establishment of the mosteffective and efficient organizational infra-structure at the beginning of this initiativeis crucial,” said Eldon Okanee, Chair ofthe Task Force.

“Through this new partnership, we areexcited about the level of expertise theUniversity will bring to furthering this process.”

Sol Sanderson, a First Nations governance expert working with the Task Force,says they took control of Indian education over 20 years ago and have made muchprogress.

“When we took control of education, we had almost no teachers and almost nouniversity grads,” said Sanderson. “If we do it with health, imagine what we canaccomplish. The playing field is not fair.

“We want $1.8 million a year to run this and you know the University ofSaskatchewan gets almost $10 million a year to study Aboriginal health. Our tradi-tional medicines and practices need to be administered and controlled by First Nations.”

SOL SANDERSON

Medicine Chest Task Force 6nds home

(Left to right) Demi Benjoe, Abreana Deneyou, Anna Illauq, Sabrina Greyeyes,Santana Gardipy, Meriah Kayseas(supervisor), Adam Jack, Michele Missens,Craig Pratt, Joanna Isaac and Anthony Mark Fox participated in the recentAboriginal Youth Entrepreneurship Camp.

Aboriginal youth experiencedweek of business boot camp

SEPTEMBER 2009 17Eagle Feather News - Education

Student sees opportunities despite the turmoil By Michael Bell

For Eagle Feather NewsIt is no secret that as an institution, theFirst Nations University of Canadahas gone through turbulent times. The problems that have plagued the

board of governors and the administrationhave been reported widely in the nativeand non-native press for the past fouryears. Today the university’s academicstaff and students continue forwarddespite difficult external and internalcircumstances.

In 2009, the school was again in thespotlight. In December 2008, theCanadian Association of UniversityTeachers censured the First NationsUniversity over governance issues. Thecensure boycotts the University, askingacademic staff from Canada and aroundthe world to decline teaching positionsand public speaking engagements at theuniversity.

A month later, controversy continuedwith the firing of then vice-president ofacademics Shauneen Pete. The firingfurther frustrated the provincial govern-ment and the Canadian Association ofUniversity Teachers.

Meanwhile, students protested Pete’sfiring and the Canadian Association ofUniversity Teachers’ censure. In February2009, the provincial government froze$200,000 of funding. During that time theLeader-Post reported that enrolment hadplummeted from 1,770 students in 2005to 787 in 2009.

The Univeristy’s administrationclaimed a victory in May 2009 when theSupreme Court of Canada dismissed acase over the academic freedom of one ofits professors.

It was a short-lived victory: in Junethe federal government withheld morethan $2 million of funding from FirstNations University. The school’sexecutive has until Jan. 1, 2010 to presentan action plan in order restore full funding.

Amid the wrangling between theuniversity’s administrators, provincial andfederal governments and the CanadianAssociation of University Teachers,students have also been making theirvoice heard in different ways.

Adam Martin is one such student.Martin came to First Nations Universityin 2005, and has been both a student andan employee of the institution. This pastsummer he worked as a studio technicianin the Indian Fine Arts department, andcontinues to work part-time as a student.He’s also worked in the communicationsdepartment. In addition, he’s also partic-ipated in the students’ association.

Frustrated by the Canadian Associa-tion of University Teachers censure andthe firing of Shauneen Pete, Martin hadhad enough. He created a Facebook pagecalled “FNU Board of Governors/Admin-istration change now”.

On this page, he posts links to newsstories, encourages students to join thegroup and discuss the issues First NationsUniversity faces. He also posts links tothe everyday activities at the university.As of the writing of this story, hisFacebook group boasted 373 members,50 more members than the official FirstNations University Facebook group.

“It’s like some serious backwardsIndian politics happening around here,”Martin said in a phone interview. Manystudents are misinformed about what’shappening at the university, while othersjust don’t seem to care too much, he said.

But Martin decided to take an independ-ent position about the First NationsUniversity and its problems.

“All I see is opportunities at univer-sity, and a lot of this crap is getting in theway of what needs to be done,” he said.

Since creating the Facebook group,he’s also written directly to First NationsUniversity’s executive and to its board ofgovernors asking detailed questions abouttheir activities. For example, when Martinheard that the board was going to have aJuly meeting in Calgary to coincide withthe Assembly of First Nations election, heemailed chair Chief Clarence Bellegardewith copies to the First Nations Universi-ty executive, questioning the decision.

