Summer 2008

The Voice of the BC Métis Community

SALUTING MÉTIS AUTHORS

THE SPIRIT POLETRAVELS BRITISH COLUMBIA

Navigating Métis A Look on Aboriginal Identity in Canada

Summer 2008 Vol. 4, Issue 4

Proudly Printed in Canada

3Whispering Winds Summer 2008

Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education

Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education Celebrating Achievement Community Engagement Economic Development Supporting Education



An education can bemore than just a dream.

Vision. Dedication. Focus. With an education your dreams can become a reality

and we are honoured to join in your journey.

EnCana is dedicated to supporting education, celebrating achievement, engaging with

the community and encouraging economic development.

To fi nd out more about how EnCana is supporting

Aboriginal education, visit our website at

www.encana.com

ECOR-6732 WhisperingPines ad.indd 1 5/8/08 2:51:27 PM





An education can bemore than just a dream.

Vision. Dedication. Focus. With an education your dreams can become a reality

and we are honoured to join in your journey.

EnCana is dedicated to supporting education, celebrating achievement, engaging with

the community and encouraging economic development.

To fi nd out more about how EnCana is supporting

Aboriginal education, visit our website at

www.encana.com

ECOR-6732 WhisperingPines ad.indd 1 5/8/08 2:51:27 PM

PuBlIShErSKiwetin Marketing & Publishing Ltd.

OWnErSNoël Mineault & Diane Ellis

COntACt uSP.O. Box 1266,

Vernon, BC V1T 6N6

Phone: 250.558.7997 Toll-Free: 1.866.558.7997 Fax: 250.558.4178 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.kiwetin.ca

ISSN 1916-7490 (Print)ISSN 1916-7504 (Online)

Election Timetable 4John Arcand 4Message from the Publishers 5Spirit Pole 6President Message 8CEO Message 10

Announcement of Minister DeJong 11Aboriginal Literacy Forum 12

VANOC 2010 Indigenous Caucus 16

Elections - Returning Offi cer Poll Clerks 18Operational Strategy 21A Blend of Two Cultures 25Registry 28Don Freed 29Maybe Métis - Part 1 31It Takes a Village 36Photo Contest Winners 37RV Canada 38Bree Trumbley Acting Debut 41

Daisy 42Drumming the Earth 44Patti Mayo 45 New Undoing Popular Myths 48

The Life and Times of James Sinclair 50Th e Sinclair Re-Enactment 51BCMANR 52 Women 54PTMO 58BC Métis ActNow 59MHRDA Best Practices 60MNBC Education 62MHRDA - Enbridge 63Child & Family Service 65Youth 66Veterans 67MNBC Regional News 69A Canadian Legend 80Recipes 82

12 31 25

6Table of Content

The Voice of the BC Métis CommunitySummer 2008 Vol. 4, Issue 4

4 Whispering Winds Summer 2008

HOT Off THe PRess...


National Aboriginal Day 2008Start your engines and set your compass for Kelowna to arrive Saturday, June 21 – National Aboriginal Day. We are having a party to celebrate the diversity of being Métis and the French infl uence on our culture by wishing Happy 400th Birthday to Québec City. Birthday cake, hot dogs and drinks for everybody at no cost. Enjoy the music from the Red River infl uenced by the early French fur traders and settlers that helped establish our music, our language, and our “joie de la vie”. Giving us

a big helping hand will be John Arcand, the “Master of the Métis Fiddle” by providing a Masterclass for Fiddle during the day, and performing in concert Saturday evening. For fi ddlers who arrive early, John will be hosting a one-hour Luthier Workshop on Friday evening. Okanagan Métis Community Services have a history of celebrating National Aboriginal Day in Kelowna and this year we are partnering with the Rotary Centre For Th e Arts to celebrate art in all of its forms including Aboriginal-infl uenced work. Besides the musical art of John Arcand and other fi ddlers, we expect to have paintings, sculptures, and dancers to show the residents and visitors of the Okanagan what a wonderfully rich heritage we bring to the community mosaic. For tickets to JOHN ARCAND, call the Rotary Centre at 717-5304, or visit www.johnarcand.com or www.rotarycentreforthearts.com or www.artscard.ca

Métis Nation British Columbia is preparing for general elec-tions on September 13, 2008 and has contracted Turtle Island Consulting Services Inc. to coordinate the process. Elsewhere in this issue is a request for expressions of interest from people inter-ested in serving as returning offi cers and poll clerks.

Elections will be held for the following offi ces: president, vice president, chairperson of the Métis Women’s Secretariat British Columbia, chairperson of the British Columbia United Métis Youth Circle, a regional director for each of the seven regions, a regional youth representative for each of the seven regions, and a regional women’s representative for each of the seven regions.

Following are some of the important dates for actions to take place or be completed.• July 25 - Post and distribute general election notice, advance poll, election rules and preparation of voter’s list. Request expression of interests by eligible Métis citizens for returning offi cer and poll clerk positions. Request for polling station locations. Request for candidacy nominations.• July 30 -Obtain fi nal list of registered voters from MNBC Cen-tral Registry.• August 8 -Prepare a list of electors based on Central Registry listing. Receive polling station location information from presi-dents or designates.• August 14 - Receipt of all candidate nominations for the elec-

tions (including current criminal record check eff ective January 1, 2008). Submit a copy of the provincial list of electors to nomi-nated and offi cial candidates and the applicable regional lists of electors to candidates for regional positions. Appoint a returning offi cer and poll clerk for each polling station.• Send orientation and information packages to returning offi cers and poll clerks regarding protocols and procedures for the general election.• August 20 - Review candidate nominations. Determine if any nominations are to be acclaimed. Post notice of candidates.• August 23 - Provide fi nal list of polling stations.• August 26 - Reminder of advance poll and general election. Deadline for request to be received for advance poll mail-in ballot.• September 3 - Ballots mailed to returning offi cers.• September 10 - Mail-in ballots to be received by chief electoral offi cer.• September 11 - Advise returning offi cers which electors have engaged in advance poll.• September 13 - Election Day• Before midnight September 13 - Public announcement of gen-eral election results.• September 15 - Request post-election documentation. Must be received on or before Sept. 17.

...It’s a BoY ! Métis people around Canada join Keith and Kim Henry in celebrating the birth of their son, Ciaran Jex. Ciaran was born at 5:39 May 22, 2008 at Lion’s Gate Hospital, North Vancouver.

Ciaran is the second son for Keith and Kim. Drake,12, is very excited to have a baby brother. “For me personally it was my fi rst time in the delivery room as I was away during the delivery of my fi rst child Drake who is already 12 years old.

All I can say from my experience today is Lord bless each one of the women who have children in this world. I gained such a new appreciation and profound respect for you in the delivery. It was so emotional for me to witness the strength of being able to bring life into this world.” Keith Henry, MNBC CEO.

2008 General Election timeline

Summer has arrived and along with summer comes a lot of fun! With BC150 activities, MNBC Métis Cultural Festival, Back to Batoche Days, 12th Annual picnic in William’s Lake. Riverside Festival in Terrace, John Arcand Fiddle Festival, and the North American Indigenous Games there will be plenty to keep us busy. Bring your camera and get ready to enter the “Métis Summer to Remember Photo contest”. Be sure to fi nd time to read to your children and grandchildren. 15 minutes of reading a day can make a diff erence to their lives.

As publishers of Whispering Winds we wish to thank Anna Malak from Rouge Design for stepping in at the last moment to design this publication. Great job!!! You worked very hard and very fast. Th anks so much!

It is election year for Métis Nation British Columbia! In August we will be publishing a special edition of Whispering Winds to tell you who your candidates are. Get involved, nominate solid Métis citizens and let’s have a good, clean election.

A special thanks goes to everyone who contributed to this magazine. Please check our new website www.kiwetin.com! On June 15th we are launching a brand new interactive website with many links to our advertisers and supporters. Talk to us about advertising and how your company can be showcased on our website too at no extra cost.

Message from the Publishers STEP for Women is a program that will help employers in B.C. get the skilled workers they need by matching them up with women who have experience in construction or who want to work in the construction industry.

STEP for Women was developed through a part-nership between the BC Construction Association and the Métis Nation BC and is funded in part by the BC Ministry of Community Services and the BC Ministry of Economic Development.

The industry needs skilled trades people and workers who want to start a career in construction. Women who have experience or interest in the con-struction trades will be matched to employers who need workers. Job Coaches will assess employment potential, coordinate work placements that match skills and experience, and provide ongoing supportfor both workers and employers.

How can I participate in the STEP for

Women Program? It’s easy to take part

and there’s no fee, employers and indi-

viduals simply call the BC Construction

Association at 250-475-1077.

Subscribe to WHispering Winds

Never miss another copy. Some back issues are still available. Subscriptions are available for $32.00 per year. Send your cheque or money order to Kiwetin Marketing & Publishing Ltd., Box 1266, Vernon, B.C. V1T 6N6. Contact us regarding bulk subscriptions.

DEADLINE for Fall issue of Whispering Winds is AUGUST 7TH, 2008. DELIVERY DATE IS SEPTEMBER 5, 2008. We will feature summer events, MNBC Annual General meeting, Education, Health and a new section for Artisans and Aboriginal businesses.

Publishers reserve the right to edit all material and to refuse any controversial articles that may be in confl ict with our values. Electronic images must be supplied in a high resolution (300 dpi or greater) or risk not being published due to poor output quality

� Whispering Winds Summer 2008

HOT Off THe PRess...

�Whispering Winds Summer 2008

...HOT Off THe PRessIn 50 communities across British Columbia this summer,

British Columbians will have a chance to add their efforts towards a unique art project and be rewarded with a piece of the project.

The Cowichan 2008 Spirit Pole: British Columbians Carve a Moment in History tour will provide an opportunity for residents to contribute their hands to creating a lasting monument celebrating First Nation’s culture, BC150 and the North American Indigenous Games. Participants will have a chance to learn about traditional carving methods and Aboriginal history while carving a piece of the 20-foot western red cedar log. And they’ll be able to keep their shavings and get a ribbon as well.

Master carver Carey Newman and his team are guiding the tour. Newman, a Coast Salish and Kwaguilth artist, musician and carver with over 20 years of experience in carving and other fine arts, designed the Spirit Pole to echo the past, pay tribute to the present and look to the future.

“The design is called Victory of Spirit, A Story in Wood, and it symbolizes so much – the strength of a people, healing through sharing, sharing through learning, and learning through generations,” said Newman. “Each figure on the pole is significant – from the healing power of the Eagle, to the courage of the Salmon, to the energizing power of the Sun, the Spirit Pole will tell our stories for generations to come.”

“The Spirit Pole tour will celebrate the rich history of British Columbia’s Aboriginal peoples, while sharing the story of these international multi-sport games with communities across the province,” said Cal Swustus, Cowichan 2008 board chair. “The pole will remain in the Cowichan Valley afterwards as a legacy to the games.”

The project is expected to engage as many as 10,000 British Columbians in a celebration of Aboriginal heritage and BC150, according to Stan Hagen, British Columbia’s Tourism, Sport and the Arts minister.

The tour embraces the five pillars that are the focus of BC150: heritage, communities, cultural diversity, arts and culture and Aboriginal peoples.

On May 16, Métis Elder Grace Pearson and Marc Colman represented the Chilliwack Métis Association at the public

carving of the Cowichan Spirit Pole, at the Sumas First Nation in the Fraser Valley. Other Métis support staff are involved in this journey.

The Spirit Pole began its journey in May and will go to all parts of British Columbia. During the final leg of the 13-week tour, the Spirit Pole will join Tribal Journeys 2008 arriving by canoe in Cowichan Bay on July 28.

The Cowichan 2008 North American Indigenous Games are an international celebration

of youth, sport and culture. With volunteers and spectators, it is expected that the games will draw close to 20,000 people to the Cowichan Valley. The economic benefit to the local and provincial economy is estimated at over $20 million. For more information on the Cowichan 2008 North American Games, please visit www.cowichan2008.com.

The Spirit Pole Travels Throughout British Columbia in Honour of 2008 North American Indigenous Games

“The design is called Victory of Spirit, A Story in Wood...”

8 Whispering Winds Summer 2008 9Whispering Winds Summer 2008

hard to establish a strong foundation for the future and I know that our Nation will support the continued growth of the Nation.

I encourage Métis citizens and friends of the Métis to support Métis cultural and community events as we head into summer. Many of the Métis Chartered Communities have fun and exciting dates planned to celebrate and promote Métis culture. MNBC will be hosting a Métis culture celebration July 12th and 13th in the Lower Mainland and I welcome all Métis and non-Métispeople to

attend. MNBC will have updates posted on the MNBC regarding a schedule of events for the July event. Don’t forget Back to Batoche Days in Saskatchewan will be held from July 23rd – 27th, 2008. Finally there will be a major Métis celebration called the “Riverside Festival” set for August 8th – 10th in Terrace. Th ere is always a number our other Métis celebrations and please feel free to review the MNBC website that will list many of the upcoming events.

I want to acknowledge and sincerely thank the Métis citizens in British Columbia for the support to grow the Nation during

my term as President these past four years. However we cannot forget that there is so much more to do. Th erefore I must stress the importance for all Métis citizens to get involved in the upcoming MNBC 2008 General Election. Th e campaign period will offi cially being in August 2008. I truly hope that all eligible Métis citizens will take the time to review the various candidates and vote September 13th, 2008. Lets show all British Columbians that there is a vibrant and strong Métis Nation.

Marsay... Kinass KoumitinBRUCE DUMONT

RBC proudly supportsthe Métis Nation BC.RBC proudly supportsthe Métis Nation BC.

Gail Murray Manager, Aboriginal Markets BC Region

205 Commercial Street Nanaimo, BC V9r 5G8 ph 250 741 3020 cell 250 616 0947

toll free 1 866 899 1004fax 250 741 3021 email [email protected] www.rbc.com/aboriginal

Métis Nation British Columbia leadership continues to move the Métis agenda forward as we enter the summer months in 2008. I am sure that many of you know that this past year presented a number of new challenges for the MNBC leadership. I must state that the entire MNBC Board of Directors stood strong for the values and beliefs that have built our proud Métis Nation. Such stances are not always easy and I want to reassure the Métis citizens that your leadership remains more united than ever before as we work to ensure the voice of the Métis citizens is refl ective in the issues we face today.

I am providing these initial comments as the summer of 2008 marks the end of the current MNBC leadership term of offi ce. In December 2007 Métis Nation Governing Assembly leaders approved the date for the next provincial MNBC General Election to be September 13th, 2008. Most of the current MNBC leaders on the Board of Directors

have served the Métis Nation for the past four years. In fact three of the current MNBC leaders have served the Métis Nation since 2001. Th e current term began after the previous MNBC General Election that was held in April 2004.

I sincerely believe that the Métis Nation will continue to ensure that the Métis citizen’s quality of life will be improved in health, housing, education, and economic development opportunities in British Columbia. Th e current MNBC leadership has worked

Message from President Bruce Dumont

Taanshi kiya’wow • Bonjour Ta’wow • Bienvenue

I have truly appreciated the support and learning experiences that I have been provided as the MNBC President and former Vice President. During these past four years I have seen many things progress for the Métis Nation. A few of my personal highlights included:• Supporting the establishment of new Métis Nation legislation

such as the Citizenship, Senate, Métis Nation Governing Assembly, and Electoral Acts.

• Signing the Métis Nation Relationship Accord in May 2006 that truly signaled a new relationship with the Métis citizens in BC.

• Witnessing and supporting the Métis Nation Governing Assembly for the fi rst offi cial time as the President in 2006.

• Establishing the fi rst ever MNBC central registry and signing of over 3000 Métis citizenship cards.

• Approving the fi rst ever Métis Nation fi ve-year plan that focused MNBC eff orts to improve the lives of Métis citizens in British Columbia on key areas

• Being able to celebrate and toast the 10 Year Métis Nation British Columbia anniversary as the President during the 2007 MNBC Annual General Meeting with over 600 guests in attendance.

• Approving the Métis citizenship commercial that was aired in 2007 on Global.

• And so many other agreements and program approvals.


Announcement from the Minister michael de Jong

It continues to be a pleasure to support the Métis leadership throughout this province in my role as the Chief Executive Offi cer. Th ere are a number of updates regarding the Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) operations due to the fact that the fi scal year of 2007-2008 ended and the MNBC moved forward in 2008-2009.

MNBC administration completed signifi cant program reporting in April and May. MNBC administration managed a number of program reports as MNBC administers approximately 43 funding sources provided from funding partners in 2007-2008. MNBC was able to ensure that all program reports were submitted as per the signed contribution agreements.

MNBC administration also completed all fi nancial reporting in conjunction with the various program reporting. Th e MNBC fi nance staff completed reconciling all program resources and 2007-2008 payables. Th e MNBC audit preparation was completed in May and the audit for 2007-2008 is being completed by Manning Elliot Chartered Accountants for presentation at the MNBC Annual General Meeting in September 2008. MNBC administration and the MNBC leadership will be able to present another balanced budget and this is another demonstration of the strong internal fi nancial controls.

MNBC administration was able to work with the MNBC leadership during February and March and receive approval for the 2008-2009 Operational Plan. Th e MNBC is now entering the second year of the fi ve-year plan and MNBC administration is ensuing all planning is being completed to support the overall objectives. Th e MNBC administration has also incorporated new targets for MNBC Ministry staff throughout the organization and the targets have now been posted for public review.

MNBC administration is in the process to supporting preparations for a successful 2008 MNBC General Election with the Chief Electoral Offi cer. Th is will include support for a special edition of the Kiwetin Magazine in August that will showcase all potential candidates, updating the MNBC website with key dates for candidates applications, and all other election requirements.

I want to conclude by recognizing and thanking the current Métis Nation British Columbia leadership and the Métis Chartered Community Executive. Th is summer brings closure to the current term of MNBC leaders. It has truly been great to work will such dedicated people who have brought the Métis Nation forward. I am truly excited about the upcoming election and I know Métis citizens will elect strong leadership in September 2008.

Th ank you,

KEITH HENRY

Message from the Chief Executive Offi cerkeith henry

A grant for $450,000 was presented to MNBC in late April by Michael de Jong, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconci-liation to help improve health, housing, education and economic development opportunities for Métis people around B.C.Th e provincial funding will help MNBC carry out year two of a fi ve-year plan to implement the Métis Nation Relationship Accord which was signed in May 2006. “Th ere are almost 60,000 Métis people in British Columbia, and the Accord lays out a vision for strengthening our relationship with the Métis Nation and working collaboratively to improve the lives of their community members,” said de Jong. “MNBC has made excellent progress in developing a strategy to achieve the goals set out in the Métis Nation Relationship Ac-cord. Th is grant will help the Métis Nation expand their capacity

and implement programs to further this important strategy.”MNBC President Bruce Dumont welcomed the money. “Today’s announcement continues to demonstrate the true com-mitment by the provincial government to support the Métis Nation Relationship Accord. Our Métis leadership and staff have worked hard to set an overall fi ve-year strategy that will support the practical needs of our communities. Th is includes addressing such key issues as health, education, and others as an immediate priority.”Since 2005, the province has been building a new relationship with Aboriginal people based on respect, recognition and recon-ciliation and is committed to closing the socio-economic gap that separates Aboriginal people from other British Columbians.


A unique opportunity to learn and showcase Aboriginal literacy success was held in Regina, Apr. 13-15, as part of the Pan-Canadian Interactive Literacy Forum organized by the Council of Ministers of Education Canada.The forum took place in five sites and across five time zones simultaneously. Using webcasting technology, each site, with its local theme, and prominent keynote speaker, was linked to the other sites.

“Aboriginal Literacy - More Than Words” was the theme of the Regina event at which Susan Aglukark was one of the keynote speakers. She talked about the personal, so-cial, cultural and linguistic literacies and their importance in a changing environment for Aboriginal peoples.

The objectives of the forum were to increase awareness of the value; importance and uniqueness of Aboriginal lit-eracy in Canada; and showcase best practice and success stories from First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities that promote and support Aboriginal literacy develop-ment based on Aboriginal values and ways of knowing.The forums were developed around the growing recogni-tion that literacy is an important enabler for living, learn-ing and earning a living. Literacy is a skill that facilitates the learning of all other skills. In also enhances our ability to see meaning in the patterns of connections among things.

There were 295 registrants at the three day Regina event and 3,000 participants nationally. Senator Lillian Eva Dyck was one of the speakers. See the accompanying story.

prehending written documents related to daily life in our mod-ern society.”

The IALS survey said 60 per cent of off reserve, urban Aborigi-nals in Saskatchewan were found to have less than level 3 prose proficiency, compared to 33 per cent of the non-Aboriginal population.

But she said questions should be asked. “One cannot blame Ab-originals as a group for their lower literacy proficiency. Aborigi-nal people are just as capable intellectually, as non-Aboriginals.”“When talking about the IALS survey, which does compare Aboriginals to non-Aboriginals, we would be wise to take into account that there may be some feelings of anger or personal inadequacy, because this is yet another study in which Aborigi-nal people rate at a lower level than non-Aboriginals,” she cau-tioned.

Dyck related her personal story. “I was ashamed to admit that I had Cree Indian blood running through my veins. I was afraid that if people knew that I wasn’t just Chinese, and that I was also Indian, they would look down on me even more so.”It wasn’t until she’d obtained a PhD that she had the self-confi-dence to admit to her dual heritage. “I tell this personal story … to illustrate how insidious the effects of racism can be on one’s feelings of self worth.” She continued, “Having a good sense of self-esteem and self-worth makes learning easier.”

She continued, the survey results shouldn’t be accepted ‘carte blanche’.

“Was the IALS survey appropriate for use in assessing the lit-eracy of Aboriginals?” She suggested the forum might provide some answers.

“It is well know that Aboriginal people are masters of the oral tradition and historically Aboriginals did not need to depend on written communication as is the case for Europeans. The IALS survey did not assess oral proficiency, nor did it take into ac-count cultural differences.”

But using figures from the Saskatchewan Literacy Com-mission, she agreed more programming needs to be available. Federal and provincial programs, about a year ago, had 7,000 participants. A tiny fraction of the 200,000-250,000 with low literacy in the province.

She related results of reports which conclude “getting a good education is one of the best ways of breaking the cycle of poverty and overcoming the personal and social problems as-sociated with poverty.

“To succeed in your educational endeavours you need good literacy proficiency,” she said. “Being literate enables you to get a high school education or its equivalent, and then it enables you to get additional education at the post-secondary level. This in turn increases your chances of getting a job and increasing your income. Greater income in turn allows you to buy better food, to live in a better home, and perhaps to have access to better medi-cal care.

