IN[)IAN RE [) It National Publication Lor T H E Ind Ians Oj L.J.C
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IN[)IAN RE [) it National Publication lor t h e Ind ians oJ L.J.C. et M.L Vol. XXVI, No'. 3 WINNI PEG, CANADA (a,tho,lie In,diall (realt'eld in Sask by ARTHUR OBEY On April 16, twenty-six delegates from the reserves of Touchwood, Broadview, Pelly, File Hills and Duck Lake Agencies attended an organizational meeting of the Catholic Indian League (Sask. Division) at Lebret Indian Residential School. The first Congress will be held at Duck Lake, Sask., July 17 and 18. Rev. Father Bilodeau, OMI, manship o-f Rev. A. Carriere, OMI. principa,l, ·o-f the school, extended The t opic o.f .the discusS'ion center the group ,a warm and he-arty wel ed on the objectives of the League, come. He spoke on the topic: Edu its oonsUtutionand on economic and socia,l problems of Indian Re ca,han of Indian C'h~ldren and pr ob lems arising from ,their integratiOon serves. Fath er Carriere said that it was up to Indians .to use wha,t faci in public scho-ols. Father Bilodeau lities they already have and ,to use brought out f.orcefu~ly a funda them wi'sely. "The League, if well mental principle i,neducation that organized and fai,thful1y foNowed parents are the first and the most up, wi~l help you to make of the import,ant educators of their chiJ. atholic Indian League officers elected at Lebret April 16 Reserve a better place to live in," dren. he said. are: (I. to r.) B. Turner (vice-pres.) I Mrs. Joan Lavallee (president) I "The integration pr oblem is not Mrs. Jean Bellegarde (treasurer) I Edmond Bellegarde (vice-pres.) and The election of officers took one concerning the Ind i ~~!l race Mrs. Noel Poitras (secretory). place after the dis'cussion: only,' he said. "It is primarily a President: Mrs. Joan Lavallee, Pia problem of the white race. The pot Reserve. 7th CONVENTION white so.ci.~ty i~ not quite ready Vice-presidents: Mr. E d m u n d yet. to accept ,tihe Indian. M'any BeUegarde, Lit·tle Black Bear Re fa1lures ,and drop-,outs of Indian serve; Mr. Baptiste Turner, Stur Alberta elL Meets At children 'attending a white school, g:e.e.n Lake; Secretary: Mlfs. Noel are due to the fact that ,the1ia Poitras, Mus'cowpetung Reserve; chers are not ,aware of ·the problem Treasurer: Mrs. J ean Bellegarde, Hobbema July 25-27 of adjustme.Bt · iQf these students' Little Black Bear Reserve. and are not interested in helping Community development is to be the general theme of them make the proper adjustment; the annual convention of the Alberta division of the Catholic or, they do no,t know how ,to go INDIAN CENTRE Indian League of Canada. about it. OPENS IN TORONTO men ts for the courses. Plans for the convention were "Indian children should be treat 3 ) Special emphasis on the TORONTO - Af.ter twOo years discussed at the Alberta provincial ed by teachers, parents and chil of work and planning on the part study ,of credit uni,ons and .the co dren of the ·area just as' any other executive meeting held! at the operative movement. of many individuals and organiza Crowf.oOot Indian School (Cluny) minorHy group is 'treated. The In tions, the Canadian Indian Centre 4 ) Youth activities, both spiri dians should be encour,aged to re on April 15. of Toronto has opened Hs doors at tu al ,and soci'al whl1 be the topic of tain their idenUty, culture, reLigion Mr. Tom Cardinal, pTesident, a speciaL session. 603 Church Street, a location very Mr. Stanley Redcrow, vice-presi and philosophy of their own na close to the largest cone-entrahon Speakers on behaJf of the Credi,t tionality. They should never be dent, Rev. Father G. M. Latour, Union and co-operativ.e movement of Indi'ans in the city. OMI, director, and delegates from sing,led out or be ptaced in an em The North American Indian will be obtained for the Conven barrassing sHuation." various locals outlined the topics tion. CLub of Toronto was one of the to be included on the convention In his closing remarks, Father prime movers ,of the project, work agenda: Bi,lodeau commended the forma ing with several churches, welfare 1) Discussion of important as To Teach at Sask. U. tion of the Oathotic Indian League, agencies., service clubs, the l ODE pects 'Of ,the philosophy of Adult Rev. A. Renaud, OMI, director to serve as ·a medium through and Ithe Indi.an Affairs Branch. Educa,tion and its applicatiOon. of the Oblate Indian Welfare Com which ·the Indians can voice their About haLf the budget: will come 2} P ossibility of having some mission, left Otta,wa June 10 for opinions and give