Voice of BC Métis Autumn 2009, Vol. 6, Issue 1
VICTORIA PRUDEN “Family Matters” MNBC AGM AGENDA A Go Green Initiative
GO GREEN EVERYWHERE
12+ Creative Ways To Save $$$
SHOWCASING DYNAMIC BC MÉTIS ARTIST & AUTHORS AS WE LEARN, WE BECOME STRONGER $5.99 Printed in Canada
By Award-winning Journalist Steve Dillis
Whispering Winds Fall 2009
NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHERS
T
PUBLISHERS Kiwetin Marketing & Publishing Ltd. OWNERS Noel and Diane Mineault CONTACT US 2219 14th Avenue Port Alberni, B.C. V9Y 2Y4 Toll-free: 1-866-558-7997 Phone: 250-723-7095 Toll-free Fax: 1-866-245-0868 Email: kiwetin@shaw.ca Website: www.kiwetin.com ISSN 1916-7490 (Print) ISSN 1916-7504 (Online)
ansi! Ahhh, It’s Autumn! For Noel and Diane this is the best time of year. The leaves are crunchy, the air is crisp and the colours of fall are beautiful! The deer and the bears are playing in fields and streams getting ready to hunker down for winter. Diane is glad she has returned home for the first winter in 25 years. At Kiwetin Marketing & Publishing we are really excited to complete this issue for the Métis Nation BC AGM. “Coming Home, Going Green” It will be a great AGM with lots of information and fun. See you there! Kiwetin Marketing & Publishing is really excited to announce that it is our 6th anniversary and we are launching a brand new publication “The Quill & Drum” in October. Our new publication will showcase aboriginal businesses and cultural diversity across Canada. We will feature aboriginal businesses as well as businesses who work alongside aboriginal partners and associates, government liaison departments, associations, artists and galleries. Any suggestions on story ideas are most welcome! We will be looking for stories and advertisers; please contact us if you are interested in contributing to our new magazine. It will be very similar to Whispering Winds in looks (glossy, full colour), produced quarterly and circulated throughout Canada. The first issues will concentrate on Vancouver Island and then British Columbia until we build our client base. Our readership is the same as Whispering Winds (30,000 readers). Look for both titles on the newsstands, Band Offices, Métis Offices, Friendship Centres and waiting rooms. To make sure you get a copy regularly, subscribe now. For a time limited offer subscription rates will be $48.00 for 8 issues (4 Whispering Winds and 4 Quill & Drum). Get yours today and save $$$$. Offer expires December 23rd. Check out our website www.kiwetin.com for payment methods. Both Whispering Winds and The Quill & Drum magazines will have special Christmas pages in the next issue. Don’t miss out. Due to our internet being down this summer we may have missed a regional roundup note. Please resend and we will print in Winter Edition. Winter DEADLINE is November 4th! Whispering Winds Fall 2009
Cover Photo: Victoria Pruden & Kwennis MÉTIS WOMAN ENSURES HER CULTURE STAYS ALIVE. Proud of her heritage, Victoria Pruden credits her grandmothers — Bernadette Landry, Sarah Jane Delorme (maskihkiwiskwew), Isabella Piché, and Mary Louise Falcon — as the special inspiration in her work with Métis women and Elders. Their inspiration continues to serve her well as she works for the Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) as the Director of Women, Elders and Veterans Affairs. She’s also a colead on the Métis Nation Child and Family Services portfolio. Carrying on her family’s legacy in the continuing development of the Métis Nation in Canada is a source of great joy and satisfaction, she said. She’s grateful for the opportunity to serve the Métis people in British Columbia in her current role. Métis culture and languages are of great interest to her, and she enjoys practising traditional cultural activities, particularly doing beadwork, as well as Métis traditional beadwork and embroidery patterns in mixed media art. Victoria is the proud mother of one son, Kwennis Ladret, who is a very active two year old. She resides in Victoria, British Columbia, having moved to Vancouver Island from Regina, Saskatchewan in 1997. Victoria holds a Bachelors Degree in Communications, and Diplomas in Business Administration, Counselling, and Addictions Studies. Formerly a Chartered Community President of the Métis Nation of Greater Victoria, she joined the senior management team of the MNBC in 2006. Victoria comes from a large extended Michif and half-breed Métis family, and has many relations in Métis communities within British Columbia.
Whispering Winds Fall 2009
CONTENTS Autumn 2009, Vol. 6, Issue 1
7 Coming Home, Going Green - 2009 MNBC AGM SPECIAL EDITION 10 MNBC GREEN POLICY 11 Greetings from the MNBC Leaders 14 AGM Agenda and Events Schedule 18 12+ Tips on Going Green 22 Youth Successes 31 College Safety 32 Youth Camps 34 Collette Trudeau 35 Métis National Youth Conference 39 CONSULTATION IN ACTION By Dave Peltier 40 MNBC Health 44 MÉTIS WOMEN BC 46 VETERANS 47 REGIONAL ROUND-UP 55 EDUCATION: AN IMPORTANT STEP TOWARDS PROSPERITY by Steve Dills, Guest Editor for Whispering Winds 60 THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LINE by Kim Hodgson
62 SUPPORTING THE PATH TO WELL-BEING 63 COASTAL CARVINGS by Jeremy Humpherville 68 DENNIS WEBER 70 SEARCHING FOR MY CULTURE by Lisa Shepherd 73 CHASING THE MIDNIGHT SUN by Barb Rees 76 ALWAYS WESTWARD by Leanne Laberge
NEW Whispering Winds Winter 2009 features
NEW Historical Non-Fiction: ”Adventures of the Yellow Kid” –Richard Hovan’s Great Grandfather. Richard is a member of Vernon Métis. David Bouchard/Dennis Weber Launches “The Secret of Your Name” Métis Crossing Voyage by Barb Rees Amy Langton – National Youth Conference – A wonderful Experience Get Ready for Vancouver 2010 – an indepth story for Métis people across Canada A Métis Christmas (Send in your favourite recipes, songs, crafts and stories and WIN!!!)
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Whispering Winds Fall 2009
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2009 MNBC AGM SPECIAL EDITION
Lisa Shepherd and son Whispering Winds Fall 2009
Coming Home, Going Green
Thank You To Our Partners And Sponsors For Your Continued Support!
MNBC Official AGM Gold Sponsor
Whispering Winds Fall 2009
Coming home, Going green
WELCOME TO PENTICTON a four season destination for vacationers and business travellers alike. —
Cradled within tree trimmed mountain slopes, dramatic cliffs, and bordered by two pristine lakes, Penticton offers her natural beauty all year round. The semi arid desert climate provides more than 2,000 hours of sunshine each year to complement the myriad of cultural activities, international events, regional festivals, business conventions and good old fashioned relaxation. Come and explore Penticton, “a place to stay forever”. We, at the host chartered community Métis Heritage and Cultural Council Society, are looking forward to you coming our way and enjoying everything we have to offer — sunshine, orchards, wineries, golf and more. Check this excellent website that showcases our wonderful area and what you might want to do while staying here. www.tourismpenticton. com Our website is www.metisheritageculture.com. We are looking forward to greeting, meeting and entertaining you so let’s get together! All our relations, Board of Directors and citizens of the Métis Heritage and Cultural Council Society Chartered Community. President Daniel Pitman
Acknowledgement to: President Leo Brazeau, President of Kelowna Métis Association
The Métis Nation British Columbia would like to formally recognize the Kelowna Métis Association (KMA) Community Charter for hosting the MNBC Annual General Meetings from 2006-2008 in the beautiful community and city of Kelowna, BC. President Leo Brazeau and members of the Kelowna Métis Association, you have graciously welcomed us into your community these past few years. The MNBC Board of Directors, Staff and Métis Citizens in BC would like to take this time and formally say Thank You! Whispering Winds Fall 2009
Coming Home, Going Green
MNBC GREEN POLICY
MÉTIS NATION BC has developed the first policy under the authority of Article 10 – Environmental Protection of the MNBC Natural Resource Act. Since passage of the Natural Resource Act at the 2008 MNBC Annual General Meeting, the Ministry of Natural Resources has been working on a number of new policies enabled by the Act. It is appropriate that the MNBC Green Policy was developed in time for the 2009 AGM since the theme for that event is “Coming Home, Going Green”. The purpose of the Green Policy is to “describe the Métis Nation British Columbia’s (MNBC) policies and procedures for conducting their operations and activities in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner.” THE MNBC GREEN POLICY STATES: The MNBC is committed to serving Métis people by conducting our operations and activities in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner. The MNBC is committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations. The MNBC recognizes that reducing and, where possible, eliminating the environmental impacts of our activities is an important part of our mission as stewards for the environment. The MNBC strives to be a leader among the array of aboriginal organizations in achieving environmental excellence and will work with our employees and other internal and external entities to establish and follow principles, in conjunction with the Green Policy of the MNBC, which will guide MNBC environmental practices. The MNBC guiding principles and practices to achieve resource conservation, waste reduction, and sustainability overall are summarized below: ∞ Comply with mandatory requirements and conduct our activities and operate our facilities within applicable environmental laws and regulations ∞ Conserve energy and other natural resources ∞ Encourage employees to use mass transit ∞ Reduce, reuse, and recycle to reduce waste ∞ Minimize the production of hazardous waste ∞ Adopt green procurement practices ∞ Ensure all employees complete the environmental awareness training ∞ Continue to review and minimize the impacts of our activities The Green Policy provides guidance on how these goals can be achieved. For example, the Green Policy provides guidance on conducting green meetings such as the upcoming Annual Whispering Winds Fall 2009 10
General Meeting. The policy states: 2.2 Annual General Meetings and Métis Nation Governing Assemblies The MNBC will strive to reduce and limit the amount of paper given out to Annual General Meeting and Métis Nation Governing Assembly delegates by: 1. Providing agendas, presentations and other documents on flash drives. 2. Posting workshop and meeting schedules around the venues and accommodations instead of individual schedules to each delegate. 3. Where requested, MNBC may provide paper copies. These paper copies must be on paper that contains at least 30% post-consumer recycled content. The MNBC will also encourage delegates to car pool to and from the Annual General Meetings and Métis Nation Governing Assemblies whenever possible. The Green Policy is currently undergoing final review and the Ministry of Natural Resources has asked for it’s adoption by the MNBC Board prior to the September AGM.
Coming home, Going green
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
TAANSHI KIYA’WOW/BONJOUR TA’WOW/BIENVENUE Greetings, on behalf of the Métis Nation British Columbia Board of Directors, and Staff; As the summer season draws closer to end, I reflect on the many BC Métis cultural festivities and events across the province that myself and other board members attended. There is much planning that goes into these events and gatherings and I want to express sincere gratitude and formally acknowledge all of the hard work that our Métis community members who volunteer many personal hours to make these events such a success. As the National Minister responsible for Culture, Heritage and Language and Sport, and moreover as a Proud Métis Citizen, I am so very pleased to pay witness to the resurgence of our Métis culture, history and language within these community events and other communal gatherings. As the 2010 Olympics draws near the MNBC is excited for all of the opportunities for our young people in preparation for the 2010 Winter Games and beyond. The Métis Employment & Skills Center hosted the 2010 and beyond Career Fair August 26, 2009 in Abbotsford with
information booths and was hosted by a variety of major employers. The event was very successful with 250 - 300 registered participants. The September 2009 Presidential update will highlight many exciting highlights and successes of all MNBC Ministries and their programs. The update can be viewed on the MNBC website at www,mnbc.ca. MNBC staff has been extremely busy in planning for the 12th Annual General Meeting these past several months, proudly hosted in the beautiful city of Penticton this year. President Daniel Pittman, Board of Directors and members of the Métis Heritage and Cultural Society (Penticton Community Charter), honor the MNBC for inviting us into their community to host this year’s AGM. . Our theme for this year’s AGM is “Coming Home, Going Green” and throughout this edition of the Whispering Winds magazine, you will find stories of how the Metis in BC are working towards a “Greener” future for our youth and communities across our beautiful homeland of British Columbia. As Metis people we respect and honor the land, and often look at preservation and conservation, however, there is so much more that we can do as a community. MNBC is very excited to present the Green Policy for adoption by the members of the AGM as we look at areas as a Nation and organization in consumption, recycling, and waste reduction as immediate steps to do our part at becoming more “green”. Thank you to community members, staff and others who sent in all the incredible, innovative and thoughtful tips on keeping their homes, community, and
environment, more healthy and ecofriendly. We hope that you will join us and continue to share your community’s stories as we set the bar and set the example for our Youth and Children, our future Métis leaders. Thank you to our corporate sponsors, government partners and friends for their unwavering support in contributions both past and present to the MNBC AGM. Your generous contributions provide the opportunity for our Elders and Veterans to take part in the AGM and offer their wisdom and guidance of our Métis ancestors with the cultural and historical relevant direction, to the leaders of our nation. This past year has been that of change, growth, teamwork, and accomplishments, and as we gather September 26 & 27, 2009 we will report on our successes, our challenges and look to the Métis citizens for strategic direction for the 2010 year. Thank you to our MNBC Board of Directors for their dedication and hard work in leading our nation. It is my true honor to be the President of one of the most innovative, and forward thinking Nations in Canada. Thank you all for your continued support. Thank you to Diane and Noel Mineault for your great work with each successful issue of the Whispering Winds and capturing the heart of our nation in these editorials. For the remaining season, please enjoy this time with your families and friends, stay safe and stay well. Marsay, Thank you, Ki’nass kou’mitinow PRESIDENT BRUCE R. DUMONT Whispering Winds Fall 2009
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Coming Home, Going Green
MESSAGE FROM THE VICE-PRESIDENT
W
elcome to our Métis Nation BC citizens, provincial and federal government partners’ stakeholders governing members and staff. It has been a very busy season and I am so very proud of the work that has been accomplished. The dedication of achievinag success for our nation is held with such high regard by our talented and motivated team. I would like to extend a formal thank you to the Metis communities across our BC homeland for allowing me the opportunity to experience some of the most rewarding events, graduations and other ceremonies
this season. I find myself privileged to pay witness to so many of our Metis youth graduating and who are motivated about the direction they are going in their young lives. Their dedication and determination makes me proud to be the Minister responsible for Education and Employment & Training. Moving forward our Métis agenda in the provincial and federal arena of education for our Métis citizens is paramount and along with a very hard working and energetic team, we are determined to have that commitment within provincial and federal levels of government. I would like to take this time to formally extend thanks to the MNBC 12th Annual General Meeting host Metis community charter, President Daniel Pittman, Board of Directors and members of the Métis Heritage and Cultural Society (Penticton Community Charter) for welcoming the MNBC to their beautiful community of Penticton to convene the business of the MNBC 2009 AGM.
The MNBC is very excited about this year’s theme “Coming Home, Going Green”. It is our obligation as a nation to ensure that we do all we can to better prepare this world we live in now a healthier, more environmentally sound world for our children. It is very encouraging to see so many articles about community practice on how to go and stay green. Thank you community leaders, members and staff for these tips and stories shared in this issue of the whispering winds. Thank you to our corporate sponsors, government partners and friends for their support for this years’ contributions as well as past contributions made to the MNBC AGM. We pay respect to the many hardships the interior and northwest regions of BC has suffered this season with the forest fires; our thoughts and prayers have been and continue to be with you all. All my relations, VICE PRESIDENT DAVE HODGSON
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Whispering Winds Fall 2009
Coming home, Going green
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
I
t is my pleasure to extend greetings to the Métis Nation British Columbia Citizen’s, MNBC Sponsors, Partners and Guests. MNBC is so very proud to share with you our accomplishments over the past year and I want to applaud and commend our team of talented and dedicated staff, leadership, and strong Métis Communities that drive these initiatives and accomplishments that have lead to such success for the Métis Nation British Columbia. This year we celebrate and join together to visit these achievements and successes at the 12th Annual General Meeting hosted by our Penticton Métis Community Charter in the beautiful city of Penticton, British Columbia. I would like to take this moment to thank President Daniel Pittman and his community members of the Métis Heritage and Cultural Council for their continued support to the MNBC. In keeping with the theme of this years AGM “Coming Home, Going Green” the MNBC has taken many steps to promote and exercise ways of reducing waste and conserving energy. One of these measures we have taken is removing “Paper” AGM kit and Annual Reports and by providing our delegates with flash drives
containing all pertinent AGM detail. The Ministry of Natural Resources will be presenting and promoting the draft Green Policy initiative that will endorse the importance and need for us as a Nation to map out our green print for the environment. Thank you to Diane and Noel Mineault for featuring in this edition of the Whispering Winds the many diverse and innovative ways our communities have been successful in achieving these eco-friendly ways of reduction and conservation. As well, thank you to all community members for sharing with the rest of us your stories
and helpful tips. It has definitely been an exciting year of growth and change, and as we move forward MNBC will work to ensure more opportunities for our Métis Communities in British Columbia. Thank you all for your continued support and I know together we will achieve great things. All my relations, MALONIE LANGTHORNE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
IMPORTANT NOTICE
The Metis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) is currently in possession of the membership files previously held by the Kootenay Region Metis Association (KRMA). To ensure compliance with the Personal Information and Protection Act (PIPA) and to safeguard information that may be contained within the personal documents of these membership files, please be advised of the following: MNBC Central Registry will send written notification to all individuals whose information has been forwarded to us. If the Registry does not receive confirmation that the KRMA membership applicant would like their KRMA application file returned to them within thirty (30) days of the date of the letter issued, the file and it’s contents will be destroyed. No further record will be maintained by the MNBC Central Registry office regarding this documentation. If you have any questions regarding this notification or would like information on how to make an application for a Provincial Métis Citizenship card through the MNBC Central Registry, please contact the Registry at 604-678-6977 or 1-800-940-1150. Whispering Winds Fall 2009
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MÉTIS NATION BRITISH COLUMBIA 12TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Coming Home, Going Green Friday, September 25 - Sunday , September 27, 2009 Penticton Trade & Convention Center 273 Power Street, Penticton, British Columbia
Agenda and Scheduled Events Travel & Registration Friday, September 25, 2009
Meetings & Set-Up Schedule
REGISTRATION for sponsored voting delegates (including board and staff) – registration tables will be set up at each of the AGM designated hotels; these hotels are the Days Inn, Ramada Inn & the Sandman Inn. You must register at the same hotel you are a registered guest; example: if you are a registered guest at the Days Inn you cannot register at the Ramada or Sandman. ' Sponsored voting delegates will receive all pertinent material for the AGM at the time of registration. ' 5:00PM - Registration for sponsored voting delegates will commence at each location ' 9:00PM - Registration for sponsored voting delegates will close at each location
PENTICTON TRADE & CONVENTION CENTER - Friday September 25-27, 2009 (early access for staff and vendors 7:30am)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Registration for non-sponsored voting delegates will open at 7am on Saturday September 26 at the Penticton Trade & Convention Center.