“Being literate increases your ability to understand every-day and complex information related to your health.” That can lead to longer life.

“It is stated that ‘the single best predictor of good health and longevity is probably literacy’,” she said.After calling for more programs, Dyck called on all those who struggle with their literacy proficiency to “Refuse to be silenced. Find your voice - don’t be afraid to speak up and ask for what you rightly deserve. Be courageous.

Walk strong, walk tall and walk proud.”

More needs to be done to increase literacy levelBeing literate is a key ingredient in the recipe for living a suc-cessful and happy and long life. Yet too many Canadians, Sas-katchewanites and Aboriginals haven’t gained the necessary lit-eracy skills to use printed material at home, at work and in the community.

To remedy this, Senator Lillian Eva Dyck, the opening speaker at a literacy forum in Regina, called on the provincial and federal governments to invest more money in literacy programs.Canada ought to follow the lead of countries such as England and Australia which “have launched multi-year, well-resourced national strategies aimed at improving literacy skills,” she said.As well, literacy programs designed by and for Aboriginal learn-ers need to be increased significantly in Saskatchewan and across Canada.

As the opening speaker at the Council of Minister of Education of Canada Pan Canadian Web-interactive Literacy Forum in Regina, Dyck focused some of her remarks on Saskatchewan’s situation.“It has been predicted that 10 years from now, 21 per cent of the population in Saskatchewan will be Aboriginal, and by 2045, as much as 50 per cent will be Aboriginal. It is imperative, there-fore, that programs that increase the literacy proficiency of Ab-originals are, if anything, expanded dramatically.”She called on the federal and provincial governments to increase their level of investment in literacy programs because “such in-vestments will pay significant dividends in the future, as more people become able to participate fully in everyday life, and con-tribute to our economy. These adult learners will benefit from an increased sense of pride, greater self-confidence, a higher stan-dard of living and a longer, happier life.”

During her speech, Dyck referred to the 2003 Adult Literacy and Skills Survey, known as the IALS survey, which indicated 41 per cent of Canadians scored below level 3 in prose literacy while in Saskatchewan the percentage was 33 per cent.“What that means is that 41 per cent of Canadians and 33 per cent of Saskatchewanites had significant difficulty in fully com-

more than words


1� Whispering Winds Summer 2008 1�Whispering Winds Summer 2008

North American Indigenous Caucus affirms support for unprecedented Indigenous participation in 2010 Olympic Winter Games

By Grand Chief Edward John and Lea Nicholas-MacKenzie

(Vancouver – March 6th, 2008) Indigenous leaders and activists have supported the continued work of the Four Host First Nations to achieve “un-precedented Aboriginal participation” in the 2010 Winter Games.

The group is working with the Van-couver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Organizing Committee (VANOC) to achieve the goal.“Participants affirmed their support for the unprecedented level of Indigenous participation in the 2010 Olympic Games …”, an excerpt from the resolution read.

Members of the North American Re-gional Indigenous Caucus were in Van-couver, in the traditional territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, to prepare for the seventh session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, in April 2008.

On February 23, day two of the event, some caucus members introduced a short text condemning the 2010 Winter Games, and linking the games to the death of an elder from the Squamish nation. Other members disagreed. As the caucus op-erates through consensus, the co-chairs (Grand Chief Edward John and Kenneth Deer) asked to hear from Coast Salish leaders from the host First Nations.

Hereditary Chief Ian Campbell, of the Squamish Nation, welcomed the del-egates to the traditional territories of the Four Host First Nations (FHFN), and thanked them for the important work they are doing on behalf of all Indigenous Peoples.

Chief Campbell then took the opportu-nity “to set the record straight” regarding the involvement of Coast Salish and In-terior Salish Peoples in the 2010 Winter Games.

The 2010 Winter Games are being held within the shared traditional territories of the Four Host First Nations (FHFN) — the Lil’wat, the Musqueam, the Squa-mish and the Tsleil-Waututh. The four have formed the non-profit Four Host First Nations Society, and established the FHFN Secretariat to coordinate their collective efforts as host nations.

Chief Campbell said he is “working close-ly with Squamish Hereditary Chiefs Bill Williams and Gibby Jacob to bring life to the vision of the late (Squamish) Chief Joe Mathias, who insisted that the Coast Salish Peoples must be full partners” in the 2010 Games. “We are not sitting idle. We are not passive. We are not assimilat-ed peoples,” he said.

Chief Campbell, who was raised by his grandfather, explained that, as a Heredi-tary Chief, he is responsible for bringing forward the traditional knowledge and language of his ancestors, and adapting to a modern context based on this strong cultural foundation. He further explained that the Squamish Nation used the opportunity of the games to raise awareness about their traditional territories, protect their territories and develop wildlife management plans.

This included identifying the wild spirit places in the territories, and informing the organizing committee that they could not undertake development in those areas. He noted, “We didn’t wait or ask permis-sion to protect our territories … and we

will not ask for anyone’s permission to do business in our territories.”

Interviewed after the event, Chief Camp-bell said, “The United Nations Declara-tion on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples upholds the Indigenous right to self-de-termination.

“When other Indigenous Peoples come to our territories and claim to speak on our behalf, they are not respecting this funda-mental right.”

Tewanee Joseph, executive director of the Four Host First Nations Society, who at-tended the event with his two year-old son, added, “Our whole focus for the games is for our children. We are focusing on their future and opportunities for them.”

He shared a message of being inclusive, and said, “Everything is not perfect in British Columbia or in Canada. We have challenges every single day as First Na-tions peoples. But the only way to resolve them is by working together.”Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Re-gional Chief Wilton Littlechild shared his extensive experience with Olympic Games, and noted that the AFN has signed an MOU (Memorandum of Un-derstanding) to support the work of the four host nations.

“Since the games in Calgary in 1988, the IOC (International Olympic Commit-tee) and governments have learned, and it is really quite incredible what is being done here,” said Regional Chief Littl-echild. “These 2010 Games have, by far, the largest Indigenous participation at every level.”

Interviewed after the caucus meeting, he said, “Since its inception, the AFN has fought at national and international levels

for the principle of respect for traditional territories. It is very significant that the traditional and shared traditional territo-ries of these nations are being recognized and respected by the Olympic partners.”

He added, “The (Four Host First Na-tions’) partnership with VANOC and the IOC, and your involvement in deci-sion-making at the highest levels, pro-vides a model for harmonious relations between Indigenous Peoples and other jurisdictions. The right to be involved in decision-making processes regarding is-sues that may affect the territories, rights and interests of First Nations Peoples is a principle that the AFN has firmly as-serted over the years.”The FHFN have signed a protocol with VANOC that formalizes the relationship and sets a very high standard not only for participation, but for true partnership. The protocol includes FHFN involve-ment in everything from the opening and closing ceremonies to employment, mar-keting and procurement. In addition to the protocol, the Squamish and Lil’wat nations have negotiated legacy agree-ments which include many benefits for the members of the nations.

During the caucus meeting, one participant stated that, “A few Indians dancing around in the opening ceremonies will not do anything for the down-town east side.”

In response, Chief Ian Camp-bell said, “We are participating in every aspect of these games from the opening ceremo-nies to representation on the VANOC board of directors.”

“The opening ceremonies are important to us. Our songs and ceremonies are very sacred. I don’t want to hear anyone be-littling them or disrespecting

them in our territories,” said Chief Camp-bell. “Our songs are our laws and protocol. They are the land. I am a yuni-lead singer responsible for our sacred songs. This is taken very seriously and is a responsibility which my elders have bestowed on me.”

Further, regarding the initial draft resolu-tion which linked the death of a Squamish Nation elder to the 2010 Winter Games, the chief explained that he has spoken with the family and they have asked that others cease using her name and respect the Squamish Nation protocols.

“In our tradition we go into grieving for four years. We don’t mention the name of the deceased, or their ancestral names, un-til such time as their memorial takes place. The family has asked me to ask those of you who would use her name to respect this protocol,” Chief Campbell stated.Following the discussion, caucus mem-bers agreed to develop a new text that could be included in the meeting report. The resulting consensus text (relevant 2010 Games text in bold) is as follows:

“Participants affirmed their support for the unprecedented level of Indigenous participation in the 2010 Olympic

Games in British Columbia, Canada. Participants also noted that the 2010 Olympic Games can provide an impor-tant opportunity for Indigenous peoples and the world community to promote human rights and address the human rights record and actions of Canada on the local, provincial, national and inter-national levels.

“It should be noted that one of the princi-ple reasons for Canada to vote against the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indig-enous Peoples was that they opposed the provisions on Indigenous rights to lands, territories and resources (Article 26) and the principle of free, prior and informed consent. Canada’s and British Columbia’s policies fail to recognize Aboriginal title and Indigenous free, prior and informed consent.

“Participants also expressed outrage that Indigenous persons and activists, includ-ing Indigenous elders who stand up for Indigenous land rights and assert their free, prior and informed consent are often criminalized and jailed.”

Hereditary Chief Campbell and other FHFN members expressed satisfaction at the result after the meeting, stating that it is important that people appreciate what is games-related and what is not.

Chief Campbell noted that they had been looking for an opportunity to counter the “misinformation being circulated” by non-Salish individuals who are opposed to the games and “falsely claim to speak for the Indigenous people within whose territories the 2010 Winter Games will take place.”

Hereditary Chief Sets the Record Straight


ElIGIBIlItyIndividuals who are interested in serving as Returning Officers and Poll Clerks must be committed to having a thorough understanding of the Métis Nation British Columbia Electoral Act – September 2007 (www.mnbc.ca/pdf/electoral_act.pdf).

As per Article 14.1 of the Métis Nation British Columbia Electoral Act, the following individuals shall be deemed ineligible to be appointed as either a Returning Officer or Poll Clerk for the 2008 MNBC General Election:

* A person who is the spouse, child, brother, sister, mother, father, common-law partner or individual who lives with any candidate;

* A member of the Métis Nation British Columbia Senate; and

* An individual who is a candidate or a candidate’s representative (i.e., scrutineers, campaign managers).

In addition, a person who is the spouse, child, brother, sister, mother, father, common-law partner, or who lives with either a Returning Officer or Poll Clerk, shall not be appointed for the same polling station location.

DurAtIOnReturning Officers and Poll Clerks will participate in the 2008 MNBC General Election from August 15, 2008 to October 13, 2008.

COmPEnSAtIOnReturning Officers and Poll Clerks will be compensated for their participation in the 2008 MNBC General Election.

For returning Officers: An honorarium of $100 will be provided after the MNBC General Election has concluded*.

For Poll Clerks: An honorarium of $50 will be provided after the MNBC General Election has concluded*.

*Please note: Returning Officers and Poll Clerks will receive their respective honorarium once the Chief Electoral Office receives their post-election documentation.

rOlE OF thE rEturnInG OFFICEr AnD POll ClErk Please refer to pages 6-7 which outline the duties/responsibilities of a Returning Officer and Poll Clerk. Individuals who are interested in participating as a Returning Officer or Poll Clerk for the 2008 MNBC General Election should submit the following:

* Full Name* Role Preference (Returning Officer or Poll Clerk)* MNBC Region and City Preference**

**Note: Please indicate which MNBC Region and associated city you are planning to work in for the 2008 MNBC General Election

Closing time and date: August 8, 2008 (12:00 noon)

COntACt InFOrmAtIOn:Please submit your expressions of interest via e-mail or fax to: Attn. Don Caverley, c/o Chief Electoral Office E-mail: [email protected] or Fax: (250) 656-1076

If you have any questions and/or comments regarding this notification, please contact: Don Caverley, c/o the Chief Electoral Office at (250) 656-1076 or by e-mail at: [email protected]

rOlES OF A rEturnInG OFFICEr AnD POll ClErk

returning Officer Duties and responsibilitiesAs a Returning Officer for the 2008 MNBC General Election, your responsibilities will include but are not limited to the following:

* Securing a polling station location for the General Election. It is recommended that this activity be carried out in consultation with the local Métis Chartered Community Presidents of the MNBC.

* Arriving at the polling station at least thirty (30) minutes prior to the opening of the given polling station.

Expressions of Interest: returning Officers and Poll Clerks

2008 MNBC GENERAL ELECTIONS

Expressions of Interest: returning Officers and Poll ClerksIn readiness for the 2008 MNBC General Election, thirty-eight (38) Returning Officers and thirty-eight (38) Poll Clerks are required to assist in the administration of this electoral process. For the 2008 MNBC General Election, one (1) Returning Officer and one (1) Poll Clerk are required in each of the thirty-eight (38) MNBC Chartered Communities.

mnBC Chartered Communities and Cities (regions 1 – 7)

Region 1 – Vancouver Island (6) Region 2 – Lower Mainland (6)

a. Métis Nation of Greater Victoria Victoria a. Vancouver Métis Cultural Society Vancouver

b. Cowichan Valley Métis Association Duncan b. Nova Métis Heritage Association Surrey

c. Mid Island Métis Nation Nanaimo c. Fraser Valley Métis Association Abbotsford

d. Alberni Clayquot Métis Association Port Alberni d. North Fraser Métis Association Burnaby

e. North Island Métis Nation Campbell River e. Waceya Métis Society Langley

f. Miki’siw Métis Association Comox f. Chilliwack Métis Association Chilliwack

Region 3 – Thompson/Okanagan (7) Region 4 – Kootenays (6)

a. Boundary Local Métis Association Grand Forks a. Kootenay Region Office Cranbrook

b. Merritt District Métis Association Merritt b. East Local Elk Valley

c. Two Rivers Métis Society Kamloops c. North Local Invermere

d. Salmon Arm Métis Association Salmon Arm d. South Local Trail

e. Vernon District Métis Association Vernon e. West Local Nelson

f. Kelowna Métis Association Kelowna f. Central Local Cranbrook

g. Métis Heritage and Cultural Council Penticton

Region 5 – North Central (5) Region 6 – Northwest (3)

a. North Cariboo Métis Association Quesnel a. Northwest Métis Association Prince Rupert

b. Cariboo Chilcotin Métis Association Williams Lake b. North West BC Métis Association Terrace

c. Prince George Métis Community Association Prince George c. Tri-River Métis Association Smithers

d. Three Valley Métis Society Valemont

e. New Caledonia Métis Association Fort St. James

Region 7 – Northeast (5)

a. Northern Rockies Métis Society Fort Nelson

b. Fort St. John Métis Society Fort St. John

c. North East Métis Association Dawson Creek

d. Moccasin Flat’s Métis Society Chetwynd

e. Red River Métis Society Hudson Hope



Following the culmination of a number of internal planning activities, the métis nation Brit-ish Columbia (mnBC) Opera-tional Strategy for 2008-2009 has been endorsed by the Board of Directors.

Th e mandate for the MNBC is to “develop and enhance opportunities for our Métis communities by implementing culturally relevant social and economic programs and services,” states the docu-ment.

“Presently MNBC has established three (3) levels of Métis Nation governance — 37 Métis community associations throughout the province, seven (7) re-gional governance councils and the MNBC board of directors.

“Th e development of this Métis Na-tion governance model has enabled the MNBC to expand and directly impact programs and services provided for Mé-tis people throughout British Columbia.“MNBC delivers a variety of programs and services ranging from employment and training, education, health, youth advocacy, plus several others.”

After reviewing successes from the past year, the report states, “MNBC appears to be on track for continued program and service growth in 2008-09.”Based on the review a number of targets have been set for the year which started April 1, 2008.

Following is a synopsis of some of the targets. For the complete report go to the MNBC website at www.mnbc.ca and click on News Archive on the left side.

Employment & Education (MHRDA)Create 300 employment opportunities for Métis citizens; 425 adults return to school and receive training; 40 Métis citizens are employed through industry partnerships; two courses - Carpen-try level II and core training; develop a 2010 Olympic/Paralympic labour market strategy and implement it in the Lower Mainland.

Métis WomenBuild capacity to support the regional Métis women’s governance and program capacity; engage 100 new Métis women; assist Métis women to become active in women’s governance and to improve health and wellness;

RegistryIssue 3,000 new citizenship cards; create a Métis genealogical resource centre at MNBC to assist all Métis people with the registry process and become a recog-nized resource across western Canada; support three public awareness cam-paigns that increase Métis citizenship awareness.

EducationCreate a pilot project to develop edu-cation plans for all children in care in pilot areas of the province; develop an initiative to address the high dropout rate (50%) of Métis learners; support the increased development of cultural awareness projects for Métis learners with a specifi c focus on the K-12 sys-tem. Th is pilot will start our interven-tion to assist children in care. Only 16% of children in care obtain a high-school

diploma; develop a pilot program to support Métis learners dropping out of school in the K-12 system; implement a new Métis Nation Scholarship program that is available to all Métis citizens who qualify by the fall of 2008

JusticeLiaise with corrections to ensure there is assistance for Métis inmates in their transition to civilian life; thus reducing the rate of re-off enders. Approximately, one quarter of the inmates in the pro-vincial correction system are of Métis heritage.

Natural ResourcesContinue negotiation with British Co-lumbia Ministry of Environment to ex-empt Métis from licensing under the BC Wildlife Act; pass the MNBC Natural Resource Act at the 2008 annual general meeting; develop and implement a plan to operationalize the Natural Resources Act including the MNBC Harvesting Card; develop and implement restorative justice Métis community workplan; ne-gotiate a community justice / restorative justice initiative with the appropriate federal and provincial departments to deal with MNBC citizens accused of a summary conviction off ence under the Criminal Code of Canada (fi rst off end-ers only).

Métis citizens accused of harvesting violations may be able to resolve these matters based on the MNBC restorative justice system; seek recognition of Mé-tis harvesters within British Columbia under the Wildlife Act as compared to other Aboriginal harvesters; seek the

mnBC Operational Strategy

Expressions of Interest: returning Offi cers and Poll Clerks

* Showing candidates, scrutineers and other individuals entitled to be present (prior to the opening of the Polling Station) that the ballot box is empty.

* After the ballot box has been shown, securely sealing it for receipt of the ballots and ensuring it remains sealed at all times during the hours of voting.

* Ensuring that the names of the individuals applying to vote are on the List of Electors.

* Ensuring each Elector presents their MNBC Citizenship Card for the purpose of proving their identity and Métis citizenship to the Returning Offi cer.

* Recording the name, address and proof of Métis Citizenship (MNBC Citizenship number) of electors in a designated Poll Book.

* Recording any objections (in the Poll Book) made by any candidates or their scrutineers regarding the eligibility of any Métis citizens requesting a ballot for the 2008 MNBC General Election.

Poll Clerks Duties and responsibilitiesAs a Poll Clerk for the 2008 MNBC General Elections, your responsibilities will include but are not limited to the following:* Assisting the designated Returning Offi cer (within your

Métis Chartered Community or region) in carrying out the above mentioned General Election duties.

* Serving as the alternate should the Returning Offi cer within your Métis Chartered Community or region become ill or unavailable at the time of the General Election.

PrOtOCOlDuring polling hours, the Returning Offi cer, the Poll Clerk, the Chief Electoral Offi cer, interpreters and one (1) scrutineer per candidate may remain in the polling area. A candidate may briefl y visit a polling station during polling hours.

DurAtIOnReturning Offi cers and Poll Clerks will participate in the 2008 MNBC General Election process from August 15, 2008 to October 13, 2008.

FrEQuEntly ASkED QuEStIOnS FAQS

Q1. Will I be compensated for my participation as a returning Offi cer or Poll Clerk?

A1. Yes. Returning Offi cers and Poll Clerks will be compensated for their participation in the 2008 MNBC General Election. An honorarium of $100 will be provided to each Returning Offi cer, while $50 will be provided to each Poll Clerk at the end of the MNBC General Election*.

*Note: the honorarium will be sent directly to the Returning Offi cer and Poll Clerk upon receipt of the post-election documentation by the Chief Electoral Offi ce.

Q2. Who is responsible for securing a polling station location?

A2. In consultation with the local Métis Chartered Community President, the Returning Offi cer will be responsible for securing a polling station location for the MNBC General Election.

Q3. As the returning Offi cer or Poll Clerk, can I be reimbursed for any General Election expenses (i.e., return postage for post-election documentation)?

A3. Yes, as the Returning Offi cer or Poll Clerk, you may be reimbursed for any General Election expenses**.

*Note: Subject to providing original receipts and receiving prior approval from the

Chief Electoral Offi cer.

Q4. how are returning Offi cers and Poll Clerks selected?

A4. Returning Offi cers and Poll Clerks will be selected on a “fi rst come, fi rst serve” basis, provided that individuals are eligible as per Article 14.1 of the Métis Nation British Columbia Electoral Act.

For example: a person who is the spouse, child, brother, sister, mother, father, common-law partner, or individual who lives with any candidate shall be ineligible to be appointed as a Returning Offi cer and Poll Clerk for the 2008 MNBC General Election.



ability to enable the management of nat-ural resources by MNBC utilizing the proposed management structure.

SenateFurther refine the jurisdictions under the Senate Act. The role of the Senate is expanding and they require support to ensure they are able to fulfill their mandate.

Child & FamilyContinue negotiations regarding the MOU (Memorandum of Understand-ing) with MCFD (Ministry of Children

and Family Development); continue negotiations in regards to the delegation of Okanagan Métis Child and Family Services; support Kikino in negotiat-ing the delegation of services; fund the MNBC ministry responsible for Métis Child and Family Services.

Therefore, Métis children and families in crisis will receive a culturally appro-priate service. All services in Okanagan and the North will be served by Métis Child and Family Services. Children in care and Métis families in crisis will access service that is culturally sensitive and responsive to their needs.

Economic DevelopmentCreate new agreements and initiatives that enhance job opportunities for Métis citizens and that provide con-tracting opportunities for Métis busi-nesses; generate two business ventures that support a long-term revenue stream for MNBC and our citizens; diminish the economic gap that exists between Métis people in B.C. and other British Columbians in relation to annu-al household income. Another key goal is to make MNBC a financially self-suf-ficient organization.

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MNBC Operational Strategy


Sometimes in life certain things are meant to be. In that regard, two aboriginal youths paths crossed at an early age cementing a union that is on track to last a lifetime. One a Métis, the other First Nations, both from different cultures but use this aboriginal merge for a creative blend to craft masterpieces.

