APRIL 2015 VOLUME 18 - NUMBER 4 FREE Speaking with a flute and a drum The musical duo of Jason Chamakese and Robert Gladue are excited about the release of their first album together The Flute Player and The Singer. (Photo supplied) TRIPLE WINNER Filmmaker Candy Fox won three awards at the Living Skies Student Film Festival held at the U of R. - Page 2 A LEAF FOR A DAY Garrett Gamble Jr. not only got to meet his hockey heroes, but the Beardy’s boy signed a one-day contract with the team. Page 3 FAMILY TRADITION Corinne Stevens-Belanger and her family are operating a successful business making birch bark baskets. - Page 8 BUSY BEADER La Ronge’s Ida Trembly can’t keep up with the demand for her products. Now, she’s teaching the craft to others. - Page 15 Musicians use their work to carry message of respect METIS IRISH DANCER By Angela Hill together within the next month. Called The Flute Player He’s a Métis youth with a For Eagle Feather News and The Singer, they want it to be something that helps passion for Irish dance and With a flute and a drum, Robert Gladue and Jason take the impact of their music to the next level. he’s already competing inter - Chamakese are using music to carry a message. Both were solo artists before Chamakese saw a You nationally. - Page 19 “Overall, the message is to establish mutual respect Tube video of one of Gladue’s songs. between all peoples,” said Chamakese, who is the man “I happened to have my flute with me at the time and Welcome to our on the flute. I sat and listened to the melody and I was able to play it “You see a lot of negativity out there and you think on the flute. I found it pretty cool, taking a unique spin Arts & Culture Edition to yourself, what can I do individually to do my part to with modern day round-dance singing and the traditional Coming In May - Sports, Youth & Mining Issue create understanding, to help bridge these gaps that exist.” flute combined,” Chamakese said. CPMA #40027204 The pair is planning the release of their first album • Continued on Page 11 2 Eagle Feather News APRIL 2015 Student filmmaker a triple award winner By Jeanelle Mandes “That’s when I started to realize that their own production company called Big For Eagle Feather News I wanted to do filmmaking. Doing acting Soul Productions. Another one of her REGINA – Candy Fox was calmly sitting made me realize (the) desire to do film - mentors and friends was Michele Sereda, in the audience with no expectations of making and be behind the camera,” she one of five people killed in a car crash last winning any awards when she attended adds. month north of Regina on Highway 6. this year’s Living Skies Student Film It was after the television series ended “She had such a big impact on Festival held at the University of Regina that Fox enrolled at the university and everybody who had met her,” she adds. in March. started on her journey to obtain a film U of R film professors also mentor “It was really cool and surprising. I degree. Fox and encourage her when she produces wasn’t expecting to win three awards,” an She took the Indian Communication a film. excited Fox says. Arts (INCA) six-week summer institute Sarah Abbott, associate professor in Fox had barely sat down after at the First Nations University of Canada the Department of Film at the University winning Best Documentary award for her where she learned hands-on training in of Regina knew Fox for almost four years film Backroads and she was about to post different mediums of journalism when she enrolled at the university. a Facebook status about her win when she including being behind the camera. Abbott says she is happy for Fox’s latest heard her name again. She won the Best “It (has) given me a grasp on what my win. of Saskatchewan and Audience Choice specific talents are,” says Fox. “It’s fantastic that her work is being awards. Fox also took intensive theatre well-received on many levels. As a “It’s very humbling that my programs with the Saskatchewan Native filmmaker, to have that acknowledgment colleagues and my school are honoring Theatre Company located in Saskatoon early is great and important,” says Abbott. me in this way. It’s a nice time to end my and Nightwind theatre in Regina. The professor says the latest recog - (semester) here,” she says. Through her adventures and accom - nition will help Fox in her career and also The 30-year-old film student from plishments, she says important people have people responding positively to Piapot First Nation grew up in Regina and have helped her along the way. Fox’s important and sensitive subject matters. was raised by her grandmother, Gloria biggest mentor is the woman who raised She says it also doesn’t hurt that Fox has Candy Fox took home three awards Fox. her. worked on both sides of the camera. from the Living Skies Student Film Fox’s career began when she was 18 “She’s one of the strongest people I “She did well in front of the camera Festival. years old and joined a theatre group with know because she’s been through so much (so) she wanted to know more about how her friends in North Central. That inspired and has overcome a lot of obstacles and to make work and tell the stories that are spring. Her future plans are to make more her to audition for Moccasin Flats, a life’s challenges,” explains Fox. “But she important to tell and she made an effort to films including a feature film. Fox also Canadian drama that ran on Aboriginal just keeps going and she’s still strong. learn how to do that in a university won Best Documentary for another film Peoples’ Television Network (APTN) and That’s one of my biggest influences.” setting,” adds Abbott. she made a few years ago, Being Two- was later picked up by Showcase and Fox also looks up to Laura Milliken The film production major will be Spirited, at the Living Skies Student Film SCN. and Jennifer Podemski, who started up completing her Fine Arts degree this Festival. APRIL 2015 Eagle Feather News 3 Leafs make dream of Beardy’s boy come true By Fraser Needham the weekend ended up being much more For Eagle Feather News than they originally anticipated. The Toronto Maple Leafs won’t be in “They (the Leafs) totally went over the NHL playoffs this year but that matters and beyond what we totally expected,” little to an 11-year-old boy from the she says. Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation who “I really thought we were just going saw a dream come true last month. to go to the game and meet the players and Garrett Gamble Jr. is a diehard Maple we’re getting this whole itinerary of what Leafs fan and he also suffers from they’re going to do for him and I was, ‘oh Morquio Syndrome – a rare disorder that my goodness.’” causes serious health problems including Sutherland says Garrett has been a heart disease, skeletal abnormalities, Leafs fan for as long as he has been able vision, hearing loss and early death. to watch hockey on television and the He has long dreamed of seeing a plan has been in the works for a few Leafs game live but he got much more years to organize with the Children’s than that when Toronto took on the Wish Foundation a trip to Toronto to see Ottawa Senators at home on March 28. a hockey game. Thanks to the Children’s Wish Foun - The phone call that the trip was dation and the NHL organization, Garret going to happen came in mid-March Garrett and his family attended the game day skate, had amazing access to the and his family were flown to Toronto giving the family only a week to players and Garrett was named first star of the game. where he signed a one-day contract with prepare. the Leafs. Added to this, they were not Garrett Gamble Jr. received a jersey signed by each Toronto Maple Leaf and was given his own locker. His favourite player Tyler Bozak, # 42, just so happened to score a hat trick on Garrets night in Toronto. This contract included access to the allowed to tell Garrett his wish had come Toronto dressing room and a chance to true until two days before the big game. meet all the Leaf players, an introduction “It was hard because we had to keep by former team captain and Saskatchewan it a secret from Garrett for the whole week native Wendel Clark at game time and the so he wouldn’t know because they wanted opportunity to perform the ceremonial his genuine reaction to hearing the news,” puck drop. Sutherland says. Garrett was also given a special team “He found out March 26, we told him jersey with the name G-Man and the in front of his whole school.” number 42 on the back. For his part, Garrett says he enjoyed Making the night even more special, the whole weekend but the high point was, the Leafs defeated the Senators 4-3 in of course, meeting his favourite Leaf overtime and Garrett’s favourite player player Tyler Bozak.