ARTICLES BY NATION

Changing the future

This one was sent to the Nation via internet from Hawaii and was worthy of consideration by all. One day. when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of ... read more ››

US judge upholds Makah whalehunt

A United States federal judge has rejected activists’ call for a halt to Makah whaling until their lawsuit challenging the hunt is resolved, AP reports. Judge Franklin Burgess’ ruling in Tacoma, Washington, came on the third anniversary of the tribe’s first successful gray-whale hunt in decades, on May 17, 1999. ... read more ››

Ontario to pass ‘right to hunt’ law

The Ontario government is poised to push through Bill 135, the Heritage Hunting and Fishing Act, which gives people a “right to hunt and fish.” The Chiefs of Ontario fear the law will weaken the ability of the provincial natural resources ministry to conserve and manage the province’s wildlife. The ... read more ››

Indigenous people take UN stage

The world’s indigenous peoples held their first official forum at the United Nations last week and demanded the collective ownership of land and payment for their medicinal knowledge. According to an Associated Press report, representatives of more than 900 indigenous peoples – living in regions from the tropical forests of Amazonia ... read more ››

New Diabetes Treatment

According to the Canadian Diabetes Association more than two million Canadians have diabetes and 500,000 of them live in Quebec. In fact Quebec has said that it has a diabetes epidemic. A third of those who are diabetic are unaware that this can be a life-threatening situation. Diabetes is one of ... read more ››

Quebec Offers $450 Million to Inuit Villages

The Quebec government granted 14 Inuit villages a $450 million development program April 9 in exchange for their agreement to expand hydroelectric generating capacity in their territory. The agreement was negotiated in secret talks over the last month and drawn up in the form of a treaty. Inuit leaders described it ... read more ››

Whose Land is This Land?

What would you do if someone borrowed something from you but waited so long to return it, they forgot what you lent them in the first place? That is the predicament facing thousands of American Indians whose ancestors allowed the U.S. government to rent millions of acres of their tribal land. ... read more ››

More Ghosts than Natives

You’re more likely to see a female ghost or angel on prime-time TV than a Hispanic or Native American woman, says a study being circulated by the National Organization for Women. The 2001 study, by Martha Lauzen of San Diego State University, found that otherworldly characters such as ghosts and angels ... read more ››

Law school tailored to native needs

Thanks to an innovative new program in Nunavut, 15 future Inuit lawyers have completed their first semester at law school. Many native people who go south to study end up dropping out because of culture shock and language difficulties. So the organizers of the new Akitsiraq Law School in Iqaluit, Nunavut, ... read more ››

Tougher Stand on Clergy Sex Abuse

While Roman Catholic churches in the United States struggle with the sexual abuse of minors by priests, church officials in Canada are working with guidelines created a decade ago that determine what to do when such cases arise. The policy was adopted after a series of lawsuits were filed against residential ... read more ››

Award for Smoke Signals

It takes dedication and passion to tell a story properly. Dan Smoke-Asayenes and Mary Lou Smoke-Asayenes Kwe of London, Ontario, have been telling their people’s story to enraptured fans for over a decade. Dan and Mary Lou, co-hosts of Smoke Signals First Nations Radio, were recognized April 7 as winners of ... read more ››

Softwood duties an ‘attack’ on families

British Columbia’s forestry minister says recent duties imposed on Canadian softwood lumber exports by the United States are the act of a “hostile foreign power” trying to destroy the country. The Canadian Press reports that Mike De Jong denounced the new 29 per cent tariff brought down by the U.S. government, ... read more ››

The Naughty Squaw

Do you have a question that you are too shy to ask your mother? The Naughty Squaw will be your confidant. No topic is too embarrassing. Send your letters by fax to (514) 278-9914 or by e-mail to nation@beesum.ca Dear Naughty Squaw I’m worried for my friend. For over a ... read more ››

Chickasaw Wrestler Dead at 63

Native wrestling legend Wahoo McDaniel has died of complications from renal failure and diabetes. The former pro football player, who lost both his kidneys four years ago, passed away April 18 at the Cy-Fair Medical Clinic in Houston, Texas. The five-foot-eleven, 280-pound Chickasaw Indian juggled careers as a pro fotball player ... read more ››