Jessica Chickite was raised in a traditional manner. Her dad taught her to respect and be proud of her First Nations customs, traditions and to keep them alive by dancing, carving, drawing and painting. Jessica’s dad, Max, in his own right is a well known and respected west coast carver. His lifetime of honoring his customs has carried on with his daughter – of which they continue collaborate on pieces of brilliant carvings and art work. Max’s wife, Barb, and his other daughter, Jacquelyn - complete this unique First Nations family.

There is another person that was welcomed into the Chickite family, and has been part of the family since he was in high school. Cody LaFrance. Cody comes from a Métis

family that embraces the values and intrinsic traditional customs of the Métis Nation. He was raised on a trapline and guiding territory, which solidified his inner understanding and appreciation for the land, animals, and beautifully diverse culture of the Métis people.

Sparked by an interest to make things from wood, Cody started whittling at a very young age while in elementary school. With no connection at that time to the First Nations, his first attempt at craving was a small west coast style paddle – that was felt penned with what he thought were aboriginal designs. It wasn’t until high school and meeting Jessica that his craft started to develop – from that time forward this creativity within could not be suppressed! In typical

Métis fashion Cody mixed with and fit in the Chickite family, that live in Campbell River. However, it was with quite caution that Max slowly warmed up to Cody, wanting to make certain the good intentions of this young man were lasting and honorable. In time, Cody gained Max’s trust, support, and love – as if he was his own son.

When Cody started to get serious about carving pieces like his father-in-law, Max informed him that if he was serious, he would have to make his own carving knives – and he did. It wasn’t very long and this creativity came to life and was complemented by a natural ability that was laden within and ready to blossom.

Housing Develop a working relationship with the provincial government; integrate an MNBC housing strategy with the 10-year Provincial Aboriginal Housing Plan to address priority-housing needs within Métis Chartered Communities. The reality is that without a relation-ship with the provincial government, MNBC lacks the financial resources to address the housing needs of Métis citi-zens in British Columbia.

HealthIdentify health indicators that contrib-ute to Métis people experiencing a poor level of overall health when compared to non-Aboriginal British Columbians; implement Act Now initiatives in each of the Métis Chartered Communities; continue analyzing Métis health data and further design strategies to mitigate the current health gaps that exist; devel-op the necessary agreements and part-nerships with regional health authori-ties; ensure Health Canada is pursued to support the Métis Nation health needs; secure the continuation of the Health Human Resource scholarship and bursary program that will assist no less than 40 students; seek resources under the Aboriginal Health Transi-tion Funding to implement the MNBC Ministry of Health and enable support between the provincial regional health authorities, Métis Chartered Commu-nities, and MNBC; pursue new initia-tives regarding diabetes, dental care, elder care, and affordable prescription assistance.

VeteransDevelop a positive relationship with Métis Veterans Association - British Columbia that allows them to support all Métis veterans; ensure Métis veter-ans are invited to MNBC governance and cultural events where possible.

Language & CultureSupport Métis language (Michif ) by providing training to at least 100 Métis citizens; expose at least 1,000 British Columbians to Métis culture; support no less than 15 Métis Chartered Com-munity cultural events; support Métis festival events in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and Northwest Brit-ish Columbia; provide National Ab-original Day event capacity for all Métis Chartered Communities; ensure the Métis Nation British Columbia has ac-cess to the BC150 funding to celebrate the 150-year anniversary in British Co-lumbia.

Youth Contact 200 new youth with the goal of 10% becoming MNBC cardholders; identify and have one community youth representative for each Métis Char-tered Community; increase the level of involvement of Métis youth through community related projects that in-crease Métis youth citizenship by 10% provincially.

In addition to the MNBC Ministry tar-gets MNBC will continue to work on the 2010 Olympic/Paralympic partici-pation.

MNBC CommunicationMNBC has established a strong com-munications network to support Mé-tis Chartered Communities, corporate partners, Métis citizens, and the non-Aboriginal public to support Métis Na-tion awareness. Therefore MNBC will continue the current communication strategy and include continued support: for a full time communication officer whose primary role is to manage the MNBC website; of the Kiwetin (Whis-pering Winds) Magazine; for the Métis citizenship commercial; for the Métis Matters Radio Show; for the e-mail public distribution process; and for the MNBC presidential monthly update.

See the website for more detailed in-formation on professional development and administrative operations.

MNBC management will work closely with the MNBC leadership to address new engagement strategies in a num-ber of the Métis Nation Relationship Accord areas. This will include seeking new discussions through provincial fo-rums. MNBC will increase efforts to include federal government participation to support the objectives of the Métis Na-tion Relationship Accord processes.

MNBC Operational Strategy

A Blend of Two CulturesTwo Aboriginal Youths Create Masterpieces

Submitted by Dan LaFrance


His vivid and characteristic carving of paddles, traditional masks and figures include; the Winter Moon, Bakwus , Tsonokaw, Frog Bowl, Sun Mask, Traditional Rattles, Welcoming Figures, and a special one of a kind figure of “See-Wees”, which is Max’s Indian name meaning “Great Paddler” – and honors his father-in-law.

The “See-Wees” carving was done at the annual nationally recognized Campbell River Carving Competition and place first in its category and remains on display in the community.

What is interesting is that this carving was done in only two and half days!

Cody’s latest creation is once again a one of a kind. It is a transition mask called “Thunderbear”, and consists of a human face, the powerful supernatural Thunderbird on the forehead, and two grizzly bears, one on each cheek, all portraying the transformation from a human to the supernatural “Tunderbear”. This mask will never be duplicated.

Talent may abound within Cody, but Jessica is the soul of his carving. She leaves her mark on and within every carving that Cody produces by painting every piece. Her unquestionable traditional upbringing shrouds his carving with an unmistakable quality and comforting aura. With every stroke of the brush

she brings to life these ancestral carvings – embodying the special and enduring effect they have on people from all walks of life. Jessica produces original art work with such a high degree of quality and inventiveness that it is hard to believe that she is only twenty-five years old.

The combined creative force between this pair of aboriginal youths is quite remarkable. They are not only great role models and an inspiration for today’s aboriginal people, but for all people.

Their paths were meant to cross in those early years, probably guided by an unseen external force. Cody and Jessica are leaving in their path a distinctive blend of creative original aboriginal art work for all to enjoy for many years to come

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The Métis Nation British Columbia’s Centralized Citizenship Registry has continued to move forward over the past twelve (12) months and has implemented new and exciting changes to better facilitate the registration process as well as lend further support to both the Regional Registry Clerks and the Métis Chartered Communities. Currently, the centralized registry database, housed in MNBC’s office in Vancouver, has nearly six thousand applicants and this number is expected to continue to increase as awareness within the Métis community spreads. There are Regional Registry Clerks that work throughout the province at the grass-roots community level. The Registry Clerks have been employed to assist citizenship applicants with their applications and attend community functions to promote the MNBC central registry.

The Regional Registry Clerks have now been provided a new function with immediate secured remote access to information held within the citizenship database. MNBC management has altered the current process that will enable the Regional Registry Clerks to assist citizenship applicants more quickly and efficiently. MNBC management believes this new process will significantly speed up the citizenship application processing time and provide further support with scanning historical documents into the Historical Document Database. The Historical Document Database is important for the contribution of family’s documents, photos, certificates, scrip records, or anything of historical significance to the Métis. Remember the historical documents are scanned and returned to the individual.

“This adds an element of comfort and security for individuals who may have concerns about having their personal mementos and family documents scanned at an off-site location” said Laurel Katernick, Director of Registry for MNBC. “We are now able to provide a one-on-one personal service at the community level to ensure both privacy and convenience. These documents are historically significant and should be preserved with the utmost care and attention and we are so pleased to be able to offer this service as it will benefit all Métis citizens and keep us connected to each other through the sharing of our common ancestries.”“There has been some confusion in the Métis community as to which type of card an individual holds and the difference between the community membership cards and the Provincial Métis Citizenship Card,” said Katernick. “Often an individual believes they already possess a Provincial Métis Citizenship Card, when in fact, what they hold is community membership. While being

a member of the Métis Chartered Community is important, and is one of the requirements needed to fulfill the provincial Métis Citizenship Card application, the two are not the same. The MNBC Citizenship Cards are very unique in appearance and if an individual is unsure of the type of card they have, we suggest they contact either the MNBC office in Vancouver or their Regional Registry Clerk to clarify. It is especially important now with the 2008 MNBC General Election taking place on September 13 as the Provincial Métis Citizenship Card will be required to cast a ballot.”The reasons why individuals feel compelled to make an application for their Métis Citizenship Card is varied and complex. Some applicants were raised as children knowing they are Métis and have experienced Métis culture throughout their lives, while others have only recently become aware of their ancestry and are intrigued and interested in reaching out to the Métis community and becoming more aware of the Nation. It is a source of pride and birth right to many and as the numbers continue to grow hopefully so will the benefits for Métis citizens.

“The MNBC Métis Citizenship Card is important for the future of the Métis Nation in British Columbia” says Keith Henry, Chief Executive Officer for the Métis Nation British Columbia. “Métis rights are still to be determined and until recent years there was no central registry to provide an objectively verifiable Métis citizenship process. MNBC leaders and the Métis Chartered Communities continue to address this in terms of natural resources, programs and services, etc. In the future MNBC plans to utilize the Métis citizenship card for all elections, programs and services. MNBC and the Métis community leaders recognize this is a period of evolution but must encourage all Métis people to complete this process. The future of the Métis Nation will be based on this process.

While listening to the Métis Mat-ters Radio Show, I first heard a very upbeat and whimsical song — “Daughters of the Country”. I found myself wondering who wrote this tribute and thinking, I need to get a copy of that song. I found it forms part of an incred-ible CD offering, Don Freed’s “The Val-ley of Green and Blue”, and earned him a nomination for a Western Canada Music Award 2006, Aboriginal Category and a Canadian Folk Music Award 2006, Best Aboriginal Song Writer. Little did I know that one day I would have the opportunity to meet Don Freed, the very accomplished Métis folk musician who wrote the song.

With a music career spanning over 30 years, he has had many successes in both the mainstream music industry, as well as in Métis community work in the homeland. Don was discovered during his teens by the legendary country music star, Johnny Cash. Their meeting was documented on film in the documentary, “Johnny Cash: The Man, His World and His Music”. Though he enjoyed success in the U.S., Don felt a calling to return to his home in Canada. In recent years, he has been using his musical talents to assist Métis and Aboriginal children and youth find their voices through song.

In his unique workshops, Don has led some of the most troubled youth to find empowerment and peace in creating their own music and lyrics. Recently, he and his family moved to Victoria, B.C. We are looking forward to welcom-ing Don to the Greater Victoria Métis community, and an upcoming profile in the Whispering Winds Magazine. Wel-come to B.C. Don!

For more information about him, his Métis music, and his cultural work visit his website :www.donfreed.com or e-mail him at [email protected].

The Stuff of LegendsMy Meeting with Legendary Métis Folk Musician, Don Freed

Submitted by

You’ve heard about the Métis men and how they lived their lives,

It’s time that someone told about their daughters and their wives,

Who made the meals and mended clothes and kept a spotless home,

And tended to their babies while their sons and husbands roamed,

And who did they have to thank for that?May I tell you bluntly?

It was those shawl-wearing, rabbit snaring, moccasin-making, bannock-

baking, floor-mopping, wood chopping, snowshoe-mending, garden-tending,

berry-finding, pemmican-grinding, hide-cleaning, hair-preening, child-rearing,

persevering…Daughters of the Country!

(Excerpt from “Daughters of the Country” pulled fromDon Freed’s “The Valley of Green and Blue” - 2005)

Métis Nation BC Registry


The Métis sash, or ceinture flé-chée, is the most recognizable symbol of the Métis people. The sash’s threads, brightly dyed in myriad colours, weave together to create a uni-fied whole. A physical metaphor for the mixed-race heritage of its people, the garment is unmistakably Métis. I was given a sash in the spring of 2005, as part of B.C. School District 71’s Ab-original Graduation ceremony, an event held separately from my school’s “real” graduation. That sash was the first physical representation I had of my Métis heritage.

I was invited to my school district’s Aboriginal Graduation because of a few boxes I had checked on an ethnic-ity survey given to me years ago in the seventh grade. Af-ter consulting with my mother, she instructed me to indicate I was as-sociated with the “Métis” category, as well as a few other Aboriginal and European ethnicities. Shortly after returning the survey I was invited to join the Aboriginal Club in my middle school, an organization for Aboriginal students to meet with each other and learn about Aboriginal cul-ture. I refused the invitation: my Ab-original and Métis heritage had never been a significant contributor to my identity, and that remains true today.

But as I age I find myself becom-ing more conscious of my relationship with my Métis heritage. No longer is my lineage simply an interesting family factoid, but an intriguing concept with potential for deeper personal meaning. But I face a dilemma: although I have Métis ancestors, it is difficult for me to self-identify as being ethnically Métis.

Quite the Question I decide that knowing who I am is something worth knowing, and begin to tentatively reach out to learn more about my heritage. I am put in con-tact with Henry Hall, President of the Fraser Valley Métis Association. Over the phone I mention (somewhere be-tween a confession and a boast) that “I

am part-Métis.” Hall reconnected with his Métis heritage de-cades ago, and has since fully embraced it. Driving across the province with a col-lection of Louis Riel’s artifacts in the back of his pick-up truck, he

shares his knowledge and enthusiasm for Métis culture with school groups and everyone else interested in listening. Hall responds to my comment: “No,” he corrects me, “you are Métis.” I’m left speechless — this is heavy stuff. I ponder Hall’s assertion, but I cannot ignore the reasons for my re-luctance identify as Métis. First is the example set by my mother, who I inher-

ited my Métis lineage from. She is just as disconnected from that aspect of our family history as I am. “The closest I’ve come to recognizing my Métis heritage is attending your Aboriginal graduation ceremony,” she muses. Having no foun-dation for Métis identity at home, I was also hesitant to pursue the matter out-side the house, falling victim to childish (but regrettably somewhat legitimate) fears of ostracism and rejection from the white kids at school. Literally and figuratively, my Métis sash hangs in my closet. With a bit more maturity, I now find myself able to transcend the prec-edent set by my mother, and most of my worries about social exclusion, to entertain the possibility of exploring my Métis identity, and perhaps even join the “Métis People Are Ridiculously Hot” group on Facebook. A brief exam-ination of the Métis people in Canada, however, quickly reveals a troubling dilemma: competing, exclusive defini-tions of the term “Métis” exist. How can I identify as Métis when the Métis people themselves cannot be definitive-ly identified?

The History of the Historic MétisI strategize that educating myself about the Métis identity crisis is perhaps the best way to gain insight into my own questions of identity. Current defini-tions of what constitutes a Métis

“�Committing�yourself�is��a�way�of�finding�out�who�you�are.�A�man�finds�his�identity�by�identifying.”�

- Robert Terwilliger


person run a spectrum of exclusion and inclusion, but the debate can best be summed up by examining the different organizations battling to represent the Métis community. The most prominent is the Métis National Council, an um-brella organization comprised of the five westernmost provinces. Its definition of the Métis people focuses on an ancestral connection to the “historic Métis Na-tion”, the regions inhabited by the Métis National Council’s constituents.

Even within the “historic Métis Na-tion” approach to defining the Métis, it is impossible to neatly encapsulate the experiences of all the Métis. Generally it can be said that the peoples’ roots are traced back to the children born from the first contact between European

fur-traders and First Nations women in the early seventeenth century. This union has deep historical significance for Canada: some Métis say that as the offspring of Aboriginal and European peoples, they are in many ways the very first Canadians. The Métis have also been credited with playing an important role in helping to lay down the founda-tion upon which Canada would later be built. Growing up in an environment where both European and Aboriginal languages were spoken, the Métis were able to use their distinct, in-between position to liaise between First Nations peoples and European fur trade compa-nies, cementing relations between the two groups.

Over the centuries, many Métis people followed the fur trade westward and eventually settled in Ontario and the lands west of it, expanding and le-gitimizing Canada’s frontiers and check-ing potential American expansionism.

“My take [on it] is that the rest of Canada would belong to the United States if it wasn’t for the Métis people,” says Jenna Lafrance, Director of the First Nations Student Centre at Simon Fraser University, and an extremely proud Cree-French Métis. I am sitting in her office, admiring the stunning sash hanging from her wall, and a model Red River cart on her desk as she continues: “The Métis set up their provisional government in Red River, and told the Americans coming up that this land was occupied.”

Indeed, the development of nu-merous closely knit Métis communi-ties, like the ones around the Red River Settlement, helped to further develop the historic Métis peoples’ already vi-brant culture: they were (and still are) known for their folk dancing, excellent fiddling, and intricate beadwork. Although some historians have as-sumed that the rise of Métis national-ism in the early 1800s can be attributed to machinations of the North West Company, it is now generally agreed that increasing marginalization by the European settler society played an even larger role in creating the Métis peoples’ strong, shared culture. For example, the Battle of Seven Oaks, in 1816, was an important event in the formulation of a Métis Nation. The Métis, barred from the important livelihood of sell-ing pemmican, rebelled and killed the governor of the Red River colony and a number of his men. This collective ac-tion helped to accelerate a growing na-tional consciousness among the Métis of the prairies.

The now almost legendary his-tory of Louis Riel and the second Red River rebellion have also provided an important narrative for the historic Métis people to rally around and define themselves with. Perhaps even more important is Riel’s cross-over popular-ity, which gives the Métis people wide recognition outside of the historic Mé-tis community. My friend and colleague Lindsay Fleming, a history student, only half jokingly remarks that “Canadian history is mostly just Confederation and Louis Riel.” The Métis National Council even makes use of Riel and his lieutenant, Gabriel Dumont, as part of its logo.

Following the quelling of the rebel-lion, many of the Métis dispersed across

Ontario and the western provinces; the regions the Métis National Coun-cil now considers the “historic Métis homeland” in its definition of the Métis people. It is only within these five prov-inces that the Métis National Council operates in and recognizes members from.

The Other Métis But not all those who self-identify as Métis are included in this historic conception of the Métis people. The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, an or-ganization advocating for the “forgotten Peoples,” or those Aboriginals excluded from the Indian Act and its benefits, like off reserve and non-status Indians and Métis, holds a more encompassing view of who the Métis are. The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples argues that “Métis people are located in all provinces and territories of Canada,” rather than in just the five most western provinces. Citizens of the Labrador Métis Nation, descended from Inuit and European settlers, would tend to agree. The word “Métis,” detached from any historical significance, simply means “mixed”. In its most inclusive conceptualization, a Métis person is someone with both na-tive and non-native blood. There are a few problems with this definition. Practically every non-status Indian, and even many status Indians have some European blood. These people rarely identify as Métis, not to mention the estimated millions of mostly white Canadians who do not incorporate an Aboriginal ancestor into their identity, or those, like me, unsure of how to identify themselves. Even so, the construction of Métis identity as an exclusively Western-Canadian, mono-lithic concept limits discourse on who the Métis are and could be, and excludes thousands of “other Métis”, those who

identify as Métis without legitimiza-tion from organizations like the Métis National Council. Although my Métis ancestors were definitely connected to the Red River settlement, I find myself sympathetic to these Métis underdogs. Even within the historic Métis popula-tion diversity is so pronounced, it be-comes difficult to argue for why some distinctions are more important than others. For example, the traditional Métis language Michif emerged from a mixture of French and Cree as Mé-tis culture evolved. While Michif, like many Aboriginal languages, is now on the verge of extinction, that it had reason to exist at all is indicative of the coherence and comprehensiveness of a distinct Métis culture. However, saying that Michif was part of a shared historic Métis experience would be false, as it ig-nores the thousands of Métis descended from the intermarriages of Aboriginals and Scots, who spoke other European or Aboriginal languages, or their own combination language: Bungee. These half-breeds were unquestionably an in-tegral part of the Red River Métis com-munity, and are included within the Métis National Council’s “historic defi-nition”. The variety of backgrounds and experiences different Métis people have make it more difficult to justify a defi-nition of the Métis that excludes oth-ers with mixed blood based on seem-ingly arbitrary distinctions like physical geography.

The tension between the historic Métis and a more broadly defined people has also surfaced in the body of scholarly literature on the Métis in Canada. For most of its history, aca-demic study of the Métis has centred primarily on the Métis of the Red River settlement. Even as areas of study have tended to broaden to include all


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the Métis of the prairie provinces, the small body of analysis on the “other Métis” sparked one historian, J.R. Miller, to comment, “If ‘Red River myopia’ is being cured, it is not being re-placed by excellent peripheral vision.”

So why all the hullabaloo over trying to nail down a strict definition of the Métis peo-ple anyway? After all, just about every organi-zation seems to agree that self-identification is in important criterion for determining Métis identity: shouldn’t that be enough?

At the First Nations Student Centre, Jenna Lafrance spoke of her experience with a Métis organization in the ’80s: “They were talking about [letting in] different, non-Red River Métis, people with different combina-tions of heritage. Some people said: ‘I don’t think they’re really Métis’, but back then I think that if you self-identified as Métis you probably were, because there were no benefits to being a Métis. But now, it’s a little different.”

This completes Part I of our “Maybe Métis” look into Aboriginal identity in Canada. Part II will follow in our Fall 2008 issue.


Commentary by Brian Mairs

Was there something special in the water in the summer of 2007? It seems that every time I turn around this spring another woman is announ-cing a new birth. There are wonderful things about new generations – horror stories of 46 hour labour marathons (often in mid winter with only a leather thong to bite down on for pain relief ), another chance for new grandparents to reminisce about when the new parents were babies, and

eventually, a new hope for our future as the little one makes its first screaming appearance into the world. It has been postulated that the baby screams because it hears the mother screaming and wants to join in the chorus.

After all the screaming is over the fun begins – the new little child needs to be taught everything by entire community, starting with Mom and Dad, grandparents, aunties and uncles, cousins of all shapes

and sizes, and finally the community as a whole. From the African first nation of Igbo in Nigeria there is a proverb

which says ‘ Obodo n’ezu ezu azu nwa,’ meaning ‘It takes a whole village to raise a child’, a sentiment that has been echoed throughout the world in one form or another and practiced by Aboriginal peoples for thousands of years. As parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and community members we each play a role in nurturing and educating the youngest members of our ‘village’ to teach them our language, customs, spirituality, their place and role in society, until one day they too will be bringing a screaming newborn into the world. Look around your community. What gifts can you impart on children, regardless of their age? My sons are 23 and 17, with still much to learn about life, even as the eldest is a new father himself. At 50+ I still am in learning mode from my community elders, who have much to offer a youngster like myself. If we take to heart that ‘it takes a whole village to raise a child’ there is still much work to be done by some of our villagers to help maintain our language, customs, and traditional stories before they disappear.

