Toronto Nationals professional field lacrosse

Dear Students and Faculty,

As you may already know, the month of June has been named Aboriginal History month by Parliament. As a result the Toronto Nationals professional field lacrosse team is currently working alongside the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto (NCCT) to jumpstart the festivities for the month.

We have dedicated our June 5^th game to celebrate Aboriginal culture. The Toronto Nationals would like to personally invite you to our game day and would be ecstatic if you were able to join us. The game takes place on Saturday June 5^th at 7pm. We are in the process of inviting smoke dancers, musicians, and several groups of native decent from across Ontario to participate in this extremely important game. It is going to be a day to remember!

With enough interest from the student body, we will be able to organize a chartered bus to Toronto along with overnight accommodations. If interested, and/or require further information please contact Nick Palmieri at npalmieri@nationalslacrosse.com or call toll-free at 1.877.9GO.NATS.

Important links:

www.nationalslacrosse.com

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Toronto-Nationals-Lacrosse/315223935807

Background Info: The Toronto Nationals Lacrosse roster is comprised of players from Canada and Iroquois. Hence, we felt that it was paramount to incorporate both communities heritage into the fabric of the team, which led to a logo that had representation of both the Canadian Maple Leaf and the Iroquois 5 Nations Band.

"Reel Injun"

NOW PLAYING!

Reel Injun plays Ottawa May 12th & May 13th @ The ByTowne Cinema in Ottawa, ON!

Reel Injun opens in Regina on June 17th at the beloved Regina Public Library Theatre!

UPCOMING SCREENINGS:

- May 1st @ The Galaxy Theatre in Collingwood, ON

- May 5th @ The Princess Twin in Waterloo, ON

- May 12th & May 13th @ The ByTowne Cinema in Ottawa, ON

WHAT'S NEXT FOR REEL INJUN

After successful Canadian festival premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival and imagineNATIVE, Reel Injun opened theatrically on February 19 in Toronto at the AMC Yonge and Dundas and in Vancouver at the Tinseltown, distributed by Domino Film.

Media coverage in anticipation of the theatrical premiere has been excellent, with Brian D. Johnson of Maclean’s magazine hailing the film as Reel Injun is “funny and shocking.” Todd Brown of Twitchfilm.net called the film "smart, funny, insightful and hugely entertaining," with Nowmagazine giving Reel Injun four stars!

U.S. and festival premieres

After an appearance at two Native American film festivals, the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula, Montana (February 12-21, 2010) and the Palm Springs Native American Film Festival (March 10-14, 2010), Reel Injun will make its official U.S. premiere at the SXSW Film Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas (March 12-20, 2010). We’ll also hopefully be making a major announcement regarding U.S. distribution of Reel Injun at SXSW – but more about that as we get closer to the premiere!

Reel Injun made its Montreal premiere at the prestigious International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) (March 18-28, 2010), before completing a successful theatrical run at Cinema du Parc in April. The film also completed a great run at the Roxy Theatre in Saskatoon.

From then on, we’ve been booked at a growing list of festivals around the world: the Bradford International Film Festival in the United Kingdom (March 18-28, 2010), the Bermuda International Film Festival (March 19-25, 2010), the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival (March 12-14, 2010),Sapatq’ayn Cinema, the University of Idaho’s annual Native American film festival (March 25-28, 2010) and Wairoa Māori Film Festival, New Zealand’s premiere Māori and indigenous film festival (June 4-7, 2010).

Stay tuned for more info!

Reel Injun

Check out the trailer at http://www.reelinjunthemovie.com

Click here for an exclusive clip from the documentary.

And if you missed it, check out our blog where Adam Beach, Jesse Wente, Chris Eyre, Wes Studi and JR Redwater have contributed guest blogs!

