National Aboriginal
Achievement Awards
COVER:
Thomas
Prince
Canada's
Forgotten Aboriginal War Hero
NATIONAL ABORIGINAL
ACHIEVMENT AWARDS:
Dr. Freda Ahenakew
Mariano Aupilardjuk
Roman
Bittman
Dr Harold Cardinal
Dr. Lindsay Crowshoe
Tomson Highway
Fred House
Zacharias Kunuk
Richard Nerysoo
Lance Relland
Nicholas Sibbeston
Mary Thomas
Dolly Watts
BUSINESS:
Bankers Call Shots
A bank is calling the
financial shots on one of Manitoba's largest First Nations
CULTURE:
Debate
Rages Over Native Alcoholism
Gwishalaayt
The Spirit
Wraps Around You
EDUCATION:
Agreement Solidifies Ties Between Valley Schools and First Nations
Education Critical to Moving Forward
Education is Failing Aboriginal Students
MODERN TREATIES:
Atlantic
Chiefs Demand Action on Template Agreements
...the
Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nation Chiefs are demanding a meeting
with DFO minister Herb Dhaliwa...
Cash-strapped Tribal Police Winding Down Operations
First Nations communities
in Cape Breton will no longer be policed by their own...
HUMOUR:
Support Your Local Native
OBITUARY:
Chief Simon Baker
POLITICS:
One
Dead Indian
Referendum
Circus Coming Soon to Your Town
20,000 Survivors of Residential Schools to Seek Compensation
Mary Thomas
Environment
Mary
Thomas has been likened to an old growth tree. An Elder who has used her
skills and experience to help us all keep our health balanced, she has
also been called a builder and the type of builder who understands the
crucial importance of strong foundations.
She is all of these things. And so much more. Now in her 80s, this environmentalist
and educator shows few signs of slowing down. Early in life she harnessed
her knowledge of medicines and healing and strove to make a difference.
Fearful of the environmental changes she was witnessing, Thomas helped
found the Salmon River Watershed restoration project and has worked to
create the Ecocultural Centre at Salmon Arm, B.C.
Over a lifetime, Thomas has educated young and old about the need for
conservation, preservation and environmental awareness and the relevance
of the traditional ways in preserving the health of the land and its peoples.
In the 1970s, she founded the Central Okanagan Interior Friendship Centre
so Aboriginal harvesters could access support. She also oversaw the coordination
and building of a "kekuli," or traditional winter house for a local museum.
A decade later, the venerable Smithsonian Institution asked her to repeat
this feat for one of their collections. With the help of her sons, she
did just that. Over the last ten years, she has been using her traditional
knowledge to document traditional Secwepemc plant knowledge.
In 2000, she received an honourary doctorate from the University of Victoria
and in 1997, she became the first Aboriginal in North America to receive
the Indigenous Conservationist of the Year award from the Seacology Foundation.