Brian Mairs is the proud Grandfather (Mooshum) of his first Grandchild, Keiro Elizabeth Mairs, born April 19, 2008, daughter of David and Tara. Brian is also the Family Services Mentor and Human Resource Support for the Okanagan Métis Children and Family Services located in Kelowna. You can reach Brian at [email protected]

“�It�Takes�a�Whole�Village��to�Raise�a�Child”

~ Igbo Proverb

“We each play a role in nurturing and educating the youngest members of our ‘village.” Honourable Mention

Michaela Dunn, 12 “My smallest sister, Sydney

Mitchell who had a heart transplant. She is with her

best friend and home nurse, Dorothy Wardwell. They really

love each other.”

Photo Contest Winners!Our Second Ken Davies Photo Contest was a great success!

1st

2nd

3rd

First Place Tamika Nagao, 12Golden, BC “Moosham George” who dances and plays fiddle with our family in Li Jigeurs Mechif. He is with my little sister Midori and Bacardi the dog.

Second Place Michaela Dunn, 12 Golden, BC“My sister, Carrington Mitchell made her first communion.”

Third Place Naden Bitterman, 17

Hudson Hope, BC“Youth from Fort St John, B.C. during the Winter Traditional

Camp, 2008”

Each of these young photographers will receive a digital camera. Watch for our next contest A Métis Summer to Remember! Open to all Métis in Canada. More details in Fall edition – Winners announced in Christmas Whispering Winds.


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“What have you got if you don’t have a dream” asked Bruce Willis in Rocket Man. Dave and I looked at each other nodding. Soon we would be making our dream to go to Newfoundland come true. We were onboard the ferry heading for Port Aux Basques. But before we land, let me take you back to our home in Powell River, BC. In 2003 we’d lived our dream to RV across Canada. We loaded our old motor home with goods to sell at farmer’s markets across Canada for 10,299 miles. From that trip, the book RV Canada On A Dime And A Dream was bornMay 26, 2007 once again loaded with driftwood, books and blackberry sauce we left home. This time with a 1992 van towing a 27’ trailer. The van soon took on a personality all her

own, earning the name ‘Boo the menopausal van,’ who hated heat. From the coast we headed up to Kamloops desert country to visit our son, do a book signing and sell at the market. Later at the Prince George farmer’s market Boo’s starter acted up; a mechanic claimed

he’d fixed it but later at Purden Lake she died again. For the next three provinces, every time she’d quit, Dave would crawl under with a hammer and administer some tough love.

Camping at Mt. Robson Provincial Park was spectacular with Mt.Robson, the highest peak in the Rockies towering over us, while below the glacial-blue river waters tumbled. In the Spruce Grove Wal-Mart mall we visited with a Tennessee couple on their way to Alaska. A few hours later as we left Edmonton a tornado touched down in Spruce Grove. Too close! Lloydminster is Canada’s only border city as it straddles Alberta and Saskatchewan. As we were heading for Prince Albert, SK, all the bolts on one of the trailer’s back tires sheered off. It took off down the highway while Dave struggled to keep things under control. The car following us pulled over and he ran back to retrieve the tire. Standing there at the side of the road looking at the steel back steps mangled by the force of the tire shook all of us up. While in Saskatchewan we camped at Manitou, where Little Manitou Lake is so salty you can’t sink in its healing waters. The Cree word Manitou or Great Spirit also played a part in naming Manitoba.

It was at Glenboro, MB that Boo had had enough of being thumped on and died when we stopped to take a picture of Sara the giant camel. Fortunately for us we were right across the road from a mechanic’s shop. The owner was shocked to find they had the starter in stock. Wasn’t that nice of Boo to break down in such a convenient spot? South of Winnipeg, we visited St.Norberg historical park where Métis homes, built without nails have been preserved. One of the highlights of the trip was touring Friesens printing plant in Altona where my book was born.

Excited, we crossed into Ontario, the land honey-combed by lakes. Kenora, on Lake of the Woods has a giant Muskie welcoming visitors from the west. Thunder Bay is one of our favourite places in Ontario. We have friends to stay with, markets where we’re welcomed and it’s on Lake Superior, the largest fresh-water lake in the world. But it’s the people of Thunder Bay who make it, and who we’ve had such rich talks with. Rob, the Métis raised by his Ojibwa grandmother. “Anishinabe is a self-description used by the Odawa, Ojibwa, and Algonkin peoples. It can be defined as ‘good people that are on the right road or path given them by the Creator.” A lady with stressful problems bought a $2 Power rock on our way east, and when we came back told us how much it had helped in the two months since she’d seen us. We gave her a hug and said “This is why we travel this way.” An old fellow hobbled past with a lovely bouquet of glads and when I commented on how nice they were, he got a twinkle in his eyes and said, “ Don’t you wish you’d been my date last night?”

RV Canada On a Dime and a Dream

A fun working holidayStory and Photographs by Barb Rees


The Muskoka’s are the beautiful lake region called ‘cottage country,’ where many of the rich and famous come to play. Bracebridge, where we stayed with our new friends is in the Muskoka’s. One day we drove to the Family Water park, where a sign greeted us with “clothes optional beach.” What would us

“old folks” do? We’d come that far, so I looked him in the eye, interviewed him for the next book, and bought ice cream. From Ontario east, there are an abundance of magnificent buildings hundreds of years

old. Along Brockville’s main street, marble edifices stand regal as grand old ladies. From there we followed the mighty St. Lawrence River with her blue waters, historical buildings, and islands all the way up Quebec. Through narrow old streets we followed the diva of rivers part way up the Gaspé Peninsula before turning towards New Brunswick. We entered New Brunswick at Campbellton, the beginning of the French Acadian Coastal drive, 8,686 km. from the Pacific Ocean. As the sunset painted gold across the St. Lawrence at a campground in Caraquet we knew the risk we’d taken to get there was worth it. While selling at a market in Miramachi during the Irish Festival, we were invited to sell at the Eel Ground Pow-Wow. Everything was free: the camping, booth, fireworks, and two feasts. A ceremonial fire was lit when the Pow-Wow started, and someone kept it burning the whole three days. If it went out, that would have been the end of the festivities. In Cape Breton, NS we left our trailer with Martha, a feisty older lady who runs a 200 acre sheep farm with her family. For two weeks Boo was free of towing as we headed for NL After a six hour ferry ride on July 28, we landed in Port Aux Basques, NL. “We did it!” Most of the gas had been covered by our sales. Our single-minded determination overcame nay-sayers and our own doubts, which brings us back to Bruce Willis’s comment.

Calling Newfoundland ‘The Rock’ is fitting. It is all rock carpeted in greenery, ponds and stunted trees. I was enthralled with the wild beauty, the variety of rocks, and the abundance of wild flowers. Boon-docking in Newfoundland is most anywhere you want. We camped on a sandy beach at Codroy, a rocky beach at Stephenville, a parking lot by Deer Lake, and a Wal-Mart in Corner Brook. For two weeks, we drove 2,100 km on the west coast from the southern tip to the most northern tip at Cape Norman. There, for two days of rare sunshine, all by ourselves, we camped in Boo in a moonscape of rocks. In every crevice flowers fought for survival. Waves crashed on the beach as the wind whipped off the tops. On the horizon an ice berg floated. I stood in awe washing my face, “Imagine … taking pictures of an ice berg before breakfast.” On a tight schedule heading home, we had from Aug.12 in Cape Breton to get back to Abbotsford RV Show by Sept.26. In between that we visited our cousin in Charlottetown, PEI. Taking the ferry from Pictou, NS to PEI is free; it costs you when you leave either on the ferry or Confederation Bridge. Back in Ontario we visited Port Carling with a 111’x 45’mural made up of 9,028 little photos, each one a piece of their history. Up in North Bay we finally listened to Boo’s overheating problems and changed her radiator. She behaved herself most of the time after that. After Labour Day, we only did a few more markets from Manitoba to BC as it was getting real cold. In Beausejour, MB, we sold while cowboys pitted their strength against the broncos. In Swift Current, SK we camped in the same place in the same mall we had before. An aunt I’d never met walked up to our table for an emotional reunion. Leaving Calgary for the BC border, we were so anxious to be back on the coast. Even though Hope isn’t on the coast, I exclaimed, “We’re back on the coast. I can smell the ocean.” “No, that’s cow manure.” Dave said. Sept.26, we pulled into the Abbotsford Tradex lot to speak and sell at the four day RV show. Oct. 1 we drove into our yard, 19,962 kms, 130 days, 10 provinces, and a ton of stories later. Yes, ‘me and you and a van named Boo travelling and living off the land’ had made our dream come true.

Bree Ann Trumbley, a Métis youth from the Vernon District Métis Association, has captured the lead role of Mary in the play “Sisters”. The play, a production of the Asparagus Community Theatre based out of Armstrong, B.C., deals with the con-troversial issue of aboriginal residential schools from a nun’s perspective. A naive young Mary wants to become a nun and help the poor aboriginal children. Her intentions are pure but as time moves on she slowly begins to struggle internally think-ing maybe this isn’t God’s work. Mary’s internal struggle finally collapses when she burns the residential school to the ground. The play starts in the present when an old Sister Mary is being interviewed by a Crown counsel trying to slowly manoeuvre his way through Mary’s memories. The play constantly bounces from present to past and the plot slowly reveals itself in the end. Bree is a 15 year old Métis youth who aspires to attend the University of Calgary to achieve her Masters in Theatri-cal Arts. She has been involved in the fine arts since she was seven years old. She is a premier level Highland dancer and has trained professionally with Studio Moore (singing) for the past five years. In addition, she targets her high-school education to such courses as acting, musical theatre, blues band, etc.

The production of “Sisters” is Bree’s first attempt at com-munity theatre. She was simply hoping to land a small role in the play and never dreamed of being offered the lead role. Ironically, Bree’s great-grandfather attended residential school in Saskatchewan as a young Métis man. The fact that her great-grandfather attended residential school did cause Bree some anguish in deciding if she should accept the role. However, after reading the script she realized the play had an important message. It not only highlights the torment and wrong-doings to the aboriginal children but also shows that it deeply affected some of the nuns who ran the residential schools and were taking direction from Ottawa and the head priests. The play was brilliantly written by Wendy Lill and takes place in the early 1900s in the rural Maritimes.It is presently competing in the Okanagan zone Festival of Theatre British Columbia against six other community theatre groups vying for the title of Okanagan zone champion. If “Sisters” is selected as the Okanagan zone champion the cast and crew will compete provincially this summer in Nanaimo, B.C. The entire experience has been eye-opening for Bree; however it has further convinced her that she wants to pursue the Theatrical Arts as a life-long career.

RV Canada On a Dime and a Dream

Métis youth lands lead role in the production of “Sisters”By Dean Trumbley

Métis youth lands lead role in the production of “Sisters”


I remember when I was seven and I first set eyes on him. Just a lonesome little stray puppy with scruffy grey fur and big, scared brown eyes. Curled up on the street corner like a little ball of yarn, all by himself. I fell instantly in love.

I called him Pahkipestaw, meaning the soft rain before a storm, and I wrapped him in my scarf and carried him home. Mama said no, I couldn’t have him, but Kokum helped me sneak him in and give him some water.

“Isn’t he cute?” I asked her.

“Yes,” Kokum told me with a twinkle in her eye, “just as cute as a button.”

I still can’t understand how a button is cute, but Kokum always said stuff like that. She would also always give me little gifts, like dried flowers (daisies were my favourite), or a sewing needle she used as a little girl, once even a little dolly she had made when she was twelve.

Meaningless little things that meant the world to me.

I loved my Kokum.

I remember how we tucked Pahki into an old basket lined with a dishtowel, and put him in the bathroom. When he piddled on the floor, Kokum cleaned it

up. We didn’t tell mama about Pahki, although I’m sure she knew all along. He was Kokum’s and my little secret.

I remember running through the forest behind our trailer one hot summer day, Kokum and me. The hair blew our braids out behind us, the sun bathed us in its radiant, ethereal caress, the shadows of the trees flickered across Kokum’s wrinkled, smiling face.

I remember when we got tired, we sat down, panting and laughing, in a little clearing full of daisies. Kokum picked one of the little flowers and held it out to me. A ladybug hopped out from under a petal and buzzed away indignantly.

“This flower is like you, Nipinesis, so fresh and young and beautiful. You have so much life before you! Oh, I remember when I was young like you...” she drifted off wistfully, as I blushed a crimson as deep as the setting sun at her compliment. I truly felt beautiful when Kokum was there.

“Do you know what your name means?” she asked suddenly.

“No,” I answered automatically, although I knew it well. I simply loved hearing Kokum tell me the story. She had such a lovely voice.

“Well, iskwesis, little one, when you were born your mama and papa were

so happy. Your mama had been telling me since she was your age that when she had a little girl she’d name her Nipinesis; little summer bird. She thought it was such a beautiful name, and so did I. They didn’t have much money, but that was alright. They loved you, and that was all that mattered...”

I remember barely listening to the words themselves; I already knew them so well. Instead I focused on Kokum’s voice. It was like the gurgle of a creek skipping over rocks, the wind dancing to a wild tune as it soars through the trees, the call of an eagle, the whinny of a newborn colt, the rain falling, time trickling by as we passed sunny afternoons lying in the field of daisies...

That voice was my favourite sound in the whole world.

Those sunny afternoons passed slowly as we lay in our field of daisies.

I remember the day when it all fell apart. Mama cried and Kokum shushed her, even though Kokum was the one hurting. She wouldn’t go to the hospital; had never been in her life. I knew Kokum was scared that if she went to the hospital, they might not let her come back home.

Oh, how awful she looked. The woman lying in Kokum’s bed, under the quilt

Hanako Nagao is a fourteen year old Métis youth from Golden, B.C .for whom writing is a passion. She writes almost daily, usually fiction, although she also enjoys writing poetry and non fiction as well. Hanako placed third in the Manitoba Writer’s Guild Youth Fiction Competition last year for her story; . It was a story about a young girl who outgrows her imaginary friend. This current story, Daisy, is a historical fiction piece which was read at the recent Women’s Secretariat Summit in Vancouver. Although the speaker described it as fiction, she was approached later by Senator Gladue who disagreed. He said that this was a story familiar to many as they say goodbye to the Kokums and Mooshams that they have developed special relationships with. It is also one which describes the common emotions that many of our people have felt as they made decisions in their lives based on how they are stereotyped by others. The author herself states this best in her author notes at the conclusion of her story.

she had made, was not my Kokum. She was much too sickly, much too pale, much too old. No, it wasn’t her.

I remember that when mama told me to go in and say goodnight to her, I said no. That’s not my Kokum, I told mama. When I went to bed, I could hear mama sobbing late into the night.

I remember wondering if Kokum would be all right.

I remember the tears I cried, even though I didn’t understand.

I remember mama’s voice, telling me it would be okay; and her eyes, telling me that it wouldn’t.

I remember when it ended.

Sometimes I wish I could just forget, but I can’t.

I was holding Kokum’s hand, and it was cold. She looked at me and smiled. She seemed better that day.

“Want to hear a story, Nipinesis?” she whispered.

I nodded.

“Which one?”

“Tell me about the fir cones!” I exclaimed. I was ten, but the fir cone story had been my favourite since I’d first heard it years before.

Kokum smiled, but it looked painful.

I remember snuggling in next to her under the quilt and closing my eyes, waiting to hear her amazing voice.

“A long, long time ago, the Great Spirit told all the creatures of the forest that it was time to gather food. It was going to be a long winter. All the animals began to search for nuts, berries, grasses; and storing it in holes in the ground or in trees. All except the mice. The mice ran around, playing, stealing food from other animals, and that angered the Great Spirit. So they were warned that if their foolishness continued, they would be turned to wood. And still they didn’t listen. They were warned once again, but of course they didn’t obey. Finally the Great Spirit grew frustrated and called to the mice. ‘You will all be turned to wood!’ The mice ran in terror, and tried to hide in the fir cones, but before they could bury themselves in completely, they all turned to wood. Their little back legs and tails still stick

out of fir cones today. And that is why...” Kokum trailed off.

I remember how she groaned and shut her eyes.

“Kokum? Kokum! Are you okay?” I waited for what felt like a long time, and then Kokum opened her eyes.

“I love you, Nipinesis, my daisy,” she whispered. And then she once again shut her eyes.

This time they did not open.

I remember calling mama, asking why Kokum wouldn’t wake up, but I already knew, just like mama knew about Pahkipestaw, I knew.

I remember the grief, so strong it threatened to take me over completely.

I remember hugging Pahki, burying my face in his mangy fur, and thinking of the mice burying their heads in the fir cones.

I remember not believing that my Kokum was gone. Forever. Sometimes I wish I could just forget, but still...

I remember.

DaisyBy Hanako Nagao


Author’s Note

I remember when I was younger, and the music of a fiddle could make me dance my heart out, no matter who was watching.

I remember when bannock was the best food in the world. It tasted like heaven in my mouth. Venison stew graced the dinner table every night.

I remember when hospitals were fear and horror and people who looked down at you like you were something repulsive. They made you feel ashamed of who you were, of what it meant to be aboriginal; a dirty Indian.

I remember the days when you were not allowed to speak your School language at home; and you were strapped for speaking your Home language at school.

I remember these things not through my experiences, but through the stories I’ve been told by my own Kokums and Mooshams around town.

I remember that we are a strong people; our own people, the Métis.

I remember our history; fighting for our rights and defending what is rightfully ours. Sometimes till death.

I remember the heroes of the past; the people who stood up and worked to try and change the injustices that we were dealt.

I remember that there are still people fighting these wars today, everyday, in their own lives, or within themselves. I see them all the time, even in my own small town, so full of shame; their hearts bruised.

I remember.

Daisy

Friends and family paid tribute to a fine Métis country and western musician at the Whalley Legion in Surrey on April 25th. The life of Patricia Magdalene Mayo (known to everyone as Patti Mayo) was eulogized by her baby sister, Faith.She recalled the free ice cream she and her friends got at one of Patti’s first jobs as a soda jerk at the neighbourhood drugstore in Winnipeg. And then the advantages of her job at the Dog n Suds which meant hot dogs and chips. “I remember when Patti, Ben and their friends and cousins would come over to the house and play their music,” said Faith. “The ones from Winnipeg would know them — Toots Renvel, Arkie Hood and Ray St. Jermaine are just a few. “When my sister would sing my father used to sit and tell her to ‘belt it out girl, belt it out’, and she did.” Patti auditioned for a spot on the local radio station’s Country Western Hour and never looked back, remembered Faith. Music and her family were her life. “Patti touched everyone she met. She has countless friends and admirers who love to listen and watch her perform. She enjoyed what she was doing and it showed. Whether she was on a large stage or just sitting around the kitchen table with friends she always gave 110 per cent performance. She loved to sing. That was my sister.” Patti was the British Columbia Country Music Association’s (BCCMA)

1980 Entertainer of the Year, was twice Female Vocalist of the year (1978 and 1979), won the 1983 Album of the Year (Restless Heart), and was named Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year twice, in 1977 and 1978. “She was a show lady on stage and enjoyed performing,” said Faith. She played for heads of state here at home and in Europe. “Patti enjoyed life and she was never afraid to try anything. She would hunt, fish, camp and even stomp grapes. Her children and grandchildren were fortunate to have her as a mother, grandmother and great grandmother.”Faith also remembered stories by Helen Dugauy of the pair bagging clothes and taking them down alleyways so street people would have new outfits. But they were asked to stop by police because people were fighting over the bags. The two also worked in some of the toughest bars where her tip jar was not to collect tips but for the guys who could not afford the beer. “There was a method for this. It just meant that she did not have to stop strumming her guitar,” said Faith. She concluded noting it was fitting the tribute was held at the Whalley Legion as that was one of the first places that Patti played when she moved to B.C. Born Patricia Magdelaine Mayo on December 9, 1940 in Selkirk, Manitoba,

Patti was 68 years young when she passed away on April 16th losing her valiant fight with cancer. She will be remembered and missed by her family and many friends - May she rest in the Creator’s Love. A musical jam tribute to Patti Mayo is planned for the Langley Legion on June 22 beginning at 3 p.m. For more information call 604-534-3615. Also from the BC Country Music Association website: The BCCMA would like so send their condolences to the family and friends of Patti Mayo, who passed away April 16. Patti was the BCCMA 1980 Entertainer of the Year, and the 1978/1979 Female Vocalist of the year, 1983 Album of the Year (Restless Heart), and Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year in 1977/1978. Other BC entertainers of the year have included Gary Fjellgaard, Patricia Conroy and Lisa Brokop. In fact, the year after she won album of the year Gary Fjellgaard won the award. All internationally known entertainers now.

Country Music Fans and the Métis Lose a Great Woman,

Patti Mayoby Robin Genthon

I live in Vernon, where I work in the school district as an Aboriginal Support Worker. In our daily lives, there are many ways to care for the Earth, from biking, walking or car-pooling to turning off lights, not wasting water, buying locally grown organic foods and much more. We can recycle, re-use and more importantly, reduce the amount of garbage we generate by con-suming less and purchasing items with less packaging. These are some of the things that my family does to show respect for the Earth. I have noticed that my students are extremely conscientious about taking care of the Earth, and I would like to share a story about them. The other day we were making drums as part of the Aboriginal Education program, and we finished earlier than we expected. The traditional ways of the Aboriginal people promote living in harmony with the Earth and to have a great deal of gratitude and respect for all that she gives to us. So when I asked the children what they wanted to do with our extra time, they decided, with great enthusiasm, to go out into the neighbourhood to clean up litter. I was so proud of their commitment to caring about the Earth and their awareness that tending to the Earth was tending to their future and their children’s future and so on. The teachings are that you consider the next seven generations in all that you do. I was very honoured to witness their generation doing just that! What a different world it would be if we all lived by these teachings!

(cont’d from page xx)

Drumming for Earth

In our First Nations Studies program you will

study the traditional and contemporary issues

of the Aboriginal Peoples of North America,

with research into such areas as cross-cultural

relations, the development of federal and

provincial policies, questions of rights and

title, and economic development and self-

government.

In addition to our Minor program in First

Nations Studies, and our Joint Major in

Archaeology and First Nations Studies, we offer

a collaborative Major in First Nations Studies as

a partnership between Simon Fraser University

and Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops.

The latest addition is a Joint Major in First

Nations Studies and Linguistics, for students

who are interested in focusing and expanding

their expertise in areas where these two

disciplines intersect. This Joint Major is offered

at SFU and at SFU Kamloops.

