Asinabka Festival

VIDEO: Tom Jackson urges people to ‘make change’ for Attawapiskat

Actor & musician Tom Jackson made Attawapiskat the last stop on his 2011 Christmas tour – and he brought a camera crew with him, including Algonquin filmmaker Caroline Monnet. The result is a short documentary about the remote northern Ontario community, which gained international recognition after it was learned that some residents were forced to live [...] . . . → Read More: VIDEO: Tom Jackson urges people to ‘make change’ for Attawapiskat

Sisters in spirit? NWAC hit by division, funding crunch

For the past six years, families who have lost a loved one have been brought together from across the country at special, commemorative events by the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC). Known as ‘Family Gatherings,’ they’re an opportunity to honour a missing or murdered Aboriginal female family member, to ‘give voice’ to their story and [...] . . . → Read More: Sisters in spirit? NWAC hit by division, funding crunch

The Missing and Murdered: A Week of Domestic and International (In)Action

A horrific but too often ignored situation in Canada received some very high profile attention this past month. The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) and the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA) announced that the United Nations will be conducting an inquiry into the hundreds of murders and disappearances of Aboriginal women and girls [...] . . . → Read More: The Missing and Murdered: A Week of Domestic and International (In)Action

Indigenous rights on the international stage: how far have we come?

Seventeen years have passed since the United Nations proclaimed August 9 the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. It’s a day meant to promote and protect the rights of Indigenous peoples. To recognize the achievements and contributions they’ve made to the world around them. They’re achievements James Anaya knows like the back of his [...] . . . → Read More: Indigenous rights on the international stage: how far have we come?

Inuit innovator pursues his own musical ‘M.O.’

A spoken word performance for former Governor General Michaëlle Jean has turned into a new hip-hop career for an Inuit artist — he rapped, she liked it, and he’s been going strong ever since. Mosha Folger (aka M.O.) is the son of an Inuk mother and Brooklynite father. With his two younger sisters, he was raised in [...] . . . → Read More: Inuit innovator pursues his own musical ‘M.O.’

Should First Nations be part of Canadian elections? 50 years after getting the vote, debate rages on

It’s been just over half a century since First Nations gained the right to cast a ballot in Canadian federal elections back in 1960. Back at the time of Confederation, members of First Nations were originally not recognized as Canadian citizens and therefore could not participate in federal elections without giving up their treaty rights and [...] . . . → Read More: Should First Nations be part of Canadian elections? 50 years after getting the vote, debate rages on

Four years and $1.25 billion later, nearly 1 in 5 First Nations still lack safe drinking water

Despite millions upon millions of dollars supposedly going toward clean drinking water for First Nations, monies spent by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) seem to have largely come up dry. Between April 2006 and March 2010, the department allocated apx. $1.25 billion to water and waste water infrastructure. But according to documents received from Health [...] . . . → Read More: Four years and $1.25 billion later, nearly 1 in 5 First Nations still lack safe drinking water

Bureaucrat salaries grow while Ontario land claims stall

In less than a decade, Ontario’s Liberal government has more than doubled the number of senior staff in the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, according to the province’s public salary disclosure website. In 2005, there were just 4 senior staff in what was then known as the Ontario Secretariat of Aboriginal Affairs. But by 2009, the number [...] . . . → Read More: Bureaucrat salaries grow while Ontario land claims stall

Outrage as Ottawa company clear-cuts traditional Algonquin land

Just a 20 minute drive west of Parliament Hill in the nation’s capital lies Beaver Pond, an old-growth forest that according to First Nations is of historic and spiritual significance. The forest is also home to what archaeologists estimate to be a 10,000 year-old stone circle. But according to reports, as of this morning, the 1,100 [...] . . . → Read More: Outrage as Ottawa company clear-cuts traditional Algonquin land

Harry Snowboy: Confessions of a Modern Medicine Man

At eight years old, he says he was chosen by bimhachiiwhasoo, the Life Giver, to bring healing and to help others. Harry Snowboy, a medicine man from the Cree Nation of Chisasibi in northern Quebec, has done something few others in his position have.  He’s written a book about his life, and perhaps most interestingly, how [...] . . . → Read More: Harry Snowboy: Confessions of a Modern Medicine Man

Did a Seattle police officer have to shoot a partially-deaf First Nations man?

The Seattle police officer who shot and killed a partially-deaf First Nations woodcarver testified on Wednesday at an inquest hearing. John T. Williams, 50, a member of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Dititdaht First Nation on Vancouver Island was gunned down by officer Ian Birk on August 30, 2010 in downtown Seattle. At the time, Williams, who was known for carving small totem [...] . . . → Read More: Did a Seattle police officer have to shoot a partially-deaf First Nations man?