SOUTH LOBBY (7:00 PM – 10:00 PM) ' Room # 5 – BCMANR meeting (Friday & Saturday) ' Room # 6 - MNBC Health Screening clinic (Friday – Sunday) ' Room # 7 - MNBC Senate (Friday – Sunday) ' Room # 8 – MNBC North Central Regional Governance Council Meeting (Friday)
BANQUET TICKETS & MEAL BRACELETS for sponsored voting delegates and their families/guests; ' Sponsored voting delegates will receive their complimentary bracelet and banquet ticket at the time of registration ' Sponsored voting delegates may advance purchase meal bracelets and banquet tickets for their families/ guests at the time of registration
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Whispering Winds Fall 2009
NORTH LOBBY (7:00 PM – 10:00 PM) ' Room # 1 – MNBC AGM Child minding set up (Friday) ' Room # 2 – MNBC Veterans Standing Committee meeting (Friday) * Child minding will take Room 1 & 2 on Saturday. ' Room # 3 – MNBC MW-BC meeting (Friday) ' Board room – PETC Meeting (Friday) * MNBC staff will utilize boardroom Saturday – Sunday for admin room)
SOUTH LOBBY SALON II ' Tradeshow set up - Crafters and Exhibitors RAMADA INN & SUITES ' ATRIUM room – MNBC Annual Youth meeting (Friday 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
Day One Schedule Saturday, September 26, 2009 SOUTH LOBBY - SALON II (FOYER) 7:00AM – REGISTRATION for non-sponsored voting delegates commences 10:30AM – registration for all voting delegates closes
IMPORTANT NOTE: All non-sponsored voting delegates and guests attending the AGM will be required to pay for the breakfast and lunch buffets on Saturday as well as the banquet Saturday evening and breakfast buffet on Sunday. Buffet bracelet package is $30.00 per person; this includes Saturday and Sunday buffet meals, Banquet dinner ticket not included in this price. Banquet ticket per person $30.00. NORTH LOBBY - ROOM #1 & 2
BANQUET TICKETS & MEAL BRACELETS for nonsponsored voting delegates; bracelets and tickets should be purchased at the time of registration. There will be opportunities to purchase tickets throughout the day as well. 7:30AM – Breakfast buffet, complimentary for sponsored voting delegates and children under 12 years of age.
8:00AM – Child minding – parents must pre-register their children for this service. Sign in registered children (An official in-kind sponsor of the 12th Annual General Meeting). The MNBC extends thanks to the Métis Community Services BC program and staff for their support and service.
Proceedings of the 12th Annual General Meeting 2009 SOUTH LOBBY - BALLROOM II 8:30AM - Grand Entry - Official open of the 12th Annual 2009 MNBC Annual General Meeting Flag procession - Lead by Rene Therrien, Fiddler and Minister for Culture, Heritage and Language. Rene Lucier, Beverly Lambert, Maddie McCallum and Sergeant at arms and MNBC Veterans Standing Committee Flag party - MNBC Board of Directors, VIP’s, Community President Dan Pittman, Youth, Elders and Senator 8:50AM - Opening prayer 8:52AM -Introduction to AGM Chair Don Caverley and Co Chair Mark Stevenson 9:00AM -Review and acceptance of the MNBC 2009 AGM Agenda 9:10 AM – Malonie Langthorne, Chief Executive Officer
and Dean Trumbley, Chief of Operations, 2009 AGM master of ceremonies Welcoming remarks and opening comments Introductions: Speakers 9:15AM - Thompson/Okanagan Métis Heritage & Cultural Council, President Daniel Pittman 9:18AM - Thompson/Okanagan Regional Director Bob Trumbley 9:21AM – Penticton Indian Band Chief Johnathan Kruger 9:25AM - MNBC Vice President David R. Hodgson 9:29AM - MNBC President Bruce Dumont 9:34AM MNC President Clément Chartier 9:37AM - MNA President Audrey Poitras 9:41AM - BC Ministry of Aboriginal Relations & Reconciliation 9:45AM - BC Ministry of Children & Family Development Whispering Winds Fall 2009
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Proceedings of the 12th Annual General Meeting 2009 cont. Special Mention 9:45AM- Master of Ceremonies Government Officials Corporate partners AGM Official Sponsors 10:30AM - Health Break IMPORTANT NOTE: Registration closed
∞ Resolution # 5 - Senate Act ∞ Resolution # 6 - Constitution ∞ Resolution # 7 - Electoral Act ∞ Resolution # 8 - MNBC Natural Resources Act ∞ Resolution # 9 - MNBC Constitution and all Legislative Acts NORTH LOBBY - SALON A
11:50AM - Establishing Quorum
12:00PM Lunch Buffet complimentary to sponsored delegates and children under 12 years. (parents can sign out child/ren to join you for lunch)
10:55AM - Review and acceptance of 2008 Annual General Meeting Minutes
SOUTH LOBBY - BALLROOM II
11:00AM - Review and presentation of resolutions;
1:00PM - Resolutions continued…
∞ Resolution # 1 - MNGA Act ∞ Resolution # 2 - MNBC Senate Act ∞ Resolution # 3 - MNBC Natural Resources Act ∞ Resolution # 4 - Natural Resources Act
2:30PM - AGM Health Break (complimentary snack items and beverage provided) 4:00PM –2010 Annual General Meeting – setting a date
10:45AM - Reconvene
4:30PM - Adjourn day one
MNBC 2009 AGM BANQUET & MÉTIS IDOL TALENT SHOW
NORTH LOBBY - SALON A 5:00PM - Banquet & Métis Idol Talent Show – Master of Ceremonies Henry Hall, Director for Lower Mainland 6:00PM - SIGN UP for Métis Idol (if not already pre-registered) 6:25PM - Dinner prayer 6:30PM - Banquet Dinner (plated dinner) NOTE: Sponsored delegates and children under 12 years of age, banquet meal is complimentary. 7:30PM - Métis Idol Talent Show Talent Categories ∞ 1- 18 years of age ∞ 19-30 years of age ∞ years of age and older 10:00PM - Métis Jam session
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Whispering Winds Fall 2009
Day Two Schedule Saturday, September 26, 2009 NORTH LOBBY - SALON A 7:30AM - Buffet Breakfast IMPORTANT NOTE: All non-sponsored delegates and guests attending the AGM will be required to pay for the breakfast and lunch buffets on Saturday as well as the banquet Saturday evening and breakfast buffet on Sunday. Buffet package is $30.00 per person; this includes Saturday and Sunday buffet meals, Banquet dinner ticket not included in this price. Banquet ticket per person $30.00. A colored wristband will be given to sponsored delegates and another to non-sponsored delegates purchasing buffet package and banquet meal. 8:00AM - Child minding– parents must pre-register their children for this service. Sign pre-registered children into room #1 – North Lobby Entrance (official in-kind sponsor of the 12th Annual General Meeting, thank you to the Métis Community Services staff and program). SOUTH LOBBY – BALLROOM II 8:30AM Day Two (Sunday)- AGM reconvenes 8:45AM MNBC 2008-2009 Financial Audited Statements – Presenting: Manning Elliott Chartered Accountants 9:30AM Annual 2008-2009 Ministry Reports presented by Ministry Directors responsible ∞ Métis Economic DevelopmentPresenting: CEO Malonie Langthorne ∞ Métis 2010 Olympics Presenting: 2010 Winter Games Coordinator Marcel Chalmers ∞ Métis Human Resource Development Agreement (MHRDA) - Presenting: Director Marlin Ratch ∞ Métis Education - Presenting: Director Colleen Hodgson ∞ Métis Children & Family Services – Presenting: Director Victoria Pruden ∞ Métis Registry - Presenting: Director Laurel Katernick ∞ Métis Tripartite Self - Government Negotiations (TSN) - Presenting: CoO Dean Trumbley ∞ Métis Youth BC - Presenting: Director Colette Trudeau ∞ Métis Culture Heritage & Language Presenting: Director Colleen Hodgson ∞ Métis Women BC and Elders Presenting: Director Victoria Pruden ∞ Métis Natural Resources (Multilateral) – Presenting: Director Gary Ducommun
∞ Métis Health & Sport– Presenting: Director Tanya Davoren ∞ Métis Provincial Research – Presenting: MNBC Consultant, Dr. Mike Evans; (TBD) ∞ Métis Veterans Standing Committee – Presenting: Director Victoria Pruden ∞ MNBC Senate – Presenting: Senate Chair Al Edkins ∞ Métis Justice – Presenting: Director Hazel Burns ∞ Métis Housing – Presenting, Director of Housing, Colleen Hodgson 10:40AM Resolutions Committee (if required) 10:50AM Other business 10:55AM Closing remarks by President Dumont 12:00PM Adjournment of MNBC 12th Annual General Meeting - 2009 (anticipated 12:00 PM wrap up) Travel home IMPORTANT NOTE: The MNBC Annual General Meeting scheduled to adjourn by 12:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009. All sponsored delegates and staff are required to travel home on this day unless travel restrictions previously established due to long distance driving by the MNBC travel coordinator or MNBC authorized personnel. Due to the budget restrictions for this years’ AGM, MNBC is asking where possible to share your hotel accommodation with other sponsored delegates or staff. Staff is required to share accommodations to minimize overall costs. Thank you for your support and understanding. ATTENTION: Sponsored delegates and staff; if you are a resident living less than 50 kilometers from the Penticton Trade & Convention centre you do not qualify for accommodations for the event. Thank you to all MNBC 12th AGM corporate sponsors, community leaders, elders, veterans, youth, women, dignitaries, and staff for your continued support, we look forward to celebrating another successful year with all of you in 2010! MNBC Executive Whispering Winds Fall 2009
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Coming Home, Going Green
12+ Tips about Going Green Notes from Métis across our Homeland
1.
Tin can washing machine for camp: Punch about 12 holes into a large tin can and smooth off the sharp edges with an axe file. Insert a smaller tin can inside large one
with both open ends the same way. Nail cans to the end of an old broom stick (a fencing staple works well). Plunge clothes up and down in a bucket or basin of water. Good for the environment and the muscles. Kim Hodgson, TriRiver Métis.
2.
Usingenvironmentally friendly products in my home for cleaning and in my garden for bug spray, moss removal and weed control. There are several recipes online for homemade environmentally friendly sprays. I also walk or bike to work instead of taking a vehicle. I have started using reuseable bags for grocery shopping and reusing bottles for individual water or juice for work instead of buying new ones. Kim Patten Northwest B.C. Métis Association
3.
We had a youth camp from August 20-24 on Newcastle Island. I bought each youth one plate, one bowl, one cup, and utensils. They were given these for the duration of the camp along with a recycled cloth bag to keep them in and reuse whenever they wanted, and to take home with them. We did not have any dishes that needed to be thrown away. Danielle Welch, Youth Representative Mid Island Métis Nation
5 . Going Green in Your Home Making eco-friendly choices in our homes can be easier than you think. • Use a broom — rather than hosing down your driveway — to sweep leaves and trash away. • Shave a few minutes off your shower — water-saving showerheads are also an inexpensive way to conserve. • Fill the dishwasher before running it — using the dishwasher can actually be more efficient than washing by hand, but only if you wait until it’s full.
6. Going Green at the Office The office is another place where going green can go a long way. • Print on both sides of the paper and decrease your margin sizes. • Use a projector rather than printing your presentations. • Turn off your computer and monitor every night. During lunch breaks and meetings, turn off your monitor.
7 .Going Green with your Vehicle Driving green can help save you money and reduce carbon emissions. • Stop your engine — sitting idle for just 10 seconds uses more gas and produces more CO2 emissions than simply turning the engine off and then on again. • Clean your trunk — the lighter your car, the better gas mileage it’ll get. • Plan your shopping trips — cars burn more CO2 when they’re not warmed up, so it pays to run all your errands at one time. #5,6 & 7 from MNBC staff
4. Reconnect with the earth and grow your own food 8.Around the home I make my own non-toxic cleaning in your backyard or community garden. Buy second hand product from vinegar, baking soda, lemon and soap. This goods or sell your own. Use glass jars for food storage and plastic containers for non-edible items. Take your own plastic or cloth bags to the store when buying groceries. Spend money on good quality items that will last a long time. Share and exchange books and videos. Stay away from the mall. Rose Bortolon, MNBC Minister of Women
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saves on money, packaging and it sure makes your home smell fresh and clean as these ingredients are also good odour eaters. In my garden at home I plant drought tolerant plants that require much less watering but still offer natural ground cover to beautify your yard. I use mint, thyme, sweet peas,
Coming home, Going green
lemon grass, honeysuckle and rosemary. Many bloom and are leafy. They also offer a fragrant aroma and need very little water. They serve a dual purpose in your favourite dishes as seasoning or add mint to make a refreshing drink or add it to a nice soothing cup of tea. Ask your local garden shop what might work in you area. Putting a brick or some stones in your toilet take save on water used for flushing. They take up space in your tank so it requires less water to fill it up. I wash all my clothes in cold water and go back to the old days and often use a drying rack for many items. To heat the water costs plenty and you’re just washing it down the drain. I also pay for my water so the less I use the more I save. For my personal skin care I make a soothing face mask of mayonnaise, a little olive oil and a touch of vanilla extract for fragrance. It’s soothing and moisturizes summer skin. You have all the ingredients at home to make it cost effective and smell pretty good too. Also at the same time I use wedged cucumber slices on my eyes. These relieve puffiness and work as an astringent the tightens and firms the skin. While doing this you need to lie down in a dark quiet place so you’re actually giving yourself a mini spa treatment. Green tea is filled with antioxidant that helps protect against the sun’s UV rays and an anti inflammatory that helps relieve puffiness and redness and actually reduce acne. I brew it then chill it in a bowl and then give myself a gentle face splash before I start my day out in the sun or after a day in the elements. One idea to help brighten your office, is to bring in lots of leafy plants that make you fell like your in the tropics and helps oxygenate and purify stale office air. Clean air is healthy air! I used to do one other thing I thought was quite ingenious. I would use the cellophane bags inside boxed juice or wine and fill them with water and lay them flat in the freezer to freeze. I would then use them flat in the bottom off my cooler and pack my family’s camping or picnic foods on top. When they defrost it keeps the water packed tightly inside. Keeps every thing cool, yet dry. You can then use the water for cooking or washing. It also works well if blown up as a beach or camping pillow. As well it’s made from the same material as a space blanket so they work well for ground protection, to sit on or carry in your back pack. Colleen Rose
9. I’d like to mention that for two years now I haven’t used a clothes dryer. Instead I use a clothes line and in the winter lines are put up in the basement. This has reduced
my hydro bill by nearly half. I use to pay $116 a month, now I pay $58 a month. Just wanted to pass this along as I believe we should all try to use less hydro and get back to basics. Marlene Swears
10 .Métis Nation Greater Victoria does their primary fundraising by working at the recycling depot in Victoria and getting a share of the profits for the day to go back into their community. Their potlucks have recently “gone green”. The article was authored by Makonen Bondoc, a member of the board of directors of MNGV.
11 .Refilling ink printer ink cartridges can help the environment and save you money. Instead of buying new ink each time your printers run low, have them refilled for half the cost knowing you are contributing less to the landfills. Rhonda Therrien
12 .10 TIPS TO GOING GREEN IN YOUR WORKPLACE a.Turn off equipment when it’s not being used. This can reduce the energy used by 25 per cent; turning off the computers at the end of the day can save an additional 50 per cent. b. Encourage communications by e-mail, and read email messages on the screen to determine whether it’s necessary to print them. If it’s not, simply do not! c. Reduce fax-related paper waste by using a fax-modem and by using a fax cover sheet only when necessary. Faxmodems allow documents to be sent directly from a computer, without requiring a printed hard copy. d. Produce double-sided documents whenever possible. e. Do not leave taps dripping; always close them tightly after use. One drop wasted per second wastes 10,000 litres per year. f. Install displacement toilet dams in toilet reservoirs. Placing one or two plastic containers filled with stones [not bricks] in the toilet’s reservoir will displace about four litres of water per flush — a huge reduction of water use over the course of a year. g. Find a supply of paper with maximum available recycled content. h. Choose suppliers who take packaging back for reuse. i. Instigate an ongoing search for “greener” products and services in the local community. The further your supplies or service providers have to travel, the more energy will be used to get them to you. j. Before deciding whether you need to purchase new Whispering Winds Fall 2009
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Coming Home, Going Green office furniture, see if your existing office furniture can be refurbished. It’s less expensive than buying new and better for the environment. 13. Fraser Valley Métis Association brings our Buffalo Camp to various events throughout the Fraser Valley. We set up our barbecue and sell bison burgers and bannock at these events. It was appropriate that our first event this summer was the Earth Day celebration, as this was also the event where we began serving all our food on environmentally friendly plateware and with earth friendly cutlery.We buy it from a Vancouver company called“Frogfile Office Essentials”. The compostable plates are made from bagasse — a natural post-harvested non-GMO farming plant discard. The cutlery is made from PLA (polyactic acid derived from corn). We even bought compostable garbage bags from them so that the whole works — plates, cutlery, bag and all would compost! Frogfile ships free to anywhere in Vancouver. The product itself is surprisingly reasonable and the staff is friendly and give great service. We had to pay for shipping to have it sent to Maple Ridge, but it was a small price to pay when we consider the “seven generations” factor. FVMA encourages other community groups to take a look at Frogfile for your office and picnic supplies. Check them out at www.frogfile.com.
MNBC AND BC HYDRO BUILDING TOWARDS A BETTER FUTURE
by DAVE PELTIER The theme of MNBC’s 12th Annual General Meeting to be held September 25-27 at the Princeton Trade and Convention Centre in Princeton, B.C. is “Coming Home, Going Green”. In recognition of this theme, and in accordance with MNBC’s new Green Policy, MNBC’s Ministry of Natural Resources has teamed up with BC Hydro to explore green opportunities in an effort to fulfill our roles as stewards for the environment. The Ministry of Natural Resources recognizes the leadership role set out in the MNBC’s Natural Resource Act, and is striving to provide useful programs and solutions to help MNBC and its communities and citizens reduce and, where possible, eliminate the environmental impacts of our everyday activities. The Ministry of Natural Resources, in collaboration with BC Hydro, has been in the process of developing both short and long-term goals and programs that benefit Métis people and our environment. Some examples of the short-term programs that MNBC and BC Hydro have been discussing include providing Energy Savings Kits to Métis households, getting Métis people involved in BC Hydro’s PowerSmart programs, and providing useful power (and thus money) saving guides and tips. With regards to long-term programs, discussions between the Ministry of Natural Resources and BC Hydro are still in their infancy. However, early discussions have focused on Green Building initiatives, employment opportunities and training collaborations. We are excited about the possibilities ahead and look forward to our partnership with BC Hydro, starting with the upcoming AGM. “BC Hydro is excited by the opportunity to work collaboratively with Métis leadership on projects to increase energy efficiency in communities. Programs like the Energy Saving Kit initiative provide a great opportunity for households to save energy, save money, and help reduce our impact on the environment. -Margo Longland, Program Manager, BC Hydro Power Smart
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Coming home, Going green
BEFORE VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS THERE WERE… TRADITIONAL FOODS!