Our Postbaccalaureate Diploma in First Nations

Studies is for people who already have a

professional or Bachelor degree, and provides

an in-depth knowledge of Aboriginal and

indigenous issues from various aspects. Learners

will have opportunities to engage in dialogue

and discussion taking into account Aboriginal

perspectives.

For information on our First Nations Studies

programs contact Lorraine Yam, Manager,

Academic & Administrative Services, First

Nations Studies and SFU Kamloops Programs,

Burnaby campus, Telephone 778.782.5595,

Email [email protected], Web www.sfu.ca/fns.

The sacred circle symbolizes the Métis and Plains peoples through the unity and sweet grass. The eagle and the raven, of coastal peoples, represent the power, strength, wisdom, and continuity of First Nations peoples. The man and woman hold a textbook, representing the life journey of a First Nations learner. Together, they create a sacred circle representative of the diversity of First Nations students.

Design by Sk’aal Tsiid (Flicker Bird), James Cowpar of the Tsaalth Clan Haida Gwaii and a Simon Fraser University student.

Take a Joint Major in Archaeology and First

Nations Studies and gain insight into ancient

and contemporary First Nations cultures in BC

and throughout North America. Consider First

Nations issues in archaeology, cultural heritage,

resource management, government relations,

and land claims.

This Bachelor degree will train you in material

culture; in the techniques and technologies you

need to analyze the past; in the conservation

and management of archaeological collections;

and in the planning and implementation of

museum, gallery and other exhibitions of First

Nations heritage.

For information on our Joint Major in

Archaeology and First Nations Studies

contact Chris Papaianni, Manager, Academic

& Administrative Services, Department of

Archaeology, Burnaby campus, Telephone

778.782.4687, Email [email protected].

Through IPTEM/AFTEM the Faculty of

Education at SFU seeks to increase the number

of First Nations/Aboriginal teachers in BC

and to increase and enhance the skills and

competencies of non-indigenous teachers

working with Aboriginal children and youth

in our schools. We invite both Indigenous

Peoples (First Nations/Aboriginal/Métis) and

non-indigenous people with an interest in

Aboriginal education issues to join IPTEM/

AFTEM.

The IPTEM/AFTEM module adheres to the

same program goals, academic components

and student evaluation criteria as do all PDP

(Professional Development Program) modules

in the Faculty of Education, while at the same

time exploring Aboriginal knowledge and issues

related to education.

For information contact France Verret, Special

Programs Advisor, Surrey campus, Telephone

778.782.8128, Email [email protected]

Beginning in May 2008, this new program is for

educators interested in First Nations education

and who wish to consider critically a range of

theoretical perspectives on issues of equity, to

examine practical concerns that impinge on the

quality of education for First Nations peoples in

general, and focus on curriculum and pedagogy.

Students can also take courses relevant to their

interests and professional goals.

For information contact Sharleen Schiedel,

Program Assistant, MEd Community Graduate

Programs, External Programs and International

Initiatives, Faculty of Education, SFU Surrey,

Telephone 778.782.5951, Fax 778.782.8119,

Email [email protected], Web www.educ.sfu.

ca/gradprogs/masters/community

For information on academic programs,

admission requirements, financial assistance,

band funding or campus tours, contact Jennie

Blankinship, BA (S Fraser) MA (Vic, BC),

First Nations Recruitment Co-ordinator,

Student Services, Simon Fraser University,

8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6,

Telephone 778.782.6891, Fax 778.782.5933,

Email [email protected]

For general information on SFU, see www.sfu.

ca/prospectiveundergrads, where you can also

apply for admission to SFU.

Our Kamloops Program offers the chance

to complete SFU degrees, diplomas and

certificates, all from a unique First Nations

perspective. For the past 18 years, students from

various cultures have come to Kamloops from

Aboriginal communities in the Interior, and

from many other places across British Columbia,

the Yukon, and other parts of Canada.

Get involved in the discovery and interpretation

of your own past by taking our Archaeology

Field School through the SFU Kamloops

Archaeology Program. Archaeology done by

indigenous peoples supplements oral tradition,

reconstructs cultural histories, and documents

past ties to certain lands. And even if you’re not

taking a university degree, you can enroll to

audit this 7-week field school.

Improve your conversational and literacy skills

in one of seven languages currently taught

in our First Nations Language Proficiency

Certificate, so you can teach Native language

to elementary or high school students, or

adults. You can study full-time or part-time

in Secwepemctsin, as well as St’at’imcets,

Halq’emeyleym, Heiltsuk, Haida or Nuxalk,

or in other languages requested by local

communities. One of SFU Kamloops’ initiatives

is our Aboriginal Language, Linguistics, and

Language Teacher Programs, recognized

nationally for their philosophy of preserving the

culture and language of Native Peoples.

Learn research methods used to study oral

tradition or contemporary policy issues in

First Nations communities, through the

Native Studies Research certificate or through

Anthropology, Sociology, or First Nations

Studies.

With its focus on First Nations health, illness

and healing, our Aboriginal Pre-Health

Program in partnership with Thompson

Rivers University prepares you for university

entrance into nursing or science, which may

lead to a degree in nursing, medicine, dentistry,

rehabilitation or environmental health. Classes

are small, with individual tutoring and English

writing workshops, crisis support, and advice

on academics. We support students in all areas

of their lives so that their learning will be as

rewarding as possible.

SFU’s Faculty of Education periodically offers

teacher certification to Interior students who

have 77 university credits or more, through

SFU’s Professional Development Program.

Students take professional courses in Education,

and gain practical experience in local schools, in

a full year of studying and teaching.

For information on all our Kamloops programs

contact Dr Marianne Ignace, Academic

Coordinator, 365 Yellowhead Highway,

Kamloops V2H 1H1, Toll-free 1.800.399.5565,

Telephone 250.828.9799, Fax 250.828.9864,

Email [email protected], Web www.sfu.

ca/kamloops

This free program is open to all First Nations,

Métis and Inuit people who are motivated to

discover and explore what university has to

offer, and will help you build a solid foundation

of academic and essential skills for successful

transition into postsecondary study. For

information contact Natalie Wood, SFU Surrey

Continuing Studies, Telephone 778.782.7107,

Email [email protected].

We offer culturally-relevant, responsive, holistic

support services and programs to Aboriginal,

First Nations, Métis and Inuit students and

their families. Check out our centre in 1500

Maggie Benston Centre, Burnaby campus for

weekly activities and services. For information

contact Jenna LaFrance, Director, Telephone

778.782.3555, Fax 778.782.5682, Email jenna_

[email protected], Web students.sfu.ca/firstnations.

Left to right:

Philip Gladue (Métis), Master of Ceremonies

Laura John (SFU Kamloops)

Young Scholars in Training

Mique’l Askren (Tsimshian/Tlingit)

Git Hayetsk Dance Group leading the

Graduation Procession


Among his few possessions in his latter years was his gun, a symbol he stubbornly clung to that reminded him of the life he once celebrated on the Métis homeland. Amidst the celebrations in British Columbia, we, as a proud Métis Nation, are intent on telling our own[xii] stories alongside of our First Nations relatives in order to dispel these myths. We find it significant that most of the historical culture related to the fur trade and the culture most popularized in Canadian history is about Métis, voya-geurs, buffalo hunters and fur posts.[xiii] We are proud of these and many other emerging stories across British Columbia that define our sense of continuity and belonging. We are still attempting to negotiate our way into a mean-ingful Confederation across our homeland. In the process, we are undoing the popular myths of celebrating Métis.

ENdNotEs:[i] shelvey, Bruce, History 540, Issues in First Nations-Canadian Rela-

tions, trinity Western University, Fall, 2007[ii] Consider the current New Relationship initiated by the Liberal

government. This relationship has an historic context with legal and constitutional implications.

[iii] For example of influences upon popular memory, consider the popular episode “taking the West” in Canada: A People’s History, The Métis as a people group are arguably depicted as incompetent in the context of an overwhelmingly national narrative.

The Batoche scenes are accompanied with the narrated remark, “their hope ended at Batoche, in tragedy and degradation.” This portrayal diminishes the notion that the Métis can own their past politically or culturally, even as they currently assert their historic governance and rights in Canada and in British Columbia – one part of the West that was simply omitted from the film episode.

[iv] Lawrence, Bonita. Real Indians and Others: Mixed race urban native people, the Indian Act and the rebuilding of indigenous nations. p. 78, Phd thesis, University of toronto, 1999. [document on-line] http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape10/PQdd_0019/NQ45787.pdf

[v teillet, Jean. Métis Law Summary, 2006. www.Métisnation.ca p. 10. Note: According to Jean teillet, the meeting at the Crooked Place of Niagara was “intended to build peace, friendship and trust with aboriginal peoples and in particular, France’s former allies - including the Métis.”

[vi] shelvey, Bruce, ibid.[vii] Milloy, John s. A National Crime. MB: University of Manitoba

Press, 1999, p. 6. Note: Assimilation was Canada’s official response to its “sacred trust” of caring for aboriginal people.

[viii] Lawrence, Bonita. ibid p 76-80. Lawrence outlines “more stringent controls,” largely created and controlled by colonial categories. (Coates and Morrison, 1986)

[ix] Prime Minister John A. Macdonald’s comments quoted in Canada: A People’s History, Episode 10, taking the West.

[x] Refer to Canada: A People’s History, Episode 10, taking the West. Note: The narrated words of Crowfoot, Chief of the Blackfoot.

[xi] Lawrence, Bonita. ibid, p. 75-76. Lawrence argues that federal policy led to a “wholesale theft of Métis land”.

[xii] Refer to www.mpcbc.bc.ca for more information on the Métis Na-tion of British Columbia.

[xiii] shelvey, Bruce, History 540, ibid.

In recent days, we have been inundated with heritage commemorations, as British Columbia 150 year celebrations are prominent in our media. These celebrations portray deeply held cultural notions[i] about being Cana-dian, or British Columbian. since the emergence of debates about popular history within full view of the public, it is important who tells the stories and how they are told. Gov-ernments, media and industry comprehend the relation-ship between history and present agendas.[ii] Thankfully, the public is beginning to hear stories by aboriginal people about their historic agency within our country. Aboriginal people are keenly aware, from personal experience, that appropriation of their heritage can powerfully affect their current circumstances, with dire consequences. over the years, we, as Métis peoples with a long his-tory within British Columbia, have had few opportunities to make our presence known, to celebrate our historic place. Across the Métis Nation homeland, we, as Métis, have contended against a consensus within academic, of-ficial and popular history that has dictated our individual and collective stories. our histories of being Métis were distorted in our popular memory[iii], or simply left out of the media, museum visits or text books of our day. The notion of celebrating our identity as a people went underground.[iv] My moshom (grandfather) grew up in a time when he was forced to hide his aboriginal heritage to be accepted. Racism and utter poverty impacted my grandfather deeply, and his response was to blend into the overwhelm-ing European Canadian society. In his lifetime, moshom would never live to tell us that along with First Nations, the Métis have a history as a proud dynamic people intent on renewing their nationhood status. A stature that was cherished long before Confederation, even at founding

treaties in this country, where Métis were given gifts along with First Nations peoples.[v] He would never have an opportunity to read and critique the history textbooks that reduced his proud people to relics of their past, mytholo-gized as “noble savages”, as trappers, traders and allies, who were situated in history as incidental to the dominant goals of nationhood expansion.[vi] He would never compre-hend the social myths that justified culturally constructed images of a dependent people who could only ever hope to benefit by civilizing policies[vii] that were indifferent to their peoplehood. or the emergence of policies that took advantage of the shift in the balance of power to impose deliberate boundaries[viii] for the Métis in order to solve the “halfbreed problem”. The tragedy is that moshom and his father stanislas lived to internalize a reality of grinding poverty and collec-tive dispossession from their historic lands, as governments acquired land to get ahead of settlement, and populate the west with an “industrious and civilized people”.[ix] As a hunter and scout, stanislas lived to witness the dramatic influx of settlers, decimation of the buffalo herds, starva-tion, disease and the erosion of his ability to harvest across the homeland. He would live to bear witness of Louis Riel and his provisional government struggling to negotiate their way into Confederation as a cohesive community, because of an affront to their sovereignty by the unilateral sale of Rupert’s Land. He would see his people and his First Na-tions cousins overrun by settlers who took the best land[x], forcing the Indians to negotiate treaties from a position of inferiority because of the threat of starvation and paternal-istic government policies. He lived to realize the fruit of the deeply rationalized national “dream” that ultimately dispos-sessed him from his collective[xi] historic right to the land along with his people.

Undoing the popular myths of celebrating MétisBy Joe Desjarlais


s The Life & Times of t James SinclairWilliam sinclair, the father of James sinclair

was born in Eastaquoy, Harray on the orkney Islands. He signed on with the HBC and came to a Hudson Bay post in James Bay. He took a country wife- a Cree woman by the name of Nahouway. A son was born to them in 1805 and was named James after the bay in which the post was named.

James was raised in the most common fashion of the day for HBC children: he was allowed to hunt, fish and trap with his mother’s family and learned the language as well as all the skills to survive in the wilds. These skills would stand him in good stead with Hudson Bay Company in later years

At 19, James was sent to school in the orkneys and then to business school in Edinburgh to study business and Law.He returned to Canada however, as an apprentice with the HBC at Moose Factory. He apprenticed under Jack Corrigall, a successful trader, whom he would became friends with. He

then moved to fort Albany, where he met Andrew Mc dermot and Andrew Bannatyne, who were also free traders, responsible for getting trade goods to Red River post. James began to work with Mcdermot in 1827 and made fast friends with both men. He made connections and friends with the Indians and fellow Métis while acting as a trader.

He also met and became friends with Alexander Ross, who established fort Walla Walla in oregon territory. They would become fast friends and work together trading.

James sinclair came under the scrutiny of George simpson, the governor of the operation of the HBC in HBC lands, and was approached by the Governor to lead a party of Métis families to settle in the still wild oregon territory. In 1851 he organized a party of 23 Métis families from Red River for the journey to oregon.

He was a fair leader, but required that the men in the party be good shots and good hunters, able to repair the carts they would use along the way. He set the pace for the march, where a day’s travel started at sun up and ended at dark. There were two babies born on the journey and a 75-year-old man was part of the immigrant party. A pass in the Rockies he pioneered was named after him as well as the mountain above the pass.

James carried a minimum of gear, but did have a rifle, powder and shot, a knife and grooming toiletries should he have to present himself before HBC post factors.

The party was successful in reaching the post at Fort Vancouver, but Governor simpson did not give the tools and livestock promised the Métis immigrants.

Undaunted, James led another party of Métis to oregon territory in 1854, this time driving 250 head of cattle with the party. This being the first heard of cattle west of the Rockies. His continued loyalty to the Hudson Bay Company continued even after leading the two parties of Métis immigrants to the Columbia and what was then known as oregon territory.

sadly, James sinclair was shot and died while at an American Post on the Columbia River that was attacked by hostile Indians. James sinclair, in his many journeys, always loyal to the HBC, made history, discovered new passes in the Rockies and brought Métis people to the forefront of pioneering the oregon territory. today, there is a plaque commemorating the first sinclair party’s arrival in what is now Radium Hot springs, British Columbia.

Written by Ron Nunn

Métis Nation BC • BCMANR

Sinclair re-enactment planned for this summerPlanning is under way for a re-enact-ment of the Métis emigration to the “Pa-cific slope”. The Pacific slope was one of the terms used in the 1800s to describe the area west of the Rocky Mountains. At that time, both Britain and the Unit-ed states claimed the area from Califor-nia north to Alaska.

In 1841 James sinclair, led a party of emigrants from the Red River Colony, in present day Manitoba, to British claimed territory in oregon. George simpson, governor of the Hudson’s Bay Com-pany, instigated the journey in order to reinforce the British and Hudson’s Bay Company’s presence in the area.

twenty-three Métis families, totaling 121 people, made the journey, includ-ing a 75-year-old man and babies born during the trip. The significance of the accomplishments and contributions of the first emigrants to cross the Rocky Mountains and settle the Pacific slope should be recognized as a contribution to the eventual development of British Columbia.

John Flett, the last remaining member of the party, provided an interview that was printed in 1885. His account de-scribes the danger, toil and humour of the expedition. some of these families are represented in the citizenship of the Métis Nation British Columbia.

The site where the party entered the Rocky Mountains was devils Gap in Alberta. The party exited the Rockies and reached the Columbia River near Radium Hot springs, British Colum-bia.

As part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Province of British Columbia, Métis Nation BC proposes the re-enactment of the first settler ex-pedition to cross the Rocky Mountains between what is now Alberta and Brit-ish Columbia.

The proposed re-enactment will be a horse expedition (riders and packhorses) from devils Gap (on the eastern border of Banff National Park), Alberta to Ra-dium Hot springs, British Columbia.Gary ducommun, director of Natural Resources - Métis Nation BC, is coor-dinating the sinclair Expedition re-en-actment. Gary’s family were participants in the expedition and included; James sinclair, the Charles McKays, the James

Fletts, and Nicholas Bird (included as child of Charles McKay). Another relative, James Bird Jr, aka “Jemmy Jock”, guided the party from saskatchewan through dangerous Blackfoot country to the continental divide where he left his relatives with directions to reach the Columbia River.

The re-enactment plan is currently be-ing negotiated with Parks Canada since most of the trip is through Banff and Kootenay National Parks. The final dates for the project are expected to be between late July and early september.Watch the MNBC website for updates and for celebration plans for meeting the re-enactors at Radium Hot springs.

the following families were participants in the 1841 expedition

Henry Buxton 1 wife 1 child William Flett 1 mother 4 children

toussaint Joyale 1 wife 4 children Alexander Briston 1 wife 4 children

James Birston 1 wife 3 children John spence 1 wife 4 children

Francois Gagnon 1 wife 5 children Gongracque Zastre 1 wife 6 children

John Cunningham 1 wife 1 child James Flett 1 wife 4 children

Baptiste Rhelle 1 wife 1 child Pierre LaRocque 1 wife 3 children

John tait 1 wife 1 child david Flett 1 wife 2 children

Pierre st. Germain 1 wife 5 children Louis LaRocque 1 wife 3 child

Julien Bernier 1 wife 2 children Joseph Klyne 1 wife 2 child

Charles McKay 1 wife 4 children Archibald spence 1 wife 7 children

Horatio Calder 1 wife 7 children John Flett 1 wife 4 child

Francois Jacques 1 wife 4 children



impacts on the land will have an impact on Métis rights and land-use. These impacts then trigger a responsibility by both government and industry to consult with Métis people. What does this mean and what is adequate consultation? do the Métis communities and individuals have the capacity and understanding of the impacts and what it could mean long-term? Article eleven answers all of these questions and provides a consistent approach to dealing with consultation on all levels. It establishes guidelines and tools that all B.C. Métis will have at their power to make sure their rights and land-uses are not impacted or fairly compensated.

Finally, articles twelve and thirteen establish Métis enforcement and an appeal mechanism. Laws or rules are useless unless they are enforced. This is why the Métis established the Buffalo Assembly in the 1700-1800s; it didn’t just provide a hunting network but also an ability to pass judgment and punish those who stepped outside of the “Laws of the Prairie”. The senate and BCMANR’s Captain Assembly are the two bodies designated with the task of enforcing and providing an appeal mechanism for B.C. Métis exercising a right under the authority of the MNBC Natural Resource Act.

There are going to be a series of workshops and presentations at the 2008 MNBC Annual General Meeting on the implementation of the Natural Resource Act. Enquiries can also be answered by the MNBC director of Natural Resources, Mr. Gary ducommun or the regional Captain’s of Natural Resources from BCMANR. Contact information

is located on the MNBC website (HYPERLINK “http://www.mnbc.ca” http://www.mnbc.ca) under the natural resource link on the left-hand tool bar. This Act is an important and exciting step for Métis in British Columbia.

It will establish the MNBC as an aboriginal government model for being a proactive partner in the management of British Columbia’s natural resource in the exercising of Métis rights.


by Dean Trumbley, RP Bio.

In december 2007, the Métis Nation Governing Assembly delegates unanimously passed the first reading of the proposed MNBC Natural Resources Act. This Act could be ratified at the second reading this september at the 2008 MNBC Annual General Meeting. What could this new piece of MNBC legislation mean for Métis in British Columbia? At first glance the thirteen-page Act appears to be quite standard with a title, interpretations, purposes, financial accountabilities, record-keeping, responsibilities, etc… However, there are some revolutionary articles that put the Métis in British Columbia ahead of the game compared to most aboriginal governments. Article six establishes that when Métis are exercising their right it is for food, societal and ceremonial purposes only. Commercial profit from exercising a right is not empowered or endorsed by this Act. Article six was motivated by the results of the harvester survey conducted by the MNBC in 2005. Four of the top ten concerns of Métis harvesters (numbers 3-6) dealt with using an aboriginal right for commercial profit (i.e. over-harvesting, sustenance/sustainability, abuse of privileges by Métis hunters and rights are not for commercial use or personal profit). Article eight pertains to the ability for MNBC to issue Harvesting Cards. The B.C. Métis Assembly of Natural Resources has been provided the

authority to issue Harvesting Cards to eligible Métis throughout B.C. At first this sounds pretty much standard but this card is a very important step for Métis in B.C. Usually aboriginal governments either issue cards simply for the purpose of identifying harvesters or in most cases default to using either a status/membership card or equivalent. Although this deals with the issue of identifying a rights-holder it neglects to address some other key components. No aboriginal right is absolute or in layman terms is untouchable. Government reserves the rights or ability to infringe on an aboriginal right if they can demonstrate that conservation, public safety or public health is at risk. Another words, with rights come responsibility both to the resource and to the protection of the aboriginal right.

The majority of aboriginal governments fight in the court systems to obtain the right, however once won, they tend to give-up the right to manage, thus leading to infringement and restriction of a right by government. Another concept to understand is that no aboriginal right is individual but instead communal.

This means whatever the community, or in our case the Métis Nation, sets as rules it becomes the law of the land and the standard that all Métis must adhere to. If an individual steps outside of that communal law they themselves are stepping outside of their right. It becomes a crime of the individual and does not affect the rights of the whole.

This is where the MNBC Harvesting Card comes into play. once a person obtains an MNBC Harvesting Card, via the Natural Resource Act authority, it swears the individual to abide by all legislation and regulation empowered by the Act or the communal law. The legislation (Natural Resource Act) and regulation, which is developed by the B.C. Métis Assembly of Natural Resources, provides protection against breeches in conservation, public safety and public health. Essentially it is protecting the Métis right from government infringement.

