By Wanda Squirell

It was a rainy West Coast BC day when I interviewed 10-year-old Ta’Kaiya Blaney and her mother Anne. Rain is indicative of spring weather here in Vancouver. A cleansing rain clears the air so we can look forward to another of season that usually only changes slightly. It was only coincidence that Ta’kaiya’s name means “Special Waters.”

This young girl from the Sliammon First Nation in North Vancouver has set out to conquer some pretty tough territory in short order. With her words and songs, she is hoping to make certain people don’t forget what oil spills can do to our environment. The song and video “Shallow Waters” has brought Ta’Kaiya much press, and when I first heard it my eyes did well up. The words in the song are well chosen. The melody and images leave a lasting effect on the listener and viewer. Joe Cruz, who produced and mixed the song, said, “Working with Ta’Kaiya was a delight. She seems wise beyond her years and was a real pro in the studio.”
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By Lloyd Dolha

The tasering of an 11-year-old Aboriginal boy by RCMP in Prince George has First Nations leaders calling for a full investigation into the incident. The Carrier-Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) expressed concern over the conduct of officers involved in the incident that occurred on Thursday April 7th at a group home on the outskirts of the city. “There is something systemically wrong with the RCMP training if members have to taser an 11-year-old child,” said CSTC Tribal Chief David Luggi. “We can recall the incident in 2003 when Clayton Alvin Wyllie was hog-tied and tasered repeatedly and later succumbed to his injuries. [The] CSTC will be monitoring closely this incident and subsequent investigations.”
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By Clint Buehler

Daphne Odjig has been a pioneer for Aboriginal (and women) artists for more than 50 years, both with her own artistic creations, and with her determined efforts on behalf of other artists, and has received numerous awards for her achievements

Now she has received recognition from Canada Post with the release of three new stamps featuring her artwork: Spiritual Renewal (1984), Pow-wow Dancer (1978) and Pow-wow (1969). Special events to launch the stamps were held at the Hambleton Galleries in Kelowna, B.C. and Gallery Gevik in Toronto.

Calling the images on the stamps a representation of Odjig’s passion for the arts and love of her Native heritage, Jim Philips, Canada Post’s Director of Stamp Services said “Daphne Odjig’s colourful palette evokes strength and power. Canada Post is proud to add the work of this respected Canadian artist to our Art Canada series.”

Odjig, born in 1919, was raised on the Wikwemikon Unceded Indian Reserve on Manitoulin Island in Ontario by her father, Dominic Odjig, her grandfather, Chief Jonas Odjig, and her English war bride mother, Joyce Peachy. Her Native ancestors had originally moved to Wikwemikon after the War of 1812, where the reserve became shared with the Potawatomi (Keepers of the Fire), the Ojibway and the Odawa, forming the Three Fires Confederacy of the Great Lakes.
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