Rick Garrick — Wawatay News

Jaret LeClair’s excitement after setting up the first goal in last year’s SIJHL finals is entrenched in the memory of his coach and general manager.
“It was game one in Wisconsin — obviously they were undefeated at home until that time,” said Wayne Strachan, head coach and general manager with the Fort Frances Lakers. “Jaret’s line had scored the first goal.”

Grand Chief Harvey Yesno is calling for increased First Nations governance, rather than a one-size-fits all approach to changing the Indian Act, after two motions were tabled in the House of Commons to replace or alter the Indian Act.
“We know the impediments the Indian Act would have because we always have to ask Indian Affairs to manage lands or how we deal with leases on reserve or to create a bylaw,” Yesno said. “So we said a number of years ago through the leadership that we want to be able to govern ourselves and govern our affairs.”

A special Aboriginal fine art and crafts show was recently held in Thunder Bay to coincide with Rendez-Vous 2012, a gathering of more than 850 health professionals from around the world.
“We promoted it at the conference and also at the Victoria Inn, where they had the gala (dinner and dance),” said John Ferris, founder of the Aboriginal Artworks Group of Northern Ontario. “We were there (at the Valhalla) for two days.”
Although not as many health professionals showed up as Ferris and the artists and crafters were looking for, there were still some sales made.

One family created their own unique talking stick during an Oct. 20 Community Arts and Heritage Education Project talking/walking stick workshop in Thunder Bay.
“Everybody contributed to the family talking stick,” said Derek Kahni, CAHEP workshop presenter, “embellishing them with beads and wires and feathers and paints.”
More than 40 people attended the workshop, which provided participants with a selection of found sticks, from as far from Thunder Bay as Terrace Bay, to choose from to create their own talking/walking stick.

The 2012 recipient of Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service’s Wilfred Chum Coach Officer Award enjoys passing on his knowledge of the Albany River to youth.
“We do a rafting trip every year from Constance Lake,” said Const. Jassen Metatawabin, who has served with NAPS for about 10 years in his home community of Fort Albany. “We teach the kids about different historical aspects of the river, hunting and fishing spots, how to fillet fish, how to harvest off the land. Me and Karen do a lot of fishing, mostly for pickerel and a little bit of pike.”