“How much is the next (First NationsUniversity board of governor’s) meeting inCalgary, going to cost? How has the FNUniv(board of governor’s) justified having ameeting, so far away from the FNUniv whenthe FNUniv is so famously underfunded?,”Martin wrote in an email on July 16.

While Martin never received an emailthat answered his questions, they wereresponded to at the July 20 Calgary boardof governor’s meeting, says Diane Adams,First Nations University’s Student Asso-ciations’ interim board of governorsrepresentative. Then board of governor’sstudent representative Mike Dubois wrotein his report to the Students’ Associationthat Clarence Bellegarde addressed someof the concerns raised in Martin’s email.

In Dubois’ report, Bellegarde said thatmeeting in Calgary was “the most optimaltime to achieve quorum” since themajority of Saskatchewan chiefs wouldbe in town for the AFN. There was alsourgency to approve the budget to ensurecontinuity of funding for First NationsUniversity, the report says.

Adams has been involved with FirstNations University Students’ Associationfor two years. Every student at the univer-sity has a right to participate in campuspolitics in whatever way they feel is mostappropriate, she says.

“But we especially encourage themto do so through their board of governorsrepresentative and the students’ associa-tion,” she said.

The association has not been silent onthe First Nations University’s problems,she said. Not long after Shauneen Pete’sfiring in January 2009, the associationorganized a forum .

“We brought the concerns of studentenrollment forward, we brought theCanadian Association of UniversityTeachers censure concerns forward to(First Nations University’s executive),”Adams said.

As the current semester is beginning,Adams is upbeat on the opportunities thatstudents have in their association.

“It’s a new year and a new students’association, we now have a group ofpeople really committed to using thatposition and the power that goes with it,”Adams said.

ADAM MARTIN

SEPTEMBER 2009Eagle Feather News18

PREPARING THE FUTURE WORK FORCEThe City of Saskatoon, in partnership with the Saskatoon Tribal Councilhosted the ATOSKE – leadership camp this summer. This camp was called“atoske” which is the Cree word for ‘work’ and the acronym for ‘AboriginalTraining Opportunity for future Saskatoon Employment’. The youth whoattended the camp were; Dennis Cook, Joshua Cook, Jordan Rekve, IsaacRekve, Warren (Ryan) Ahenakew, Gina McGillivary, Terry (TJ) KeewatinJr., Darla Wuttnee, Kerra Johnstone, Bradley Pechawis, Donald Bear andJustin Crain. (Photo supplied)

Niyanan Mistatimawak is the namechosen for the inauguration ofRanch Ehrlo Society’s 4-H

Club’s first year. This means “FiveHorses” in Woodland Cree.

Our first year began with five youthand four volunteers participating. Ournumber one goal for our 4-H club was toincorporate the culture of our First Nationyouth into every aspect of our club and itsactivities.

We saw the 4-H club as an opportu-nity to engage our youth in theSaskatchewan horse community. Ourwinter project was the creation of a clubbanner which we will continue to add tothis year. By introducing basic horse-manship and riding, our members beganto excel!

We frequently rode three times aweek and participated in monthly generalmeetings. One highlight of the year wasour presentation of a musical ride at thePrince Albert Exhibition Grounds for theRanch Ehrlo Society’s Annual AwardsNight Celebration, attended by over 270people.

We also held an Achievement Daywhich was a great success. We began witha potluck barbecue for the members,

leaders, family and friends. Afterwards,all were invited to watch our horse show.We had events and classes setup up toshowcase what our members had learnedthroughout our short year.

The events consisted of a walk trotclass, keyhole race, barrel race, a halterclass and a high point winner. Our SeniorDirector was asked to be a guest to judgeour events and hand out the ribbons.

The competition was stiff as eachrider claimed at least one first place andsecond place ribbon. All of the prizes weredonated by local Prince Albert business-es and community supporters. Our clubwould like to extend our appreciation tothe Prince Albert Police Department,Canadian Tire, Davidners’ WesternClothing Store and the Co-Op Home andAgro Centre.

To end our year we had dinner and amovie night for all of our club members.The club’s first year was a great successand we are looking forward to our secondyear with the continued development ofthe program which will include the contri-butions from a local Elder and the use ofa new indoor riding arena built by theRanch Ehrlo Society.