For the green issue, I’d like to share what I by Holly Tennant, B.Sc. Human nutr. know about the ing traditional foods, but the world has changed. Sure there are benefits of buying and eating traditional foods, using examples from my own life berries by the train tracks here on the North Shore, and on the edge and from my auntie’s memories of how she used to eat “up north” of a neighbour’s yard. Do I need to ask permission to pick them? during the times when her parents were managing their traplines. Probably. Knocking on an unknown neighbour’s door doesn’t In the past, by necessity, our ancestors ate whatever was located sound fun. So how can I start to depend on these foods in a more nearby. Now we choose from a wide variety of foods that are flown consistent way, now that I know buying traditional foods strengthand shipped in from all over the world. It takes a lot of fuel to bring ens our local economy and protects us from the fluctuations of the us our favourite food items from tropical and exotic locations. On global marketplace? I do my best by taking time to shop at farmer’s the other hand, foods grown locally, including the foods known as markets and to find grocery stores that supply local foods. Since I traditional foods that our ancestors ate, require less fuel to get to don’t live up north, the local foods I find here are not the same as our tables. Saving fuel is just one of the reasons traditional foods the traditional foods auntie was eating, but the nutrient density is are being rediscovered. Their protection and availability are now similarly high. Additionally, the fat, sugar and salt content of my local foods diet are low. key concerns to many environmentalists and food experts. What are the traditional Métis foods? They differ among geo- While some locally grown products can be expensive, there are graphic regions. My auntie, Louise Meintz, has a food history that ways we can work together, as in the past, to obtain these foods. As stems from her mixed background of Plains Cree, Scottish and communities, we can plan foraging outings for berries, dandelion German. During the years of managing the traplines, the family greens, asparagus and fiddleheads. We can plan hunting trips (a came down to Stony Rapids, Saskatchewan (where my aunt was little out of my comfort zone … okay, a lot), or hold potlucks for born) only once a year, for apples, oranges and fresh vegetables sharing. We can learn how to process the local foods we have access to, and regain the skill of putting away food for the winter. Canning such as carrots. Auntie says the common foods up north were caribou meat, is a Métis art (science? skill?) that is being revived by groups such fish, bread, bannock and wild cranberries and blueberries they kept as Vancouver’s People Preserving Food, who will do a workshop for frozen in pails. Eating fish is associated with reduced risk of heart Métis people in the fall. disease and stroke. Traditional meats are remarkably lean, and ban- Recently I have recommitted myself to growing as much of my nock is a source of calcium when made with baking powder. Ber- own food as possible. This spring I called the local plant stores to ries are rich in antioxidants. Grandpa would make hot Sunny-boy find out which ones sold plants and seeds native to my living recereal or porridge for the kids for breakfast. Whole grain cereals gion. Now I grow bush beans and pumpkins, and have planted red currant seeds and a plum tree. Native plants take less watering and helped people get enough fibre and magnesium. My auntie and her family did not have many canned or pack- use less protective aids such as pesticides and fertilizer. aged foods. That means their sodium, fat and sugar intake were I cherish my auntie’s food stories from up north, and I am exnaturally low, and they weren’t exposed to many food additives, cited for them to be recorded and added to the knowledge base of such as preservatives or colorants. Supplies included flour, sugar, Métis traditional practices. The stories of the elders teach us about the old ways, and hold rich examples for living in a way that prococoa, raisins, dried apples, powdered milk and canned milk. Nanny (my grandmother) baked cakes, pies, cookies and bread tects our environment, our communities and ourselves. or rice puddings with minimal supplies. The milk products contributed calcium and vitamin D to the diet. Even their desserts, among other nutrients, contained fibre and iron. If the sweets were high in calories, it didn’t lead to obesity, because the excess energy was quickly consumed by the muscles as the family portaged and hiked in waist-deep snow between traplines. Grandpa had the sleddogs and the provisions from Hudson’s Bay Company in his canoe. Nanny had the kids in hers. This is not to say it was the perfect diet, because there is no such thing. My auntie and uncle, from the age of two, drank tea and coffee. And nanny didn’t like to mess up a nice supper of meat by adding vegetables to the plate, which she called, “rabbit food”. So, let’s bring it back to the present. Now I’m interested in eat-
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Coming Home, Going Green
YOUTH SUCCESSES
Shawn Cornthwaite
Commercial Helicopter Pilot Pilot Proficiency Check Ride (known as a PPC) Chinook Helicopters In the year 2000, I sustained a major knee injury; this would later alter my career from heavy manual labour in the Oilfield (as a Power Tong Operator). Through hard work and determination I overcame the obstacles that were in my way, with all the surgeries and rehabilitation, it took almost five years to be able to walk and function to a moderate degree, with the aid of a prosthetic knee brace. I decided to continue my dreams of becoming a commercial helicopter pilot. In March of 2005, this was accomplished at Valley Helicopters. I could find some work but most companies wanted me to be a manual labourer, still not giving up and determined to succeed I worked for three companies in two years. Still it was all the same, go to work and do manual labour causing pain to my knee. Then when I was suffering from the manual labour the employers seemed to be disappointed with me. In January of 2007 I was released from my employment as the company I was working for felt that I was in need of more training and was not willing to help with the costs involved. Disappointed and now becoming discouraged I went to visit Carol Paynter, I started to research and second guess my career decision, with the MNBC support and encouragement I found another prospective employer but still needed more training. I also went to the Obair Economic Society in Dawson Creek and visited with Rob Bergen, and received more encouragement. The prospective employer sent me a letter of potential employment upon completion of more training. This set the papers in motion and training was started immediately, at Chinook Helicopters in Abbotsford BC. Upon completion I contacted the employer and was informed that there was not a position available for at least a month or more. Not being discouraged I continued to look for another company that was hiring. As luck would have it, Cathy Press of Chinook Helicopters received a call from Croman Corp, and they were looking for pilots, Cathy called me up and I sent out all relevant documentation. All I
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needed now was to convert my Canadian Helicopter License to an FAA American Rotorcraft Helicopter. This is where Carol Paynter and Neil Smith came back into play. As I now had a letter of guaranteed employment with Croman Corp, upon successful completion, and that they would also help with the costs of the conversion. So with the documents in hand and the support of the MNBC it was off to school again. Unlike the previous time, this time it felt different, while I was in school doing my conversion, my employer came to meet me. I was informed that I would be going to work the very afternoon after my flight test. This was a great feeling of accomplishment as now I had the desire to complete it sooner. I completed my flight test, and went to the office and was on payroll immediately. The following morning, after getting all the documentation out of the way, off the work I went. Co-piloting a Sikorsky 61N heavy lift helicopter, Heli-logging, mining support, and commercial lifts (such as lifting air-conditioners 34 stories up downtown Seattle). What a rush, but I do realize none of this would be possible without the network of support I received so a special thanks to: Carol Paynter, Neil Smith and the support staff at MNBC Rob Bergen, and the support of the Obair Economic Society Cathy Press, and staff, at Chinook Helicopters Abbotsford Kevin Buuck, Croman Corp. And most importantly my wife Jenn for standing by my side thru-out all of this. Here I am once again. With the down turn in the North American markets, and employers’ cutting the staff, I took a pay cut to less than 1/3 of my normal wage, as to stay employed, not by choice thou. So for the past three months I have been on a retainer, and with no new contracts in sight, I am about to lose my job with Croman Corp an international helicopter company. As there is no need for a Heli-logger pilots, or construction pilots, as logging has gone to the way side, and it takes money for new construction. As luck would have it I found another job, catch is I needed to do a Pilot Proficiency Check ride (PPC), and I had a deadline of less than a week to get this all set up. All this is great, problem is all this is a great expense and a burden on my finances, with being forced to take a pay cut for three
Coming home, Going green
months and using my savings to keep afloat, this was not going to happen without the help of the MNBC Northeast, Region 7. So on the phone I got with Linda Dufresne, and Carol Paynter, they emailed me the forms I needed to fill out, I got everything filled out and returned in a timely manner. Got my schooling booked, and my letter of employment in hand, and of to the airport I go. My training was to go in to the weekend, but as luck would have it Chinook Helicopters instructor Andy Roe was able to squeeze me in to complete my pre-test flying, and Clayton Reid a new Transport Canada Check Pilot was able to book my test on Friday. I successfully completed my test with little critique and was now certified to fly once again in Canada. I called up my new employer to tell to them I had been certified, and was told great. They would call me early the following week for my dispatch to the unknown, so with everything on hold, now starts the waiting game. Where are the fires, how busy will it be, cannot wait for the phone to ring HMMM. So with many thanks and to the support network of the MNBC, and my wife I would like to send a special thanks to; Linda Dufresne - Client support worker Carol Paynter - Program Coordinator Dan Pope - Minister of Economic Development Chinook Helicopters Staff Kimm Barr - J.B. Air ***
with the Ch’nook Business Program at the Sauder School of Business. Ch’nook strives to increase Aboriginal participation in business courses throughout British Columbia and I love working for them! There are three different subdivisions of Ch’nook. Their high school component attempts to increase the amount of Aboriginal students entering into business faculties. The University/College division gives bursaries and scholarships to students already enrolled in post-secondary business studies as well as tutoring support, summer jobs, forums, and many other advantages. Ch’nook also has an Advanced Management Certificate Program that provides mature Aboriginal students with part-time business courses over the course of six months. Currently I am still working for Ch’nook as I search for a more specialized position within the Human Resources field. There are many areas within the profession, and I feel I would benefit from working in each at some point in my career. Some time in the future I feel I would want to go back to school. A Masters in Business Administration would be wonderful to attain, however, law has always interested me as well. ***
Laura Cuffley
University of British Columbia Bachelor of Commerce degree, specializing in Human Resources I chose to go into Human Resources because I enjoy working with people. Employees are a company’s best asset! The processes, policies, and communication styles vary b e t w e e n businesses and I get great satisfaction in being able to harmonize employees with employers so everyone can be successful. While attending classes at UBC I also had the chance to work
Danielle Johnston
Social Services Worker – Community Service Worker in Assisted Living Northern Lights College-Dawson Creek
After completing my first year in the Social Services Worker program I knew that I wanted to gain some experience in one of the many social services fields. I choose South Peace Community Resources Society because they gave me the chance to work with adult disabled. They also believe in lifelong learning and support my decision to go back to school in September. Whispering Winds Fall 2009
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Coming Home, Going Green
Linda Dufresne
Samantha Holley
opportunity to thank MNBC for funding my education upgrading. I have more confidence in my abilities to perform my job. After several years working in my previous trade the stress and fatigue took its toll on my body and forced me to have to make a career change. After several more years at dead-end jobs, multiple low paying jobs and seasonal employment it comes as a great relief to be able to support my family with just one job. As a single mother of 2 I have a large load to carry and feel with the support of family, friends and MNBC I have a much brighter future! I absolutely love coming to work each and every day. Thank you again for the funding to expand my knowledge in the Essential Skills for Professional Administration Assistants course, at this point I have only 2 modules to complete for my certificate, which will be finished in June 2010.
The staff at the Terrace office was great to deal with, especially Ta b at h a (whom I dealt with the most). Its difficult now a days to find hard working, friendly employees, but the Metis office certainly has them. It is my dream to one day master in Criminology and use my degree to investigate those who do not abide by the law. I (after my funding ended) began work at the local Service Canada office this summer and hope my foot in the door will help me to succeed. I certainly wouldn’t be where I already am without the Metis Employment and Training Office.
Service Canada Employee Northwest Community College I would like to take this Associates Degree (Arts)
Administrative Assistant Northern Lakes College-Grande Prairie
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Coming home, Going green
Candace Harkness
Public Relations Mount Royal College Bachelor of Applied CommunicationsPublic Relations Program In my experience, a person is always in a constant state of learning. He/she will learn and grow from the time they are born until the day they depart this earth. This is why it has always been important for me to find a good “fit,” not a job, in my life. By “fit” I mean a place where I can practice what I have a talent and passion for in an environment that encourages personal growth, and in an organizational culture that aligns with my personality, values and beliefs. Before my time at Mount Royal College (MRC), I had not found this good fit yet. Following my graduation from high school, I hopped from job to job to get by - working sometimes multiple part-time jobs that never offered any room for advancement. I knew that I could do more but I didn’t know where to start, and the financial commitment that comes with post-secondary education seemed like a barrier to my success. With no prior skills to offer but work experience in retail and childcare, I was beginning to sink deeper into a rut as I scrambled to “eny miny miny mo” through college and university program books. However, no programs I looked at matched the career I was looking for – one that would combine my passion for working with people with my natural talent for grammar and writing. It was only through many conversations and thorough research that I learned about public relations. I knew instantly that it was the choice for me and began to plan which institution I would go to and how I would get there. Once I decided on MRC, I applied for the Metis Employment and Training Program to seek the support I needed to get started. Once I was approved for assistance, I was able to enroll in the Bachelor of Applied Communications – Public Relations program where I acquired a wide range of new skills that would ultimately give me a variety of employment choices upon graduating. I was able to enhance my editing and writing skills in applied writing classes while learning about journalism, marketing, electronic publishing and public relations in the first three years. In my second year, already able to proficiently write communication plans and a variety of other communication pieces, I was offered a job by Alumni Relations at MRC where I helped develop a new student alumni program. While Mount Royal College has directed field studies (DFS) incorporated into the program, I was able to do an eight-month work term during my final year in an office to gain hands-on experience. My training offered me intense practical experience combined with the theory in the classroom that is required to be a capable and sought-after public relations practitioner.
However, this whole experience was not possible without the hard work and dedication from the people who helped me at the Métis association. Since working with the Métis Employment and Training Program in Cranbrook, I have not only received such immense encouragement from the team to move forward with my career, but I grew a desire to learn more about my heritage and become involved. In the past four years I have participated in many Métis events in British Columbia and have acquired new knowledge of the Métis culture while making new friends along the way. In April 2009 when my program came to end, I was on my work term, or DFS, at a company called WestLink Innovation Network Ltd. At this time, I had already received numerous awards and scholarships due to my high grade point average and community involvement. In addition, I was making a generous salary with WestLink. With these income sources, combined with the two years of participation in the Metis Employment and Training Program, I no longer perceived that initial financial commitment as a burden or barrier to my success. As my graduation approached in April 2009, I was fortunate to be chosen as one of Canada’s top 100 graduating students by the Aboriginal Resource Council of Canada. I was flown to Vancouver to participate in Inclusion Works 2009 along with the other chosen students from across the nation, and also participated in a career fair. I made some excellent contacts at the event and even received some possible employment opportunities. In addition, WestLink offered me a permanent position with their company when I graduated. Currently, I am Communications Advisor for the organization in Western Canada. What I like most about public relations is that it is a good “fit” for me. I get to use my problem solving skills, I manage my own time and I am able to write for a living, which I love to do. Every day I am thankful for the path that I have chosen and all of the wonderful people, including my loving family and friends, who contributed my achievements along the way. The Métis association has been one of my greatest supporters and I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to apply for their training program and participate in it.Now I have the luxury of coming to the office each day knowing I always have something new, exciting and challenging to work on. The best part is, I’m not in that rut anymore and I can do whatever I want now that I possess the skills that empower me. I hope to write a book one day, but for now I’m going to enjoy my success and just see where it takes me…
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A Career Nowhere Near Ordinary.
Join the RCMP RCMP Information Sessions To find out where and when the next information session will be found on the RCMP website: www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca then click on Careers/Recruiting and choose your area. All information sessions will be open and preregistration is not required. The RCMP Police Aptitude Test (RPAT) will be announced at the information session. RPAT dates will be held 1-2 months following each information session. In order to write the RPAT, candidates must attend an information session and pre-register for the exam.
For more information, please contact Aboriginal Recruiting Cst. Dee Stewart (604) 264-2712 26
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police offers a challenging and exciting career to those interested in making a difference in their communities and their country. We are looking for people from all walks of life to join Canada’s national police service. In fact, there has never been a better time to apply! Due to retirements and increasing demands for police officers across the country, the RCMP plans to train up to 2,000 cadets each year. And we are looking to actively recruit potential employees and police officers from Aboriginal communities. Career opportunities include: General Duty Aboriginal Policing Marine Services Crime Prevention Federal Policing Customs& Excise Protective Policing Economic Crime Drug Investigation Foreign Missions Airport Security Forensic Services Border Integrity Traffic Services Crime Analysis Explosive Disposal Emergency Response Team VIP / Diplomatic Protection
There are numerous job possibilities for regular, civilian or public service members. We also offer job security and an attractive pay and benefits package. Regular Member Salary: At engagement: $44,513 After 6 months: $57,835 12 months: $62,751 24 months: $67,667 3 years: $72,125
Whispering Winds Fall 2009
Basic Requirements: x Be a Canadian citizen x Be of good character x Be proficient in either official language (English or French) x Have a Canadian secondary school diploma or equivalent x Have a valid unrestricted Canadian driver’s licence x Be at least 19 years of age at engagement x Meet physical / medical requirements x Be willing to relocate anywhere in Canada Recruiting process takes between 812 months. The process includes: Information Session Written Test - RCMP Police Aptitude Test (RPAT) Physical Test – Physical Ability Requirement Evaluation (PARE) Interviews – Suitability Interview Good Character Verification – Background check & Preemployment polygraph Medical/Dental/Psychological Enrollment as a Cadet - 24 week training at Depot in Regina.
www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca
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Joanne Allison, Red Seal Electrician, Métis
Apprentices Are in All Bc industries Construction Forestry Mining Oil and Gas Automotive and Mechanical Work Aerospace Metal Work Graphic Arts Horticulture Hospitality Motion Picture and Theatre ... and more
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Your Journey Towards a Professional Trades Career
Trades people are in demand all over British Columbia. Dan Pope, the Métis Nation BC (MNBC) Minister of Economic Development, and ITA Aboriginal Advisory Committee Member, knew this more than 30 years. He was looking for a career when he recognized that everyone needs a plumber. People get into the trades for many different reasons. Métis Joanne Allison was looking for a challenge, something that gave her the chance to solve problems. The Electrician trade offered her that. Being a Red Seal Electrician enabled Joanne to start her own business mentoring other Aboriginal Electrical apprentices, and with the VanAsep Training Society, support others on how to get into the construction trades. Both Dan and Joanne chose an apprenticeable trade because of the satisfaction it offers. Dan says, “I take pride in my profession, knowing that it sets tough standards, and that I have lived up to them throughout my career.” In British Columbia, there are over 100 jobs that are apprenticeable with each having its own set of standards. Apprenticeships are available in other skilled areas like carpentry, auto mechanics, heavy equipment operation, and in fields such as professional cooking, hairstyling, graphic arts, motion pictures and theatre, and embalming / funeral directing. High school students throughout the province have a chance to explore the trades through the Industry Training Authority’s (ITA) ACE-IT program which gives students high school graduation credits and a head start towards completion of an apprenticeship. For Métis people, the MNBC has regional offices to help you find local employment and training opportunities in the trades. Assessments of essential skills are done to determine whether upgrading of reading, math and study skills are needed to help you succeed in the trades. In the lower mainland, the Métis Skills and Employment Centre in Abbotsford
Dan Gagne, Métis Apprentice Electrician
offers trades information and career counseling, and provides entry-level trades training for the construction industry including carpentry.
or a regional office could help. An apprentice sponsor can be an employer, a Métis or other Aboriginal organization, like an Aboriginal Human Resources Development Agreement (AHRDA) holder.
Once you have decided an apprenticeship is for you, there are a few options to get you started:
While in the apprenticeship, you will go through in-class training with exams approximately once each year, and complete a set number of work-based training hours on the job. Standards for each trade are set by industry – the employers who know what skills are needed on the worksite. An apprenticeship can take between two and five years, with most being four years, and may require you live in another community during the in-class training. One of the best things about learning a trade is that you get paid while you work, and get paid well. In fact, with most employers your pay goes up with every level or year of your apprenticeship.
1) look into a secondary school apprenticeship if you are still in high school;
2) take a Foundation (preapprenticeship) training program at a local college; or 3) find an employer or community agency to sponsor you, and get started right away on your apprenticeship.
