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Wapekeka Full Gospel Church presents:

Wapekeka Youth Rally

November 26, 27, 28, 2004

Preacher: Joseph Campbell

Guest Singers: Betty Anderson, David Mamakwa

Travel will be at own expense, Meals and Accommodations will be provided.

Contact Person:  Louie J. Brown @ 807-537-2315

Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

NNEC technical staff Cathy Carpenter and Carlton Blackhawk received a briefing on ICT applications while touring KO's Thunder Bay offices... To read more, click here..

Neskantaga First Nation

Sobreity Pow Wow

November 19 - 21, 2004

Host Drums

Kitch-Noodagose

Sand Creek Singers

Spirit Island Singers

Lakehead University Faculty of Education students are eager to undertake some of their practical teaching sessions in remote and isolated First Nation schools in the NAN territory.

If your Education Authority or school wants to participate, contact katica.matic@lakeheadu.ca 

Neskantaga First Nation

3rd Annual Memorial

Gospel Jamboree

"Remembering the Life and Times of those who went to be with the Lord"

When: November 4th - 7th, 2004

Time: 8:00 pm - 1:00 am Nightly

• Accommodations Available
• Live Broadcast on WRN
• Everyone is Invited to come and Heal with us here in our home

For more information, please call:

Duane Moonias @ (807) 479 2663

Edward Moonias @ (807) 479 2570

Thaddeus Atlookan @ (807) 479 2650

The new KiHS classroom in Bearskin Lake will be having an open house this Thursday, October 7th.

Keewaytinook Internet High School (KiHS) is the first Ontario school to offer accredited secondary school courses using the Internet as a mode of program delivery.

Come check out this new high-tech classroom.  Everyone is welcome!  

A interesting discussion forum is now taking place on Turning Point about Reconciliation. Click here to go directly to the discussion forum and to share your thoughts. I hope everyone will join in these important discussions ... Some highlights ... "... reconciliation is NOT about Changing the past, but creating a future..." "...there must be strategies for changing our economic relationships as well...." "...Both parties must be able to see the clear benefits of this process. And, both groups must enter into this with a clear intention of working through it together..." "... three kinds of false reconciliation: Reconciliation as a hasty process ... Reconciliation instead of liberation ... Reconciliation as a managed process ...."

From the announcement of this event in Turning Points Latest Articles (click here to see pictures of the forum facilitators) In recent years reconciliation is being promoted as a way to resolve First Nations-Canada conflicts. However, there has been no broad based conversation on what genuine reconciliation means or entails. Consequently, some people propose reconciliation as a quick fix approach to historical injustices while others call for a radical transformation of our relationships. Jessie Sutherland and Dave Fortin will be co-moderating a discussion about reconciliation on Turning Point's popular Talking Circle October 1st to 8th, 2004. Come participate in a lively discussion about how to create conditions for genuine reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people on this land and beyond. Jessie Sutherland of Worldview Strategies, www.worldviewstrategies.com   and Dave Fortin from Biidaaban Healing Lodge, www.biidaaban.com  are co-hosts for Reconciliation Education Teleconferences, a new national public education/dialogue about reconciliation, launching October 2004. Teleconferences are held over the phone where 100 people can come together to learn about Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal reconciliation as well as network and learn from others in the field. Upcoming teleconference topics include residential school reconciliation; the arts and reconciliation; governance and treaties; creating public venues for reconciliation; and much more. For more information and how you can participate in these national teleconferences, visit www.worldviewstrategies.com . About Jessie Sutherland: Jessie Sutherland was born in Vancouver and has lived and worked in Quebec, Europe, the Middle East, West Africa, and South America. Since 1990, she has worked on intercultural youth exchanges, dialogue groups, and building-community-with-diversity workshops. Most recently, she completed a Master's degree in Dispute Resolution at the University of Victoria with a thesis entitled "Reconciliation From the Inside Out: Worldviewing Skills for Everyone." Jessie has presented her innovative approach at several conferences and produced two newsletters to strengthen and build reconciliation networks across Canada and beyond. Jessie is deeply committed to a parallel process of personal and societal transformation to create conditions for genuine reconciliation. About Dave Fortin: Dave Fortin is an Ojibway from Mississauga First Nation in Ontario. He is currently employed as the Program Coordinator at Biidaaban Healing Lodge in Pic River First Nation. Dave has been designing and delivering Mental and Emotional Health programs at Biidaaban Healing Lodge for the past 6 years. During this time he has worked with many First Nations Individuals as they begin their healing journey from their past history relating to Residential Schools and the cycles of family dysfunctions and abuse. Most recently, Dave has begun training with Nigan Training in Calgary, in their Personal Empowerment Workshops.

The proposed transmission corridor linking northern Manitoba with energy hungry Ontario is one step closer to reality...

To whom it may concern:

I would like to address the matter of the Bar Association's resolution regarding the resident school survivors.

We the Sisters of the Four Directions have some serious concerns on the matter where in fact it affects directly to the surviors. Correspondence has been sent to the Bar Assication in the province of Manitoba.

We, the sisters of the Four Directions, feel very strongly regarding the comments were made by the Bar Associtions to be an inappropriate discriminatory resolution against our basic human rights as aboriginal women. We find it very offensive that a group people who did not experience the horrors of physical, mental and sexual abuse, would take it upon themselves to prejudge and consider the treatment we recevied  in those hell holes as a minor act.