strength to their from government gran ts; the .rest adults attend courses at the Coady the College of Education of th e requests to, the Indian Department. from oommunity fund-,raising. International Institute. Hequire- University of Saskatchewan in Rev. Father A. Allard, OMI, A seven-room hous,e has been Saska toon where he wiU conduct missionary from the Duck Lake renovated tp contain ·a large hall, a I.E.A. TO MEET IN REGINA two summer sessions for teachers Agency, explained the organization Idtchenette, severat offices and a Mrs. W. S. Clipsham of Regina working among Indians. of the League and Hs objecH'ves. crafts r oom. The staff consi.ts of has taken the responsibilHy of the These courses are taki:ng place He gv'ae several e~amp les of un an Administra10r, Mr. Jmnes Mc local planning o,f the Indian-Eski within the Research and Prof.es heaLthy integrational problems in Guke, who has had experience in mo Association of Canada 4th na sionaL Training Program in Indian A ~b erta and described the success youth and recreation programs in tional oonference and annual meet education presently deve~op ing at ful Catholic Indian League of Al the YMCA, and a Couns Uor, Miss ing. the University ·of Saskatchewan. berta, directed by its founder, Rev. Delma Capton, ,a- Six Ndtions In The Conference will take place As associate professor, Father Re G. M. Latour, OMI. dian who served as a nurse in Brit Ootober 24, ·25 and 26 at Saskatch naud win head this program, the The group held an enl,ightening ish Columbia with the Ind1an and ewan House, Regtna, Sask. fi'rs t one of its kind ,in Canada. discussion period under the chak- Northern Health Services. Page 2 INDIAN RECORD MAY-JUNE 1963 INDIAN RECORD REV. G. LAVIOLETTE, O.M.I. Editor and Manager 207 Cadomin Bldg., 276 Main St. Phone WH 3-6071 Winnipeg 1, Man. Subscription Rate: $ 1.00 a Year Printed by Canadian Publishers Ltd., Winnipeg, Man. Authorized as Second Class Matter, Post Office Dept., Ottawa, Canada, and for payment of postage in cash. Questions T'hey Ask - Why do they want to trans - What would happen if the fer in the first place? Indians in one province agree to - What would happen if the the transfer and the Indians in Indians do not agree to the trans another province do not agree to fer at all? the transfer? - What say will the Indians - If it's decentralization that is have in the transfer? wanted, why not simply grant - What would happen to the more autonomy to the Regional Indian Reserves? the Treaties? the Offices? Indian Rights? - What would become of the The Red Cross drive sponsored by the Lions Club of Watson Lake, Y.T., - What will be the fate of the Department of Indian Affairs? was organized by Rev. Father Yvon Levaque, OMI, to cover the Alaska Indian Schools? Indian Health Services? Highway from Mile 620, Lower Post, B.C., to Mile 642, Upper Liard, Y.T. The campaign was concentrated at Mile 635, Watson Lake, where on Your Editor would welcome correspondence on any or all April 27th a house-to-house canvas helped the volunteers to contact the of the above topics; the best letters will be published in the majority of the 500 residents. INDIAN RECORD. Mail your letter to: The Indian girls from the Lower Post Indian Residential School, pictured above, were enthusiastic helpers for their Principal, Father Levaque, and The Editor, Indian Record, 207 - 276 Main St., assisted him in making a collection of $515 for the Canadian Red Cross WINNIPEG 1, Man. Society. Daily Press Creates False I,mage of Indians by Kay Cronin, in Oblate News Once again the Indians of British Columbia have hit the headlines. ways drawn more reader-interest than the Church page. In addition, This time the furore concerned the number of Indian girls who meet both society in general and our news media in particular seem most; their death on Vancouver's Skid Road. The front-page publicity fol reluctant to treat the Indian_.people as individuals, constantly referring lowed the usual pattern. First, a heart-rending story about one parti to "the Indians" as though they were a featureless, gumptionless mass cular girl' in one of the newspapers. Immediately, all other communica of humanity with no more dignity or brains or sense of purpose' than tions media climbed onto the publicity band-wagon in a rush to an amoeba. promote the latest "Indian problem". How is it that newspapers can splash the phrase "Indian Girls on We learned that 23 Indian girls had met their death on Skid Road Skid Road" all over their front pages and get ·away with it? They during the course of a year.