When the apprenticeship A Foundation program is a great “Being a tradesperson taught me not is finished and the final exam way to begin. These programs are only the skills for the trade, but more passed, you will receive BC pre-apprenticeship courses designed importantly how to complete a job to help you build the required skills when I start it, and how to do it right. Certification, known as a and knowledge necessary to get a This has served me well throughout “ticket”, and become a journeyperson. In some strong start in your trades training. the rest of my life.” trades you will also receive These programs usually take two to – Dan Pope, Red Seal Plumber, Métis Red Seal endorsement three months in-class and are offered on your Certificate of at many BC post secondary institutes and private Qualifications – Red Seal allows you to work training centres (see www.itabc.ca for a training provider near anywhere in Canada. Many trades people go you). on to become supervisors and managers, and After the Foundation program, the next step is to find a even open their own business, like Joanne. job and a sponsor for that trade. This is also when the MNBC
Start Your Journey in the Trades
Toll Free 1-866-660-6011 customerservice@itabc.ca www.itabc.ca Métis Nation British Columbia Toll free 1-888-850-0832 www.mnbc.ca
The Industry Training Authority Established in 2004, the Industry Training Authority (ITA) is charged with the responsibility of managing BC’s trades training system to develop the province’s skilled workforce. As a provincial crown agency, the ITA works collaboratively with Aboriginal communities and agencies, industry, training providers, career counsellors, labour unions, government and others. The ITA has made a special commitment to finding career opportunities in trades for Aboriginal people, youth, women and immigrants. An Aboriginal Advisory Committee counsels the ITA on matters related to increasing Aboriginal participation in apprenticeship training. Funding for the Aboriginal Initiative is provided under the Canada-BC Labour Market Agreement.
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Financial S ppo Support p t
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www.aboriginallearning.ca Calling all Aboriginal adult education and post-secondary students! ABORIGINAL LEARNING LINKS (ALL) is your gateway to a wide range of post-secondary resources including financial support, post-secondary programs, child care, housing, trades, and more! New scholarships and bursaries are added frequently. ALL is designed with students and potential students in mind. It is full of tools to help you effectively plan for your future. Teachers, school counsellors and parents are welcome too! An initiative of the BC Aboriginal Post-Secondary Education and Training Partners Group: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada MĂŠtis Nation of BC Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development First Nations Educations Steering Committee Indigenous and Adult Higher Learning Association Service Canada
ABORIGINAL LEARNING LINKS 30
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COLLEGE SAFETY
FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ENTERING INTO POST SECONDARY TRAINING, IT IS A WONDROUS TIME AND A NEW ADVENTURE. UNFORTUNATELY OFTEN THIS IS A TIME WHEN OTHERS MIGHT TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU OR HARM YOU. HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO USE TO MAKE YOUR TIME AT COLLEGE SAFE AND ENJOYABLE
While walking around campus • Survey the campus after dark to see that buildings, walkways, quadrangles and parking lots are adequately secured, lighted and patrolled. • Avoid walking alone if possible. • Walk with an air of confidence and stay alert. • Walk in lighted areas. • Keep your hand free, not overloaded. • Have your keys ready. • If you are being followed: cross the street, scream (yell FIRE is best), run to an occupied residence or store, or flag down a car. • Use college safety systems and programs. • Attach a personal alarm to your key chain that can be sounded if someone is following you. • Make sure people know when you will be back. At dorm rooms • Doors and windows to your residence hall should be equipped with quality locks. Room doors should have peepholes and deadbolts. • Do not loan out your key. Never compromise your safety for a roommate or friend who wants the door left unlocked. Replace locks when a key is lost or stolen. • Use caution admitting strangers. • Always ensure proper identity is presented by delivery drivers. • Have good lighting around entrances. • If you are a woman and live alone or with other women, use only your first initials on your mailbox and, when possible, in phone directories. • Report suspicious activity to campus police—or to the police if you live off-campus. • Inspect the dormitory room or off-campus apartment for carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms. If alarms are not present, be sure to install them. If smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are present, test the alarms to make sure that they are working. • Check to see if there are sprinkler systems installed or other safety measures that will ensure your safety in case of a fire. Take part in the drills that you campus has arranged. • Adhere to all the safety rules laid out by your dorm such as safety and appliance use regulations.
While in your car • Keep windows up and doors locked. • Park in well-lighted areas and travel on populated, welllighted streets. • Never pick up hitchhikers. • If you have car trouble, signal for help by raising the hood or tying a white handkerchief to the door handle. Stay locked inside and only open it for safety personnel. • Keep your cell phone with you while traveling so that you could call for help in case of emergency. • DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE! Or get into a car that is driven by a driver under the influence. While out on a date • The unfortunate statistic is that 90 percent of rapes occur between people who already knew each other and that approximately half of rapes happen on dates. This is commonly known as "date rape" or "acquaintance rape." • While sexual assault and rape by an attacker is never the victim's fault, there are a few things women can bear in mind: • Take your time in getting to know your companion or “date.” Don't spend time alone with someone who makes her feel uneasy or uncomfortable. This means following your instincts and removing herself from situations that you don't feel good about. • Stay with a group of people. Avoid risky areas, such as deserted areas. • Avoid excessive alcohol. According to studies, more than 70,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 have been victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape. • Be alert for possible use of “date rape drugs” such as Rohypnol, which is illegal. Someone can slip it into a drink. It causes drowsiness, a loss of coordination, dizziness and memory loss. Never take drinks from other people and don’t leave your drink unattended. • Tell someone you trust your date’s name, destination and planned time of return. • Take money for a phone call, cell phone and taxi fare with you. A final word PREPARATION AND AWARENESS ARE THE KEYS TO SAFETY IN ANY SITUATION. PUT THE WORD ICE (IN CASE OF EMERGENCY) INTO YOUR PHONE WITH A PARENT OR GUARDIAN NAME PROGRAMMED WITH THIS CODE. THE AUTHORITIES KNOW TO LOOK FOR THIS CODE IN CASE AN EMERGENCY OCCURS AND THEY NEED TO GET IN TOUCH WITH A RELATIVE. THROUGH PREPARATION AND AWARENESS YOU WILL ENJOY INCREASED CONFIDENCE IN KNOWING YOU ARE PROTECTED. Whispering Winds Fall 2009
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Youth Camps leather Drying Fruit
Elder Margaret Sloan, BCM Rob Humpherville, Youth Di Colette Trudeau, Mike Be Fishery Officer and Jim DAllin CVMN discuss fishing on the West Coast Vancouver Island
nd wCastle Isla e N t a s k a Kay etis Camp Mid-Island M
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Youth Gather for Metis Camp from all over Vancouver Island
Mixing
Close to civilization
Culture
s
Coming home, Going green
Smudging
New Drums
old River, BC songs Campers in G arning drum le e ir f t a huddle
Cookhouse on Newcastle Island Metis Youth Camp
MANR irector ennie, MIMN
lean to ca mp
Fruit Leathe r is sundried
teaches Tom Finnie
Songs campfire
Danielle Welch, Youth Leader and Organizer of Mid Island Youth Camp, teaches kayaking. Whispering Winds Fall 2009
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COLETTE TRUDEAU
Colette Trudeau is the new Director of Youth with Métis Nation British Columbia. She is 24 years old and currently resides in the city of Maple Ridge. Colette is Métis with her roots originating with her great grandfather who was a settler in the Red River Valley. She learnt about her Métis identity through her elementary school’s aboriginal support worker and then became involved in many of the aboriginal events hosted throughout her high school years. Colette graduated with honors in French Immersion and is currently a student at BCIT pursuing her degree in Human Resources. Throughout her work experience, she brings an extensive background in real estate and customer service. Colette comes to MNBC with a very colourful background. She has had the opportunity to travel across North America as the lead singer of the allfemale rock band, LiveonRelease. The band had a #1 34
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single with 4 music videos appearing on Much Music. Colette continues to pursue music and many of her original songs can be found in movies, TV shows and commercials.
Colette has also had the opportunity to host and be interviewed by APTN’s television series MYTV, where she was able to showcase her music for the first time to the aboriginal community. Colette is very passionate about working with the youth of British Columbia and ensuring that they have a voice while preserving the Métis culture. She is very excited to be involved with the different Métis communities across B.C. and eager to advocate for Métis Youth. “I believe that this is a very exciting time for Métis Youth. We have new faces, new ideas and new relationships to build. It’s time to take all this new energy and do something great.”
Coming home, Going green
Métis Nation British Columbia hosts Métis National Youth Conference Métis Nation British Columbia was pleased to host the Métis National Youth Conference: Healthy Living 2010 and Beyond in Vancouver July 9 – 12, 2009. The MNBC Ministry of Health and Sport, the Ministry of Youth, the Ministry of Elders along with MNBC’s 2010 Coordinator teamed up to deliver a weekend of traditional Métis health teachings, contemporary teachings linked to Métis youth identity, incorporating a focus on the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games and healthy living. Métis youth attended from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and from around British Columbia. Many of the attendees were pre-screened nominees for Olympic Métis Youth Torchbearer or Flame Attendant positions. Workshops were facilitated by Métis Elders, Aboriginal youth and other talented Aboriginal facilitators. Workshops included: Kris Archie with Right to be Healthy, Shelby Desjarlais with Fitness First and Healthy Choices, Maddy McCallum with Getting Jiggy with It, Health 101 with Holly Tennant, Identity Through Hip Hop and the Community with Winston Wuttunee Jr, Medicines to Heal Us: Traditional Métis Medicines with Elder Annie Johnston, Creating a National Youth Voice with Minister Responsible for Youth Stephanie Albiston and MNBC President Bruce Dumont, Elder Tom McCallum with Guided Meditation: Identity and Self-Discovery, Miyo-Pimatisiwan: Balanced Lifestyle and Miyo-Ohpikihowasowin: Exploring traditions around childrearing. Métis youth, along with their families were able to play basketball and volleyball at the Olympic Speed Skating Oval, meet Speed Skating, gold medal winner Clara Hughes and the Olympic Mascots, tour the BC Sports Hall of Fame, and visit Stanley Park to dip their feet in the Pacific Ocean. The National Aboriginal Health Organization – Métis Centre launched their Métis youth identity project on Friday night at the Métis Youth Talent Show. Saturday night’s Gala Banquet Dinner was held with headlining performers, Manitoba’s Asham Stompers. The weekend was a great success, conference delegates share their feelings “It meant the world for me to be around Elders who are proud to share their knowledge and identity”, “I feel way more proud to be Métis”, “This conference gave
me more understanding about my culture” and “It made me happy to be able to interact with other Métis youth from across the country…” Métis Nation British Columbia would like to thank their sponsors and partners for their contribution, they include; Department of Canadian Heritage, Métis National Council, National Aboriginal Health Organization-Métis Centre, Manitoba Métis Federation, the Asham Stompers, VANOC and the Four Host First Nations.
Left corner: Youth Conference Delegates at the Olympic Oval in Richmond Above top left - Olympian Clara Hughes (Speed Skating Gold Medalist) with one of her skates Above top right - Olympian Clara Hughes with Youth Delegate Mike Lowe in her skin suit Above bottom left - From left to right, MNBC Director of Youth, Colette Trudeau, Health and Sport Program Assistant, Tresley Tourond-Bouvier, MNBC President Bruce Dumont, Olympian Clara Hughes, MNBC Minister Responsible for Youth and Sport, Stephanie Albiston with Olympic Mascots Above bottom right - Youth Conference Delegates at the BC Sports Hall of Fame located at BC Place, location of the 2010 Opening Ceremonies
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LOOKING BACK AT THE MÉTIS NATIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCE HEALTHY LIVING 2010 AND BEYOND
by DAVE PELTIER On July 10 to 12, I had the opportunity to attend the Métis day. The conference organizers did a wonderful job selecting National Youth Conference: Healthy Living 2010 and Beyond. the facilitators they did. The conference was hosted by MNBC in Richmond, and was While all the workshops were quite good, and I was unable the first National Métis Youth Conference to be held in three to take all of them (including the highly recommended Getting years. Over sixty-five (65) people attended, approximately Jiggy With It with Maddy McCallum and Identity through forty (40) being youth delegates such as myself from British Hip Hop and the Community with Winston Wuttunee Jr.), I was particularly impressed and enjoyed the two workshops: Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. Guided Meditation: Identity As a Métis youth, I thought and Self-Discovery (Inner it would be a great opportunity Journey Meditation using to meet other interested and Creation Stories) facilitated active youth from different by Elder Tom McCallum, regions of the country. I looked and Medicines to Heal us: forward to learning of the Traditional Métis Medicines successes and challenges that facilitated by Elder Annie were held in common and/or Johnston. different in the varying regions. The first of these two, I was also curious to see the with Elder Tom McCallum, age range of delegates (at age was a very spiritual and 27, I am nearing the “end” of enlightening experience. being considered a youth). He had us sit on chairs in a While the topic or theme of the circle with blankets around conference didn’t particularly us to give us a feeling of interest me at the beginning, I safety. We then closed our have to admit that by the time eyes and through Elder the conference concluded on Tom’s guiding voice and Sunday, I was quite impressed drumming, we were lead to and very appreciative of how look into ourselves, to find the conference went and who our center, that power within put it on. ourselves that allows us to Most of the delegates do anything, be anything, arrived on Thursday and were see anything. He told us the able to meet that first evening. Cree creation story and later, As a resident of Vancouver, when everyone was relating I had decided to commute to the conference each day and didn’t make the initial meet and what they saw on their meditation, the themes of forests, greet. However, I did begin meeting the other delegates the rivers and mountains from the story were an important part of each participant’s journey. It was such a hit that next morning at breakfast. The conference began with an opening prayer by MNBC Elder McCallum was asked to give this workshop again on Senator Philip Gladue, which was given in Cree, one of our Sunday. languages. It was very moving, and I thank Senator Gladue The second workshop I really enjoyed was Elder Annie for sharing with all of us those warm words in such a Johnston’s presentation on medicinal plants. She had many beautiful language. After the opening prayer, the workshop samples, and was very patient in passing them around for facilitators were introduced and each spoke briefly about people to smell, touch and even taste many of the plants. It themselves and the workshop they would be providing that was quite amusing to see everyone’s face when they tried the
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sample of rat root that Elder Johnston gave out. It was the first time I had ever tried rat root and found it to be quite bitter. Elder Johnston went through each plant, telling us how she harvested them, how to prepare the various medicines with them, and for which ailments they were used. I have always found medicinal plants very interesting, and it was such a treat to have Elder Johnston share her knowledge with us all. I would love the opportunity to go into the woods and help her harvest her various plants. I’m sure it would be such an incredible experience. To wind up the first day of the conference, we all had dinner together followed by a “talent show”. While I think many people were nervous and didn’t know what to expect, I believe I can speak for everyone there that it was way better than anyone could have imagined. I couldn’t believe how talented many of the youth delegates were. Several highlights included performances by Conlin DelbaereSawchuk from Ontario, some of the fiddlers that performed, Maddy McCallum’s jigging as well as the other delegates who participated in her jigging workshops earlier in the day. Another highlight was a performance of a track that was written during the hip hop workshop and worked on before dinner. We also found out that our own MNBC Youth Director, Colette Trudeau, used to be in an all girl rock band and was able to convince her to sing one of her singles from her band with the conference’s MC, Ry Moran, accompanying her on the guitar. It was a fun evening that made you laugh, clap and cheer. It was great. Saturday was a tour day. All the youth delegates got into one bus while the elders and parents were in another. The first place we visited was the new Olympic Oval in Richmond. I was very impressed with the new Olympic facility. What most impressed me with the building was the beautiful ceiling which was created with 100% reclaimed pine-beetle wood. As someone who grew up in a northwest BC town that depended on forestry, I knew how bad the pine-beetle problem was and have seen the dead forests along the side of the mountains. It was great to see that the building designers were able to incorporate the reclaimed wood in such a beautiful way. We were given a quick tour and then able to play basketball and volleyball on the courts in the center of the ice track. After our bit of exercise, we were very fortunate to meet Olympian Clara Hughes. It was such an honor to meet someone I had cheered on in both the Summer and Winter Games. Clara told us of her childhood in Winnipeg and some of the trials she had overcome on her journey to
being an Olympic gold medalist. She let some of us try on the special suits she wears for speed skating, and passed around the medals she won at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turino, Italy. It was the first time I had ever seen an Olympic medal in person, and it was quite an experience. Clara was a very humble person and was very eager to share her experiences. You could see that she was genuinely touched when MNBC President Bruce Dumont presented her with a Sash, and I look forward to cheering her on during the 2010 Olympics this February. After lunch, we got back on the bus and were driven around various parts of Richmond and Vancouver. For many of the delegates, it was their first time to Vancouver, and it was a good chance for them to see the city. I even saw parts that I hadn’t yet seen since living here. We drove past the curling Olympic venue, and stopped downtown at BC Place to check out the BC Sports Hall of Fame. It was my first time there and it was interesting to see the exhibitions. Following that, we drove to and around Stanley Park, stopping at Second Beach. I am an avid scuba diver and surfer and always love being in the ocean. However, it was quite a treat to see the excitement of many of the youth delegates, many from the prairies, who had never seen the ocean before this trip, and had never had the opportunity to swim in it. I had to laugh a couple of times when I saw their reaction to the saltiness of the water. We had time for only a short visit to the beach, but it was a nice break before getting on the bus to go back to Richmond. The gala dinner on Saturday night was quite an event. The night opened with Métis Veterans and a couple of the youth delegates carrying in the flags. Senator Philip Gladue once again led the prayer before we all settled in for a wonderful dinner. While I am not able to really comment on all the presentations and speeches given at the dinner, I would like to note that MNC President Clement Chartier was present and gave a speech recognizing the important role that Métis Youth have in carrying forward. The after dinner entertainment was quite excellent. The Asham Stompers from Manitoba performed and were amazing. For me, this conference was the first opportunity to see Métis jigging up close. I must admit that I felt spoiled after seeing Maddy McCallum on Friday and the Asham Stompers on Saturday. They were very entertaining and engaging, and it would have been a shock to see someone in the audience not clapping or stomping along with the fiddle and guitar players as they performed. When they had finished performing the fiddle and guitar players stayed up
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to jig along with them. It carried on quite a while and BC. I look forward to staying connected with the was still going on when I left to go home for the night. amazing young Métis I met and hope to work with them in the future. It was a great experience, and I On the final morning, Stephanie Albiston, the hope to pass on what I learned to other Métis youth. MNBC Minister Responsible for Youth and Sport and one of the conference organizers, facilitated one It would be remiss of me to not take the time to of the final workshops entitled Creating a National thank the organizers of the conference and I would Youth Voice. Together with MNBC President Dumont, like to do so here. While there are many people who they shared some of the successes of the Métis Youth helped bring this conference together, including within MNBC, including how youth in BC are given a Marcel Chalmers, MNBC’s 2010 Winter Games full vote on all MNBC matters. It was an opportunity Coordinator, there are three people who deserve a for all the youth delegates to talk together and try to ton of credit. I have already mentioned Stephanie come up with ideas on how to support one another and Albiston, MNBC Minister Responsible for Youth bring back a National Métis Youth voice. From what and Sport, and Colette Trudeau, MNBC Director of I learned over the course of the weekend, the Métis Youth. The other person responsible for organizing National Youth Advisory Council has been defunct the conference was the conference coordinator herself, since about 2006. This means that there has been Tresley Tourond-Bouvier, MNBC Health and Sport a vacuum at the national level of any Métis Youth Program Assistant. These women were responsible voice. I was a little disappointed that MNC President for organizing the delegates’ travel arrangements, Clement Chartier was unable to stay for this particular the hotel and other venues, the busses and basically workshop as it would have been great to speak with everything. I sincerely appreciate their hard work and him about these matters, but I was very impressed believe that the success of the conference is due to with President Dumont’s commitment to recreating a them. They deserve to be congratulated and praised National Youth voice and pledging his support. I think for their work bringing forth the first National Métis that we took a lot out of this workshop and it was good Youth Conference since 2006. Thank you ladies. to see that the connections made over the weekend would be used to help keep the momentum created at this conference to bring back a National Youth voice within the Métis. The conference ended shortly thereafter with a final closing prayer by Senator Philip Gladue again in Cree. Many of the delegates had long travel days ahead of them and it was good to see everyone exchanging email addresses and other information. I took quite a lot out of this conference and was very honored to have the opportunity to serve as a Métis youth delegate from 38
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CONSULTATION IN ACTION By Dave Peltier
S
ince the Supreme Court of Canada’s decisions in Haida and Taku River, the issue of consultation has been a hotly discussed and debated topic throughout Canada. These decisions put a legal duty on the Crown to consult and, if appropriate, accommodate when contemplating conduct that might adversely impact section 35 rights, whether established or potential. While this legal duty is on the Crown only, consultation has become common practice between Aboriginal groups and industry as well. On February 25, 2009, the MNBC Board of Directors approved MNBC’s Consultation Guidelines. These Guidelines were produced under the authority of Article 11 of the MNBC Natural Resource Act, which was ratified unanimously at the AGM on September 27, 2008. They are designed to identify a consistent approach to consultation to be applied by MNBC and its relevant ministries, and are intended to define MNBC’s role in the consultation process and set out their expectations of the Crown and industry. To address the concerns and interests of BC Métis around the proposed Gateway pipeline and marine project, a Métis Consultation Project Team (MCPTeam) was formed between MNBC and Enbridge Northern Gateway Partnership on June 1, 2009. The MCPTeam consists of Enbridge Aboriginal relations and technical representatives including Catherine Palmer, Director, Aboriginal Relations/BC Region, Jason Harris, Environment and Community Partnerships, Stephanie Charlie, Environmental Support, Natalie BourbonnaisSpear and Helen Evans, Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge Program, as well as representatives from the five potentially affected Métis communities including: Sid Peltier of the
Northwest BC Métis Association, Kim Hodgson of the Tri River Métis Association, Allan Howell of the New Caledonia Métis Association, Tom Spence of the Prince George Métis Community Association and Malcolm Supernault of the North East Métis Association. Also part of the MCPTeam are Captain Rob Humpherville, Chief of Operations Dean Trumbley, Director of Natural Resources Gary Ducommun and Natural Resource Program Assistant Dave Peltier. The MCPTeam has committed to following the MNBC Consultation Guidelines throughout the consultation process. In the first meetings, the MCPTeam has commenced the development of work plans for the collection of Métis Traditional Knowledge and for community engagement. Early discussions regarding job market, training, economic development and procurement have also been undertaken. Enbridge and MNBC have also met jointly with Métis Nation Alberta representatives to explore opportunities for cooperative activities across the full length of the project. With an anticipated project completion date several years into the future, the consultation processes started this past June have a long ways to go. However, the solid foundations being established at this time will allow for BC Métis concerns and interests to be heard and taken into account in the early stages of Gateway pipeline and marine projects. It ensures meaningful consultation with accountability of both Enbridge Northern Gateway Partnerships and MNBC to the Métis citizens potentially affected. For more information on consultation, go to www.mnbc. ca/bcmanr/bcmanr.html. Whispering Winds Fall 2009
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MNBC HEALTH CORRECTION: On page 37 of the Spring issue of Whispering Winds it stated that the picture (to the right) was of MNBC’s Métis Regional Health Co-ordinators.The picture is actually of Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport - Aboriginal Health Branch staff and of Health Authority Aboriginal Leads. Back Row Left to Right: June Halliday (MoHLS-AHB), Tanya Davoren (MNBC), Clint Kuzio (MoHLS-AHB), Ian Knipe (VIHA Aboriginal Lead)Front Row Left to Right: Deborah Schwartz (MoHLS-AHB Executive Director), Nicole Ryan (MoHLS-AHB), Denise Taylor (IHA Aboriginal Lead), Linda Day (VCH Aboriginal Lead) The picture below is the one that should have been printed
HEALTH DIRECTOR SUBMISSION I am pleased to report the great progress that the five (5) Regional Health Coordinators are making in your Communities and with your regional Health Authorities. The profile of Métis people’s health status is certainly being raised. These part-time remote based employees are engaging with our Métis Chartered Communities and area Health Authorities to facilitate increased access to existing health programs and services, and are working to identify gaps and barriers to services for Métis people through-out BC. Our Data-Matching agreement with the Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport and the Ministry of Health Services will provide much needed data for Métis health conditions to be recognized by provincial and federal stakeholders. Meetings with MNBC’s Senate and the Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport and Ministry of Health Services are scheduled for August. Chronic Disease Surveillance Program Manager Dr. Peter Hutchinson and I, look forward to updating you at the AGM on the progress of the Data-matching agreement. Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) – Romy Pritchard rpritchard@mnbc.ca, is your Regional Health Coordinator for Vancouver Island Health Authority. All the Métis Chartered Communities on Vancouver Island are within Romy’s catchement area. Romy is based out of Victoria, and her cell phone number is 250-896-2786.