– Submitted

Ranch Ehrlo Society’s Light Horse Niyanan Mistatimawak4H Club completes inaugural season with a celebration

SEPTEMBER 2009 19Eagle Feather News

Winds of change blowing through Riversdale ridingBy Blue Pelletier

For Eagle Feather NewsWhen former premier LorneCalvert resigned his seatas in the Saskatchewan

legislature as the member forSaskatoon Riversdale, eventuallysomeone had to replace him.

That time has come. People inthe area of Saskatoon Riversdalewill have their chance to elect anew representative in a byelectionscheduled for Sept. 21.

The NDP has held Riversdalesince 1986 when another formerpremier, Roy Romanow,reclaimed the seat that was lost toa young Progressive Conservativerookie by the name of Jo-AnnZazelenchuk in the Grant Devinesweep of 1982.

It was a devastating loss forRomanow and the NDP butRiversale is generally consideredsafe turf for the left wing party.And the NDP is hoping that thattrend continues with DanielleChartier.

Chartier has strong ties to thecommunity and her family haslived in the area since 1940. Shegrew up in a very political, strongNDP family.

“It’s important to find a party

that matches your values and finda way to work within that party tomake the changes necessary,”suggests Chartier.

She says her campaignstrategy is to connect with thepeople of Riversdale.

Chartier says she wants themto know she is one of them,sharing concerns and values of thecitizens in the area.

“The NDP addresses concernsof everyday life, of the everydayaverage person,” Chartier says.

The Liberal candidate in theupcoming byelection is EileenGelowitz, a strong participant inSaskatchewan politics for manyyears.

Gelowitz has worked vigor-ously to create a better place for allFirst Nations people during herlife. She says she sees a brightfuture for her people not just inRiversdale but all acrossSaskatchewan.

This passion led her to createAchak Solutions, a company thatworks alongside companies tohelp hire and create jobs for FirstNations people.

“In 50 years, when we are50% of the population, we have tobe part of the social, economic and

political fabric of this province,”says Gelowitz.

She thinks the Riversdale areatypifies Saskatchewan since it is areserve type area with so manyFirst Nations people living in afew neighbourhoods.

Elderly residents form a largepart of the population in theRiversdale riding. It is also aworking class neighbourhood,notes Gelowitz.

Gelowitz says that she “is justa kokum who cares about whatwill be left for her kids and hergrandkids.”

It is her goal to give the peopleof Riversdale sustainability in allfacets of life.

The Saskatchewan Partycandidate is Corey O’Soup, ateacher at City Park Collegiate. Heruns the Last Chance Program forkids who are about to get the bootfrom high school for good.

O’Soup thinks theSaskatchewan Party has done agreat job at keeping their promisesto further developing Riversdaleas a community.

“They will continue to makegood on all their promises thatthey have outlined in the past,”O’Soup promises.

He feels that issues like gangs,and crime prevention need to be atthe forefront. The people in all theareas of Riversdale, even out inMontgomery, are concerned withcrime and how it effects theirareas, O’Soup says.

O’Soup says he has a visionto help create a Youth Centrethat will stay open 24 hours aday. It would be a place wherethe youth of Riversdale will feelsafe and can do positive things,he says.

O’Soup says that theSaskatchewan Party will“continue to do things they saidthey will do” while taking on newand important issues that matter toall the people of Riversdale.

The Green Party has alongshot candidate in the personof Tobi-Dawne Smith who hopesto improve on the 2007 showingof another Green candidate, JanNorris who drew less than two percent of the vote.

With two First Nations candi-dates, and two women candidates,a change is inevitable.

And that is big news for acommunity that has been home tothe premier of the province since1991.

DANIELLE CHARTIER

COREY O’SOUP

EILEEN GELOWITZ

SEPTEMBER 2009Eagle Feather News - Justice20

By John LagimodiereOf Eagle Feather NewsBad guys in Saskatoon used to have to watch their backs to see if the police were

after them. Nowadays, they also have to watch the sky. The Saskatoon PoliceService often has a plane floating 2,500 feet above the city providing them a

powerful perspective when it comes to policing a large city.Sgt. Gary David is one of the pilots of the1998 Cessna 182, that is outfitted with

a high power infrared camera.“Everything that he points the camera at is on video, other than that, it is a police

car with wings,” said Sgt David. “Our advantage is that in 30 seconds to two minutes we can have eyes in any area

of the city. Because we have an elevated platform, we can be a mile or two off and stillsee what is going on in there. By the time we cross the river, we can focus the camerainto the area and try to find the suspects or vehicle.”

