By Lee Waters

There has yet to be a Native actor who has really made it. Adam Beach and Tantoo Cardinal are in a class of their own, but let’s face it, there’s no Indian Marlon Brando taped inside our locker doors yet. However, a fresh batch of First Nations actors is rising, a talented new generation winning critical acclaim and success. Among them is Justin Rain, who received a Best Supporting Actor award at the Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival for his role in the film Two Indians Talking, which won Most Popular Canadian Film Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival last year. Rain’s other acting credits include a starring role on the TV series The Guard. He also plays a Quileute warrior in the feature film Twilight Eclipse and stars in eight episodes of APTN’s Blackstone, a raw and gripping drama about life on the Blackstone Indian reserve.

In Two Indians Talking, Justin plays Adam, a well-educated First Nations man who believes that knowledge is his best tool for survival. His cousin Nathan, played by Nathaniel Arcand, is a high school dropout whose dreams have been crushed and who accuses Adam of having lost his culture. The two men spend hours together waiting for the Cree to arrive and help set-up a road brigade. Meanwhile, they discuss issues faced by Canada’s First Nations communities, each through their own outlook and experiences. The film delivers a fresh perspective from the view of younger generations. Justin explains how he related to his character Adam: “He’s educated, fearful of death, and he wants to make a difference for his people, pass a message for difference. Nathan’s character throughout the film is trying to show Adam something that he doesn’t realize until near the end of the film: to live and trust from your heart, not with your intellect.”
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By Lloyd Dolha

The Chiefs Council and BC Hydro initialed an historic final agreement on a compensation package over a long-standing grievance with the province regarding construction of a massive hydro-electric project St’at’imc traditional territory in the Lillooet area. “The whole agreement is based on past impacts to allow our people to move on, utilizing the resources achieved in this agreement,” said Mike Leach, chair of the St’at’imc (stat-lee-um) Chiefs Council. “I refer to it as a ‘living agreement’ for future generations.”

The St’at’imc Hydro Agreement was signed January 5th in Lillooet. The $200 million compensates the council for past impacts on their traditional territory during the construction and operation of the decades-old Bridge River System. The density of BC Hydro infrastructure in St’at’imc territory is greater than that found anywhere in the province. It includes three dams, three reservoirs, four generating stations, and 15 transmission circuits comprising approximately 850 kilometres of transmission lines. A full environmental assessment for the project’s impact was never done—it was not required at the time.
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By Frank Larue

I thought you had to be really old or retired and rich to be in the Hall of Fame,” Clarence Louie told the Osoyoos Times, responding to the news that he had been inducted in the Aboriginal Business Hall of Fame along with Ruth Williams. The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business selects the award recipients. Clarence received the award for his “accomplishments in achieving sustainable economic development in Aboriginal communities.”

The award is long overdue. Clarence Louie is without question a First Nations business visionary who has guided his band to business areas no Native leader ever considered before. The Osoyoos Band is not only fiscally self sufficient, they now own several businesses that provide a revenue of $15 million annually, including the Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa, Nk’mip Golf Course, Nk’mip Desert Cultural Centre, Nk’mip RV Park, and the only First Nations owned winery in Canada or the US: the Nk’mip Cellars.

The Osoyoos Band is without question the best-managed Native band in the country thanks to Clarence Louie. In his own words, “The Band does not owe its membership dependency; it owes them opportunity.” At a conference held in Osoyoos in October last year, Clarence explained the band’s philosophy and the theme of the conference. “Our goal is to provide a real-world look at business development within Native communities that is balanced with sound business principles.”

First Nations leaders have been plagued by financial problems for years. The main problem is finding ways to create employment for people living on the reserves. The solution does not rest in the hands of government or companies wanting to exploit Native resources. The destiny of First Nations Bands lies in the hands of their leaders. Waiting for Land Claims to deliver the golden egg does not solve the immediate problems on reserve. “Business is what makes the world go round,” says Clarence. “Business is what pays for everything. Business taxes pay for the hospitals and the police and all the social services and the education.”