of the Regional Health Coordinators, Health Staff Pic is of:Back Row Left to Right: Tim St Denis (RHC - Lower Mainland), Tanya Davoren (Director of Health and Sport), Cori Ducommun (RHC - Thompson/Okanagan/Kootenay) Front Row Left to Right: Tresley Tourond-Bouvier (Health and Sport Program Assistant), Sandra Conlon (RHC - North Central/Northwest/Northeast), Romy Pritchard (RHC - Vancouver Island), and Holly Tennant (RHC- Greater Vancouver).
Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCH) – Holly Tennant htennant@mnbc.ca, Holly is your Regional Health Coordinator for Vancouver Métis Cultural Society (only Chartered Community that falls within VCH’s catchement area) her number is 604-454-8163. Holly will also work with the Provincial Health Service Authority and is based out of her home in North Vancouver. Fraser Health Authority (FHA) – Timothy St. Denis tstdenis@ mnbc.ca. Tim’s number is 604-341-9216 and he is the Coordinator for all Métis Chartered Communities in the Lower Mainland except the Vancouver Community and is based out of Delta. Interior Health Authority (IHA) – Cori Ducommun cducommun@ mnbc.ca. Interior Health has all Métis Chartered Communities of the Thompson/Okanagan and Kootenay Regions, plus Williams Lake from North Central. Cori’s cell number is 250305-6138 and he is based out of his home in William’s Lake. Northern Health Authority (NHA) – Sandra Conlon sconlon@ mnbc.ca as your NHA Regional Health Coordinator. Northern Health Authority includes all the Métis Chartered Communities of North East, North West and all of North Central (excluding Williams Lake). Sandra’s cell number is 250631-2003 and she is based out of Terrace.
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METIS WELLNESS FAIRS AND WORKSHOPS FOR VANCOUVER ISLAND REGION The VI Health Coordinator is pleased to announce Metis Wellness Fairs and Workshops in each of the six Chartered Communities on Vancouver Island! The funding and partnerships that helped provide these Metis Wellness Fairs and Workshops are from the BC Cancer Agency, the Vancouver Island Health Authority, and the Metis Women of British Columbia. Each community’s fair and workshop will provide some of these opportunities, · Transportation Vouchers · Child Minding Services · Health and Recreation Activity Information Fair · Elders Teas · Appetizers · Women’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Workshops · Mental Health and Addictions Workshops · Safe Sleeping Practices for Babies Workshops · Health Screening Clinics · AND MUCH MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED! The Metis Wellness Fairs and Workshops events will be open from 10am – 6pm to accommodate various schedules. These events will be open for all Metis people talk to community REGIONAL HEALTH COORDINATOR- FRASER HEALTH AUTHORITY The past 10 weeks have been invigorating to say the least. I was hired by MNBC to be your representative with Fraser Health Authority. We have had 4 meetings to date with the three Aboriginal Health Improvement Committees from Fraser Health Authority which covers most of the lower mainland excluding Richmond and Vancouver. The meetings have been very cordial and informative. The participants are all front line workers working with Aboriginal people in their communities. They have been keen to learn about Métis Culture and Heritage as over 30% of their clientele are reported by Fraser Health Authority, to be Metis. Visits to each Métis Chartered Community to speak on
service providers, pick up information on health and recreation services, attend a workshop or two on special topics, do a health screening, have a bite to eat, and talk with Elders and other community members. The Metis Wellness Fairs and Workshops are being tentative planned for the following months for each of the communities: OCTOBER 2009 Port Alberni Clayoquot Metis Association (Port Alberni) ph. 250-720-0305 NOVEMBER 2009 North Island Metis Nation (Campbell River) ph. 250-2877417 JANUARY 2010 Metis Nation of Greater Victoria (Victoria) ph. 250-3806070 FEBRUARY 2010 Cowichan Valley Metis Association (Duncan) ph. 250-7466146 MARCH 2010 Mid-Island Metis Nation (Nanaimo) ph. 250-740-0223 APRIL 2010 MIKI’SIW Metis Association (Courtenay) ph. 250-3395843 For more information on the Metis Wellness Fair and Workshops in your community please contact your local Chartered Community office or the VI Health Coordinator, Romy Pritchard at 250-896-2786.
various aspects of health care are a priority for my position. Blood screenings to look for irregularities in blood pressure, blood glucose levels and total cholesterol in our Metis Citizens are paramount. A large part of my mission is to detect early signs of diabetes and problems surrounding heart disease. I find people to be surprised that this service is being offered and then happy to participate once they know that they may be a candidate for such a serious problem. Identifying potential grants and funding possibilities for the 5 Métis Chartered Communities is an important part of my position. I am constantly looking for ways to secure funding for health related events. Writing proposals is quickly becoming a larger part of my portfolio. I look forward to meeting as many of my people as possible as I set out to meet my mandate. Respectfully submitted by Tim St. Denis D.C. Whispering Winds Fall 2009
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MNBC HEALTH ABORIGINAL NURSING CONFERENCE: BUILDING COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH INNOVATIVE PRACTICE” Métis Nation British Columbia Ministry of Health recently worked in partnership with the Native and Inuit Nurses Association and the BC Nurses Union - Aboriginal Leadership Circle to deliver a province-wide Aboriginal Nursing Conference. The Conference “Building Collaborative Relationships through Innovative Practice” was held at the University of British Columbia’s First Nations Longhouse on June 17, 2009. The Conference had 46 participants in attendance from around the province including Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal nurses, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health care providers, Health Authority staff and other stakeholders. The Conference focused on information sharing and moving forward together with presentations from the Provincial Health Services Authority: Connections in Care – Recruitment and Retention in Rural and Remote Aboriginal Communities, First Nations Health Council: Higher Education for Aboriginal Learners – Think HEALTH!, Native and Inuit Nurses Association – Past and Future, Simon Fraser University – Aboriginal Pre-Health Program, Nursing Recruitment-Providing a Path for Aboriginal Youth, Thompson Rivers University: Promoting Aboriginal Nursing – Recruitment, Retention and Leadership Development
Partnerships Increase Métis Community Capacity The Chronic Disease Surveillance Program is well under way. Recently Program manager Peter Hutchinson attended meetings in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with Métis Nation Saskatchewan Kelly Patrick Director of Health, First Nations University of Canada faculty Carrie Bourassa, National Aboriginal Health Organization research officer Mohan Kumar, Statistics Canada researcher Teresa Janz and Office of the Federal Interlocutor representative Jodi Bruhn to discuss a research partnership that will advance Métis Community capacity for health data usage. The planned project aims to: • increase Métis Community capacity to protect their rights regarding uses of publicly held information • to identify data that will support efforts to improve Métis health status • to identify data that is currently available to Métis communities • and, to identify data use needs that are specific to Métis communities that is not currently available. This aims will be met through community consultation meetings that will be held in conjunction with existing Métis Community events. These meetings will occur between October 2009 and March 2010. The project will enhance the current Chronic Disease Surveillance Program by providing MNBC with greater insight into the data needs of Métis Community members. The goal of this program is to reduce the health disparity gap that currently exists between Métis People and the general population of Canada. Accompanying this health inequity is a large data gap that has resulted in a service delivery gap. The Chronic Disease Surveillance Program and the partnership with First Nations University of Canada, Métis Nation Saskatchewan and federal government representative will address the health inequity by providing reliable and consistent data for health service providers and Métis Communities. By Peter Hutchinson, CDSP Manager.
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MNBC REGISTRY
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etis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) would like to reintroduce Audrey Prevost, the Regional Registry Clerk for Northern British Columbia. Audrey is a proud MNBC citizen and has been a Registry Clerk with MNBC for four years. Audrey was born in Hazelton, BC, which is a small northwest community situated in the rugged Roche de Boule Mountain Range. Audrey embraces her heritage, the traditional foods, music and dance, and enjoys beading in her free time. She has a solid understanding of Metis genealogy and has been researching in this field for eight years and has traced her roots back to the Red River Settlement in Manitoba. Audrey continues her formal studies of genealogy and is working toward her accreditation in Canadian genealogy at the National Institute for Genealogy through the University of Toronto. Audrey’s office is based in Prince George, where she shares office space with the Metis Human Resource Development Agreement (MHRDA) program staff. This central location at #201-513 Ahbau Street gives clients the opportunity to utilize the services of MHRDA and inquire about their application process in one office. Audrey has been working with the MNBC citizenship applicants from the North Central Region for four years however, recent re-organization within the MNBC Central Registry has expanded Audrey’s duties to now include both the North West region as well as the North East. Once an application is forwarded to Audrey’s office, it is
reviewed for completion, and entered into the Central Registry database. If any area of the application is incomplete, a letter is forwarded to the applicant to explain what is required of them to continue with the citizenship process. Audrey is able to assist applicants in directing them in obtaining documents needed for their applications and has information available to assist people in retrieving their vital statistic records, baptismal records, and pedigree information. While it is not Audrey’s role to complete applicant’s genealogical background on their behalf, she will assist wherever possible and work with the applicant one-on-one to achieve their goals. She is available Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm for private, in-person appointments or by telephone. Once a citizenship application has been completed, the Registry Clerk forwards it to the MNBC head office in Vancouver for final review. Audrey is looking forward to working with the Metis people in the North Western and North Eastern parts of the province and is able to assist individuals outside of the Prince George area by telephone and email. If you have any questions about a current application, or would like help in getting your application started, please contact Audrey from the information provided below: Audrey Prevost Northern BC Registry Clerk #201-513 Ahbau St. Prince George, BC V2M 3R8
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MÉTIS WOMEN BC GREETINGS ON BEHALF OF THE MÉTIS WOMEN OF BRITISH COLUMBIA s the Provincial Chairperson for Women, Minister Responsible for Women and Elders Rose Bortolon, I would like to welcome all Community Leaders, Women, Elders, Veterans, Members and guests to the Annual General Meeting of the Métis Nation British Columbia. We are very proud to be here to participate in the important governance work of the Metis Nation British Columbia. The Métis Women of British Columbia have recently inaugurated our four newest Women’s Representatives: Vancouver Island Region, Ms. Clara DalCol, Thompson Okanagan Region, Ms. Sherry Arko, Kootenay Region, Ms. Donna Wright, and the North East Region, Ms. Leanne McFeeters. These new representatives are busy planning their first Regional Women’s meetings with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage, Aboriginal Women’s Program. We would like to thank Sandra Roach, Manager of Aboriginal Women’s Programs for her support in delivering regional gatherings. I would also like to extend my sincere “thank you” to our Métis Elders and Lower Mainland Chartered
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MÉTIS WOMEN OF BRITISH COLUMBIA t is with a sense of wonder that I have begun my part in the Métis Women of BC. I was accepted into this role of MNBC Region 4 Métis Women’s Representative (Kootenay Region) in the late spring of this year by acclamation. Since
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Communities for supporting MNBC and Metro Vancouver Urban Aboriginal Strategy Elders Engagement events this past year. Your interest and participation will support our request to continue work in your area, with our partners at Metro Vancouver Urban Aboriginal Strategy. We look forward to providing more opportunities for Métis Elders from throughout the province to participate in programs in partnership with the Métis Nation British Columbia, and will continue to seek opportunities to fund Elders gatherings. We are in the process of working on several potential sources of support to increase activities for Métis Women in British Columbia, including a National Métis Women’s program that will address healing and violence prevention in Métis communities. The Status of Women Canada Director General, Havelin Anand visited the offices of the Métis Nation British Columbia in July 2009, and was very supportive and encouraging of the Métis Women of British Columbia and our hopes to expand activities at the community and regional level for our women and their communities. On behalf of myself, and Victoria Pruden, Director of Women, Elders and Veterans, we would like to thank all of you for your support and interest throughout the year, good work Métis Women of British Columbia!
that time I have had several group conferences with the Reps from the other 4 regions and the Provincial Rep. I only knew one face and that was of Rose Bortolon. We then met as a group in Vancouver for our first face to face meeting. The first night that we met, we had supper together. We had President Bruce Dumont and wife, Vice-President Dave Hodgson and wife, and Senator Phillip Gladue and wife as a part of the group. While enjoying each other’s company and laughter (which as you know when we get together is plentiful), my son and granddaughter showed up and in the few minutes I spoke with them in the hall, two places were set for them. When I seen that I knew that I was in a place that I wanted to be, a place where family is not only important, but it is demonstrated in just such an act—another place at the table. Later in the meal, Mr. Phillip Gladue spoke, only as he can, looking at the two young people that were present, about the importance of our youth. My granddaughter felt the full impact of her worth; she already knows that with, but now from total strangers who share the same values and beliefs. The generosity of the Nation that I belong to and some of whom were in that room continued with picture taking and ensuring that no one was left out----“MAGIC”.
Coming home, Going green
We continued the time we had together with each of the new Regional Women’s Rep taking their Oath of Office. How deeply moved I was and am by the words—and that my son and Grand daughter were there to witness the most wonderful event. The next day was spent team building and once again I am over-whelmed by the depth of generosity and the places that we connect through the history of our Nation. We completed the tasks at hand, Governance, Policy and Procedures, Communications tool review, Violence prevention ( which I prefer to look at it from the perspective of Family Strength Building), Overview of Aboriginal Women’s program, planning for regions, Strategic Planning and feedback and of course a Métis Women BC “Act”. So much to do but first, I plan to have a meeting in the Region 4 Regional Office with two women from each of the 5 communities in our region within the next two months. I hope to have each community represented by two women that
have an interest and to pass on to them what I have learned, but most importantly, to get to know each region and what is important to them. The intent then is to find ways to support that whether through visits, looking for appropriate funding and capacity building. The bottom line is that it is my hope to spread the good feelings and connection that I have experienced so that others can experience it too. To share the wonder of the sense of belonging to any members of the Region I have the honor of being a part of. Yours in the Spirit of the Métis Family, Community and Nation Donna Wright, Mother, Grandmother, Member of the Métis Nation BC, Region 4 Métis Women’s BC Rep.