The plane has helped the police avoid several high-speed and dangerous car chases.Constable Aaron Piprell is one of the regular camera operators. He sits right behindthe pilot and has a computer screen in front of him as he focuses the camera with a joystick.

“I like the capabilities we have to support the officers on the ground with thisincredible tool. We find vehicles quite often and can guide the cars to them.

“We have a huge field of view and often these bad guys have no idea we are there,”said Piprell.

“There was a stolen car once and the driver was speeding about 90-100 K in aresidential area and the cars had all backed off and let him go. He even threw a beerbottle at a citizen who came out to stop him and he almost hit a few cars and we werefollowing him from above and I’m watching him.

“He ditched the vehicle and ran into a backyard. We guided the cars in and caughthim. We avoided a chase.”

The camera is powerful enough and sneaky enough to follow the warmth of yourbody, just like in an episode of Cops and it is virtually impossible to hide from it outof doors.

“We had a guy surrender to us once. And we were in the air,” said Constable Piprell.“I watched him jumping fences then after a while he just went to the middle of an alleyand laid face down, arms out and surrendered. The cars were three blocks away stillbut he knew he was caught.”

Sgt. Gary David and Const. Aaron Piprell take to the skies to keep the streets safe.

Eagle eye in the Saskatoon sky

SEPTEMBER 2009 21Eagle Feather News - Arts & Entertainment

Cashing in shooting second season in WinnipegAPTN, Buffalo Gals Pictures and

Animiki See Productions startedshooting Cashing In: Season II in

Winnipeg in early September. If you don’t know already, Cashing

In is a half-hour comedy/drama about thehigh stakes world of a First Nationscasino.

The show will air on APTN thisspring and has increased from sixepisodes in Season One to seven inSeason Two. Tina Keeper will guest staralong with returnees Eric Schweig, SarahPodemski, Glen Gould, Karen Holnessand Wesley French.

Word from the set is the crew andactors are happy with the way the SeasonII stories turned out.

“Every season a TV Show tries toimprove and I think we did that this year.We were able to build on Season One tocreate a really good, really excitingSeason Two,” said producer VanessaLoewen.

There is a rumored second guest starbut that info is currently classified andunavailable at press time. Shooting willrun through to mid-October, after whichthe real work begins in the editing suite.

Expect Cashing In: Season II to hitairwaves in early March on APTN.Flicks’ File

Just when I thought my Educationdegree wasn’t exactly paying off for me,an amazing opportunity presented itselfone day a couple months back. On a whimI acted on it. Three weeks later I was

handed the keys to a groovy office as thenew Festival Producer at Flicks Interna-tional Film Festival for Young People.

I had intended to never accept anotherfull-time job for as long as I lived but thisone was different. I have always lovedteaching but could never find an avenueto interact with and selfishly teach youthwhat I wanted. Until now...

In order to skip a sappy tangent aboutthe potential of youth in our city, pleaseplay the song ‘Greatest Love of All’ byWhitney Houston right now.

“I believe the children are ourfuture...”

Basically all I want to say is I’m veryexcited to be part of getting people excitedabout film and encouraging communitymembers to get involved in our small butstrong film scene in Saskatchewan. Andif I have my way we’ll be helping to foster

and develop young filmmakers andinspiring them to become welcomedadditions to the TV/Film community inSaskatchewan.

In any case, Flicks is currenty present-ing selected screenings of family orientedfilms at the Broadway Theatre each month.On Saturday Oct. 17 at 1:00 p.m., Flicks

and theBroadwaywill present:Scooby-DooMeets the BooBrothers.

MoreFlicks eventsand program-ming comingsoon. Catch aFlick at theBroadwayTheatre!

Free Documentary Website As a staunch believer in most conspir-

acy theories, I was recently delighted tostumble on the website freedocumen-taries.org. Since my welcomed discoveryjust a couple weeks ago, I have managedto watch nine episodes of The Men WhoKilled Kennedy, George Orwell WouldRoll In His Grave, Zeitgeist (two times),The Assassination of Martin Luther KingJr., Loose Change, Sicko...

Many of these documentaries wouldwallow in obscurity if it weren’t for thiswonderful site so take advantage andwatch a doc or two. There is somethingfor everyone. That is if you don’t believeeverything you hear.