More on why missing & murdered Aboriginal women are not considered “newsworthy”

In yesterday’s post, we told you about new research that takes a critical look at differences in news coverage of Aboriginal women and non-Aboriginal women who are missing/murdered. Kristen Gilchrist examined six such cases falling between the years of 2003–2005. Three of the women were of Aboriginal descent, three were not. Her research reveals sharp [...] . . . → Read More: More on why missing & murdered Aboriginal women are not considered “newsworthy”

Are missing & murdered Aboriginal women not considered “newsworthy”?

A new publication released today takes a critical look at the differences between news coverage for missing/murdered Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women. In “”Newsworthy” Victims? Exploring differences in Canadian local press coverage of missing/murdered Aboriginal and White women”, Carleton University PhD candidate Kristen Gilchrist reveals what is evidently a sharp contrast in the amount and content of [...] . . . → Read More: Are missing & murdered Aboriginal women not considered “newsworthy”?

Krista Shore: A ‘Positive’ Aboriginal Woman

In Canada, Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week kicks off today; globally, it’s World AIDS Day. To mark both, we offer this profile of one woman’s life with HIV, sharing her struggles and successes. For most expectant mothers, sharing the news of their pregnancy is usually welcomed with warm words of congratulations. Not so for Krista Shore. “I’ve been [...] . . . → Read More: Krista Shore: A ‘Positive’ Aboriginal Woman

Breaking the silence on senior abuse in Aboriginal communities

Since 1999, November 25 has been the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It was started to commemorate the brutal 1960 assassination of three sisters in the Dominican Republic. To mark the day, MI is exploring a problem not readily acknowledged or discussed in Indigenous communities: senior abuse. While violence comes in many [...] . . . → Read More: Breaking the silence on senior abuse in Aboriginal communities

Marion Miller Hill: memories of an Aboriginal WWII service woman

Aboriginal people have fought for Canada since well before the War of 1812. It’s estimated that more than seven-thousand First Nations people served in World Wars I & II, and in the Korean War — not including Inuit, Metis, non-status Indians or people from the north. In WWII alone, nearly 4,000 First Nations individuals served, including 72 [...] . . . → Read More: Marion Miller Hill: memories of an Aboriginal WWII service woman

INTERVIEW: Author Joseph Boyden talks book sequels and film adaptations

Since winning the Giller Prize in 2008, author Joseph Boyden has been working steadily on numerous projects, including his latest publication, a contribution to Penguin’s ‘Extraordinary Canadians’ series. Louis Riel & Gabriel Dumont examines the lives of these two legendary Métis leaders and it’s already garnered a lot of attention.  Of Métis descent himself, Boyden has [...] . . . → Read More: INTERVIEW: Author Joseph Boyden talks book sequels and film adaptations

SLIDESHOW: Sisters in Spirit vigil on Canada’s Parliament Hill

As we told you in a previous post, vigils for hundreds of missing and murdered Aboriginal women were held in over 70 communities across Canada on Monday. Martha Troian (Lac Seul Anishinabe) was at the vigil held on the steps of Canada’s Parliament and produced this multimedia presentation for MEDIA INDIGENA. Sisters in Spirit 2010 from MEDIA INDIGENA [...] . . . → Read More: SLIDESHOW: Sisters in Spirit vigil on Canada’s Parliament Hill

Young, Inuit and Muslim: Maatalii Okalik-Syed’s faith journey

As a young Inuk woman, Maatalii Okalik-Syed is exceptional in many ways. From a very early age, the 21-year-old native of Pangnirtung, Nunavut committed herself to helping others. She’s worked with several grassroots Aboriginal and Inuit organizations, all the way up to the Government of Nunavut. And now she’s set to graduate from Carleton University with [...] . . . → Read More: Young, Inuit and Muslim: Maatalii Okalik-Syed’s faith journey

In the midst of ‘truth’ and ‘reconciliation,’ Canada fails to bring child abusers to justice

Alois Brunner, Dr. Aribert Heim, Ivan Demjanjuk — names of but a few of the most wanted war criminals named by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Los Angeles-based human rights advocacy group and well-known Nazi-hunting organization. According to the CBC, just this week, former Nazi death camp guard Samuel Kunz (3rd most wanted on the list) was [...] . . . → Read More: In the midst of ‘truth’ and ‘reconciliation,’ Canada fails to bring child abusers to justice