Article ten is quite pioneering as it provides the ability for the MNBC to develop “Environmental Protection Policy” around issues that are of substantial importance to Métis people in B.C. Throughout the media we see large-scale environmental themes that affect us all, such as species at risk, biodiversity, global warming, etc… Environmental Protection Policy is a fancy term for developing political position documents on these topics, from a Métis perspective and stance. It will establish a unified voice in an official policy for all Métis in B.C.

Article eleven is extremely important for all Métis from the community up to the provincial levels. Consultation and accommodation were established as the result of some very important supreme Court of Canada aboriginal case law decisions. Métis in B.C. still heavily rely upon the land for sustenance, culture and societal purposes. Meaning, any

What does the Natural Resource Act mean to Métis in British Columbia?


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Exploring Women’s Roles & Self Esteem at the Métis Women’s Summit 2008

by Kim Hayek, Women’s Representative North Fraser Métis Association

self-esteem has been in and out of the ‘to do’ courses for years. It is a hot topic again. You will find it in a variety of places in your community, from parenting workshops to the self-help section in your local bookstore. self esteem effects what colors we like, the clothes we were, where we shop, what kind of employment we seek, what friends we make and how we see ourselves within our friends, families, and social groups. self-esteem does not stay at any one level. It goes up and down depending on what we are doing in our lives, what kind of friends we are with, and who we allow to influence us at the time. I was pleased to offer an interactive workshop on women’s roles and self esteem at the recent Métis Women’s summit, and would like to share some of the teachings that we explored.

For Métis women self-esteem is often influenced by what has been taken from us and the attitudes within the community and the society as a whole. As a child, girls get a sense of being in their

families and from their parents, aunties, and grandparents. As they venture out into playgroups, school, team sports, they have other influences that influence who they are. As a woman youth the social groups become bigger, even world wide and saturated with media influences like music videos, magazines, and movie stars. As women we usually have a fashion bag full of stuff, most of it not needed. We collect negative self-talk, bad behaviors, attitudes and beliefs to survive.

What we really need is to meet four basic needs: Love, Power, Fun and Freedom. Let me explain these basic needs to you. LOVE in the area of belonging, friendship, caring and involvement. Belonging and caring come from our families of origin, and knowing that we have been a part of the Métis Nation for hundreds of years, and will continue into the future as members of our Métis community. Métis women learn and teach involvement from a very young age. traditionally, if the family unit did not contribute to the food pantry (hunting, berry picking, etc) the family would be imbalanced and the caring part would suffer.

The Métis have always had a good sense of POWER in the areas of importance, recognition, skill and competence. When we are in balance we have respect for ourselves, and respect for others- this is true self-esteem. For many of us, aboriginal skill and competence has been taken from us, and taken from our mothers and sisters. As Métis women we are learning about our language, parenting and the aboriginal ways. We carry the life, the love and the power for our families and for our communities.

Pleasure, enjoyment, learning and laughter, this is the FUN we need to look for. sometimes the laughter is from a story being told after the berry picking

is finished. Métis women are growing in the area of FREEDOM. We are learning choice, independence and autonomy. We learn that every time we identify as a Métis. We are proud and are making choices that reflect caring and strength in our people. Every learning curve or challenge is a teachable moment for our selves, our sisters and our children.

during my workshop we made a list of what self-esteem is and where it comes from. There were no surprises there for anyone. These Métis women had the knowledge from their life journeys and were clear in this area. Many women said, “Yeah, I get it”. When I asked women to write down their many roles, some are surprised at this and some have tears in their eyes. to make a list of our roles: sisters, aunt, volunteer, care giver, women’s rep, lover, wife, mother showed these women how much they give to others, and how overwhelming it can be on a day to day basis. I asked the women to put a positive word in front of their roles. I put down that I was a ‘happy’ ex-wife. some woman could not find many words. The words that were shared were: strong mother, good poet, friendly volunteer, etc. These women realized that sometimes it is hard to be positive, some said, “We do not think of this as positive, we just do these roles or have to do them.”

overall this afternoon helped us pluck away what we do not need any more and shorten our role list. We can take on fewer roles and have more energy for them if we take care of ourselves. This was a quiet time to rediscover our strengths, the daily balance of our roles and that we had each other- Métis women- to keep us strong. We ended the day with a naming chant and one said, “This felt like a hug.”

métis women’s secretariat

Photo: Samantha Sansregret, Vancouver Island Regional Representative, Minister of Community Services, Hon. Ida Chong, and Rose Bortolon, Interim Chairperson, Métis Women’s Secretariat-BC.

Ministry of Community Services Supports Métis

Nation BC Violence Prevention Programming the MNBC is pleased to announce the support of the Ministry of Community services for new Métis-specific violence prevention programming. In consultation with a Métis elder, the symposium has been named sîhtoskâtowîn, a Michif/Cree word meaning “coming together in unity,” and is the first of its kind in Canada. The Métis of BC are taking the lead on the planning and delivery of this programming which will benefit our Métis Communities throughout the province.

The program will encompass three major projects; a violence prevention symposium, development of Métis-specific prevention materials, and funding for community-based violence prevention events. one of the key hopes for this project is to be inclusive of Métis Women, Men, Youth and Elders, because violence prevention is an issue that is important to everyone.

For more information, please contact our Director of Women, Victoria Pruden, at [email protected] or at 250-208-4937.

Message from Rose Bortolon, Interim-Chairman of the Métis Women’s Secretariat spring, although a little late, has finally arrived in Prince George. It seemed that the snow would never leave. The grass is turning green though very slowly. May 11th, was Mother’s day; it was a good opportunity to reflect on the roles that we have as women, and the women who brought us in to this world. The flowers your daughters and grandchildren bring to you, the beautiful colours of red, yellow, pink and white. They love seeing the smile on your face, especially the grandchildren. The verses from the cards bring tears to your eyes, because of the words they say. “You’re a Mom to look up to, a Mom to depend upon, who’s there without a doubt, a Mom to turn to for a hug or for a helpful thought … and a Mom who’s loved a lot”. These words mean so much to us as mothers, and kokums. This year brought back memories of my own mom. I think of the bright beautiful dandelions that we would pick for her or the pretty buttercups. The smile on her face when we shyly said, “I love you Mom”, the hand-drawn cards we made for her, with houses or stickmen on them. The tears in her eyes when we asked her why she was crying; now we know. Even though Mother’s day has passed, I wish women of all ages a Happy Mother’s day. Whether moms, kokums, aunties, or daughters know that your family is lucky to have someone as special as you in their lives.

Regards, Rose Bortolon




By Victoria Pruden, Director of Women MNBC

The Métis Women’s summit 2008 was hosted by the Métis Nation BC, in part-nership with our primary funder, The department of Canadian Heritage, Ab-original Women’s Programs, at the Marri-ott Vancouver Airport in Richmond, B.C, April 18-20. In attendance were Métis women from all over British Columbia, representing their Métis Nation Chartered Communi-ties and regional governance councils. The theme was “Women’s Governance train-ing, Métis Culture, and Women’s Active Living”.Following a prayer by Elder Annette Mau-rice, vice chair of the MWs-BC, delegates were welcomed by MNBC president Bruce dumont. A dynamic presentation on Métis Nation Governance, by Keith Henry, reviewed the key requirements for women to participate in the upcoming provincial Métis Nation BC election. del-egates were each given a new “Guide to the Métis Nation BC”, which Henry reviewed. There were many questions, particularly about the MNBC Registry, and require-ments for obtaining a Métis Nation BC Citizenship Card. This presentation sup-ported our goals for increasing women’s participation in governance within the Métis Nation BC. The Committee of Regional Representa-tives of the Métis Women’s secretariat-BC shared Métis women’s program and governance activities achieved in 2007-2008. Representatives also talked about themselves and their views regarding is-sues important to Métis women in BC. Among the issues discussed were the coming ratification of the name change Métis Women’s secretariat-BC to “Métis Women of BC”, inclusion of women in the Electoral Act of the Métis Nation BC, Women’s Act Now BC, CEso–Aborigi-nal Women for tomorrow, “Healthy Mes-

sages” a Women’s Health research project in partnership with the Métis Centre of the National Aboriginal Health orga-nization, the upcoming “sihtoskatowin” violence prevention project, and an update about the Women of the Métis Nation.dr. shirley Wong, a Canadian Executive service organization (CEso) volunteer, provided training to participants regard-ing the nature of effective organizations and boards and coached delegates in how to set and achieve organizational goals of importance to Métis women. This session captured the passion and potential of the Métis women’s movement in BC, and how Métis women can contribute.saturday was our day to focus on language, culture, self-development and fitness. All delegates participated in a Michif language session in the “Y dialect” Michif/Cree prevalent in Northern saskatchewan. sixteen women participated in the bead-ing workshop facilitated by Hennie smid. Instruction in basic skills, discussion about traditional Métis and other Aboriginal Beading styles, and viewing of samples of work were shared. others chose the self-development oppor-tunity presented by a workshop “Women’s Roles & self Esteem: Exploring personal growth, creating a collage of our strengths”. In this intimate session, Kim Hayek, a skilled group facilitator, led participants through a discussion and personal explo-ration of issues of self-esteem and self-concept. Participants created personal col-lages that reflected their images of self, and were able to display them at the end of the session.skilled Métis jigger, Caren Nagao, led par-ticipants in three sessions of traditional Métis dance. Interspersed throughout the conference, these sessions allowed partici-pants to learn and practice basic steps.Monique Hurteau, a Métis physical activ-ity trainer and consultant led participants through an exploration of health and fit-ness as represented by the four quadrants

of the Medicine Wheel. This very experi-ential workshop had participants stretch-ing, moving and trying new activities to enhance their flexibility and fitness level. Kim Hayek, women’s representative from the North Fraser Métis Association used poetry and prose to tell of her journey to connect with her Métis ancestry, and her grandmothers. Following her presenta-tion, Caren Nagao, regional representa-tive from the Kootenays read a short story written by her daughter tamiko. Women’s representatives were presented with traditional shawls, prepared for the Métis Women’s summit with traditional embroidery and patterning. Guests Phillip and Betty Gladue addressed dinner guests and were presented with a donation to aid their daughter, currently admitted to the Vancouver Cancer Clinic. sunday we wrapped up and said goodbye. We started the day with two very con-densed presentations: Victoria Pruden presented a summary of the sihtoska-towin project, recently funded by the Ministry of Community services. Follow-ing the presentation, participants engaged in round-table brainstorming about the project. delegates then engaged in a brain-storming session about women’s perspec-tives on Métis Nation policy in priority ar-eas of Education, Métis Identification and data Collection, Health, and Economic development. As part of our close, Elder doreen sinclair led participants in a Closing Circle. Cre-ating a safe environment, doreen was a gentle and sensitive facilitator. Participants were able to share about the impact of par-ticipating in the Métis Women’s summit.This was a very productive and intensive gathering of Métis women. delegates were energized by the experience, and had the opportunity to learn, to meet new friends and contacts, and get ideas about how to empower themselves as women’s represen-tatives.

Métis Women’s Summit 2008 Focus 2008: Women’s Governance Training, Métis Culture, and Women’s Active Living


“It was the first time I had spent even a night away from my 2 ½ year old son. I had never met any of the women at the conference. In fact, I was a new representative with Métis Women of BC and had little idea of what I was in for. I was apprehensive. I did not know that I was about to have one of the most fulfilling weekends I had had in years.

to spend three days with other Métis women from across the province, learning traditions and sharing all that connects us was rejuvenating. We got to know each other through our stories as we talked, and planned, and ate, and beaded, and danced. And the more we did, the more we began to recognize the common threads that connect us and make us who we are: Métis Women. There were some powerful moments, when it felt to me like the heartbeat of all the generations of Métis women before us were beating through my own.

I learned a lot on this weekend about myself and about what it means to be a Métis Woman. I think that when we come together, we carry a strength that is undefiable.

At the end of the conference, it was difficult saying goodbye to all my new friends, so I said “see you later” instead. And I will. I look forward to when we come together again!”

Lisa shepherd is a new Women’s Representative, and embraced our cultural workshops with great enthusiasm; as first-time beader, she took the challenge of customizing her shawl very seriously. “I’ve wanted to learn beading for such a long time and so I’m excited by this. I have room for improvement (when I look at my work, I see spaces between beads, and lines that could be cleaner), but I notice that with each flower I practice, it gets a little better... and faster. By the time I finish my shawl, it should really tell a story of improved ability. You’ll be able to look at one end and say, “oh, this is where she started” and the other end and say, “and this is where she finished.” You put the challenge out there for us to keep working on the shawl and to allow it to honour our mothers and our grandmothers. so, the group of three flowers is to honour my mother. When I wear the shawl, it sits on the left, over my heart. I am Métis on my dad’s side. My Mom was born in

Rome, Italy, so the beads are red, white and green - the colours of the Italian flag. Her flower is the large one in the centre. The middle of the flower uses irridescent white beads because the magical and beautiful look of these beads reminds me somehow of her gentle strength. I have one sibling. The flower at the top is for my sister and has her birthstone colour in the centre. The flower at the bottom is for me and has my own birthstone colour in it. I used white beads to connect the three flowers, as this is traditional Métis to represent the flow of life. I thought it was appropriate that it connect mine and my sister’s flowers through my Mom’s. to finish it off, I added the white mousetracks to show it as an original Métis beadwork.”

Original beadwork by Lisa Shepherd

Reflections on the Métis Women’s SummitBy Lisa Shepherd, Women’s Representative, Fraser Valley Métis Association


Everyone is now pretending to be ‘God’ and walking on water. We are approximately 1/3 of the way across the Atlantic ocean, heading towards Halifax. I figure we should be hitting the site of the titanic in about 2 weeks time and 1 week after that we’ll be in Halifax, on home ground. We now have about 40 people walking for us. two of the youth goals of individually reaching 300 kms have been reached, a HUGE congratulations goes out to Matthew daratha and Monica Kurth for their persistence and assistance since February. Three of the Adult spots of individually reaching 300 kms have been achieved by Micheal tugwood, Polly Montague and stephen, Micheal has graciously given up his seat for someone else to join us in Vancouver next year at the sun/Run. A HUGE Congratulations goes out to these three as well.

our recent participation in the Canadian Cancer society’s “Relay for Life” yielded over 100 km from approximately 15 participants for the day. The weather was great, and everyone at the event had a blast.

Please direct any questions regarding Act Now to:Marie van Humbeck MNBC Act Now CoordinatorPhone: 250-213-1561 Fax 250-590-9402. 1207 Colville Road Victoria V9A 4R2 E-mail [email protected]

MNBC ActNow Updateby Marie van Humbeck, Act Now Coordinator

The MNBC Act Now project contributes to the long term objective of closing the gap between Métis and non-Aboriginal British Columbians in the areas of health and wellness. The MNBC contends that by providing opportunities for Métis to improve their health through physical activity individuals will be more self confident, the effects of arthritis will be lessened, obesity among youth will decline and falls among elders will be reduced

The MNBC Act Now project is the first fair opportunity Métis communities have had to participate in health promotion planning. Communities have embraced this opportunity and employed a great deal of thought and creativity in developing projects that suit their unique needs. to date, eleven communities are now on their way to healthier, more active lives as a result of the MNBC Act Now projects

Three projects concluded on March 31, 2008, one carries over two fiscal years and seven are taking place in the 2008-09. Communities with completed projects have been counseled on the process required to access the balance of Act Now funding. That process being the completion of a final report and the submission of a second application.

Regional statistics

Vancouver Island 2

Lower Mainland 2

Thompson okanagan 1

North Central 2

Northeast 2

Northwest 2

the Positive transition for Métis offenders Program (PtMo) has completed a very successful 26-month pi-lot project, funded by the National Crime Prevention strategies.

The PtMo project was a simple concept to assist Métis offend-ers as they reintegrated back into society. The project was effec-tive because it met the needs of the Métis offender by connecting them with Métis community supports and linkages to other pro-grams and services within their communities. Many of the Métis offenders knew little or no information on their background or their Métis culture.

Métis Community Justice support Workers (CJsWs) intro-duced them to their history and provided them a link to MNBC’s Central Registry so they could learn how to register to become a Métis citizen. This knowledge brought a sense of pride within.

The CJsWs provided a bridge to the community, from the in-stitution, by assisting the Métis offenders whose barriers might have prevented them from success. doors were opened in the communities for employment and training options, addiction supports, community supports and family supports. These are a few barriers that can make reintegration almost impossible.

Throughout the 26 months, the CJsWs made contact with 131 inmates (103 Métis and 28 others) through program information sessions, employment in-formation sessions, one-on-one sessions and at cultural events within an institution. There are 54 Métis and 15 others who have been released from an institution who are having success within their communities.The PtMo demonstrated success by providing results of Mé-

tis offenders who have, to date, become successful members of society with support from their fami-lies and services within their communities.

The CJsWs supported positive working relation-

ships with the offenders, communities, and CsC (Correctional service of Canada) staff for the best possible re-integration plan which included opportunities for programs prior to release.

The Community Justice Support Workers would like to thank all the people who supported the program.

Positive transition for Métis offenders Program

Joe Gereluk, AttorneyLegal Counsel for MNBC

852 Fort Street

Victoria, BC V8W 1H8

Telephone: 250.380.1423

“The PTMO project was a simple concept to assist Métis offenders as they reintegrated back into society.”


With the help of the MNBC MHRdA I was able to attend a fabulous program and discover a new passion & learn valu-able skills that I’ll have forever! special thanks to Carol for all her help!

Catherine Ruddell, Interior decorator Vancouver training Institute

MNBC Success Stories

Catherine Ruddell

The Vancouver Island Métis Employment and training office have been a huge help to me during my training. The funding assistance I received allowed me to bring my marks up a full letter grade from a B+ to an A- . The assistance I got eased the pressure on my shoulders and allowed me to focus on my schooling. These improved grades and the confidence they gave me allowed me to obtain an amazing summer job working at the NRC Plant Biotechnology Institute in saskatoon. Upon return-ing to school to start my fourth year I again received funding and I was able to bring my grades from an A- the previous year to an A. This helped me obtain a position with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Centre for Plant Health. This is an excellent position where I can learn and expand my skills even further.

during the completion of my undergraduate studies the Vancouver Island Regional Mé-tis Employment and training Committee assisted me financially. I had exhausted all other resources and with the assistance I received through the MHRdA I was able to complete a Bachelor of science degree with a Major in Microbiology. since my gradua-tion I have been working in a Research Laboratory at the Pacific Forestry Centre. This is a position that I enjoy and would not have attained without my degree. None of this would have been possible if I had not received the financial aid through the Métis. Thank-you everyone for your help as well as your support!

Thanks to Métis Nation BC, I was able to complete my pro-gram at Thompson Rivers University and gain employment with tELUs right out of school! If it were not for this op-portunity I would not have been able to afford to get my diploma.Craig Lee, telecommunications technicianThompson Rivers University

My name is dustin Hyde and I am a proud 26-year-old Métis Citizen of British Columbia. I come from a hard working, blue-collar family that has a long history in the okanagan log-ging industry. since I was about 12 years old I had the goal of becoming a high school teacher. Upon completing high school I set out to accomplish this goal. After five years of post second-ary education I earned my BC teaching certificate. today I am employed as an Aboriginal Education teacher at Penticton secondary in school district 67. Each day I have the wonderful opportunity to work with Aboriginal students in a variety of capacities and settings. I am extremely proud of my accomplish-ments and very fortunate for the support I received from the Métis Nation of British Columbia. I would like to thank the hard work and efforts of the Thompson okanagan’s employ-ment and training staff for providing me with continued service and support. I believe that these efforts played significant and crucial role in my recent accomplishments.

This is a big thank you to the Métis Nation of BC and a very grateful acknowledgement to the Northeast Education Coordinator of Fort st John, Carol Paynter! Without the help, support and encouragement from our local program coordinator I would not have been able to achieve my goal of taking in the oil & Gas operator training Program at the Northern Lights College. I also would like to also thank my dad (Pierre Barrette) for encouraging me to take the program and to apply for assistance with MNBC. This is going to be a big help in my future development and to enjoy a self depen-dent lifestyle.

Thank you so much, I have appreciated every opportunity that has been presented to me greatly. My goal is to make my time and effort as well as those that have contributed to my future worth everything I can make it.

Kelly Campbell, Animal Health technologistN.A.I.t. Fairview Campus

MHRDA Best Practices

The training we offer is to provide employable and/or transferable skills. Here are some of the Success Stories we have seen. Tell us! What is your success story?


Métis Community Liaison at University of Victoria

tanshi, kiyawow, greetings! My name is Amanda Laliberte. I was born in saskatoon, saskatchewan and I am a registered community member with the Métis Nation of Greater Victoria. I am honoured to live, study and work on the traditional territory of the Coast salish people. I have spent the last three years studying in the Faculty of Fine Arts – Visual Arts program at the University of Victoria.

Through Aboriginal service Plan funding provided by the Ministry of Advanced Education, three term positions were created in 2008 to help enhance the recruitment, retention and success of Uvic students who of Indigenous ancestry (First Nations, Métis and Inuit). These positions include the Coordinator of Indigenous student support, the Projects Coordinators Assistant, and – as requested by the Métis community – the Métis Community Liaison. I am very excited about being here for you, the Métis people, to promote inclusion of Métis culture and history within the University of Victoria.

In this position, I am here to open doors between the university and the Métis community and to help create a welcoming environment for Métis students, staff, faculty and community members.

I look forward to meeting you.

Amanda LaliberteMétis Community Liaison / Outreach Coordinator, Office of Indigenous AffairsUniversity of VictoriaTelephone: (250) 853-3599Fax: (250) 472-4952Email: [email protected]

Métis Students Receive Awardson May 15th, at Camosun College on Vancouver Island,

two Métis students received awards for their outstanding achievement. It is the first time that Métis students at Camosun have been included in the “school of Access & the department of First Nations Education & services” awards. It is also the first post-secondary education award established by Métis Nation British Columbia. This is an important step forward for all Métis students in British Columbia.

The awards were attended by MNBC Minister Responsible for Education, Lorne LaFleur, director of Education, Colleen Hodgson, Interim Regional Representative for Vancouver Island Region, Lissa smith, MNBC director of Women, Victoria Pruden, Camosun staff, the Ministry of Advanced Education, and students and their families. over 100 people attended the ceremony honouring the hard work and sacrifices made by the Aboriginal students.

