summer2004

A publication of the National Aboriginal Health Organization
NAHO Network News
Summer 2004 Vol. 3, No. 2
Métis Child and Family Services.............2
HealthAdvice Line........................................3
Quit toWin Challenge.................................4
Winnipeg Gets New Centres....................5
Residential School Museum.......................6
NationalAboriginal Role Models.............7
International Elders Summit......................8
Woodcarving Program..............................9
Algonquin Elder Joe Lacroix congratulates Jan Kroll on her nursing award.
Nurses recognized for excellence
in Aboriginal nursing
BY JANE-DIANE FRASER
Algonquin Elder Joe Lacroix knew he
had diabetes but did not take the disease
seriously. It was not until he lost two of his
toes to the disease that he started to pay
attention to what his health care providers
were telling him and started managing his
disease. “We should all listen to the wisdom
of our mothers,” Lacroix said, referring to
the nurses working in Aboriginal commu-
nities.
Increasing diabetes awareness in Abo-
riginal communities is a priority in Abo-
riginal nursing across Canada.
“Ten or 12 years ago, we were drowning
in diabetes,” said Six Nations, Ont. clinic
nurse and diabetes educator Barbara Martin.
“We have a roughly 40 per cent diabetes rate
in the Six Nations. We decided to do some-
thing about it. We couldn’t get any funding,
so we looked at our people resources, since
people are what count. We developed strate-
gies on the sorts of classes we wanted to of-
fer, the type of information necessary, and it
just mushroomed from there.”
Martin co-founded the diabetes program
at the Gane Yohs Community Health
Centre. Team members offer diabetes
counselling, give classes on managing the
disease through lifestyle changes, and
screen for Type 2 diabetes in schools.
Martin is one of two nurses who received
the 2004 First Nations and Inuit Health
Branch (FNIHB) Award of Excellence In
Nursing Award on May 14, as part of
National Nursing Week celebrations. The
award recognizes exceptional nurses in
First Nations and Inuit communities.
Winners were nominated by their peers.
“I love my job,” Martin said. “I love the
community I work with. I love the commu-
nity members. This award is just icing on the
cake.”
Deputy Minister of Health Canada Ian
Green and Assistant Deputy Minister Ian
Potter presented the awards. The winners
also received $2,500 to use for nursing prac-
tice-related activities.
In presenting the awards, Potter
noted that nurses worked in the com-
munities a hundred years ago and they
are still the foundation of our health
service.
Elder Lacroix opened the ceremony by
performing a smudge, welcoming good
spirits for the occasion.
Award-winner Jan Kroll is a diabetes
educator with the Prince Albert Grand
Council Diabetes Program for 11 First
Nations communities in Northern Sas-
katchewan. She set up a Type 2 diabetes
prevention and management program with
nurses, dietitians, and outreach workers on
staff.
Nurses continued on page 2
What’s Inside?
Photos by Jane-Diane Fraser

