Bamoseda Abbotsford

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The Defenders of the Land – a group of First Nation citizens, have denounced the G8 and G20 Summits because world leaders are not recognizing Indigenous rights.

The Defenders of the Land and other groups have planned events for the National Aboriginal Day of Action, June 24th, and have aligned their events to coincide with Summits in the hopes of attracting international media attention.

A Unity Pow Wow was held on National Aboriginal Day in Huntsville, to honour the world leaders ahead of the G8 Summit being held there. Organizers had hoped to catch the eye of some of the world leaders to let them know First Nations do have a presence in this country.

First Nations in Ontario have won their battle to maintain their current tax exemption rights, under the newly imposed Harmonized Sales Tax in the province. 

The Metis Nation of Ontario has recently signed an unprecedented agreement. MNO has signed a general relationship agreement with Great Lakes PowerTransmission.

Cree author/playwright Tomson Highway hopes his cabaret will speak to World Leaders while they are in Toronto for the G20.  Highway is reminding Prime Minister Stephen Harper that the 21st Nation in the mix – is Aboriginal Canada, and that the PM is hosting the summits in First Nation territories.

 MUSIC

Olivia Tailfeathers – Universe Song  (CANCON)

Digging Roots – Plant the Seeds (CANCON)

Derek Miller – Stormy Eyes (CANCON)

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The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has finally heard government arguments on the underfunding of First Nations Children’s Services. And Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society Cindy Blackstock,  is not impressed that the federal government wants the case tossed out. The case began three years ago and was launched by The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada and the Assembly of First Nations.

Haida Nation President Guujaaw tells Bamoseda about the newly created conservation and heritage sites. Work that has taken a long time and something the Haida are proud of. The Conservation site encompasses an area of about 3400 square kilometres near the Queen Charlotte Islands.

National Aboriginal Day is just around the corner, and across the country, Metis, Inuit and First Nations people will be celebrating their culture with the rest of Canada. In Ontario however, the Moon River Metis Council near Georgian Bay will be holding its first ever event in the form of a Soiree which includes Metis fiddling.

A music project in Calgary for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth is hoping to help keep high risk kids in school. It’s the Cold Lake Music Factory pilot project put on by Legacy Children’s Foundation.

The Drum Calls Softly is a story written by authorS David Bouchard and Shelley Willier. It’s wonderful children’s story narrated by David Bouchard.

MUSIC

Asani – Iskwesis  (CANCON)

Calvin Vollrath – Old Reel 8 (CANCON)

Inez – Stick Game Jam (CANCON)

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A toll booth erected on Highway 11 in northern Ontario will stay put until unresolved issues for the community of Couchiching First Nation have been addressed.
Anishinabek Nation leaders are unimpressed Nipissing University will be presenting former Ontario Premier Mike Harris with an honorary doctorate degree.
Duncan First Nation is taking the province of Alberta to task in its obligation to consult First Nation communities on developments in their territories.
Its the final round of Pow Wow Idol  – an online North American Pow Wow competition – and there are only two groups left: The Chippewa Travellers and the Tribe Called Mi’Kmaq.
Is it an otter? A muskrat? An omajinaakoos? The carcass of an unidentifiable creature was washed ashore of Big Trout Lake in the community of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwig in northern Ontario. Photos of the creature were posted online and ever since, there’s been a debate over what the creature actually is.
 
MUSIC
Inez – Breathe    (CANCON)
Fara Palmer – Phoenix (CANCON)
Digawolf – The North (CANCON)

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After a rash of youth suicides over the past year in communities along Ontario’s James Bay Coast, the Mushkegowuk Council has declared a State of Emergency. It’s a two part declaration calling on communities to work together as well as both provincial and federal governments.
 
A father in Ontario is worried he’ll never see his daughter again after his ex-girlfriend was deported to the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia taking their daughter with them.
 
The First Nations Wellness/Addictions Counsellor Certification Board in BC is hoping its recent expansion will reach more front line workers in First Nations communities throughout the country.
 