SUSIE HOOPER NORTHWEST WOMEN’S REPRESENTATIVE am the Northwest regional women’s representative. It has been a good year for me, one with a large learning curve. I am very excited now that all seven regions have a regional women’s rep. There was a gathering at the end of June where we were all able to meet as a whole group. We brainstormed, shared our stories and got to know one another better. We all share a common bond of what we, as regional women’s rep’s, can do to connect and find out what the women of MNBC would like from us. We went over the five year plan as well as policies and port-
folios. It was very interesting to learn and see how each one of us have different yet similar strong characteristics to bring to MNBC women. Together we form strong diverse connections that will serve the women of MNBC well. I am looking forward to the next few years for us to grow together and work with the Métis women of BC. The Northwest region consists of three communities — Northwest Métis Association, Prince Rupert, Northwest BC Métis Association, Terrace and Tri River Métis Association, Smithers and area. We are fortunate that there are women’s representative’s in each community. I’d like to thank these women for volunteering to represent the women of their communities. If you would like to contact myself or the community reps please do so. We would love to hear from the Métis women of the Northwest. One of my goals is to set up an information network so that we can better communicate and help one another. We are hoping to have a regional women’s gathering this fall. All the details are not yet finalized but if you contact your women’s rep or myself we will pass on what info we have. My contact info is: Susie Hooper: 250-874-0665 or 250-847-4708 shooper@mnbc.ca. The others are: Northwest Women’s Rep, Prince Rupert Rachel Hagen 250-627-4391 mringer@citytel.ca Rachel volunteers at the Prince Rupert office every Thursday and would love you to stop by. Northwest BC Women’s Rep Terrace Rosanne Pearce 250-638-8509 rayven1@telus.net Tri River Women’s Rep Smithers Bonnie Merlo 250-847-1491 nbmerlo@telus.net
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VETERANS
Raven Graduation 21 Aug. (from l to r) Barb Hulme, Kirsten Lang, Lissa Smith, Tessa Lang and Art Lefever. Kirsten and Tessa are 2009 Raven graduates from Courtenay.
Courtenay Metis Day 19 June. Veterans (l to r) Art Lefever, Jim Louttit, and Wayne Price.
Veterans at 2008 MNBC AGM
A Special Gift for MNBC Veteran Tadhg Addison Parenteau-Bouzane born May 15th in Vernon. First grandson for Region 3 MĂŠtis Veterans representative Ernest Parenteau and wife Gail.
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JOHN ARCAND AT THE MÉTIS SHOWCASE REGIONAL ROUND-UP Last year was the first. This year will be the best. Mark bigger and better. There will be more vendors, music, “Métis Showcase” on the rd th dancing and workshops – including fiddle workshops by October 3 and 4 squares of John Arcand, Master of the Métis fiddle. Then, Saturday your calendar right now. No, evening, Mr. Arcand will help us raise the roof as he plays really. We’ll wait.... during a catered Dinner and Dance! .... great! “Admission is by donation at the door, but there is Fraser Valley Métis no fee for the workshops,” explains Lepine, “These are Association will be holding workshops with John Arcand - a real opportunity to learn their second annual Métis Showcase to feature the work of Métis people throughout from the best of the best.” He smiles and adds, “Then, our province. The Abbotsford Ag-Rec Building will boast of course, you will want to get yourself a ticket to enjoy the catered dinner and dance to the tunes of Mr. Arcand Métis vendors and performers displaying all the things afterwards.” we do best. While admission to the Showcase will be by Dennis Weber was one artist that was featured at the donation, tickets to the Dinner and Dance will need to be showcase last year. “It was lots of fun. I enjoyed myself,” purchased for $30 per person in advance by contacting Dennis recounts, “The people were really good, it was FVMA’s President, John Lepine atjmlepine@telus.net or a good gathering. It was a good showing of music and 604-795-5239 by Sept 28, 2009. culture.” President of FVMA, John Lepine, describes the vision If you are interested in vending at the Métis Showcase, behind the showcase, “we’re trying to give exposure to please download the Vendor Registration form on our culture, and the artists who preserve the culture, of MNBC’s website, or email lmshep@shaw.ca the Métis,” says Lepine. “We really want people to come out because with every year that we hold the showcase we need it to grow bigger so that funding keeps coming in. Maybe we can November 12 – 18th, 2009 eventually turn this into a fiddle fest Métis Art Show and Sale with fiddle and jigging competitions,” Hosted by Métis Nation of Greater Victoria He emphasizes, “but our people need to demonstrate the desire for this by Métis Nation of Greater Victoria is proudly calling all Métis artists in BC coming out and showing their support.” to participate in the first annual MNGV Fine Art Show & Sale Fundraiser. Last year’s showcase audience The MNGV in collaboration with the Greater Victoria Community Arts enjoyed the musical talents of Mark Council will be hosting, “Our Journeys”, a BC Métis art show and sale from Sullivan, Central Fraser Valley November 12 – 18th 2009. The opening celebrations will include special Fiddlers, Richard Klein and Aimee entertainment to commemorate Louis Riel Day Celebrations. This will be Fauteux. Bev Lambert, the Louis Riel the first time BC Métis artists will be showcasing their unique perspectives Métis Dancers and Mooshum Bob’s and artistic virtuosity. This show will also be the first time art collectors Dancers kept the stage bouncing will be able to view and purchase contemporary Aboriginal Art dedicated throughout the weekend. Tom to Métis specific works of art. “Our Journeys” will be an Olympiad of Métis McCallum and Pascal Pelltier both Artist working in various media. did some storytelling. There was even a Métis fashion show of locally made To find out more about submitting art work for this show or further details capotes, ribbon shirts and traditional on attending the opening celebrations please contact Zoe at the MNGV clothing by Lisa Shepherd. office at 250-380-6070 or check the MNGV website at www.mngv.ca. This year promises to be even
“Our Journeys”
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REGIONAL ROUND-UP HIRING FAIR 2009 On a bright, sunny day late August over 300 people lined up at the gymnasium door of the new Métis Skills and Training Centre in Abbotsford, B.C. to visit over 30 companies who will be contractors for 2010 Games held in Vancouver. These companies were looking for people to fill more than 5,000 vacancies. Companies who brought their booths and personnel were surprised by the great turnout. The hard work and dedication by Marcel Chalmers and crew certainly paid off. Staff from Terasen Gas were overheard saying that they were delighted by the large turnout. Many people brought their resumes, filled out applications and took note of websites to send in their information electronically. MNBC President Bruce Dumont, Economic Development Minister Dan Pope, CEO Malonie Langthorne, and MHRDA Director Marlin Ratch along with staff members were on hand to greet the crowd. The attendees were treated to a traditional Métis lunch provided by MNBC. The meal consisted of bannock and stew along with Coca-Cola Products. During the event attendees also had an opportunity to win door prizes and visit the new Métis Skills & Training Centre. Some of the companies attending this event included: Contemporary Security Canada, Aeroguard Group, United Protection Security Group, Coca Cola, NBC, SODEXO, PTI Group, Automotive Training Centre, Terasen Gas, EV Logistics, CDI College, ACCESS and Vancouver Career College. This event was sponsored by ACCESS and MNBC.
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REGIONAL ROUND-UP TANSI FROM MID ISLAND METIS NATION (MIMN)
MIMN membership is growing monthly and with that many new events have taken place in the past few months. MIMN members recently gathered in Nanaimo for an evening of Health and Wellness which was a complete success. We invited guests’ speakers who brought with them some wonderful, relaxing techniques for healing. A business owner from the Nanaimo community, Dr. Norm Detillieux, attended to give us an example of alternative health methods called nerve system analysis; this health technique is both relaxing and powerful. We also had a group of 9 volunteer offers to give our group hands on experience with Healing Touch, thanks to Margaret Sloan one of our very busy Elders in our Community for pulling this group together. Some of the men in our community have been taking Kayaking and canoe lessons thanks to some much appreciated funding from ActNow BC. Throughout all of the other activity we learned to dance and sing at an Open Mic night we held this spring. Many of these programs have created a great way to connect with new members, get in some great healthy living and have fun all at the same time.
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Whispering Winds Fall 2009
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REGIONAL ROUND-UP DUNCAN, B.C. (2009) This summer 1,000’s gathered to witness the rising of the Spirit Pole. This totem pole was carved by many hands during the year of 2007-2008 and completed just in time for the Aboriginal Summer Games held in Cowichan Valley, August 2008. MNBC Senator Al Edkins was on hand to deliver a few words for this special occasion. MNBC Veterans and many members of Cowichan Valley Métis Assoc were also on hand to pay tribute to this wonderful Totem, which will now be permanently displayed at the Coition Valley Recreation Centre.
Raising of the Spirit Pole in Duncan Walter[Chairman Metis Veteran’s Committee] and Mary Koenders along with his Son Eric from Peterbourgh,Ont. Art & Marlene LeFever look on as they raise the Spirit Pole in Duncan
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COURTENAY Miki’siw Métis Association, Courtenay Tansi everyone! We hope that you are all enjoying the lovely weather this summer! We had our AGM in June with about 35 members and guests attending. MNBC President Bruce Dumont updated us with the events occurring with the MNBC. MNBC has purchased a school in Abbotsford and will be expanding its training programs. It is a 13.5 acre property and will be adapted to fit the needs of various programs to be offered. New members on the board are Brian Luna - treasurer; Ken McIvor - vice-president; and Jim Louttit - director. Thank you to all members who have paid their annual dues of $10. We are still accepting dues. Our youth rep., Savannah McKenzie, attended a one week science camp at UBC. The regional AGM will be held at Courtenay Legion on Saturday, September 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. We will be serving lunch and a potluck dinner will be served after the meeting. Come and see what is happening on the regional level.Kidsfest will be held on Saturday, September 12. There is a conflict as it falls on the same day as our regional AGM. We generally have a table set up at this event. This year we need help from our community to pull this off. MID-ISLAND MÉTIS ASSOC. (AUGUST 2009) Nanaimo Youth Camp was nothing short of FUN for everyone. All ages came out for 5 days and the sharing was amazing. Thanks to all the volunteers and supporters, especially BCUMYC for generous contribution and Danielle Welch for pulling this incredible event together. Newcastle Island was the perfect place for this camp and the weather was fantastic! These campers were treated nightly to the antics of the racoons. COWICHAN VALLEY MYCOR OUTDOORS CAMP was held in Gold River, the first week of July 2009. Youths from Vancouver Island and their families made their way to the town of Gold River (Northwest of Campbell River) to learn traditions of the Métis. Jackie and Tom Finnie showed the participants how to make drums; Jim Dallin and his crew took the youth canoeing and fishing. A local Botanist showed the campers which plants can be used for food and medicinal purposes while others learnt how to bake bannock. Department of Fisheries sent two fishery officers to explain the salmon cycle of life to the campers. These men also talked about the career possibilities within their department. The weather was a bit damp but it did not dampen their spirits. A great time was held by all and everyone appeared to be very relaxed.
REGIONAL ROUND-UP VERNON Pictured are: Vernon, B.C. (2009) Vincent & Clara Rose Hovan, Vernon Métis Assoc, receiving the Dave Parker Sr. Memorial Award which is awarded to volunteers from Sookinchoot Youth Club who demonstrate great levels of helping staff and other youth. The last time this award was presented was in 2005.
Diamond J Consulting Roles & Responsibility Training 360 Evaluation & Coaching Strategic Planning HR Recruitment & Retention
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Coming ComingHome, home, Going Green green
REGIONAL ROUND-UP
Coming Home, Going Green WORDSEARCH Can you find all the words?
Multi Cultural Days In Nanaimo, BC Margaret Sloan University Resident Elder Vancouver Island University and Walter Koenders - Chairman Metis Veteran’s Committee attended Multi- Cultural Days at 7th day Adventist Church in Nanaimo, BC on behalf of our Metis Community. Fun filled day. Art is Vice Chairman & Service Officer for the Metis Veterans Committee. Walter & Mary also attended the National youth Conference and marched in the flags with 3 of the youth. In Spirit, Judy Michaud, Treasurer MIMN
GO MS E G R I UR T N L N U E C E N I B U
GR NN I E T T S E EM V C R V A I H I F F
reduce metis green energy environment
UBC SUMMER SCIENCE PROGRAM ‘09 This summer I went to the UBC Summer Science Program for Aboriginal Youth. While I was there I learned many new things and got to experience a bit of the fast paced university life. Every morning we awoke early to either meditate, exercise, or both. The recreation coordinator and the counselor taught us that even in university, where you have a crazy schedule; you need to take the time to be healthy. We would have a good breakfast and then we were off to our morning presentations. We saw so many amazing and informative presentations. Most were related to health careers; midwifery, micro-biology, nursing, family medicine, dentistry, and more. We also saw presentations on other topics such as engineering and math. We toured the facilities and got to use some of the equipment for teaching. All of the presenters were very kind to us and were willing to answer any of the questions we asked them. There were only twelve students participating in the program and it made for a very tight knit group.
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E R I R C N L Y F E A
F F E S I T G L D G I C UG E OR I EME A R P C S G E L T L O E
reuse jigging harvesting compost family
E T N EMN CNV D Y F L L R VN E J CD U L U O S C Y S E S N T
recycle fiddle culture buffalo
When we weren’t touring or taking part in presentations, we got a chance to get to know each other while bowling and swimming. We also took a field trip to the Space Centre where we viewed the exhibits, watched aboriginal creation stories in their theatre, saw a fun presentation, and experienced a ride in a space simulator. The whole camp was an amazing experience, all of the counselors and coordinators were such kind and intelligent people who shared their knowledge and experiences. A Musqueam Elder shared her stories and said prayers with us every day. The combination of traditional and modern learning, worked beautifully. I learned more in that week than I have anywhere else and would recommend to anyone interested in attending a university should go to this camp to experience dorm life, meet new people, and learn. I would like to thank MNBC and MIKI,SIW Métis Association for sending me to the camp, and UBC and staff for putting on the camp. Savannah McKenzie
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2009 MNBC AGM SPECIAL EDITION
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EDUCATION AN IMPORTANT STEP TOWARDS PROSPERITY by Steve Dills, Guest Editor for Whispering Winds
EDUCATION
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A classroom at Ikonge shows the mud and stick walls with rudimentary posters on them.
At the Maasai school near Talek young students dressed in traditional costumes performed for us.
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ommunity is important. Culture is important. And most of all melding the current with the past is necessary to continue to understand our heritage and our roots. Métis have seen a resurgence in interest of their language, history and culture in the past few years as more people seek to understand their trip through life. With that understanding has come a reliance on elders to teach and educate new generations. Important is the relationship to our natural surroundings, the bounty it provides with food, medicine, and life giving sustenance through things such as water. While Métis, and Canadians in general, have moved away from the land, that’s not the case in deepest Africa where colonization hasn’t impacted the native people the same as it has elsewhere on the planet. There are many similarities between the Métis and those living in Kenya, where we visited earlier this summer. Similarities that can be seen in the struggles of children and families. The eye-opening trip, with the Central Alberta humanitarian organization, A Better World, took us outside the cities, to the countryside where children flourish, manual labour is prevalent and days are passed trying to survive using the land. Disease, drought and disaster are common maladies. But they, like the Métis, are persevering, making a better life for themselves. One of the ways that’s happening is through education. While the Kenyan government has said it will provide free primary school education, it hasn’t provided the necessary infrastructure or financial support.
That’s why we were in Kenya. A Better World, which has been providing aid to Kenya for the past 20 years, acted as a conduit for the fundraising activities of Canadian high school students. Those students, from three Alberta schools, raised almost $100,000. And a group of 20, including students, teachers, community residents and this intrepid reporter, travelled to see what their efforts were providing and research further projects. We paid another $100,000 from our own pockets to take the two week trip to build relationships which we hope will continue for years to come. The main projects supported by the students were construction of classrooms in the communities of Kiprengwe, Ikonge and Talek. As Canadians we know the value of education. In fact, Métis Nation BC is devoting considerable efforts to providing educational opportunities for Métis so they can enjoy more skilled employment and the benefits of better salaries. In Kenya, we were struck, when we visited Kiprengwe, by the blatant message of the school’s mission — To highlight EDUCATION as a weapon against POVERTY and IGNORANCE. Located 37 kilometres from Kericho in south west Kenya the school sits atop a beautiful hill looking down into the valley where the students live. Various shades of lush green vegetation indicated the different crops and homesteads that dotted the area. From the height of over 6,000 feet above sea level, the view was astounding. But more entrancing were the saucer like eyes and beautiful white smiles of the students who were very happy to see the white Canadians coming to visit. We toured one of the old classrooms, a post and pole structure over a dirt floor covered with rough sawn board and a tin roof. There’s no electricity. Sunlight seeps into the room through cracks between the boards and small glass-less windows. In the room, no more than 10’ x 10’ were 54 students, four or five each sharing desks. But when they raised their voices in song, it was heartwarming — their joy with so little. Many of the barefoot children have climbed the hill from as far away as four kilometres away. Families walking together. Or, as in at least one case we saw, a young boy carrying his brother on his back. The new classrooms being built are constructed with cement floors. That’s to alleviate the potential of ‘jiggers’ infecting the feet of the youngsters. The sand fleas embed themselves in the skin under the toenails and feed on the skin of the host. Students infected are distracted by the pain as well as ridicule and stigmatization. The classrooms are also more solidly built with
Tribal elders, in traditional costumes, led a group of parents and students (in their uniforms) to opening ceremonies for classrooms at Kiprengwe.
Some of our group of students at the Ringa School, were welcomed in one of the classrooms being replaced by new construction.
Young Maasai morani (warrior-youth) performed the ‘jumping dance’ at the Maasai village leaping into the air from a standing position in order to demonstrate their strength and agility.
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A lioness starred into our eyes while we were on a safari in the Masai Mara.
brick and stucco. Windows contain glass and once completed the buildings have been painted with ‘warm and inviting’ colours. Almost 600 students in 16 classrooms at the school are now enjoying a better environment which head teacher Wesly Koech said will greatly enhance their abilities to learn. The classrooms haven’t all been built by Canadians, though. Part of A Better World’s philosophy is that the community must be involved and take ownership of the projects. In the case of Kiprengwe the parents dug the foundation, carried water and helped in construction. In another instance, they raised 101,000 Kenyan shillings (approximately $1,683 Cdn) for a two classroom nursery but that wasn’t enough and work was stalled as the community contemplated another fundraising effort. With an additional 353,358 Kenyan shillings (about $5,900) from a Canadian donor, the project was completed. The area councillor told the Canadians, the cost to parents to complete all the work at the school would have been about $100 Cdn., an amount most will never see in their lifetimes. Without the help for the nursery, he estimated it would have taken the parents another ten years to complete the rooms. The gratitude of the people was amazing. To see how little it has taken to make the lives of these people better, is certainly revealing.
