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Pelican Falls First Nations High School hosted its second annual pow-wow this past weekend (May 3 - 5). Visitors came from far and wide to celebrate the new spring season and the new life that comes forth each year. Fifteen drums and their singers kept everyone dancing and entertained over the weekend. The students and the staff provided feasts for everyone on Saturday and Sunday. A great time was had by all who came to join the students for this gathering. Check out some of the pictures

Keewaytinook Okimakanak has announced that Darrin Potter, current Teacher Mentor in Keewaywin First Nation will be the Principal of KiHS next year. In addition, Marlene McKay, current Teacher Mentor in Frenchman’s Head will be the Vice Principal of KiHS. Darrin (read his staff profile) and Marlene (read her staff profile) bring a wealth of experience and knowledge about the communities with KiHS classrooms. Next year promises be an exciting for the Keewaytinook Internet High School as it expands to offer a full range of Grade 9 and 10 courses in at least 10 First Nations. Be sure to check out all the courses being offered starting in September 2002 in those communities with a KiHS classroom. To date, ten (10) communities will have a KiHS grade 9 and 10 classroom in their communities. They include the following: Cat Lake Fort Severn Frenchman’s Head Keewaywin Kejick Bay North Spirit Lake Sachigo Lake Slate Falls Weagamow Webequie A small number of other First Nations are still deciding whether KiHS can meet their needs. Lots to look forward to during the 2002-2003 school year.

Keewaytinook Internet High School recently posted the Grade 9 and 10 courses that will be offered starting in September 2002. For those First Nations with existing KiHS classrooms and for those developing new KiHS classrooms, students now have the option to stay in their own community to get high school credits. The poster announcing the 2002-2003 school year courses can be seen at http://kihs.knet.ca/PosterAd0203.htm

Watch for "Pimagihowin 2002, Living from the Land!” It’s an adventure in education and culture taking place, right now, on the land and in a community near you! Paul Pregont, Eric Larsen and sixteen (16) sled dogs are traveling in two (2) sleds from the Keewaytinook Okimakanak offices here in Balmertown and on to Pikangikum, North Spirit Lake, Sandy Lake and beyond. Their adventure will take about a month and take them to many communities on their way around to Pickle Lake. Their goal is to visit with students and elders to learn more about our subarctic region and traditions of the Northern Ojibway, Cree and Oji-Cree people. Their objective, using the Pimagihowin 2002 Curriculum & Activity Guide, is to share knowledge of our traditional culture and the importance of the region we live in with students here and in other countries through encouraging student and youth collaboration. To accomplish this Paul and Eric will introduce and expand on weekly topics and themes during their trail reports, online chats and student questions. The Pimagihowin 2002 Curriculum & Activity Guide provides links to chats, questions for the team, additional resources and much more. Chat topics will include: 1. Planning an Expedition, The Effects of Exploration and The Native Perspective 2. Thinking Seasons, The Climate of northern Ontario and Our Traditional Lifestyle 3. Heroes, Our People and the Rich Tapestry of Our Culture 4. Bio-diversity, Nature in the Subarctic and Traditional uses of Plants and Animals 5. Globalization and The Relationship of Legends, Language and Culture 6. Building a Nation, Defining Freedom and The history of Nishnawbe-Aski Nations Meet the Mushers Paul Pregont Paul is in charge of communications and making sure the technical equipment is working properly. He is also in charge of navigation. Paul’s favorite food is caribou steak fried in butter and “GORP” (good old raisons and peanuts) and cliff bars for snacking. Paul also likes lobster. Paul’s favorite colour is blue and his favorite animal is the polar bear. Paul likes white water rafting, being outdoors and reading. He usually reads books about the arctic and its people because, he says, “The arctic and sub arctic are amazing, they are so unspoiled and in the spring the light makes everything beautiful. He also likes reading about history and geography, because he has always been interested in maps. Paul says, “My advice for young people today is to work hard and keep working on your goals. You may experience temporary set backs, but if you keep trying, you will succeed at whatever you set your mind to. I hope that the students involved in the 2002 program will learn more about the Oji-Cree and why the Hudson Bay area is so important. I also would like students to be able to learn from each other.” Eric Larsen Eric’s favorite food is all kinds of pasta including rainbow rotini, bow ties, spaghetti and ravioli. He likes pasta so much that Jim, from Keewaytinook Okimakanak, has nicknamed him “Noodles.” Eric’s favorite colours are “all of them” and his favorite animal is the Wolverine. Eric likes camping, canoeing, skiing, biking, hiking and just about anything outside. When Eric got into college, he majored in biology and studying plants, animals, ecology and the environment. When Eric was only ten months old his family took him on his first camp and as he grew older he thought that a career as a professional camper would be his goal. So, whenever he looked for work he tried to combine his love of the outdoors with education. Eric says, “The arctic and sub arctic are some of the most environmentally fragile regions in the world. Studying these regions helps create awareness that will ultimately make people more conscious of how their actions affect these regions. I sincerely hope that the students will become more responsible world citizens, respect one another and develop an environmental ethic. I also hope students have fun while learning.” Meanwhile, back at polarhusky.com in Grand Marais, Minnesota Mille Pregont Porsild anchors the “Pimagihowin 2002” project. Mille’s favorite colour is blue and her favorite animal is the wolf. Mille is originally from Denmark and is no stranger to ice, snow covered open spaces and crazy sled dogs. As a little girl sitting on her Grandfather’s knee she listened to his stories about her great grandfather Morten Porsild who was the founder of the first arctic research station in the world, which he built on Disko Island in Greenland. It was Morten’s sons Erling and Thorbjorn Porsild ( Milles great uncles) who moved to Canada and traveled throughout the Northwest and the Yukon Territory by dog teams and eventually built the Reindeer Station at the Mackenzie River Delta. Mille’s favorite food is Risengrod, a Danish Christmas Rice Pudding. Here is the recipe: 568ml (1 pint) milk 75g (3 oz) pudding rice 50g (2 oz) caster sugar 4-5 drops vanilla extract 50g (2 oz) chopped almonds 1 glass sherry 300ml (½ pint) double cream toasted almonds one whole almond Put the milk and rice in a saucepan and simmer for about 20 minutes until the rice is soft and most of the milk is absorbed. Add the sugar, vanilla extract, almonds and sherry and stir well. Leave to cool completely. Stir in the cream then put it all into a serving dish and push the whole almond into the pudding so that it is well hidden. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours. Decorate with the almonds and serve with Kirsebaer Sauce (a Hot Cherry Sauce) made with: 225g (8oz) cherries 110g (4oz) granulated sugar 300ml (½ pint) water 1 tbsp arrowroot Take the stone pits out of the cherries. Put the sugar in a heavy saucepan, add the water and heat very gently until the sugar has dissolved. Then turn up the heat and boil rapidly for 1 minute. Add the cherries and cook them for 10 minutes until tender. Mix the arrowroot with 2 tbsp water and stir into the cherries. Simmer for 2 minutes until the sauce is clear. Serve hot. Risengrod and Kirsebaer Sauce are both traditional Danish favorites for the Christmas season. YumYum!! And oh yeah, in case you were wondering about that whole almond buried in the middle of the rice pudding, it’s a tradition. The whole almond is always placed in the pudding for luck and represents health, wealth, happiness, long life and fertility. If you are the one that finds it in your pudding you get a gift and if you are single, it means you will be the next to marry. Mush on over and check out our pics