The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations doesn’t want the province issuing any more exploration permits – at least not until First Nations have been consulted about what goes in their traditional territories and are participating in industry activities.
 
He’s been known for his shoot-from-the-hip style and straight talk. And for the past couple of decades he’s been promoting the virtues that economic development equals First Nations self reliance. He is Osoyoos Indian Band Chief Clarence Louie. Louie has been re-appointed as Chair of the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board.
 
Music
Jani Lauzon – Courage Song (CANCON)
Don Amero – Sunshine and Raie (CANCON)
Sandy Scofield – Money is the Goal (CANCON)

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Henvey Inlet First Nation has had it’s charitable registration revoked from the Canada Revenue Agency due to a tax evasion scheme. The revocation  is a relief to the community’s Chief, who says the First Nation is in the midst of launching a civil suit in response to the findings of the audit. Peguis First Nation in Manitoba now has access to it’s land claims settlement funds  after a battle in court. The community’s lawyer explains what happened.
Health Canada has recently released an environmental health guide for Aboriginal communities to assess and address environmental concerns in their homes.
In Australia, a National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples has been formed. The new organization was formed to ensure that Aborigine and Torres Strait people have the opportunity to engage with a range of partners including governments, industry and philanthropric companies. There’s no more excuses why anyone can’t learn Anishinabe – free online classes are now available to everyone. Its the new project of a Toronto teacher.
MUSIC
Mary Youngblood – Wind Whispers (CANCON)
Burnt Project 1 – Message (CANCON)
George Leach – Sand in the Wind  (CANCON)

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Northern Health in BC is working towards closing the health gap between Aboriginal people and non-Aboriginal people in light of complicated complicated health delivery practices from different levels of government. Bamoseda Coop student Deidre Contin has that story.
There’s a large fibre-optic line construction project underway in the James Bay area of Quebec. That means good news for about 30,000 people in the area. The $28.2 million dollar, 1,400 km line project is slated for completion next spring.
It’s hoped that a  new tri-partite agreement between the Treaty Relations, Canadian Human Rights and Manitoba Human Rights Commissions will promote more awareness on human and treaty rights.
Next Alternative Energy Incorporated is an alternative energy company which is Aboriginal majority owned. It could also be the first Aboriginal company to be publicly traded on the Canadian National Stock Exchange and is now just waiting for the green light to do so.
The Council of Treaty 8 Chiefs in BC is unhappy with provinces move to remove the proposed Site C dam from  regulatory oversight. West Moberly First Nations Chief Roland Wilson says not only will the dam cause environmental damage he says the province is not telling the whole about just where that power is to go.
 
MUSIC
Shakti Hayes – Touchwod Hills  (CANCON)
Shane Anthony Band – Whole World Before Me  (CANCON)
Shane Yellowbird – Pick Up Truck (CANCON)

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It’s a well rounded music show, with tunes ranging from bluesy rock, to traditional Anishinabe music, hip hop and country.
Hear Sierra Noble’s Song, Grandma Blanche, written just after the death of her beloved grandmother. It’s an emotionally raw and touching piece.
The Red Shadow Singers, an Anishinabe Drum group display their talent in composing traditional music for the people to keep learning and remembering culture.
The Odemin Kwe Singers sing a traditional song – Anishinabe Kwe, which is a song to honour women.
We’ll hear Bounce from Pop Sensation and Sto:lo singer/songwriter Inez. She blends hip hop with R&B with roots in her Sto:lo identity and has a universal sound.
Learn about these musicians and more on this episode of Bamoseda.
 