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But the relationship doesn’t end in that community. A medical clinic was built by the government just up the hill. But it’s been sitting empty for several years because of lack of equipment and manpower. Perhaps that’s another project. Or maybe it’s proper toilet facilities since many girls stop coming to school when they reach puberty because of lack of proper facilities. As with many locations we visited, there were lengthy ceremonies, with lots of speeches of welcome and thanks at Kiprengwe. An important part of the ceremonies were the community elders who danced and performed their unique throat singing, maintaining the traditions of the past while welcoming the future. Talek was another community we visited. Near the Masai Mara Game Reserve, it’s home to Maasai, a semi-nomadic people of cattle and goat herders. Their economy is almost exclusively based on their animal stock, from which they take most of their food: meat, milk and even blood, as certain sacred rituals involve the drinking of cow blood. Moreover, the huts of the Maasai are built from dried cattle dung mixed with ashes. Here, as in the other locations we visited, the concern is preserving their culture and rituals while preparing them for the encroaching world. Education is a key to that. At the medical clinic, where two doctors work, both are
Maasai who have been trained in the big cities and returned to their roots. Their facility is supported by the U. S. based Christian Medical Fellowship. An addition just being completed will allow the doctors to admit overnight patients. Maternity cases are common, but about once a week, the doctors have to deal with people injured by animal attacks. And AIDS is making its way into the region, primarily brought back by people who have ventured to the big cities. Of the 10,000 people served by the clinic, Dr. Juma Olesampuerral estimated about 200 are HIV positive. It’s the interaction with those from outside that’s both a bonus and a danger for the Maasai. A visit to their village to see how they live is paid for in U. S. dollars. Dollars that are then used for vital medical supplies and other products. The traditional jumping dance was performed before we were welcomed into their homes. A polygamist culture, the homes are built by the women in a circle around an open yard. The husband sets his sword outside the door of the house he’s going to spend the night in and children from that house visit in other households around the yard. At night, the cattle are all rounded up and driven into the yard which is then enclosed with a stick fence to keep predators out. While there we also had an opportunity to purchase authentic handcrafted products such as carved animals, masks and walking sticks and beaded necklaces, providing further currency for the village. Their proximity to the game reserve means many visits from tourists and gradually their economy is changing.
Yet drought this year has meant a struggle for the herders. Although not allowed, they’ve been taking their cattle into the reserve at night to graze since fields outside the reserve have already been devastated by lack of moisture and overgrazing. That’s increased the risk of animal attacks and more visits to the clinic. Still tied to the vagaries of the land, these people are more similar to Canadians or two or three generations ago, eking out a livelihood. But they provide an interesting view of similarities — the past and the impending future. As we learn more about the world around us, we gain a greater desire to understand of our own roots. And as we learn about our roots, our heritage and culture, we become stronger. Award winning journalist Steve Dills has spent the past 30 years reporting, editing and publishing community newspapers in Western Canada, primarily in Alberta and British Columbia. He travelled to Kenya with a group of students, teachers and residents of Sylvan Lake, in early July, to view the efforts of their fundraising as well as other projects by A Better World, a Central Alberta volunteer humanitarian organization. Steve has been working alongside the Whispering Winds team since Kiwetin launched their first publication,Kiwetin,Your Aboriginal Voice, in 2004
Maasai herders move a group of cattle through the barren lands around Talek, just outside the game reserve
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OTHER SIDE OF “THE LINE”
THE STORIES YOU DON’T USUALLY HEAR FROM THE TRAPLINE SETTIN’ UP CAMP BY KIM HODGSON
S MÉTIS AUTHOR
etting up camp, is a simple statement with a clear meaning, however these three words have a very significant meaning to me that never fail to call to mind memories of adventure and to inspire dreams of new adventure. Setting up a camp starts with dreams, ideas, plans, and lists. Lists are an important part of setting up camp; there is the basic list, the inventory list, the last minute list and the master list. They need to take into consideration the season, number of weeks or months in camp, the job to be done, and the mode of transportation into camp. The categories may include hunting, fishing and trapping
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supplies, building materials, food, clothing and a meticulous list of essentials you will need to survive everyday life away from it all. And for the woman in camp of course there are some other essentials as well such as: 1 new oil cloth, 1 tin of fancy tea, 1 bottle of brandy, 1 box of chocolates, and whatever else you can justify cramming into a helicopter, boat or small fixed wing plane. Another key element of packing up for camp is the art of getting as much as possible into the amount of space available without going over the load limit. Believe me it is terrifying being in an overloaded Beaver float plane flying through clouds when the pilot tries to make a steep bank while
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avoiding a mountain and then drops out of control toward the earth. We made it, but I’m sure my fingernail marks are still on the interior of the airplane. For me the excitement of heading out to camp started as a young girl watching my father as he got ready to go prospecting or into an exploration mining camp. Everything was packed carefully into his special homemade plywood boxes closed with straps made from tire inner tubes. The contagious excitement would build as I followed his every move and listened to him describe his camps and the “tricks of the trade” and I wanted more than anything to go with him on those trips. As a child I started to make my own camps in the bush near our home, I would build a lean-to out of branches and scraps of canvas, cook over a fire and sleep on a bed of grass and boughs. I vividly remember believing that I was a distant relative of Sacagawea. Since then I have travelled and camped in many places including the Serengeti Plains and the coast of the Indian Ocean in east Africa and I have trekked through Niger and Burkina Faso in North Africa, experiencing the people, country and wildlife. I have also travelled by train throughout Europe, and spent time in France and Italy exploring the works of great artists, and the ruins of the Roman Empire, and drove a car from the West Coast of Mexico to the foot hills of the Sierra Madres. I have lived, worked, camped and traveled throughout BC, Alaska and the Yukon and have enjoyed the experiences of the wilderness, the people and opportunities to learn many invaluable lessons. But the most exciting trip, the one that creates the most anticipation and an enduring sense of adventure is heading out in the fall for the hunting and trapping season. At the first tinge of yellow on the leaves, and the first nip of frost in the mornings the anticipation begins, the excitement builds and “the lists are out”. There is always the sense of something new whether going to a different camp or to a familiar one, and there is often a feeling of anxiety that you will forget to pack something essential, like the batteries for the side band radio, baking powder, or the time I forgot my clothes when we left for the trap line
for four months. Fortunately there were a couple of extra wool blankets at the cabin, so there I was making a fashion statement in my hand stitched grey wool leggings, mitts and matching scarf, and doing laundry every two days. You may have heard the expression “nothing left but the elastic”, well it happens to be true. Anyways, three weeks later a helicopter friend dropped off my duffle bag on his way to a mining camp and I have never forgotten my clothes again. Setting up camp is what you get to do after the arduous and all consuming task of getting the supplies, then packing, loading and unloading them, often several times before they reach their destination. Then when you get to camp, you need to set up the tent or clean out the cabin, check the cache, make sure there is some firewood ready, and that the outhouse is in order. When that is done you can make the first scout around camp, and walk the trails, canoe the shores, check for signs of moose, bear, birds and fish, look for sheep or goat on the mountains, explore beaver lodges, and find a supply of timber for building and firewood. Then finally at the end of the long, exciting day; the tin kettle is on the air tight stove, the galvanized water bucket with the dipper is on the stump by the table which is covered with the new oil cloth, the sleeping bags are rolled out and you can sit down with your first cup of tea in an old ironstone mug. Eventually the quiet settles in and there is the feeling of satisfaction of a job well done and the strong commitment to face the challenges of hard work and adventure in the coming months. At those times I always feel a deep gratitude and peace of mind knowing that there is no other place I would rather be. Our memories and lessons of camps from the past and dreams of camps in the future are a precious part of our lives, and we should share them with our children, family and friends. Good luck, happy trails and take care to everyone heading out this fall and “settin’up camp”. Whispering Winds Fall 2009
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SUPPORTING THE PATH TO WELL-BEING Linking to her Métis Roots
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EDUCATION
he first thing Celina Horn noticed was the Aboriginal artwork on the office walls. Her days had been filled with science courses in another building, so she was surprised to come across Camosun College’s Aboriginal Education & Community Connections (AECC) office. As she walked through the door, she mentioned that she had recently discovered her Métis roots, and the immediate welcome she received felt like a “sign” to continue the journey into her own cultural heritage. Celina grew up in Vancouver, BC, her Métis roots obscured by a couple generations of silent discomfort with this connection. However, her mother was proud to discover her grandmother was Cree and from the Carrot Creek area of Saskatchewan, and “she worked hard to collect data to support their Métis status,” says Celina. Inside the AECC office there is a poster that reads: “The Invisible People – We are Métis” sporting a picture of a redhaired child. Blond and green-eyed, Celina was unsure of her right to access services designed for Aboriginal learners. “We often have people wander in, saying I think I’m Native but I’m not sure. I help them identify how this fits in their lives, and if it is significant,” says Suzanne Bate, Aboriginal Advisor. ”My goal is to create a sense of belonging for all Aboriginal students at Camosun.” Helping people find their physical well-being Celina’s newly-found community has offered her all
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kinds of support. She has enjoyed the warm environment, advisors to talk to, and linkages to organizations such as the Victoria Native Friendship Centre. Most recently, she was the recipient of the Mino-Ayaa Award (Ojibwe for “well-being”), given to Aboriginal students achieving or demonstrating exceptional commitment to physical well-being. Her eventual goal is to be a rural physician. After taking two years of general courses at the University of Victoria, this ambition was stimulated by a year of traveling to South America. “Looking at the poverty and inequity, I was struck with how much we have (in our society), and how much we don’t need,” says Celina. Arriving back to Victoria, BC, she chose to attend Camosun College for a year in order to upgrade her science courses to a university level. However, her experience proved so positive, she then chose to stay for a second year to complete Camosun’s Associate Degree in Science before transferring to UBC’s pre-med program. “I was used to huge auditoriums of people, so I have enjoyed the small class size, knowing all my instructors, and the additional lab experience Camosun can offer,” says Celina. Celina is also living her talk, having sold her car to use a bike, buying locally where possible, travelling to local farms weekly to collect produce. “Our society is so convenient that until you’re shown a different way of doing things, you don’t really think about it. I want to lead by example. People in Victoria seem ready to make changes, more so than Vancouver,” she says. “It takes more planning. You have to keep a bag packed with raingear, and make sure there is room in a backpack for groceries.” Joined by her boyfriend in her goals, she plans to apply to UBC’s rural physician program that runs out of the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) in Prince George, BC. She likes the idea of naturopathic medicine, but feels she can make the most impact by working as a physician in either in a smaller community or in another country. Interested in Camosun’s Aboriginal Support Services? Aboriginal Education and Community Connections (AECC) offers education, financial and cultural support services for Aboriginal students (First Nations, Métis, Inuit and Native American), Aboriginal programs open to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students, and helps provide linkages between Camosun College, Aboriginal students, and local Aboriginal communities. For more information, go to camosun.ca/aboriginal. . Interested in Camosun’s University Transfer Courses? University Transfer courses are just that—a wide variety of courses that are completely transferable to universities throughout British Columbia and elsewhere in Canada. Camosun offers 300 first- and second-year courses in the arts, sciences, business and health. For more information, go to camosun.ca
COASTAL CARVINGS by Jeremy Humpherville
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MÉTIS ART
tunning panels, masks, bowls, paddles, bentwood boxes and other sculptures created by world renowned Pacific Northwest native artist Jeremy Humpherville are firmly rooted in his past experiences. From an early age, he developed a great appreciation for his native surroundings. Growing up in Haida Gwaii on the northwest coast of British Columbia, the diverse wildlife of the Queen Charlotte Islands was one of his inspirations. “I was raised with a pencil in my hand, drawing for fun,” he said of his entertainment during childhood. “I sat with my brother and we were always being presented with animals to draw by our father, Keith Humpherville. He was an artist and, although he didn’t sell his work commercially, he was very prolific at painting in oils and making small carvings.” Jeremy’s Cree and Metis family has been a huge influence on his artistic career. “My grandmother, aunt, father, brother and uncle are all artists,” he said. His uncle, Ken Humpherville, and brother, Jerett Humpherville, are both accomplished carvers, continuing a family tradition generations long. When Jeremy was in his early 20s, he began to take art more seriously. “I had helped with carving my uncle’s pieces when I was in my teens. Then I made a mask and never looked back. Within my first year I was in the top native art galleries in Vancouver.” Since early on he’s worked with traditional red cedar, yellow cedar and alder woods. He has also apprenticed with master tool maker Eli Milton and master carver Henry Green, learning the techniques of forging traditional tools and carving in the traditional style. In 1991 he was juried to supply all the artwork for the President William J. Clinton gala fundraiser in support of British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital Foundation. Since then his native carvings and sculptures in the Haida and Tsimshian style have been purchased for private and public collections around the world. Now, at 38, he and his wife Darlene have operated their own
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gallery for the past five years. Coastal Carvings Gallery is across the French Creek Bridge from Coomb’s Old Country Market, a popular tourist stop on the Port Alberni to Tofino highway. The gallery currently features 28 aboriginal artists. “Our goal is original work made by hand. We do not have a print bin and strive to find the very original quality pieces,” Humpherville said. Among those represented are silver and goldsmiths, weavers, painters, sculptors, carvers and stone masons. Some of the featured artists are Ice Bear, a very powerful painter, Dorothy Jarvis, a talented painter that reminds Humpherville of a cross between Monet and Emily Carr, Alex Helin, a talented jewellery carver, Ray Bob, a painter specializing in painting and incorporating wood as his canvas, and Val Malesku, a talented jewellery designer and carver taught by Bill Reid. A big part of the business has been custom art designed to order. “We visit the home and discuss the space, medium and subject matter of each piece then we design the piece for the client to look at. We have done literally hundreds of custom pieces in Canada and abroad.” He and his brother, Jerett handle most of the larger carvings in the gallery along with the functional art. Over the past few years, he’s developed relationships with the artists the gallery represents. This has led to more collaborative pieces being created. (Watch for future articles in Whispering Winds or The Quill & Drum about other gallery artists). About two years ago they opened the second half of Coastal Carvings featuring functional art made from solid wood without fillers or veneer. “These pieces are all
about the joinery and are designed and built to be tireless heirlooms,” Humpherville said. “We try to have something for everyone and many people bring their guests by just to experience a quality sampling of hand made art.” This addition has brought additional growth to the gallery. “We’re seeing many requests for structural art doors, mantels and beam work. It is always pleasing to have a challenge and to expand the art into different forms.” The changes follow Humpherville’s vision for the gallery to provide you with a piece that you love...I think we all live on the coast for the view and when the sun goes down we want to provide you with that view inside your home with an original piece of art.”
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MÉTIS ART
is passion is painting people. Perhaps because his ancestry is full of colourful and influential people. But more likely because he enjoys capturing people’s “expression and soul”, as he told a Kelowa Daily Courier reporter several years ago. “When someone responds to my work, they often tell me it’s because it reminds them of a past experience, favourite place or someone they know. Creating a bridge between our common experiences is what I value most about the art I produce,” Dennis Joseph Weber says on his website (www. webergallery.com). He’s just finished using that talent to illustrate David Bouchard’s newest book, The Secret of Your Name, which is scheduled for release this fall. “When David first phoned me on December 12, 2005 to do the paintings for “The Secret of Your Name” I had no concept of what was to come,” said Weber. “I certainly didn’t know David would become like a brother to me. We not only share a common interest in our Métis heritage, we both play the Native Flute and, like our Métis ancestors, love to “trade”. “The Secret” has not been an easy project, but one I’m very proud of. The best part was
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getting to know David and his family.” Born in Prince Alberta, Saskatchewan in 1951, Weber drew his first portrait at the age of six and never gave up his art. He lived most of his life in Calgary, working as a carpenter, before moving to Kelowna in 1999 to work at his craft full time. There he and his wife Sharon operate Weber Gallery which features his work and that of other western Canadian artists. Considered one of Canada’s foremost Métis artists, Weber’s preferred media is pencil, charcoal or oil and he often glazes layer after layer to achieve a unique look. Besides portraits, he paints and draws scenery, animals and still lifes. Weber feels his art has been greatly influenced by his mother’s Métis heritage. “It’s good to know where you came from. The way I act and am is handed down from my parents. That makes you connected. It gives your roots,” he told the Courier reporter. His mother’s family originated from the Red River area in Manitoba and later Batoche, Saskatchewan, both areas that are historically important to the Métis. Weber’s wife has traced Dennis’ French heritage to the 1400s and his Native ancestry (which includes Montagnais, Saulteaux, Miami, Cree, Ojibwa, and Sioux) to the 1600s. Dennis is a direct descendent of many famous Canadians including explorer Jean
Nicolet, Jean-Baptiste Lagimodiere, Cuthbert James Grant Sr., and Canada’s first farmer, Louis Hébert. Louis David Riel, Canada’s most renowned Métis (and Dennis’ first cousin five generations removed), was not only instrumental in the creation of Manitoba, but also a poet, visionary and ultimately a martyr. Riel stated, in 1885, the year of his death: “Our people will sleep for a hundred years, but when they wake, it will be the artists who bring back their culture.” That’s a quote which is highlighted on Weber’s website and plays an important role in his journey and the art he creates. He’s fulfilling his ancestor’s prophecy, leading the revitalization of the Métis Nation, as an artist. His personal collection of Métis artifacts is often on display at cultural events alongside his art. He is proud to identify with the Métis Nation. “My ancestry traces back to some of the first Métis people, and is full of colourful and influential people,” he’s quoted in The Okanagan Reporter. “I share this rich Métis heritage with a large and diverse population across North America, some of whom are still discovering their roots. Hopefully by sharing my art and heritage, I’ll inspire others to discover their cultural inheritance in the Métis Nation.” Weber’s inspiration comes from many sources — travel experiences, beautiful objects, natural scenes and interesting people and faces — states his profile in Art In Canada. He works from reference photos he’s taken for his current project after having studied the subject itself. “Every time I start a painting, I wonder if this one will capture what I see in my mind’s eye. Then a viewer reacts to my finished painting and I know I’ve been successful. Somehow they’re relating to my original vision, as well as something from their own experience,” he told Art In Canada. “How a two-dimensional object creates that bridge is, in a way, magical and I guess that’s what keeps me producing new works. I also believe in craftsmanship. I’m always studying and learning new techniques and skills. Craftsmanship is what helps create that magic.” Mainly self-taught, Weber has taken various workshops as well as courses at the Alberta College of Art (ACA). Now he teaches as well. His weekly class, as well as his portrait demonstrations are very much in demand and he’s been invited to teach at various three day workshops. He also travels to a number of events and art exhibitions throughout the year. In August he joined the Artist’s Ride in South Dakota, an invitational event attended by 50 artists from across North America. There, on the Shearer Ranch beside the Cheyenne River, models and movie extras were available for artists to photograph for reference in their Native and Western art. Weber is also busy planning for a booth he’ll have at the
Vancouver 2010 Olympics, displaying his art and Métis artifacts. When he’s not painting, teaching, searching for artifacts, photographing reference material or exhibiting his art, he sits on the board of Kelowna Métis Children and Family Services. His works of art can be found in collections throughout the world, many of them donated to worthy causes. Learn more about Dennis at his website www.webergallery. com.
