Rick Garrick — Wawatay News

The Closing the Gap 2011 campaign is calling for First Nations poverty to be addressed during the federal election.
“It’s unacceptable that First Nations poverty continues to exist in this day and age,” said Bob Goulais, a campaign organizer from Nipissing First Nation. “We are not speaking about poverty as a metaphor. We’re talking about real child poverty, homelessness and Third World conditions right here in Canada. This should be a significant election issue. Resolving First Nations poverty should (be) a priority for each and every party and politician in this country.”

Mohawk filmmaker Tracey Deer’s film Club Native brought up issues of inclusion and treaty status during an April 15 screening at Lakehead University.
Deer’s film examines the history and present-day reality of Aboriginal identity in Kahnawake, where the award-winning filmmaker grew up with two firm but unspoken rules: do not marry a white person and do not have a child with a white person.
The consequences of ignoring these rules were: lose all status as a Native person and deny your unborn child their status as a Native person.

Bringing students back to school is the focus of a new program being developed by Thunder Bay’s Neighbourhood Capacity Building Project.
“We’re trying to develop a program where the kids actually do stuff hands-on,” said Ryan Gustafson, youth outreach worker at Ecole Gron Morgan. “One of the projects we are looking at right now is making hand drums right from scratch.”
Gustafson said the students will actually make the drums, sand them down and attach the hide.

Josephine Mandamin has started off two legs of Water Walk 2011 and is currently walking north with a pail of water from the Gulf of Mexico.
The Wikwemikong Elder who lives in Thunder Bay started off the western water walk April 10 in Aberdeen, Wash. She then flew to Mississippi to start off the southern water walk April 20 in Gulfport, Miss.

Constance Lake First Nation is claiming an initial victory in its legal battle to stop further mineral exploration drilling in its traditional territory.
“In the interim, there is to be no drilling on sites other than the ones where Zenyatta (Ventures Ltd.) already has its drills set up,” said Oliver MacLaren, legal counsel for the community. “Constance Lake obtained exactly what it was seeking — it was seeking an injunction from having Zenyatta drill any further, and that is exactly what was awarded. Zenyatta is not allowed to move its drill anywhere else.”