Get A Life, Buddy

In what can only be described as a desperate quest for fame, John Winter Smith is attempting to visit every Starbuck’s coffee franchise in the world. The 30 year-old Texan began his odyssey in 1998 and has so far visited 2,850 stores. The ever-expanding chain currently has 3,630 stores around the ... read more ››

Mother’s day: an Ancient Tradition

The earliest recorded Mother’s Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. Later in the 1600s, “Mothering Sunday” was celebrated in England. This was done on the fourth Sunday of Lent (the 40-day period leading up ... read more ››

Do you have a question that you are too shy to ask your mother? The Naughty Squaw will be your confidant

Do you have a question that you are too shy to ask your mother? The Naughty Squaw will be your confidant. No topic is too embarrassing. Send your letters by fax to (514) 278-9914; or by e-mail to (nation@beesum.ca). Dear Naughty Squaw, I keep seeing “Secret Admirer” classifieds addressed to my boyfriend ... read more ››

Dakota Tipi First Nation Takes Minister Nault to Court

The Dakota Tipi First Nation in Manitoba is filjng a legal challenge to Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Robert Nault’s decision to place an Indian Agent to run the First Nation’s affairs. On April 5, solicitor Norman Boudreau filed Chief Dennis Pashe’s action in Federal Court to have Nault’s action quashed ... read more ››

Smuggled Mohawk smokes turn up in B.C.

The Vancouver Province reports that contraband cigarettes sold by Ontario natives and smuggled into B.C. have started turning up in Vancouver stores. The discount Mohawk brand called DK’s sell for $4.50 a pack under the counter, more than $2 less than comparable over-the-counter cigarettes. Although legally manufactured on Akwasasne Mohawk ... read more ››

Sun Peaks protesters meet human rights monitors

The Secwepemc Natives of interior British Columbia report that a sixth Protection Centre has been set up at the entrance of Sun Peaks Ski Resort to protect Aboriginal Title and ensure the accommodation of indigenous interests. It has been met with legal threats by the Sun Peaks developers, the protesters ... read more ››

Make bands accountable, says Indian Affairs report

Changes to the Indian Act should require all native bands to adopt a financial management and accountability code with minimum standards approved by their members, says a ministerial report prepared for Robert Nault, the Minister of Indian Affairs. “The Indian Act is silent on the subject of financial accountability,” says the ... read more ››

Caribou condoms put flavour into Inuit sex life

IQALUIT, Nunavut – For all you rugged outdoorsmen out there, have I got a “treat” for you. Condoms flavored with traditional foods such as caribou, musk ox and arctic char have become the favorite collectible from this year’s Arctic Winter Games in Iqaluit. The first 2,500 condoms, given away at ... read more ››

RCMP kept secret ‘Red Power’ file on dissident natives

The RCMP monitored and compiled lists of potentially violent, politically active native Indians for inclusion in a secret “Red Power” photograph album during the 1970s, according to newly released intelligence documents. Canada’s spy agency of the day, the RCMP Security Service, feared “armed confrontation” between the government and native activists, and ... read more ››

State college president dumps Mohawks nickname

The president of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, Mass., has decided its sports teams will no longer be known as Mohawks. President Thomas Aceto’s decision came after two years of debate that included a vote by city councilors urging the school to keep the nickname. Aceto had ... read more ››

Taxpayer group tries to stir anti-Native hatred

A Calgary-based taxpayer organization is saying that a court decision affecting thousands of First Nations people in Alberta will create racial friction and administrative chaos. The Federal Court of Canada ruled March 7 that First Nations living under Treaty 8 do not have to pay any tax. According to the ruling, ... read more ››

The Fighting Whities

An intramural basketball team at the University of Northern Colorado called “The Fighting Whities” is turning the tables on the insulting practice of naming sports teams after Native peoples or tribes. Led by Solomon Little Owl, director of Native American Student Services at UNC, the team chose a white man ... read more ››