MNBC Minister Responsible for Education Mr. Lorne LaFleur stated, “Métis Nation British Columbia appreciates and supports Métis students being awarded here today. It is through your personal sacrifices and efforts that you have been successful. I can only hope that each one of you realize the importance of your success and know that the Métis Nation will seek ways to further support your efforts”.

MNBC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Camsoun College in september 2007 in support of the Aboriginal service Plan (AsP). The AsP is collaboration between the provincial Ministry of Advanced Education, Camosun College and the Aboriginal communities. MNBC has been involved in the development of the AsP and is now engaged in the implementation process, which will unfold over the next three years. It is this process that has supported the inclusion of Métis students in all aspects of education at Camosun, including the awards. MNBC will continue to build relationships with all post secondary institutions in British Columbians and support Métis students in their education. It is through these relationships that a greater awareness of Métis people is created and an inclusive learning environment for Métis students is established.

Métis Nation BC Education

From left to right: Métis student–Maxime Lepine; MNBC Director of Educa-tion– Colleen Hodgson; Métis student–Jacqueline Hodgson; MNBC Minister

Responsible for Education–Lorne Lafleur; Camosun College Indigenization Project Coordinator–Corrine Michel

The Essential skills for Aboriginal futures program, a partnership of ACCEss and Métis Nation BC Employment and training is pleased to announce the graduation of the BC Ferries intake partnership. Fourteen students completed the program and are now preparing to work for the BC ferries Corporation as terminal attendants and on board service support workers.

The six week program concluded on May 2, 2008 with a grad ceremony hosted by service Canada at Library square in downtown Vancouver. The students spent most of their time at the New Westminster EAsF lab working on the skills they needed to be effective workers for the BC Ferries’ job they were interested in. Their dedication went so far as starting some of their training days at 5 am, this being the general start time for the first shift they would be doing at the terminals or on board. With a lot to learn in a

short time the students really applied themselves to the tasks at hand and excelled in their classes.

Malonie Langthorne, director of Employment & training stated “The AHRdA’s have evolved with the support from service Canada and this program is the most exciting I have seen in the past decade. This partnership with ACCEss has created opportunities beyond our expectations. Employer partners and the EsAF staff have dedicated so much of their time to help making this program extremely successful, and the students have amazed us all with their strength and dedication. Partnerships equal success.”

The EAsF program partners with corporate businesses to provide a job connection after a period of training. The staff at the lab work with the employers to create essential skills exercises based on the work materials that the company uses on an everyday

basis, thus giving the students not only a good structure to learn but a leg up when it comes time to interview for the job they have been training towards. This program does not guarantee a job with the partner; it only prepares the student for the opportunity to interview for the job they have been working towards. This may not seem like such a greater opportunity than just going directly to the company with good interview skills, but in reality it is assisting the student in preparing

for sustainability and advancement once they do get employed. In fact to date the programs previous intakes with safeway and BC Housing has resulted in over 90% hiring. This class achieved 100%, a triumph that the entire program staff and the partners are extremely proud of.

The next intake starting June 16th will be with CN Rail. A huge opportunity that the EAsF hopes will be taken advantage of by people looking for a very good career. The conductor position that is the focus of the CN intervention can end up providing the successful students with a $70,000 a year job eventually. The EAsF is not providing job opportunities it is providing career opportunities, something that is harder to get today. Real sustainable long term employment and the essential skills to make that a reality are the goal of the EAsF and a proud product of MNBC and ACCEss.

BC Ferris Students Graduate with their Essential Skills

Métis Nation BC • MHDRA


The purpose of the MNBC Enbridge Labour Market Partnership Accord is to Increase Métis participation in the pipeline related trades training and career advancement in sector employment, support Métis access to career training through apprenticeships, local and regional training and educational programs consistent with relevant provincial post-secondary policies and standards. Provide access to existing training programs and the development of new training activities specifically for Métis client participation in Pipeline related careers.

The Gateway Project, estimated to cost approximately $4 billion, involves the proposed development of two new pipelines, a new marine terminal, tankage, pumping stations and related facilities. The Gateway Project will run from strathcona County near Edmonton to Kitimat, British Columbia. The pipeline will be 1150 kilometers in length. The petroleum export pipeline is designed to move an average of 400,000 barrels per day. At Kitimat, the crude oil will be loaded on tankers called VLCCs (for very large crude carriers) and sent to buyers in the Far East, the United states and possibly other parts of the world.

The Gateway Project is an important part of Canada’s energy future and will help ensure there is enough capacity to transport

new oil expected from Canada’s oil sands in the years to come. The MNBC Enbridge Initiative Coordinator will be holding community information sessions in the near future that will include information that will help to explain and describe the Gateway project’s employment and training opportunities.

Please feel free to call or email anytime if

you have any questions or concerns. MNBC

Enbridge Gateway Pipeline Initiative Coordinator Yuri

Oreskiewicz - [email protected] - Phone: 604-

582-4791

Enbridge Partners with Métis Nation British Columbia to

Assist in Career Advancement

“The Gateway

Project will run

from Strathcona

County near

Edmonton to

Kitimat, British

Columbia.”


Traditional Métis Education traditional Métis educational systems were informal and were based on knowledge, skills and values held by the child’s parents, grandparents and the community. This was oriented around acceptable social behaviour and means of survival. one of the most important characteristics of this system was the emphasis on experiential learning. Métis children were taught about their culture, beliefs, values, customs, traditions and survival skills by directly participating in community and family events.

Learning for Métis children was a lifetime process and did not occur during a set period of time. Métis children were highly valued by the community and it was everyone’s collective responsibility to participate in the social, cultural and psychological development of youth. Elders spent a great deal of time teaching Métis children while the parents laboured over daily chores. This Métis traditional education system inherited many elements of First Nations customs and beliefs systems such as taking children everywhere. This cultural practice had many benefits because it strengthened the bond between parents and family and gave children the opportunity to gain new life experiences.

The Métis’ informal method of education was more of a program of socialization, on how to behave, act and contribute to society. In this system, Métis girls were taught skills such as how to prepare and make garments from hides, how to set up camp, how to prepare and process food, and how to take care of children. By contrast, Métis boys were taught hunting skills and bravery.

As Métis boys matured, their fathers played a more active role in their development, taking them on daily rounds and introducing them to a larger social world. This training, on how to be an adult, was very important. As a child grew, his or her training became more directed based on his or her skills and abilities. Grandparents became the teachers and would educate the children about such concepts as divisions of time, numbering systems, history and genealogy.

In Red River, traditional Métis education was the common practice prior to the arrival of the selkirk settlers in 1811. The immigration of Europeans to Red River introduced western educational concepts and philosophy including structured lessons, age-grade divided classrooms and the removal of Métis students from their families and communities. Métis education was greatly influenced by these new systems as Métis families settled and intermarried with European families. As a result, Métis education became more structured and formalized with attendance lists and rewards for advancing into the next grade.

Métis Nation BC • Métis Nation BCEducation Child Services

MNBC Métis Child and Family Services Position Paper 2008 The Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) position paper has been prepared to provide an overview regarding the current challenges and proposed MNBC strategy regarding the current delivery of Métis children and family services in British Columbia. Please check out www.mnbc.ca for full detail

MNBC to host important forum addressing Métis Children and Family Services in BC MNBC is to host the Métis Children and Family service Forum to review the current state of Métis Children and Family development and address the existing delivery of Métis Child and Family services in relation to the Provincial Government strategy in British Columbia. The ultimate objective is for Métis community leaders and the MNBC Board of directors is to openly discuss the current MCFd delivery model that considers a strategy that represents Métis community needs and service delivery issues in the area of Métis children and family service

Friday June 20th at 6:30pm and

Saturday June 21st, 2008 at 8:30 am

Vancouver Airport Marriott Hotel 7571 Westminster Highway

Richmond, BC V6X 1A3(BALLROOM)


When is the election?The MNBC General Election is September 13th, 2008. MNBC has provided the General Election notice on the MNBC website. By Au-gust 14th additional information, including a list of eligible electors, list of candidates, and other important information will be posted in all Métis Chartered Community offices. This is where you can review MNBC General Election information. If you are planning to run as a candidate nomination papers will be available on the MNBC website and provided to Métis Chartered Communities no later than July 25th. You can also find the address, e-mail and phone number of the Chief Electoral Officer posted on www.mnbc.ca if there are any other questions related to the MNBC General Election.

Why should I vote?You are part of the Métis Nation BC and it is your right to vote! Your vote counts and you have the opportunity to elect someone who you feel can effectively represent youth in your region and across the province. Voting is one way for you to be an active citizen in your own community and make real change.

Who can vote?To vote for a BCUMYC (British Columbia United Métis Youth Circle) position you must: • Be older than 15 and younger than 30• Be an MNBC citizenAny MNBC citizen older than 18 can vote for their Regional Direc-tor, the MNBC President and the MNBC Vice-President. Female MNBC citizens, older than 18, can also vote for Women’s Secretariat Provincial Chairperson and their Regional Women’s Representative.

How can I vote?On the election day, you will go to your local polling station, with your Métis Citizenship card, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. local time. (These locations will be posted on the MNBC website when final-ized)

How do I run for BCUMYC Chairperson?The BCUMYC Chairperson is also the MNBC Minister of Youth and holds a voting seat on the board of directors. In order to run for this position, you must:• Be older than 15 and younger than 30• Be a MNBC Citizen

• Have been a resident of the Métis community in British Colum-bia for not less than one year

• Be nominated by someone other than yourself• Accept the nomination in writing• Obtain a minimum on ten (10) original signatures from MNBC

youth citizens, who reside in British Columbia. These people should not have signed another candidate’s nomination papers for the same position.

• Provide a criminal record check satisfactory to the Chief Elec-toral Officer

How do I run to become a Regional Youth Representative?In order for you to run for one of these positions, you must:• Be older than 15 and younger than 30• Be a MNBC Citizen• Have been a resident of the Métis community in British Colum-

bia for not less than one year• Be nominated by someone other than yourself• Accept the nomination in writing• Obtain a minimum on five (5) original signatures from MNBC

youth citizens, who reside in the region where you are running. These people should not have signed anyone else’s nomination papers for the same position.

• Provide a criminal record check satisfactory to the Chief Elec-toral Officer

Why do I need a criminal record check?Your criminal record check is confidential. It is necessary to ensure that all candidates have never been convicted of a criminal offence carrying a penalty of two (2) years or greater, in accordance with the MNBC Constitution and the Electoral Act.

When do nominations have to be submitted?Nominations for any of the above positions must be submitted 30 days before the election date. That’s August 14th, 2008.

Can I run for more than one elected position?No, candidates can only run for one MNBC position.

For further information, please contact Megan Brown, MNBC Director of Youth ([email protected]) or Maddy McCallum, MNBC Youth Engage-ment Officer ([email protected]) at 1-800-940-1150.

Use Your Voice! Get Involved!

Métis Nation British Columbia General Election Frequently asked youth related questions (FAQ)

Taanshi and Greetings to All,

It is with great pleasure, that I bring you our first public statement as the newly formed MNBC Veterans Standing Committee Chairperson. Some of you may know that the MVA-BC recently terminated the Memorandum of Understanding held with the MNBC. The results of this action led to the formation of the Métis Veterans Standing Committee under the umbrella of the Métis Nation BC’s article 17.

Our newly formed MNBC Veterans Committee will consist of five executive positions, a Regional Representative in each of MNBC’s seven Regions and a MNBC Minister Responsible for Veterans, representing MNBC. You will see many familiar Veterans faces supporting our new committee. April 24th, 2008, the Veterans Committee agreed to their initial “Terms of Reference” with MNBC. To View a full version of our terms of reference visit our webpage: www.mnbc.ca Veterans tab.

We now look forward to being able to provide continuous, effective representation of Métis Veterans in our province. We will be seen in ceremonial roles at various MNBC Assemblies and meetings, visiting Chartered Communities, where we will be promoting Métis Veteran awareness and education. Most importantly we will be identifying all Métis Veterans within BC for historical purposes and to assure that they are aware of Veterans-related services available to those Veterans and families in need or entitled.

We would like to encourage you to visit our web page for Métis Veteran Committee News, Information and soon to be available application for membership, or contact your Regional Veterans Rep. Over the next two years the Veterans Committee will be working towards building a governance structure of Métis Veterans representing Métis Veterans. We encourage Métis persons from all fields of service, Regular Forces, RCMP, Coast Guard, and Reservists living in BC to make application and support Métis Veterans.

We as the Métis Veterans Committee look forward to serving the Métis Nation of BC and fellow comrades.

Walter KoendersChairperson

MNBC • Veterans CommitteeChairman’s Message

MNBC • Youth


Regional newsElection Time

Calling all BC Métis Youth: Election time is creeping up on us at an amazing pace. Just around the corner, in September, there will be changes happening. Some familiar faces will stay some new faces will be introduced.

If you want to be a part of this change then, with out hesitation, use your voice and get involved. You have a choice of who you want to represent you at the community, regional and provincial level. Do you have anyone in mind who has passion for Métis youth issues in your community? Do you know of a BC Métis Youth who has an interest in becom-ing a youth representative? If so, nominate them. Nominees then have to accept the nomination and do a few tasks in regards to the elections act.

A Youth Friendly Elections Act was created this year. It outlines all the ways a BC Métis Youth can be nominated, what needs to be done and where to go. The revised Youth Friendly Elections Act breaks down the actual elections act specific to youth.

Media Release May 29, 2008 – For Immediate Release

Name Change for Community Organization!

Kelowna – The Board of Directors for the Okanagan Métis Children and Family Services are pleased to announce that they have a new name. After a unanimous vote at a meeting of the Board of Directors and members of the society, the name of the organisation has been changed to OKANAGAN MÉTIS COMMUNITY SERVICES. In doing so, Mr. Kelly Kubik has been promoted to REGIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.

Kimberly Keen, the Vice-President of Okanagan Métis Children and Family Services, stated “We have offices in Kelowna and Penticton, and with plans to open other offices in the Okanagan, it makes sense to accurately reflect the nature of our services and the scope of Mr. Kubik’s responsibilities.” Okanagan Métis Community Services is a charitable agency providing community services including homelessness outreach, diabetes education, trauma counselling and services to Métis children and families.

Contact: Mr. Kelly Kubik Okanagan Métis Community Services 250-868-0351 or 250-317-0899

Krystal Koster graduated on May 2, 2008 from Thomp-son Rivers University Residential Care Aide Program. Krystal would like to thank MNBC for the opportunity they gave her when they accepted her funding application, which made this all possible.

Cheri Gullason is currently enrolled in the welding pro-gram and is expected to graduate from the program in September. Cheri already has opportunities piling up for her apprenticeship, which she will start once she gradu-ates. Cheri is very grateful for the opportunity she has been given by MNBC through their Education Funding Process.

Susan Gullason another Merritt Métis youth has just completed her third year in Thompson Rivers Univer-sity Registered Nursing Program. Susan will graduate the spring of 2009 as a Registered Nurse. Susan has been hired by Ashcroft Health Site to work for the summer as a third year student. Susan has also just recently taken up barrel racing and is doing very well with that. Susan thanks MNBC for their ongoing funding; without it her dream of becoming an RN would not have been possible.

Merritt Métis Youth move forward in their lives as young adults

Krystal KosterCheri Gullason

Bruce DumontPresident, MNBC

Lorne LaFleur Vice-President, MNBC

Lissa Smith Vancouver Island

Frazer MacDonald Lower Mainland

Dave Hodgson Thompson Okanagan

Rene TherrienNorthwest

Gerry Lagare Kootenays

Rose BortolonNorth Central

Dan Pope Northeast

Métis Nation British ColumbiaRegions & MétisChartered Communities

Regional DiRectoRs

Métis nation BRitish coluMBia


Regional news


Regional news

Great Learning Opportunities at the Fort St. John Métis Society Youth Camp

Fort St. John Youth and Volunteers participated in a first of its kind youth camp which included harvest of a Bison under the watchful eye of a Youth coordinator and the buffalo farm owners . The Fort St. John Métis Society in cooperation with MNBC and Canadian heritage funded the project. The Bison will supply the Youth camp as well as elders in the community. The brave youth stayed in wall tents for this three day project, participating in events such as “Craft making, Trapping Skills, horse care, saddling, and camp safety”.

This “Pilot project” was the first Youth camp of its kind in the North. We hope that camps in the future will be both summer and winter camps to take advantage of different seasons harvests. Bison are best in the fall, medicine harvests and different varieties of mushrooms are ready in different seasons. Fort St. John Métis Society hopes to establish several Youth camps in the summer and include elders knowledge of traditional medicines, preservation (drying) of meat, and fishing.

With these Métis Youth camps we hope to bridge the gap between our Elders and Youth and pass on this important knowledge of traditional land use. ~ Earlene Bitterman

If you are a Youth, Elder or Instructor or wish to assist in Sponsoring the next Youth camp, we are looking for you... Contact the Fort St John Métis Society 1-250-785-1541

noRTh east B.c. noRTh east B.c.


Regional news


Regional news

The MHRDA (Métis Human Resources Development Agreement) Employment and Training office and Fort St. John Métis Chartered Community have moved to the downtown core of Fort St. John. Our new address is 10021-100 Street and the Society’s address is 10011-100 Street. We are in the build-ing kiddy corner to the Cultural Centre. We will be hosting an open house although no date has been set.

Located in the MHRDA office you will find Carol Payn-ter - Program Coordinator, Linda Dufresne – Client Support Worker, Dan Pope – Regional Director, Annette Fellers – Re-gional Intake Clerk and Peggy Olanski –Métis Women’s Secre-tariat of British Columbia.

This Métis community team always has its doors open and coffee on. We are always here to help further the Métis people with their education or assist with any MNBC issues. There are many opportunities in the Northeast Region with the oil & gas industry and the trades sector.

This past year in the Northeast Region and MHRDA has been quite busy, helping over 100 Métis people with their edu-cational dreams. Our new fiscal year started off very well. We have already started helping new clients.

The Northeast Region held their governance meeting in April. There was a larger turn out than expected.

On March 18 our community had a visit from Michael de Jong, the Honourable Minister of Aboriginal Affairs & Recon-ciliation, and his assistant Joel McLaughlin. Many members of the community attended. We thank the minister for stopping by.

The Fort St. John Chartered Community held its AGM in March, with a newly acclaimed president, Earlene Bitterman. Members also voted in two new board members — Debra Rog-ers and Bev Demeira. Stepping down were board members Dar-lene Doucet and Al LaFleur. The community and Métis Nation BC would like to thank past president, Jean Peerless, for all her hard work and dedication over the past 13 years. She will be greatly missed. Our community would benefit from having Jean assist in whatever capacity she feels comfortable as an Elder in the society to pass on her knowledge to future generations.

noRTh east B.c.

VancouVeR islanD May marks the end of the Métis

Nation of Greater Victoria’s (MNGV) community jigging program.

With the support of money from the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation’s Cultural Program, our community has been able to gather three times monthly, since October, to practise traditional Métis jigging and make our own ribbon shirts!

Special thank you to Bev Lam-bert, who was able to visit once a month with new steps for us!

At our monthly potluck we will feature some of our costumed MNGV jiggers to present the Reel of Four, the Red River Jig and the Sash Dance!

Although the community jigging program is ending, new Women’s Act Now, Regional Act Now, and Urban Multipurpose Aboriginal Youth Cen-tre programming will start in summer months. There will be belly dancing, archery, gym passes, youth movie nights and much more …

Please check the MNGV website regularly for programming updates: www.mngv.ca, or call our office and speak to Jennifer at 250-220-8450.

NOTICE

June 21, 2008 - MNGV will be holding its Annual General Meeting

at the Victoria Native Friendship Center from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information check our website or give us a call!

loweR MainlanD

Métis In SportsRecently MNBC signed a memorandum of understanding with Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Association (ASRA) to work in partnership to expand and improve the delivery of sports programs to both Métis and First Nations across the province.ASRA is an organization recognized and supported by the provincial government to develop and deliver athletic programs in both individual and team sports to Aboriginal people. They are headquartered near Victoria. Through our partnership we feel we can deliver more information to Ab-original athletes province wide to encourage more of them to join with us for healthy competition and as a result a more healthy lifestyle.

It is our feeling that we will be able to ‘spread the word’ through our chartered communities by keeping them in-formed of events.

At the completion of events for 2007, athletic awards were made in a number of categories. The ones that would be of interest to our Métis Nation are as follows: Male Athlete of the Year - Dylan Willick of Prince George, in the sport of hockey. Female Athlete of the Year - Brook Pighin, from Port Alberni, in the sport of track and field. We are espe-cially pleased to announce that both of these young athletes are Métis and proud of it. See next edition of Whispering Winds for more Sports Information!

TansiThe Sto:lo Awards were held May 22, 2008 at the Ag-Rec Building in Chilliwack. The Sto:lo Awards have been honouring Aboriginal Students for over 30 years. Métis Students from Langley, Abbotsford, Mission, Aldergrove, Agassiz, Hope and Chilliwack School Districts were given Awards. The Awards recognize the efforts of our Métis Students and promote education. A large meal was served and families were welcomed by the Host Nations. The attached photograph shows some of the Métis Student Award winners and Elders who attended the Awards dinner. I hope you can place this in an issue of Whispering Winds.MarsiMarc Colman, SecretaryChilliwack Métis [email protected]

Chilliwack Métis Marc tells about Sto:lo Awards


Regional news


Regional news

Meet Ya’ in the ValleyIf you haven’t had a chance to meet Fraser Valley Métis As-

sociation (FVMA), you will have plenty of opportunity to over this summer! FVMA is working hard to put a face to the Métis people in the Fraser Valley. They will be at many events over the summer and they want to meet you.

Their Métis Camp will make it’s big debut, quite appropri-ately, at the Canada Day celebration in Maple Ridge. Métis wall tents will be set up with Métis artifacts on hand and FVMA members dressed in traditional clothing. This “living historical camp” will give a unique opportunity for people to get a real feel for who the Métis are and what important role they played in the birth of Canada as we know it today.

Visitors to the Canada Day celebration in Maple Ridge will enjoy fiddle playing and jigging on stage, while they fill their bel-lies with buffalo burgers and bannock and enjoy some camara-derie with the members of FVMA.

If you aren’t Métis, FVMA invites you to come and learn about our people. If you are a member of another chapter of MNBC, you are invited you to come and spend the day with your neighbours. All are welcome!

EVENTS CALENDARHere is a summary of FVMA’s schedule of events over the summer. For more information on any of these events, please call President Henry Hall at 604-996-1462.