MUSIC
Sierra Noble – Grandma Blanche  (CANCON)
Don Amero – Deepening (CANCON)
Wayne Lavallee – Buffalo Soldier (CANCON)
Crystal Shawanda – You Can Let Go Now (CANCON)
Shane Yellowbird – I Remember the Music (CANCON)
The Wolfpack – Welcome to My World (CANCON)
Red Shadow Singers – Manitou Api (CANCON)
Ode’min Kwe Singers – Anishinabe Kwe (CANCON)
Donny Parenteau – Belly Up (CANCON)
Derek Miller – Ocean (CANCON)
Inez – Bounce (CANCON)

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It’s the year of the! Métis The province of Ontario has recently added it’s declaration to the federal government and one other province to recognize the Metis community. Métis Nation of Ontario President Gary Lapinski says the province’s declaration means a step forward for the Métis.
 
An Aboriginal Languages Recognition Act has been introduced into the Manitoba Legislature this week.  It was introduced by the province’s Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Minister Eric Robinson who discusses why it was an important move for him and Aboriginal communities in the province. The new act is fine, according to Aboriginal Languages of Manitoba board member Melvin Swan, but more needs to be done especially for urban Aboriginal people.
 
In the Yukon, languages are also in the spotlight. Over the next three years, the Self-government Secretariat of the Council of Yukon First Nations will be working towards finding innovative ways to rejuvenate the eight Aboriginal languages in the north with the help of  recent federal funding.
 
Earth Week has wrapped up, but not for the Indigenous Environmental Network. The global grassroots organization continues it’s work. And this week, Clayton Thomas Mueller, Indigenous Oil Campaign Organizer, was in the United Kingdom appealing to companies to STAY OUT of Alberta’s tar sands.
 
Digging Roots brought home some hardware. The group won a Juno for best Aboriginal Album of the year for their cd “We Are”. Shoshona Kish with Digging Roots tells Bamoseda what the win felt like and discusses the music scene in Canada.
 
MUSIC
Wayne Lavallee – Big Country  (CANCON)
Don Amero – Protection   (CANCON)

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In this weekend’s program, Bamoseda has news from every direction. Starting in Ontario , M’Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island is the latest to get the nod from the province for a small wind farm.

Climate change is a real issue for coastal communities because of erosion and recently,  a new network has been formed on the east coast to address climate change and help communities prepare for the inevitable.

On the west coast , the city of Vancouver is hoping it’s new project will help bridge the gap between Aboriginal and immigrant communities. According to the city’s Social Planner, the two groups have not heard each other’s stories since around the time of the Great Depression. Through the project, the communities are hoping that will change.

In the Northwest Territories, meet the latest Aboriginal recipient of the Order of Canada, Fred Carmichael.

South of the border, a Native American Civil rights march is being organized. Organizer of the Native Blood Civil Rights March hopes the three day event this August will draw more than a million people.

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The Aboriginal People’s Survey is the first study of it’s kind. Findings include that most Aboriginal people consider the city their home, and not their affiliated First Nation or community. More than 2,500 urban Aboriginal people were interviewed for the study and almost the same amount of non-Aboriginal people were also interviewed. Find out what else was important to both audiences in the survey.

A First Nation in Ontario is taking advantage of the province’s relatively new Green Energy Act. Serpent River First Nation is jumping on board in the green energy industry and it’s not quite what comes to mind. Chief Isadore Day discusses the new project in his community.

It’s been in the news and has come under fire. It’s the pardon process in the country. It was only last week that media found out that former coach Graham James was pardoned three years ago. The ex-hockey coach was sentenced to three and a half years in prison in 1997 after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting Sheldon Kennedy and another unnamed player. Former NHLer Theo Fleury is welcoming government demands to review the pardon process. But, Johnathon Rudin, lawyer and Program Director at Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto has a word of caution about a possible review.

Bamoseda Coop Student Deidre Contin has a report on the International Polar Year Youth Time Capsule Project.

And an Enoch Cree Nation woman is a contestant in this year’s Miss Universe Canada. Not only is Ashley Callingbull wanting to become the first CREE Miss Universe Canada, she wants your vote for the People’s Choice Award.

Music

Dead Indians – The Good Life   (CanCon)

Dwayne Pamajewon – Red Machine (CanCon)

Shakti Hayes – The Best of Me (CanCon)