By Clint Buehler

Carolyn Buffalo wants her cigarettes back . . . all 14 million of them. The Chief of the Montana First Nation here says 75 cartons of “contraband” cigarettes were illegally seized from a quonset hut on the reserve by the Alberta Liquor and Gaming Commission (ALGC) and the RCMP. The ALGC says the cigarettes represent a potential loss of $3 million in tax revenue.

After RCMP officers responded to a break-in at the storage facility, they found the cigarettes packed, 50 cartons to each cardboard box and stacked on pallets. Thieves had stolen a small amount of the contraband cigarettes, according to Staff
Sgt. Robin Alexander of the Hobbema RCMP.

“We have never seen anything like this quantity,” Alexander said. “The cigarettes obviously came from another province.”

Alexander said the Montana First Nation had no financial stake in the cigarettes, and was not involved in the storage of them in their facility.

The cigarettes seized are equivalent to 70,000 200-cigarette cartons which, even at $10 a carton, would have a street value of $700,000.
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By Lloyd Dolha

The Kwicksutainueuk/Ah-Kwa-Mish First Nation (KAFN) expressed deep frustration and disappointment that appeals have been filed to overturn a provincial court ruling that supported KAFN’s bid for a class action lawsuit against the BC provincial government. The lawsuit argues that open-net fish farms (approved by the province in Broughton Archipelago on the northeastern tip of Vancouver Island) have devastated their Aboriginal fishing rights to wild salmon. “The class action law suit seeks to answer questions First Nations in the Broughton Archipelago have known the answer to for some time, but governments have failed to listen,” said KAFN Chief Bob Chamberlin. “We have turned to the courts to ask for a fair determination as to the extent that open-net salmon aquaculture has impacted wild salmon stocks in the Broughton Archipelago, and whether the province’s authorization and regulation of salmon aquaculture has caused the impact.”
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Tiga Talk! is a unique television series on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) that entertains kids while teaching both Aboriginal and English language skills during the very formative childhood years (age 3-6). Aboriginal languages are being lost across Canada, and Tiga Talk! was created to help teach language, build confidence, and instill imagination in young minds. Tiga Talk! was developed by an early-childhood educator, a speech pathologist, and an award-winning children’s television producer.

The show is a gentle, entertaining series that has fun exploring languages and culture. It combines live action with a magic puppet world, and features music and imaginary play. Three stuffed toys—Tiga the wolf cub, Gertie the gopher, and Gavin the goose—live with human friends Jodie and Jason, their father, and Kokum (“grandmother” in Cree). Jodie and Jason have a secret. Continue reading…

By Kelly O’Connor

A new year is the perfect time to turn over a new leaf, and most of us make a resolution to eat right and exercise. This time we mean it. The Cree Women of Eeyou Istchee Association Fitness & Wellness Program (CWEIA-FWP) is an exciting opportunity for Aboriginal women who want to live a healthier and more active life. Physical activity is a great way to foster wellness as a whole. Exercise can uplift the spirit and clear the mind, as well as improve mobility and overall health. Holly Danyluk, Regional Coordinator for the CWEIA, learned this first hand at a National Women’s Association of Canada conference where she met fitness instructor Theresa Ducharme during a “stress management” exercise break. Holly was impressed, and the two women joined forces to develop an exercise program for CWEIA.

The CWEIA is a voice for women within the Cree communities and actively promotes projects to foster the wellbeing and empowerment of women. Women are the backbone of the community, and itís important that we stand up straight. Women are the heartbeat of hearth and home, so we must keep our hearts and bodies strong. Sometimes, women take upon themselves the weight of the world and end up carrying it around their bellies. In the Cree nation, 21.6% of adults over age 20 have diabetes, and obesity affects nearly half the population (49.1%) particularly women and children. As part of the Health Canada initiative to combat diabetes, the CWEIA wants to incorporate programs that encourage lifestyle changes. Holly and Theresa recognize the potential of women as a catalyst for change. Theyíre reaching out to Cree women, helping them manifest change in their lives and bring important lessons back to the home, prepare healthier meals, and encourage the family to exercise.
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