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Searching for my Culture Brings Rewards to my Life by Lisa Shepherd
MÉTIS ART
She was several months pregnant when the desire to know her Métis culture suddenly became an urgent need. Métis artisan Lisa Shepherd reflects on how motherhood has drawn her to her culture. “I suppose in the same way that a child-bearing woman instinctively knows how to care for the baby growing inside her, there was something instinctive and spiritual 70
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that told me that I needed to know who I am and where traditional foods. You can teach your children how to make I come from. It became important to know this so that a stock out of a whole chicken, then two or three casseroles I would be able to pass it down to the new little person out of the meat,” she continues. “Or maybe you can tell that I was bringing into the world. I felt this was my a good story. Then, it is your job to listen. Listen to your responsibility.” Elders and learn the stories so that you can pass them on Her search for her Métis identity brought her to the and they will never be forgotten.” community of Fraser Valley Métis Association. “He watches me hand- In Lisa’s case, she comes from an arts Lisa joined as a member, but soon began background. She graduated from the Apparel stitch a ribbon shirt, attending board meetings in order to better Design program, part of the Fine Arts and thoughtfully he quench her thirst for knowledge. She became says, ‘oh, it’s beautiful, Department at the University of Fraser Valley. their representative for Métis Women of She is also an actress, and in 2002 received a Mommy. BC, and it was at her first MWBC provincial Best Lead Actress award from Theatre BC. So, And, when I am meeting that she got her introduction to the art it is not by accident that she is now expressing beading, of beading. herself through Métis art. It’s more a coming he asks, ‘can I have one of full circle. “I am grateful that the women in attendance please?’ were generous with sharing their knowledge,” “Learning these Métis traditional arts feels she recalls. “At the end of the workshop, And then I take a single like getting back a part of me that had been Victoria Pruden gave me some of her beads somehow lost.” glass seed bead and thread so that I could keep working in my and place it in the palm Losing our heritage is a theme that Lisa hears hotel room,” she laughs. “It was a very late night time and again as she talks with audience of his little hand for me because I became so engrossed in my and he runs off to play... members after a performance. beading!” “Some people are really hesitant when they the whole time, holding tell me that they have just found out they are She’s still engrossed. In fact, she launched her website this summer onto his special bead.” Métis. You can tell they are blowing open -excerpt from “My to showcase her artwork. For instance, hand a family secret. I love these conversations Metis”, by Lisa beaded, handstitched moccasins that are 100 because I get so excited for them! I share all Shepherd per cent eco-friendly because they use no the information I can to empower them to machines or electricity. Or as stated on her seek out what has been lost.” website, “stitch by stitch and bead by bead, the way that “Our generation has a big job to do,” she continues. “We Métis women have marked our place in time.” need to do the healing for our ancestors. We need to gain Lisa believes it is important for all of us to leave our mark in back the traditions, the knowledge and the pride so that the time. next generation won’t have to be about healing. It will only “At any given place or time, civilizations have always been be about celebrating.” defined by their art and culture,” she explains. “If I mention She pauses and becomes serious as she carefully chooses her the ancient Egyptians, you instantly have an image in your words. mind of who they were. The images are of their art and “No person can be happy, confident, secure and work to culture. It’s the same for all civilizations. It’s the same for the their fullest potential unless they know who they are, where Métis.” they come from and are at peace with this truth. Only then But, it’s not just the artists who need to leave their mark. are they able to give good things back to the world at large.” This is something that we can all do, no matter where our interests lie, or what our talents are. And, we all have talents. To view her work and to learn more about her as an artist, “Maybe you aren’t an artist. Maybe you are a good cook. mother and Métis woman, visit Lisa’s website at Then you can learn how to cook wild meat and other www.lisashepherd.ca
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Honour Shawl
Honour Shawl
The wearing of a sash across a woman’s shoulders is a modern Métis practice. Traditionally, Métis women wore shawls across their shoulders. These shawls were designed to celebrate this tradition. Much like wearing a corsage, the Métis floral beadwork decorating the left chest will make any woman feel special and honoured.
Moccasins and
Moccasin orders placed before October 31st will receive a 10% discount
jewellery are 100% eco-friendly. No machines or electricity used. Hand beaded and handstitched in the traditional fashion. These moccasins are unique Métis Art & come with a numbered certificate of authenticity signed by the artist
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72 604-466-4916
www.lisashepherd.ca
Chasing the Midnight Sun
…DEMPSTER HIGHWAY ACROSS THE ARCTIC CIRCLE By Barb Rees
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a scene from Wizard of Oz. At Wright Pass a gray wolf crossed the road, sending the pikas into a frenzy, and then sauntered away while we excitedly took pictures. At the top of the pass; Northwest Territories border. The second free ferry crosses the Mackenzie River, the longest river in Canada. On the other side of the Mackenzie we stopped at a Gwich’in fish camp. Beneath tarps with smoky fires drying fish, we met Russell, a Gwich’in who grew up in nearby Tsiigehtchic. He spends his summers fishing the river and smoking whitefish and coney, a fish that grows up to 80 lb. We bought a bag of delicious coney strips and a back. What a relief July 9 to hit “soft” pavement into Inuvik. The Western Arctic Visitor Centre was our first stop because Dave carries Powell River tourism packages and pins for our city. Then we talked to Kyle at Up North Tours with whom we’d booked Tuktoyaktuk. He upgraded our trip to include a Mackenzie River tour to Tuk, and flight back. Whispering Winds Fall 2009
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TRAVEL
uly 1 we drove up the Midnight Dome, high above Dawson City, Yukon at 11:30 p.m. to take photos of a sun that wouldn’t set. It finally dipped below the mountain range at 12:30 a.m leaving Dave and I to begin our pursuit of the midnight sun to Tuktoyaktuk, NWT. We left the trailer in Dawson City to camp in our van for the next week to Inuvik, NWT. The Dempster to Inuvik, a 760 km gravel highway, is the only one in Canada to cross the Arctic Circle. Daring the Dempster requires not just extra gas, and tires, but an openness to change. Its vastness, red shale cliffs, castle-like crags of dolomite, and rugged tors blew us away! We stayed at Tombstone Territorial Park with Tombstone Mt. piercing the sky 24 km away. The half-way point, Eagle Plains complete service centre sits an oasis in the tundra, and where we spent our second night. The next day we crossed the Arctic Circle at 66°33’ North Latitude. I was ecstatic! How windy is it up here? The outhouses are guy-wired down so they won’t go flying by like
NWT Commissioner, Tony Whitford, Metis, and Barb Rees share a laugh
Our dream was growing because we didn’t give up. For the next three days we camped at Happy Valley Territorial Campground. In a visit with Mayor Derek Lindsay and head of tourism David Patrick we learned much about the community: Inuvik, population 3,496 is made up of 1/3 Gwich’in, 1/3 Inuvialuit, 1/3 non-aboriginal. A self-sufficient town, it produces its own electricity and has natural gas. Buildings are up on blocks with the utilities in pipes hanging under the floors because of the perma-frost. It’s farther west than Vancouver and closer to Beijing. For about two weeks in the summer it’s the hot spot in Canada, but snows every month of the year and freeze up (before the ice road opens) sends the prices of food through the ceiling. The main industry is government. Gasoline was $1.34 liter. That night was the gala opening of the 21st Great Northern Art Festival, the only Pan Territorial Festival in Canada. The curling arena had been transformed into a giant art gallery for 85 artists. Among them was a Métis artist from Lethbridge with strong social messages in her paintings. Commissioner of NWT, Tony Whitford, Métis, in his traditional sash, told how Métis borrowed ideas from different peoples making them their own. He pinned me with the NWT pin, and invited us to visit him in his “office” at Tim Horton’s when we got to Yellowknife. (We did that in Aug. and he reinforced the need for all cultures to be willing to adapt and make the transition to modern times.) Carrying in the carved whale bone signifies the official opening, normally done by two artists but this year the community had lost two of the carvers. Their widows were drummed in as they carried the bone to an emotional crowd. July 11 made Rees history when our Tuk dream came true. In the cold clear dawn we met the other six members of our
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group, and captain of the boat, Isaac and his cousin Padon, young Inuvialuit raised on the land. We couldn’t wish for nicer young men. In the next four hours we toured the Mackenzie and its delta into the Beaufort Sea and Arctic Ocean. First stop, an abandoned reindeer herding camp which once supported 200-300 people. Later, “Look, grizzlies on shore” brought the boat to a halt. A beautiful blonde and a young brunette looked at us curiously and went back to eating while cameras clicked and Dave filmed. Several times the bears started to leave but kept coming back to their meal. They made our trip! About two hours up the trees abruptly disappear. After that it’s just tundra and water. By then we were at 69° North latitude and temperature 5° C in Tuktoyaktuk. In the winter the river freezes all the way to Tuk for winter access. As we passed Whitefish, a whaling camp, Isaac told us about hunting whales. He explained how they bring the animal in, give respectful thanks to it, and work together as families, wasting nothing. Families will get one or two whales per season and trade with other communities for other goods. Racks of muktak, the first three inner layers and fat were drying. The oil from it, uqsuq, has many uses. These young men talk about hunting whales the same way my son would about getting a salmon. This isn’t a Hollywood movie; this is
reality in the high Arctic. We were met in Tuk by local guide, Inuvialit Boogie Pokiak. With quick wit, and deep knowledge of the area he lives on the land 10 months of the year, and guides two months. He is well educated having raised his sons to survive on the land but also go out and get a trade and education. His message is, “It’s vital to adapt to change.” The old way of living on the land is fading as many work for oil companies depriving them of time to hunt for food so they barter with the hunters. The homes for over 1000 people are self-sufficient. Each home has a 500 gal. water tank, 700 gal sewage tank that gets pumped, a fuel pump, diesel power generator, and cell phone service. The Inuvialit control what happens on their land. They’re safer on the land than in the city. They are not allowed to sell or trade polar bear, moose and seal meat but must share it with the village. Their routine is set by the seasons: whaling to berry picking, plant gathering, then hunting and fishing. They can’t garden because it’s still freezing in June and permafrost can be as little as three feet below the surface and 60-200 ft deep. Pingos are the result of perma-frost. Without trees, driftwood coming down the river becomes valuable. They use it for kayaks, sleds, buildings, and smoking meat. We brought a bottle of Pacific Ocean water so with both of us putting one foot in the Arctic Ocean we carried out our water pouring ceremony and refilled the bottle for home. Young carvers had gathered in hopes of selling so I bought a tiny seal for only $20 then found a little piece of driftwood that looks like a seal on its back … priceless souvenirs. Soon the tour was over, and we flew back to Inuvik. What a view soaring over pingos, the delta and river! In town, we had a tour of the Igloo Church, the most outstanding building in Inuvik. Built by Brother Larocque and Father Adam in 1958 without architects’ blueprints they defied northern buildings on blocks and used a foundation called a raft. Too detailed to describe in one story, it’s the only building in Inuvik that because of its design has never shifted. The festival’s cultural ceremonies rounded out our feast with drum dancers, throat singers, hide whip demonstration, and ending with a hip-hop artist. We left Inuvik with our hearts overflowing with love and understanding for the peoples of the midnight sun.
Barb and husband, Dave, hold water-pouring ceremony by pouring Pacific Ocean water into Artic Ocean
Barb Rees is a Métis free-lance travel writer, author of two RV books, and inspirational speaker living in Powell River, BC with husband Dave. Watch for ensuing articles and a coming book about their four months “north of 60.” To learn more go to: www.write2dream. com Whispering Winds Fall 2009
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Always Westward
By Leanne Laberge
My fellow Métis. I am pleased to introduce my next series of historicalfiction, Always Westward. These next 12 chapters I will chronicle the life of our antecedents from the Canadian east coast to the west coast beginning in the year 1664. I do hope that you will enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed researching and writing it.
MÉTIS AUTHOR
It has been well over 50 years now since Monsieur Samuel de Champlain founded our proud land. This passing year our most beloved monarch King Louis XIV honoured us with the title of a new province of our mother France. As well, our benevolent sovereign has sent us a regiment of brave soldiers and 800 of the proud maidens of his realm, known as the ‘King’s Daughters’. For those of us amassed at dockside awaiting their arrival, a lovelier party of newcomers we had never beheld. They ascended down the gangplank — weary from their long trial at sea — in a swirl of blue uniforms and a variety of red, blue and brown skirting topped by frilly bonnets. The smells of powder and au de cologne abound, as did the abundance of lip and cheek rouge. I walked home hanging onto my mothers arm: a blue-eyed, fair-skinned, petite, light-haired woman the absolute replicate of her elder, as we exchanged our excitement of the experience. Mama, filled with memories of her youth in Normandy and me, filled with ideas of my future. Mon Dieu, please excuse my lack of propriety; my name is Mademoiselle Marguerite de la Valli and today, August 16, the year of our Lord 1664, is a special day. Not only is it the day of my birth 18 summers ago and the day I am to meet my intended (I trust that my papa has chosen a good man for me to marry) but it is also the great feast day of Saint Roch. Saint Roch is said to be the patron saint of the falsely accused, but I prefer to remember that although a nobleman by birth Saint Roch will be forever remembered for his good deeds to the poor and suffering. When he grew ill and went to the forest to die alone,
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it was a wild cur, possibly similar to my own petite chine, LaRouge, that licked his wounds, fed him and nursed him back to health. We know from scriptures that Saint Roch was put to death for his insolence; I often ponder what became of his kind and loving canine companion. I am very anxious about the meeting tonight. Mama will chaperon, of course, and I am sure that whether inside of doors or out of doors one of my elder brothers, Joseph, Pierre, or Michel, will be lurking somewhere in the camouflage of trees and shadows. There are so many men leaving New France to explore the rivers down to the south or across to the western prairies in search of the beaver’s furs. Although I want to be a bride I would not like to become one of the many sad wives left to tend home and hearth alone. I imagine that the prodigy of each happy reunion is some comfort on our cold stormy evenings, I do so hope that it is so for there is many a young woman in New France caring for their wee ones alone. I am very glad that I am François and not la savage. They are all about us, the men doing the livery work or guiding our adventurous explorers. Many of la savage women work within our homes as washerwomen and housemaids. They are an untrustworthy lot, I am a told, and prone to bouts of anger. They are from the tribes of Mi’kmag — papa says that there are some good souls, such as their chief, Memberton, who saved many of our people from scurvy by having them drink a tonic prepared by boiling Birch bark in fresh water. Some are from the Maliseet or Wendat (Huron) tribes and have come to find employ within our territories.
Our in-house servant is a fine African girl of some 15 years who keeps our labours to a minimum. Papa brought her back from France on his last visit as a present for mama; she was most assuredly pleased, as she says that she would not have a ‘savage’ in her home. On a whim mama named our African ‘Blance-Neige’ and it always brings a smile to the faces of our guests. Blanc-Neige, Mama and I have been busy since daybreak preparing the Saint Roch Day Feast. We have decided upon: Smoked Eel Jellied Pig’s Feet Paté with fresh baked bread Baked Beans and Plogues Poutin Au Chaumeur and Maple Syrup Candy. I will admit that the savage have been of some other assistance as well, they showed us that if one boiled the sap of the Maple tree one would have sweet syrup. We have found this most useful in our recipes. They also gave our people many types of seeds: corn, beans, and such. Many others such as potato, carrot, cabbage, beet and turnip we had brought from France. With hard work our harvest is usually most worthy of the November celebration and large enough to pay our tax to the sovereign and to allow us to make a large tithe to our church and the Sovereign Council. As well, the savage has taught us much about the wild medicines of this country and makes the toboggan, snowshoe, and our trusty transport, ‘la canoe’. This past month has been spent picking wild berries, drying them and making jam in crocks. We are also busy feeding the men as they bring in the hay crop and we prepare all the vegetables from the garden for storage in the root cellar. I look at the large pile of wool at the sides of my loft and think of how all papa’s shearing this past spring will mean hours of carding, spinning and weaving for Mama, Blance-
Neige and I come winter. I dream of creating a wool fabric so fine that it will turn heads when I craft it into a well turned garment, but I recall the chaffed hands and aching back that it will take to achieve that dream. I am thankful that my brothers have left our loft. Now I have far more room in which to dream my nights away wondering about the kings and queens and princes in the far off lands of France and other exotic places of travel. Some days I wish that I was one of the ‘King’s Daughters’, for when they do walk out — now more appropriately attired ¬— with their long, smooth, single, braids trailing from the back of their neatly ribboned straw bonnets above their starched white collars they look so refined and proper; I realize that I am fortunate that father has chosen me a suitor or I may well have not found a mate at all. Every local girl deems it to be so. We believe ourselves to be in contest for every eligible male, for Msn. Bourgeouys School is filled with lovely prospective brides. Down the promenade, across the new bridge and past the gristmill — both so graciously provided to the citizens by the Governor, Intendent and Bishop of the Sovereign Council — is our church, graveyard and the convent. We pray to God for our immortal souls and then pray that God will guard and protect our most beloved monarch. Although no resident has ever seen the King we are filled with hope that one day we will see a likeness of the dear man, although to allow what I have heard is called a ‘broad sheet’ of new happenings seems far to uncomely for our community’s disposition. Our land, like every other plot of land that the council has awarded to a worthy family, leads directly down to the St. Lawrence River where we may gather our water and launch our canoes. My elder brothers have built houses with their brides and my father’s initial land is now divided in four Whispering Winds Fall 2009 77
parts. Each of my brothers now has three offspring and, fortunately, thus far none of my brothers have gotten the wild idea to go off exploring the south or the west. This situation means the family has a much easier time with the planting and the harvest, as well as more abundant hunting and fishing, but it does make for a very large family at the feast table. Blance-Neige is running about like a mad thing . “Where the good cutlery Miss de la Valli?” she asks me. “Where is it usually kept!” I reply, sometimes I just can’t abide that girl. “Mama,” I holler, “Blance-Neige wants to know where the good cutlery is.” Mama comes blustering in. “Can’t you two do anything without calling for assistance?” Both Blance-Neige and I look at our shoes as mama opens the window seat and exposes the cutlery and table linen. Quietly we gather the cutlery and begin to set the table together. The party had become filled with noise: fiddle playing, tambourine shaking, people singing and many folks dancing about the rooms. At first I was of the mind that an errant horseman hadn’t know of the festivities and had dropped by to converse with papa about his lumber business. The stranger’s broad, wide, deerskin covered back was towards me. I could see the horsehair tufts hanging as fringes from his jacket back and arms. His hair hung in thick layers of greased black satin that he shook like a great bear as he turned towards me, Mon Dieu he was handsome, but he was la savage! My papa approached him with raised arms and they embraced, as old friends want to do upon meeting. “Marguerite!” I heard papa call, “come to me child.” As I walked in delicate steps across the room I did not dare hope that this was my intended. I glanced at mama and I could tell what she was thinking, ‘la savage’! As I strode past Blance-Neige she snickered, and I knew that she was noting that my intended was darker of complexion than she. “Yes Papa?” I offered. “This is the young man that I had told you of my girl. Joseph LeNeuf, meet my daughter Marguerite.” Monsieur LeNeuf bowed before me then taking my hand directed me backward towards the dancers. As I swirled among the dancers and noted the furtive glances my partner received from the ladies, I said a silent prayer for papa’s intuition for I am sure that our babies will be so beautiful.
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Recipes by: ‘Always Westward’ author Leanne Laberge MAPLE SYRUP CANDY 2 cups maple syrup pinch of salt In large heavy cooking pot boil maple syrup on low heat. Stir until it reaches the candy breaking point. Beat in salt and when hard enough, shape into petite patties. PLOGUES (similar to pancakes/crepes) In large bowl mix: 1 cup white buckwheat flour 1 cup regular white flour 4 tbls baking powder 1 tsp salt Add: 1-1 ½ cups cold water Let stand 10 minutes. Add: ½ cup boiling water Mix and drop onto hot greased grill for 6” plagues. POUTINE AU CHAUMEUR Sauce: Mix- 1 ½ cups maple syrup ¾ cups water 2 tsp butter (fat) Heat to boiling, stir and remove Cake: Mix- ½ tsp. Sugar/ 1 tbls fat Add slowly- 1 beaten egg / 1 cup flour Add- 1 ½ tsp. baking powder / ½ cup milk Mix until all lumps are gone then pour into 8’x8’ greased pan. Poke holes in the batter and pour the sauce over it. Cook for 30 min. at 350°
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