At present we speak only on our behalf and we are saying to the Canadian Bar Assocation, we gave only permisson to only one lawyer and his assistant to defend the crimes committed against us NOT to all the members of Bar Association.

We are very tired of people speaking on our behalf and making resolutions and accords on our behalf without our knowledge or without us giving the permissions to do so.

We no longer allow members of goverment, institutions, associatons to devalue our  lives with their constant resolution and accords which we strongly feel infringe upon our basic rights to our freedom of thought and speech.

Letters are being addressed to other people including the national grand chief, the justice minister in Ottawa, etc. We would like some feedback from various parties who are affected by the system.

We are currently looking for support for our cause and will provide the mailing address when requested.

Yours truly,

Meeqwetch

Sisters (Chantelle) of the four Directions

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Message dated October 7, 2004

Open letter to Residential School Surviors/All interested Band Members

We are newly formed group of Aboriginal women ,naming ourselves Sisters of the Four  Directions. We have traditionally adopted each other as aboriginal sisters, working together to achieve for ourselves, also those we represent, better lives for today also for future generations. We are in strong protest of the past decisions, actions, also current decisons, action made, actions  taken on our behalf, on behalf of our ancestry, on behalf of future generals are detrimental to aboriginal people.

In the past, cold hearted decisions , action by those representing church goverment made, carried out in the same fashion, are now greatly affecting the continuation of  race of people who defined by Natural Law ( Aboriginall Parchment one, statement of Chief Kakepenaise, Great One ) a race of  people near to perfect, only flaw they possessed was that they cared too much, now the affects of this flawed  has caused in the past now, also will continue to create a castrophic, negative effect. Each of our generations are affected some deeply scarred some broken spiritually, others, lost souls trying to survive,some barely existing

As a matter of survival, psychological coping mechanisms were developed by our  ancestors, also ourselves. Are we going to continue to pass these survival methods on to our future generations. Question yourself. Are  these methods of survival working to our benefit. We suggest that they are  not. Our people are still facing high  rates of alcoholism, suicde, lack of self estem, identity crisis, drugs, family break ups, violence, malicious gossip towards one another, yet the vast majority of  our people live in denial of the fact that decisions made, actions taken against us are the real cause of these castrophic problems.

Genocide, yes we say it is, slow, tortuous, methodical sometimes swift acts of crime are being inflicted upon aboriginal by representatives of church, also goverments.

Remember, those of you who can, the history of your own community, the affects by others,which have created atmospheres of animosity, uncertainty, fear,survial mechanisms, feuds, which we are passing down to the future generations. From a near to perfect race we are on the brink of possible destruction, extinction.

Take a moment, an hour or more to reflect back on those occurrences  we mentioned, with a clear open, with honesty, truth, then perhaps psychological coping mechanismes will be released withing your selves.

Our Anicinakwe/Anicinable beliefs, also of our ancesty were are being destroyes, shattered, stripped from our ancestry,also ourselves, then we in turn burden our future generations with the same negativity. We are saying, NO demonstrating to those responsible, that we willl not allow ourselves to be integrated, assimilated into a system, designed to destroy aboriginalty.

Sure we  have piously been given back the right to our beliefs, values,but on the other hand, our governing system is being tested, self goverments? What form of self goverment? The administering to your kind, misery, apathy. To coincide with their goverment structures aboriginals have become the property, the  inheritance of provincial, goverments.

What will be the next process Assimlation be? Transferring of rights down to  your nearest the local municipality, or  the neighboring Mayors who in (( MOST CASES ARE RACIT TOWARD ABORIGINALS )) -Good Lord, Our Ancestry being ruled stated with the Queen of England, is the local goverment next door to your community to become Our Final Rulers- Rule of Law is stated in the Charter of Rights and Freedom, well, under whose law will the future generations be expected to abide by.

We the Sister of the Four Directions are saying NO and we will NO longer Tolerate thte  cold hearted decisions made, nor do we accept the actions taken against our race.

To date, we have protested against a cold hearted resolution, made on our behalf by Canadian Bar Associations, have made precise statements of protest towards Churchs, Aboriginal, Goverments, Provincial, also Federal Goverment.

Our  next plan of action will take place at a later date, will be advised when. This protest, will be against the Church. We will will demonstrate to, signify to those representations a precise message message stating, simply to them, what their decisions, action,action  have done to us. This a plan we call " A WALK OF PAIN"

We are seeking support either the way of standing with us, walking with us or by  contributing a monety donation (small or large) to direct deposit to "Sisters of the Four Directions" chequing account transit no. 08-327-003  account no. 100-543-8 Royal Bank Hargrave/Portage Aveue, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Whatever a support we receive will be greatly appreciated,also use constructively to address, not only our  plight, or those we represent, but probably also your plight. We not only acknowledge, but are to taking a step further, firmly. strongly,stating a believe in the supremacy of God ( Taken of Rights and Freedom.)

Meeqwetch from our hearts

Sisters of the Four Directions

The Copper Thunderbird Gallery has opened it's doors to the public. Official Grand Opening is tentatively scheduled before Christmas this year.