Hello! I'm Wanda Good assistant to Phil Beaumont, Conference Coordinator for the next World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education 2002(WIPCE-2002). The hosts of the next WIPCE are The First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium and the Nakoda Nation of Alberta, Canada. The conference will be held on August 4th-10th, 2002 in Calgary. This conference will attract 3000 to 5000 Indigenous Peoples from around the world. Conference activities include some of the following: - Workshops/seminars by Indigenous Peoples from around the world on Education, Indian Movements, Treaties, Traditional Practices. - International Indigenous games, such as canoeing, lacross, horse events. - Cultural entertainment, with groups from Hawaii, Maoris from New Zealand, Australian Aboriginees, Africans. This conference may not come back to Canada for many years to come. It may be a once in a lifetime opportunity for some of our people. Check us out at www.fnahec.org/wipce2002. Early registration has been extended to February 28, 2002. So get your registrations in. Inform you elders groups, etc. Anyone who may be interested! You may contact me at (403) 212-2676, or by email wipce@fnahec.org. Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you.

On December 14, 2001, Oshki-Pimache-O-Win held it's grand opening and open house for it's new office located in Thunder Bay. In attendance were people from NAN, INAC, NADF, NAN legal Services, local news journalists, and more. See some of the pictures at http://photos.knet.ca/oshki One of the programs that Oshki is currently involved in is a Digital Collections program. A group of 4 multi-media trainees, one teacher, and one writer are producing a website called, "100 Years later: The Signing of Treaty 9". The website will be ready in March 2002. Look for it then on http://www.oshki.ca.

If you are interested in becoming a K to 6 qualified teacher, why not consider the Sioux Lookout District Native Teacher Education Program? Successful completion of this two-year on-the-job program will guarantee you a good job, acceptance into the Ontario College of Teachers, and a chance to become an important role model for the children in your community.

Admission requirements

• Grade 12 OR
• Academic preparation equivalent to Grade 12 For example, completion of a post-secondary program such as the Native Classroom Assistant Program, Native Language Instructor's Program, Tutor Escort Program, or the Social Counsellor Program Applicants who achieve scores of 12.9 or higher in Math and Language on the Canadian Adult Achievement Test (CAAT) are also encouraged to apply.
• Experience working with children in your community (full-time or volunteer)
• Native language skills (Oji-Cree, Ojibway, or Cree)

For anyone interested in the NTEP who does not have the above qualifications, you have time to upgrade your skills before the next admission of new students. You can get ready now by completing high school, taking Wahsa courses in Math and English to prepare for the CAAT, or by completing a post-secondary program.

Don't delay! A teaching career waits for you in your community.

Do you have questions about the Native Teacher Education Program? Call Brian (NTEP Coordinator) toll free at 1-877-636-0667, extension 25 or call the Wahsa Distance Education Centre toll free at 1-800-667-3703.

LOGO Contest Win $500 !!

The Native Teacher Education Program (NTEP) is looking for talented, imaginative artists to submit entries for a logo contest. All submissions will be seriously considered. The winning logo will be used on letterhead and on all program promotional material.

Deadline - January 15, 2002

Please submit your entry on white 8 ½" x 11" paper to:

Brian Hawker NTEP Coordinator Northern Nishnawbe Education Council Box 1419, 21 King Street Sioux Lookout, ON P8T 1B9

This contest is open to anyone in Sioux Lookout District.

Questions? Call 737-2971, ext. 25 or
Toll Free: 1-877-636-0667, ext. 25

Madeline Stoney, Fort Severn's Computer Technician, shares a story about the introduction of the Internet in her community. Read her story (December 2000)