Writers Festival @ Library and Archives Canada

FIRST NATIONS CULTURE IN THE 21ST CENTURY Drew Hayden Taylor, Gregory Scofield and Armand Garnet Ruffo Library and Archives, Room A Tickets: $10 / $5 Student or Senior Free for Festival Members Three of Canada’s most celebrated writers share the stage to talk about the development of contemporary Indigenous literature. Carleton University’s Armand Garnet Ruffo, author of At Geronimo's Grave and co-editor of (Ad)dressing Our Words: Aboriginal Perspectives on Aboriginal Literature leads the conversation with Drew Hayden Taylor, author of Motorcycles & Sweetgrass and Me Funny, and Gregory Scofield, author of Kipocihkän: Poems New and Selected and Singing Home the Bones. http://www.writersfestival.org/events.html

United States re-examines opposition to UN Declaration

Indian Country Today, Valerie Taliman – April 23, 2010 - NEW YORK – Political tides are turning as international support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples continues to grow, putting greater pressure on Canada and the United States to fully endorse it.
One day after New Zealand reversed its position and supported the Declaration, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice announced that the United States is undertaking a review of its opposition.
“I am pleased to announce that the United States has decided to review our position regarding the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” she said, addressing the Ninth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
“During President Obama’s first year in office, tribal leaders encouraged the United States to re-examine its position on the Declaration – an important recommendation that directly complements our commitment to work together with the international community on the many challenges that indigenous peoples face. We will be conducting a formal review of the Declaration and the U.S. position on it.
“There is no American history without Native American history. There can be no just and decent future for our nation that does not directly tackle the legacy of bitter discrimination and sorrow that the first Americans still live with. And America cannot be fully whole until its first inhabitants enjoy all the blessings of liberty, prosperity, and dignity. Let there be no doubt of our commitment. We stand ready to be judged by the results.”
Many Native leaders view this as a positive sign that the United States is moving toward endorsing the Declaration. Critics say there is no need to delay it with additional reviews since the United States was part of negotiations for more than 25 years. Tonya Gonnella Frichner, an Onondaga attorney and member of the Permanent Forum representing North America, said during his campaign President Barack Obama clearly stated to tribal leaders that he was committed to the adoption of the Declaration.“We still feel very positive about it and hope that he will commit to that promise,” she told the forum, attended by nearly 2,000 registered delegates.
Others were disappointed that the United States – a country that postures itself as a champion of democracy and human rights worldwide – did not support it outright. “We’ve already been there. It seems extraordinary to review it again since it has already been debated and adopted by the international community,” said Debra Harry, Indigenous People’s Council on Biocolonialism executive director. “We’d like to see the United States adopt it now, and then let’s talk about how to implement it domestically.”

A less formal meeting was scheduled on the third day of the forum to discuss elements of the review, and to allow time for Native delegates to dialog with members of the U.S. delegation led by Kimberly Teehee, the White House senior policy advisor for Native American Affairs; and Ambassador Rick Barton, U.S. representative to the Economic and Social Council.

Teehee said anytime new laws or policies are introduced, it triggers a process for review across federal agencies to evaluate how it will impact United States laws, policies and regulations. This must be done to properly plan for implementation, she said.
“We are a new administration and we care about what you think. Our approach has been to continue the president’s engagement and commitment to Indian country. “In the spirit of consultation and partnership, we will engage tribal leaders, stakeholders and NGOs (non-governmental organizations.) We need to be thoughtful about that process. I assure you that your voices will be heard.”
When asked about the timeframe for the review, Teehee said the process was just beginning and she could not yet define how long it would take.
Cayuga Chief Karl Hill of the Haudenosaunee reminded the U.S. delegation that the Iroquois Confederacy negotiated the first treaties with the United States dating back to 1704. “We have worked on this since its beginning more than 30 years ago, and we urge you to be expeditious in your review,” said Hill, who delivered a statement from the Global Indigenous Peoples Caucus containing eight major recommendations for implementing the Declaration. The Declaration has strong provisions for supporting treaty rights and affirms indigenous peoples’ collective rights to self-determination and control over their lands and natural resources. These rights will likely conflict with development plans by extractive industries and multinational corporations, but will provide greater protections for indigenous peoples. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encouraged nation states to move forward with adopting the Declaration, and cited alarming statistics from the first-ever United Nations report on the State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples released in January. “Indigenous peoples suffer high levels of poverty, health problems, crime and human rights abuses all over the world. You make up five percent of the world’s population – but one third of the world’s poorest,” he said. “Every day, indigenous communities face issues of violence, brutality and dispossession. In some countries, an indigenous child can expect to die 20 years earlier than his non-Native compatriots. “Indigenous cultures, languages and ways of life are under constant threat from climate change, armed conflict, lack of educational opportunities and discrimination. “Elsewhere, your cultures are being distorted, commodified and used to generate profits which do not benefit indigenous people, and can even lead to harm. This is not only a tragedy for indigenous people. It is a tragedy for the whole world.”
Ban said that according to current forecasts, 90 percent of all languages could disappear within 100 years. The loss of these languages erodes an essential component of a group’s identity. “Diversity is strength – in cultures and in languages, just as it is in ecosystems. “The loss of irreplaceable cultural practices makes us all poorer, wherever our roots may lie. That’s why the theme this year is ‘Development with Culture and Identity.’ It highlights the need to craft policy measures that promote development while respecting indigenous peoples’ values and traditions.
“We need development that is underpinned by the values of reciprocity, solidarity and collectivity. And we need development that allows indigenous peoples to exercise their right to self-determination through participation in decision-making on an
equal basis. “The United Nations will continue to support you.”