Karen Holness as Liz, Glen Gould as John in APTN’s Cashing In.

SEPTEMBER 2009Eagle Feather News - Sports22

The Agency Chiefs Tribal Councilwas by far and away the mostdominant team at this year’s First

Nations Summer Games hosted by theOnion Lake First Nation.

The team was comprised of athletesfrom the Big River, Pelican Lake andWitchekan Lake First Nations. With solidperformances in athletics and golf AgencyChiefs was able to win the overall team titleby nearly 200 points. Their final tally was978 points.

With 779 points, the TouchwoodAgency Tribal Council had a great showing

at this year’s games. It was quite animprovement from the 2007 games for thisteam.

The people of Onion Lake were greathosts to this year’s games. All the athleteswere taken care of quite well.

In a community so far away from somany other First Nations in the province itwas great to see such a nice turnout.

Events were spread out all over OnionLake and a few were in the neighboringcommunity of Lloydminster.

Canoeing was dominated by thePrince Albert Grand Council. Theyfinished 30 points clear of their closest

competitors. The Saskatoon Tribal Council finished

a distant fifth in the chase for the overalltitle but did quite well in the archerycompetition, winning the overall title inthat particular sport.

Archery participant Joshua Thomasfrom Saskatoon Tribal Council enjoyed theGames experience.

“It was nice to come all the way hereand see my relatives and just have somefun,” Thomas said.

The host Onion Lake First Nationcompetes as an independent with no ties toa particular tribal council. They finished avery respectable sixth out of 13 teams andhad a point total of 571. It speaks to thequality of athletic programming they haveout there and the amount of work parents,coaches and volunteers do on Onion Lake.

The Games were a great time and thehosts couldn’t have done a better job. See

you all in 2011 out at Thunderchild!Random Thoughts

Wow, UFC 102 was one of the bestI’ve ever seen, Couture may have lost thefight but man did he win a lot of respect …Richard Seymour to the Raiders ha ha ha… Does anyone think someone other thanRoberto Luongo should be Canada’sstarting goalie at the 2010 WinterOlympics? Like really … Baseball needsa salary cap like the NFL. Is anybody elsegetting sick of the Red Sox and Yankees inthe playoffs year after year … Canada isoff to the World Championships of Basket-ball in Turkey. Much respect to thecoaching staff and players for playing sowell at the Tournament of Americas.

Agency Chiefs sit on top at Summer Games

An archer shows his skill atthe Summer Games held atOnion Lake First Nation.

SEPTEMBER 2009 23Eagle Feather News - Sports

By Blue PelletierFor Eagle Feather NewsThe Beardy’s women continuedtheir dominance of the FSINsoccer tournament winning a

fourth consecutive title. They downed theladies of Little Pine 4-0 in the final.

The game was full of chances at bothends, but Beardy’s was able to capitalizeand execute just a little better that day.

The girls credit their outstandingsoccer program on the Beardy’s FirstNation with developing some great talent.A lot of the girls are younger, but becauseof their programs they have playedtogether for quite some time. During thesoccer season they play in the SaskatoonSoccer League Division III.

It was an emotional win for a lot ofthe players. They lost their good friendand teammate Kate Montour recently. Theteam all wore black ribbons on theshoulder of their uniform to honour hermemory.

“Whoever plays with us is like family,we are all very close,” says Beardy’sfullback Cheryl Okemaysin.

On the men’s side the Little Pine FirstNation got past a very game Poundmak-er squad 2-0. The neighbouring FirstNations are all friendly off the field, manyof them playing for the same team duringthe season. But when they stepped on the

pitch that day it was all business. The game was fast paced and quick.

Players were riled up and really ready togo.

Both teams were flying around thefield. The game was very intense and

full of passion. Almost too much attimes as one Poundmaker player wasred carded during the first half and theywere forced to play a man down the restof the game.

Tanyn Nighttraveller opened the

scoring Little Pine. He would go on to winMVP honours and best forward of thetournament.

Goalkeeper Kerry Franks wouldscore on a penalty kick later in the gameto seal the win.

Beardy’s and Little Pine claim FSIN soccer titles

The Beardy’s First Nation women’s team won the FSIN soccer team and dedicated the victory to their lost friend andteammate Kate Montour.

SEPTEMBER 2009Eagle Feather News 24