Chili & Bannock Dinner and Loonie AuctionWhen: Saturday, June 14, 6 p.m. until midnightWhere: Eagles Hall, 23461 Fern Crescent, Maple Ridge$7.50 per person includes chili, bannock, salad and dessert

Jigging Classes with Madeleine McCallumWhen: Wednesdays, May 21 to June 25, 7-9 p.m. Where: Arts Centre Theatre, 11944 Haney Place, Maple RidgeFree, Register at 604-466-4976

Canada Day Festival & Métis Camp,When: Tuesday, July 1 Where: Peace Memorial Park, 224th Street, Maple RidgeCome enjoy fiddling, jigging, buffalo burgers, bannock and arti-facts set inside the Métis Camp.

Abbotsford Berry Festival, When: Friday, July 6 – Saturday, July 7Where: Downtown Abbotsford Buffalo burgers and bannock for sale at our Métis Camp!

FVMA Family Day and Picnic “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child”When: Sunday, August 24 Where: Allco Park, 248 St. and Alouette Rd., Maple Ridge Bring a picnic potluck dish. Old time games like three legged race, egg & pie eating contest, etc.

loweR MainlanD

ABORIGINAL HEALTH FAIR & FAMILY CAMP

We held our annual Aboriginal health fair at Correlieu Secondary School, our partner for this event in Quesnel this year. We would also like to extend thanks to Northern Health as they funded this project once again.

We just completed our second family camp for 2008 with 53 participants. It was a great success, as usual, aside from the weather. But that didn’t completely dampen our spirits! We had a dance group join us this year to teach us some jigging and perform on Saturday night. It was a beautiful performance!

We also went on a nature hike. Ryan from Ministry of Forests gave us a quick lesson on surrounding trees, shrubs, and berries. Now we should all be able to survive in the great forests of B.C.! Thanks Ryan!

The camp was made possible by Act Now BC. Our main theme was to get active! And we sure did by learning how to jig, going on a nature walk, and learning archery, just to name a few. We hope to see you all at our next family camp!

noRThcEnTRAL B.c.

noRThwEST B.C.

The BCUMYC of the Northwest Region and the Tri-River Métis Association community hosted a very successful “Métis Culture and Art Project” in Smithers, BC on March 14th and 15th, 2008. There were cultural presentations by Mr. Henry Hall at two elementary schools and a Métis community event. The many historical artefacts and examples of clothing, tools, sashes and other objects impressed the students, teachers and members of the community. The Northwest Region youth also participated in an Art Project; learning the history of Métis

art and exploring different style and techniques. The group then completed a mural painting and individual works of art. The projects were displayed at a dinner for family, friends and members of the community. The mural will be displayed at community events and used for a card design. We are very proud of our youth and their interest in keeping Métis Culture and Art alive in our community.

Submitted by Kim Hodgson

Successful “Métis Culture and Art Project” in Smithers

August 14-15-16-17Annual Funday Picnic

Cariboo Chilcotin Métis12th

We have games, contests, and concession and

we are always looking for those to join in the jam sessions.

We are located in the heart of the province.

Felker Lake at the Legion Campgrounds

Please call us formore information250-398-5327

Come out and enjoy some goodold fashion Métis cultural fun!


Regional news


Regional news

Ted & Louise Fiddler,Métis Couple Celebrates 50 years

With their four children, Ted and Louise Fiddler moved to Kimberley in November 1969 where Ted got a job as a heavy duty machinery operator with CFI at Canal Flats.

Their children were educated in Kimberley and graduated Grade 12 from Selkirk High School. Each got married in the 1980s. The couple have been residents of Cranbrook since the mid 1990s and involved with the Cranbrook Métis community since 1999. In 1997, Ted had Heather Hallett, from Castlegar, do his family tree and then he received his Kootenay Region Métis Association (KRMA) membership that September. He received his Métis Nation B.C. citizenship card in December, 2004.

In the spring of 2003 the couple were chosen as “volunteers of the month” by Lori White, a real honour, they said. At the annual general meeting, in June 2003, put on by Cranbrook local at Wasa, Louise, who isn’t Métis, was given an honorary member card and sash. The couple helped Marlin Ratch, Brandi Roberts (with baby son) and four female youth from their area at the second annual Youth Conference in Prince George in 2002. In their spare time, Ted attended Track Program with Dean Trumbley. And Louise was on the ‘phone tree’ for ten years. For one of the meetings they pre-fabbed Red River Carts. “Everyone seemed to enjoy building the carts,” said Louise. Twice, the couple ran polling stations for provincial elections.

As an elder, during one of the annual general meetings, Ted was asked to help a member who needed help. Everything went well. Over the years, the couple has been to general meetings in Nelson, Cranbrook, Prince George and Kelowna. “We enjoy, as elders, to be asked to attend these,” they said.

“In July 2006, we were honoured to be with eight youth to go “Back to Batoche”. We had a great time with the youth and even took them for the day swimming in Prince Albert.” Ted Fiddler was given a plaque in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Métis Nation on April 25, 2008 by MNBC Kootenay Director, Gerry Lagare. “On behalf of the Cranbrook community and myself I would like to say thank you to Ted and Louise for always volunteering their time so freely. They have always supported me and I want to publicly thank them,” said Gerry Legare. “They are two of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of working with.”

KooTenaY

Lloyd Carlson (Elder) seen here with President Marilynn Taylor as he celebrates his 80th Birthday.

Marilynn Taylor, was also presented with sash.

KooTenaY

Kootenay Region Hockey TeamGolden has a fledgling girls hockey team. I was amazed by how many of the girls on the team came from Métis families. The team did amazingly well this year, and managed to win the regional championships. I was wondering if you would like to honour them as strong Métis women, especially during a year when we are meant to be emphasizing physical health. Several of the girls made capotes this year, and took part in other traditional skills workshops like making spirit bags, moccasins, and painting our new teepee. We are very proud of them. by Caren Nagao, Kootenay Women’s Representative

Lindsay KnezacekAmanda BuchananKarley DesrosiersKristy FeuzKendra GudjonsonDebbie JonesJolene VanBouliusEryn ZornHanako NagaoLindsey PawlitskyHillary RintoulPamela RintoulTara SlaterKaitlyn TressBrianne KnezacekAlexis Malberg

WARM THANKS TO ALL

Thanks to Métis Nation BC, Nelson Community Services Centre in Nelson, Selkirk College, Aboriginal

Peoples Family Accord, Kutenai Art Therapy Institute and all the presenters for an experience that was truly felt by all who attended.

Through the Métis fiddler Rene Therrien (MNBC Minister of Culture) and the Métis dancers, Bev Lambert and Maddy McCallum, the Lakota Hoop Dancer and storyteller Kevin Loche (and his nephew) and the presenters of the workshops, we truly had an heart opening experience. I am so grateful to the symposium team — Monica Carpendale - Kutenai Art Therapy Institute; Anni Holtby and Monique Lalonde - Selkirk College; Marina Richards and Murhi

Kyncaid - Aboriginal Peoples Family Accord; and Nelson Community Service Centre — for supporting me to be a part of such a team.

In recognizing the wealth of healing in the Medicine Wheel and recognition of the needs of a human being — a Sense of Connection, a Sense of Well Being, a Sense of Spirituality and a Sense of Mastery — the symposium brought it all together in the sharing of arts and culture.

Donna Wright, Family Support WorkerNelson Community Services Centre


Regional news


Regional news

ThoMPson oKanaganMessage from Dave Hodgson, Director Thompson Okanagan Region 3

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the Region 3 Presidents for their hard work and dedication over the last year. The training sessions delivered to us from MNBC have been well attend-ed and have contained very useful infor-mation for the Presidents.

MNBC has given all of us a great deal of wonderful opportunities through funding sources, grants, education and the build-ing of a strong nation; to that I would like to thank MNBC Staff for all of their hard work & dedication.

PentictonOn March 29 we held a very successful annual general meeting. We had approxi-mately 80 citizens and guests participate in an informative and fun filled agenda with many representatives of Métis Na-tion British Columbia and Métis program service representatives in attendance.On Saturday April 26 we met as a board with George Tinling, a CESO volun-teer advisor to begin preparing for the Strengthening our Charter Communities Pilot Project.

We are preparing to celebrate the gradu-ation of our community’s Métis students from School District #67. This year we will be honouring approximately 10 grad-uating students with a Sash Ceremony at Princess Margaret School on June 3. We currently have two proposal applica-tions submitted for funding our National Aboriginal Day Celebration to be held June 21 at Skaha Lake Park. We have also approached the aboriginal team leader of

the Ministry of Children and Family De-velopment for support in kind. This month we will be submitting one proposal for partial grant money available through the Act Now BC Project and are preparing another proposal for the re-maining grant available to our Chartered Community.

Our new board consists of board consists: Barbara Parker Treasurer, Sean Morin Vice President, Lorraine Pattison Volun-teer Portfolio, Darlene Odinson Secre-tary, Daniel Pitman President, Ron Nunn Culture Portfolio, Robert Bedient Events Portfolio.

Daniel PitmanPresident, Métis Heritage Cultural Council

BoundaryJune 21st—Aboriginal & Cultural Day BBQ & Concession Stand; Start time 9 a.m.–11 p.m. - Red River Cart will be on display, plus cultural displays and booths. Silent auction and 50/50 draws. We will

end with a dinner and dance with a local band to entertain you. (Maybe the Act-Now Jigging dancers will put on a show).

Two RiversJune 12th —Rites of Passage’ Aboriginal Youth Health – Connecting with EldersJune 21st—National Aboriginal Day, Collaborating with IIFS, IMFS, White Buffalo Mcdonald Park. Attendance esti-mated at 800 people.July 1st—Canada Day- Jessica Glanzer will present traditional Métis dance on stage. Food booth with traditional food served

Merritt Métis AssociationMerritt Métis Association is hosting a Summer Gathering on August 15, 16 &17th at Davis Lake Camp Site. Join in for a weekend of camping, relaxation& fun! If interested in finding out more infor-mation feel free to contact Pete Hourie, President Merritt Métis Association.

Vernon & District MétisVernon would like to invite everyone to attend their annual picnic in Vernon, Au-gust 10th!! Please call William Gagne for more information 250-545-9415. Check www.mnbc.ca for more activities this summer.

Here We Grow Again!

“The only thing constant is change.”~ Heraclitus of Ephesus (c.535 BC - 475 BCE)

Greek philosopher

When Okanagan Métis Children and Family Services rose from the ashes of a former agency, it started with one per-son with a vision, supported by a handful of people determined to serve the Métis community. Three of us met one after-noon on the visionary’s sundeck to chart how to best serve the community.

Since those humble beginnings, we not only formed a not-for-profit organiza-tion providing therapeutic services, but have gone on to obtain charitable status, hire staff to keep families intact, trace Métis roots, provide programs for chil-dren and young moms, ensure the street entrenched population has a friendly face

to talk to in order to assist with their spe-cific needs, increase our therapeutic staff to serve as many people in need as pos-sible and have added support for a Métis researcher from UBC Okanagan who is undertaking a survey of health conditions of our people.

Most recently we have added staff to provide diabetes prevention and manage-ment education, a full time clerical posi-tion, and taken on the task of Aboriginal infant development and supported child development as outreach positions assist-ing families in their homes. It will not be long before we have Minis-try for Children and Family Social Work-ers calling our office ‘home’ as we provide space for them to be integrated into our family.

For those of you who read the fall issue of Whispering Winds you saw how we felt a bit like sardines until we doubled our of-

fice space. In a few short months we are now growing out of this room. As if this is not enough, we are actively and aggres-sively seeking affordable office space in other cities where few, if any, services cur-rently exist for Métis people.

It is as if the Greek philosopher Heracli-tus (her-AC-lit-us) is watching us with a smile as he reflects on his own words while we seek new opportunities to serve our community.

Not bad for four years. We can only envi-sion what the next few years will look like, but do not be surprised to see us with fifty staff serving hundreds, if not thousands, of Métis community members through-out the Okanagan Valley.

Brian Mairs is the Family Services Mentor and Hu-man Resource Support for the Okanagan Métis Chil-dren and Family Services, located in Kelowna, who is actively and aggressively moving forward the services available to Métis populations. You can reach Brian at [email protected]


Two Rivers Métis Awareness EventOver 90 people gathered at Heritage House in Kamloops to celebrate Métis culture

and to simply have fun in the Métis traditional way. There was food, ceremony, Métis dancing and more food. Two Rivers Métis Society hosted this event on April 19,2008.

MNBC President Bruce Dumont assisted by Dave Hodgson, Regional Director and Colleen Hodgson, Director of Education, was on hand to sash 24 youths from Kamloops.

Bev Lambert got the crowd jumping with her wonderful, crowd-pleasing style of getting everyone on the dance floor for a little jigging. Dave Hodgson and Keith Henry, MNBC CEO, gave a brief update on happenings within the Thompson-Okanagan region and the MNBC 5 year plan.

ThoMPson oKanagan

ACAnAdiAn Legend

(To be continued in Whispering WindsFall 2008 edition)

(Continued from Whispering WindsSpring 2008 edition)

A CAnAdiAn Legend

It has been a warm spring this year, the rivers are high and much of the lower lands are flooded. Papa Joe (my stepfather) has decided to move Mom, Jim, Margaret and I to Duck Lake. This means that I will see my Kokum, Marie, and my Moshum, John James, more often and what could be better than that? I will not be sad to see the last of Prince Albert although with both my sister Marie and my brother Walter in the T.B. Sanatorium there. We had thought that we were to see them less often, but soon learned that almost every family in Duck Lake had at least one family member housed in the San. There are funerals every week for some poor soul who has succumbed to the consumption. Damp feet and wet eyes are what I will remember most about the spring of my 13th year.

Both my sister Stella and Joan have found work in Saskatoon as waitresses and now we hear that Stella is about to marry her boss. Papa Joe has gotten a job at Fishers Garage on Main Street downtown. Joe can fix any vehicle; even though he only has three fingers left on his right hand. When kids ask where his fingers are he tells them that he dropped them somewhere in France where a soldier shot them off while he was lighting a cigarette. It’s true; he’s got special medals and everything from the Great War.

There are a lot of returning soldiers in Saskatchewan these days. My aunt Charlotte (Lottie) married an Englishman (Frank) after her husband Tom didn’t come home from over the seas.

Lottie is my very favorite person next to Kokum. She made me a beautiful dress out of a bedspread one of the monias

ladies she sews for gave her last year. This summer we’ll add trim so that I can wear it another year.

The dusty main street of Duck Lake is always busy these days. The 1930’s see many Métis people come in to sell the Seneca roots they have dug or to arrange to pick rocks for the monias farmers. Many have no work at all and are living on the road allowance outside of town. The police come and make them move their shacks every few months, so many of them are just lean-tos or canvas tenting. We are lucky that all of us have found a way to make money and that my brother Jim always has bannock and jam in his lard pails to pack to school. The teacher has the students sing a song before dinner (lunch). They sing about apples and sweets and such. I don’t believe that she actually means to be cruel. She is from the east and just doesn’t realize how many tummies will still growl with hunger after dinner hour is over.

The weather has turned fine and the fields are nicely dried and growing. But the farmers keep driving great swarms of grasshoppers in to the creeks and rivers. Fat, full fish don’t bite. Maybe we should try eating grasshoppers. The Gophers eat the farmers’ grain and once they are full and slow and lazy they are easy to pick off with a rock from a sling shot and we eat the Gophers. They are real good roasted –mind you need quite a bunch to feed a family. They are also good boiled with sliders. That is a meal that will stick to your ribs for hours.

The morning sun in my eyes woke me up early. It is a beautiful day. Suddenly my skies are turned black. Moshum’s neighbour has arrived to tell us that my beloved Kokum has died during the

night. My solid ground has crumbled. My place to land no matter where I was or what happened to me has slipped away, dropping me into a chasm of sorrow so deep that I know that it will take me years to crawl back to the surface.

Moshum wanders around the farm like a ghost. In the early afternoon he mounts his old mare and makes the three mile ride from his Magnolia District farmhouse to the Duck Lake Township streets.

He ties his horse and walks into the treed square where he joins old Patrice (Fluery) and mom’s god-father Uncle Gabriel (Dumont). As their horses stand, flicking flies with their wide tails, their heads tethered to the hitching rail, so the old soldiers sit, tethered to their benches, swatting sun-lazed flies and exchanging long familiar tales of their adventurous pasts.

Mom says that Moshum must come to live in town with us and we can all take turns minding the farm for him. He does what Mom says because he is long accustomed to doing what the women say is best for him. 1935 has not been an easy year for most of our people and now we have learned that the government has taken Moshums farm for taxes owed. It did not take the government long to reclaim the farm and sell it to some new Canadians. Moshum is home the morning Uncle Phillip comes to tell us about Lottie and Frank. I have not been allowed to visit Aunt Lottie much lately because Frank does not like us. It is not fair; all my life I felt that Lottie is the most understanding and fun-loving grownup I knew. She’d wrestle with us and plays hide and seek, and she

never got angry at anything we might have done wrong.

And now they say that she has murdered Frank and the constables have taken her to jail in Prince Albert. I cannot believe it.“It is a good thing that Marie is gone from this earth!” Moshum roars. I stare daggers at him. “This would have destroyed her!” I understand what he means, Kokum was a proud Métis.“That damned monias,” Uncle Phillip says, “the beatings that poor woman took….”“We all tried to warn her,” Mom interjected, “him thinkin’ he was so much better than us.” She turned to me, “take these kids to your Aunt Roberta’s place Leona, I’ll be going to Prince Albert to be with Lottie.” Just then Papa Joe walked in, from his expression we knew he’d already heard about the shooting.“Start up the Ford Joe,” Mom commanded, “we’re going to Prince Albert.”

Aunt Lottie’s trial started in October 1935, a few months after I turned 23. I was not permitted to see her, but Mom was with her every day. The family hired a lawyer named John Diefenbaker. He about my age and not experienced, but Mom says she believes he will do his best for Lottie. The judge will not listen to Dr. Frocette when he says that Aunt Lottie was often black and blue. She has killed a monias and he sentences her to be hung; she is only 38 years old.

They have taken her to North Battleford Mental Institute. When she comes back to Prince Albert in January she is given a different sentence and will live but will be confined to the North Battleford Mental Institute for the rest of her life. They say we can visit her after she gets some operation. I am very excited to see her. I

want to ask her about shooting Frank, -we all feel he had it coming- but when we get there she doesn’t know us, not me, not even Mom or Moshum. Her eyes are like coal chips and her mouth hangs open leaking spit. “They have killed her as sure as hanging.” Moshum says sadly.

Both Margaret and Stella have had baby girls. Margaret has named her baby Delores and they are living with the rest of us. Stella’s baby is called Shirley and because Stella has left her husband that little baby girl is with us as well. The newspapers tell us that there is work for all in British Columbia. Stella and Joan have decided to venture out west and let us know what work is there. Stella soon writes to tell us that Papa Joe could get work as a mechanic in any number of petrol stations in Vancouver. Both she and Joan are working as waitresses and enjoying the west coast weather.It is that year in which both Marie and Walter die in the Prince Albert Sanitarium and in which my Moshum dies of sheer loneliness. There is little left to keep us on the prairies now, little but memories and grave sites.

As the train crosses the imaginary border into Alberta, carrying what is left of this stalwart clan, the little girls giggle and we all marvel at the changing scenery.

As we exit the magnificent Rocky Mountains and emerge onto the green grasslands of British Columbia I feel a sense of what Kokum must have felt upon her arrival at Duck Lake and I determine to make my future as memorable and significant as the life of my beloved, Marie Paquin.

Part 8, by Leanne Laberge

Part 8 in a 12part series

Call 604.925.2180

Now that’s working together. Métis Nation B.C. and VanAsep

together supporting Métis apprenticeships.

Supported by:

75Métis people enrolled in

apprenticeships in 2007/8, and counting.

Will you be number 76, 77, 78, 79, 90... 150?

Leonard Laboucan, MétisVanAsep Job Coach10 years construction experience

Gopher & Sliders A real rib sticker.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 Skinned/gutted Gophers • 2 Onions, quartered • 2 Bay Leaves • Salt and Pepper to taste • 1 Egg • 4 cups Flour

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash Gopher and place in large pot. Cover with water and add chopped onion, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours or until meat comes away easily from the bone. Remove Gopher from broth and strain liquid. Reserve the broth and discard all vegetables.

2. When Gopher is cool remove meat from the bones and all skin, keeping the meat in reasonably large pieces.

3. To make the noodles(sliders): Beat the egg with some of the cooled broth, measure out the flour, work the egg mixture into the flour adding broth as required until the dough forms a ball. Kneed the ball for a few minutes. Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Cut the dough into strips about 1 1/2 inches wide and 3 inches long. Don’t worry if they are irregular in shape. Leave any excess flour on the noodles.

4. Bring the reserved broth to a rapid boil, add the noodles and let them boil for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat, add cut up gopher meat and simmer until the broth is very thick like gravy (add a little flour to thicken if required). Add salt and pepper to taste.

PREP TIME: 30 Min COOK TIME: 2 Hrs 30 Min READY IN: 3 Hrs

Roast Gopher INGREDIENTS

• 1 Gopher per person (whole) • Cover with Cold Water • 1/2 cup Salt • 5 pieces Pork Fat • 2 Bay Leaves • 2 Onions (sliced) • Lots of Dry Bread/Bannock torn for stuffing

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Soak Gophers in cold salt water for 10 hours.

2. Rinse meat in cold water and refrigerate 2-4 hours.

3. Stuff each Gopher and close cavity tightly. Place stuffed Go-phers in roasting pan, add water, bay leaves, and onion.

4. After 1 hour in the oven, turn meat. Reduce heat to 300 degrees. Cook for 1/2 hour more.Test Gophers and if not done reduce heat and cook until done.

*Some folks add caraway or mustard seeds, they grow wild all over.

Do you have a great “unknown” recipe for a traditional Métis dish? Send it in!

We love to hear from you and we love great food. It’s a great combination! Send in your submitted recipes and we will try to include it in our upcoming issues of Whispering Winds. Not all entries will be printed but we will strive to include as many as we can.

Light the way for generations.

Final

Date 11.20.07

BC HydroJob Number

PROOFING:Contact Information:Name: Andrea RobinsonPhone: 780.917.6611 Fax: 780.423.0622Email: [email protected]________________________________________

File Name BCH-EAG R7-13 Size (M) 9" x 11.5" Full ColourFonts used Avenir PublicationWhispering Winds

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Summer 2008

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