June, 2, 2010 Conference

Reframing the Issues: Emerging Questions for Métis, non-status Indian and urban Aboriginal Policy Research

79^th Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences

Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec

Wednesday, June 2nd

8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Hall Building, Room 767-00

The Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Native Studies, University of Alberta and the Office of the Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians will jointly host an event in conjunction with the 79^th annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences in Montreal on June 2^nd, 2010.

The full-day event is devoted to dialogue on the current state of policy research on Métis, Non-Status and urban Aboriginal people. Presentations will feature prominent scholars in the field and will be followed by a discussion among academics, policy makers and community representatives. The event will launch the new journal, aboriginal policy studies published out of the Department of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, set to release its inaugural issue in the fall of 2010.

A reception will follow.

Speakers

Fred Caron Q.C., Assistant Deputy Minister, OFI

Ellen Gabriel – Moderator

Statistics - Mary Jane Norris, Consultant and Stewart Clatworthy, Four Directions Consulting

Urban Aboriginal Peoples Study - Ginger Gosnell-Myers and Michael Adams, Environics

Aboriginal Policy - Katherine Graham and Frances Abele, Carleton University

Identity - Evelyn Peters, University of Saskatchewan

Role of Institutions - David Newhouse, Trent University

Role of Law - Ian Peach, Consultant

Housing - Jino Distasio, University of Winnipeg

Women’s Issues - Carole Lévesque, INRS University of Quebec

Academic Funding Policy - Mike Evans, UBC-Okanagan

Economic Development - Charles Horn, Consultant (UVic PhD Student)

Self-Government - Yale Belanger, University of Lethbridge

There is no cost for community members.

For more details please contact Dr. Chris Andersen, University of Alberta at chris.andersen@ualberta.ca regarding the event, or Jessica Harrington at jharrington@fedcan.ca regarding Congress registration.

FNUC Still Needs Your Help

The Province of Saskatchewan has agreed to continue its funding for the First Nations University; however the Federal Government, as of yet, has not reinstated its funding. Please read below the email that is being circulated by the Canadian Association of University Teachers and click on the link to sign the letter to Prime Minister Harper. Meegwetch!

Greetings,

We would like to invite you to sign the Open Letter to Stephen Harper regarding the Federal Government's funding of First Nations University of Canada. The letter is reproduced below. If you wish to sign the letter, please go to http://www.caut.ca/fnuc/ and click on the line "Add your signature to this letter." I hope you will do so and will forward this email as widely as possible. Unless we can get the Federal Government to restore full funding, the First Nations University will not survive.

Yours respectfully,

James L. Turk

Executive Director/Directeur général

Canadian Association of University Teachers/

Association canadienne des professeures et professeurs d’université

2705, promenade Queensview Drive, Ottawa (Ontario) K2B 8K2

Tel/Tél: 613-726-5176, Mobile: 613-277-0488, Fax/Téléc: 613-820-7244