Rick Garrick — Wawatay News

A beautiful jingle dress was recently designed and created by Grade 4 and 5 students at the St. James Public School Biwaase’aa program in Thunder Bay.
“We’ve all taken strides and we’ve all put our energy into this little dress that we made over the last seven weeks,” said Calvin Redsky, Biwaase’aa outreach worker at St. James. “We got to learn about what goes on that dress, all the different things like the jingles, the ribbon, the bias tape, the thread.”

Grassy Narrows has rejected a recently announced Ministry of Natural Resources plans to proceed with further clearcuts in the Treaty #3 community’s traditional territory.
“Premier Wynne, it is within your power to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated at the expense of another generation of Grassy Narrows children,” said Grassy Narrows Chief Simon Fobister in a Dec. 23 press release. “I call on you to intervene to repeal this hurtful plan and to ensure that never again will Ontario attempt to force decisions on our people and our lands.”

The lone survivor of the January 2012 Keystone Air Service plane crash at North Spirit Lake is suing the airline and the dead pilot.
Brian Shead, the sole survivor, launched the lawsuit against the airline and pilot Fariborz Abasabady in early January.
A statement of defence had not been filed by mid-January.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada found that poor weather conditions and pilot inexperience caused the plane crash.

Lac Seul’s Percy Ningewance and his sister Patricia Ningewance are looking to keep Anishinabemowin alive through the launch of Biindigen, an Ojibwe language songs CD.
“I used to write some songs a long time ago, (so) Pat asked me if we should write some songs in Ojibwe,” Percy said. “I said sure and then Pat started writing the lyrics and I came up with the melodies.”
The Ojibwe language songs were performed by Percy, Rebecca Chartrand and Fiona Muldrew with musicians Martin Tuesday and Chuck Tyzih.

Eagle Lake Chief Arnold Gardner is calling for more education about treaties after the recent Got Land? Thank an Indian sweatshirt controversy in Saskatchewan.
“Anishinabe people were here for a long time and the land was always ours,” said the former Grand Council Treaty #3 grand chief. “That’s the message that needs to be brought to the attention of the general public.”