NAHO Network News Summer 2004
Nurses recognized
Efforts were made to ensure the program
was culturally sensitive by partnering with
an urban diabetes program.
“I have been honoured to be welcomed
into First Nations communities and learn
about their cultures,” Kroll said. “I have
delivered a baby on a small plane and
provided palliative care. It’s the rewards
at the end of the day that keeps me go-
ing. Where else do you poke someone’s
finger, warn them against eating a choco-
late bar, then have them thank you?”
Kroll’s dedication to diabetes goes
beyond the workplace. For her summer
holiday, she volunteers as a camp nurse
at a local children’s diabetes camp. She
is passionate about preventing and man-
aging the disease.
NAHO Network News
National Aboriginal Health
Organization
56 Sparks Street, Suite 400
Ottawa, ON K1P 5A9
Telephone: (613) 237-9462
Toll-free: 1-877-602-4445
Fax: (613) 237-1810
Website: http://www.naho.ca
ISSN 1499-8777
The National Aboriginal Health
Organization, an Aboriginal designed
and controlled body, will influence and
advance the health and well-being of
Aboriginal Peoples through carrying
out knowledge-based strategies.
NAHO Network News is published
quarterly. It focuses on promoting
healthy living and showcases the
positive work of people and
organizations working in Aboriginal
health.
It also gives information on NAHO’s
activities, accomplishments, and future
directions.
Articles may be reprinted free of charge
if credit is given to the publication and
the author.
Please send your comments,
suggestions, or story ideas by e-mail to
naho@naho.ca.
“Diabetes specifically has become an
epidemic, especially in First Nations,”
Kroll said. “It’s a big area we have to ad-
dress. We have to look towards trying to
prevent diabetes to start with and to help
manage it so there are less complica-
tions.”
Kroll knew she would be a nurse from
the time she was five years old and fell
in love with her mother’s crisp white
nurse’s uniform. Today, she’s a mentor for
new nurses.
Both Martin and Kroll humbly accepted
their awards on behalf of their teams. They
agree that the most rewarding part of their
jobs is when their message gets through to a
community member.
“Seeing somebody who gets it is the most
rewarding thing, when you talk to them about
lifestyle changes and they believe you,” Mar-
tin said. “They trust you to make that change,
it works, and it makes a difference in their
health. Once their blood sugars go down and
they start to feel better, they come back to
you and tell you that they’re a believer. And
then they start telling others who start com-
ing in. That, to me, is just great. There is just
no feeling like it. In the end, they help them-
selves. We just give them the tools and edu-
cation to do it.”
Martin and Kroll share a goal with the
National Aboriginal Health Organization: to
promote understanding of the health issues
affecting Aboriginal Peoples. They are role
models, leaders, and exceptional nurses.
BY LINDA SULLIVAN
The opening of a new Métis Child, Fam-
ily and Community Services agency in Win-
nipeg is a dream come true for Métis.
In June, David Chartrand, President of the
Manitoba Métis Federation, proudly cut the
ribbon to launch the new agency in Mani-
toba, designed specifically for Métis people.
The restructuring of Manitoba’s child and
familyservicessystemstemsfromrecommen-
dations in theAboriginal Justice Inquiry that,
among other issues, reviewed and provided
advice on reforming Manitoba’s child wel-
fare and protection system.
Métis Child, Family and Community
Services (MCFCS) is an agency mandated
to direct and oversee child and family serv-
ices for Métis. Its vision is of “healthy, vi-
brant Métis communities built with the
strength of our families through love, re-
spect, honour, strength and heritage.” Its
mission is that “Métis families and com-
munities have the right and responsibility
to care for children.”
Once established and delivering serv-
ices, MCFCS will provide non-statutory
services to people, families, and commu-
nities, notes the organization’s website.
The main client groups are Métis, non-
status First Nations, and Inuit. However,
services will be available to people from
all cultures.
MCFCS will operate through a single
service agency in Winnipeg. There will
be service sites throughout Manitoba.
The Métis Child and Family Services
agency will initially focus on supporting
families through services such as in-home
support and parenting programs.
A board of directors governs
MCFCS. It receives core funding from
the Province of Manitoba. MCFCS be-
lieves in the inherent strengths of fami-
lies and in the need to build on the ca-
pacity of communities to care for Métis
children and families.
MCFCS is developing services in five
stages in Manitoba within the Métis child,
family and community services areas.
Métis Child and
Family Services
Agency opens
Nurse Brenda Martin received an award for
promoting diabetes awareness.
Continued from front

Summer 2004 NAHO Network News
Noreen McAteer
Chairperson, NAHO Board of Directors
Bernice Downey, RN
Executive Director
NAHO Message
Summer is an exciting time for Aboriginal people in Canada. It officially begins on June
21, which is both the summer solstice and National Aboriginal Day. This year, the National
Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) is happy to be celebratingAboriginal youth across
the country.
On June 21, NAHO celebrated youth by announcing the NationalAboriginal Role Model
Program. Twelve Aboriginal role models between the ages of 13 and 30 have been named.
They inspire Aboriginal people of all ages to achieve their dreams. NAHO announced the
first six role models on National Aboriginal Day in Ottawa. We are pleased to present these excellent role models in this issue of the
Network News. The second six role models were announced July 20 at the Assembly of First Nation’s Annual General Meeting.
Aboriginal youth are one of the fastest growing segments of Canada’s population. Our youth are an important part of our future,
as they are the decision-makers and health care workers of the future. It is important for all Aboriginal people to have role models
who encourage healthy life choices—the stories throughout this issue of the Network News have good examples of Aboriginal role
models, both young and old.
The summer is a great time to get involved in activities that make us healthier. The weather is beautiful and there are many
activities happening in our communities that encourage us to get outside and be active—anything from joining in a friendship dance,
helping out in a community garden, or taking the kids out on the land. NAHO will continue to work over the summer to bring you
useful health information. Stay in touch by checking our website at http://www.naho.ca or drop us a line at naho@naho.ca. May your
summer be healthy and happy.
Health advice line opens in the NWT
BY MELANIE FERRIS
If you are one of many people living in a
remote community in the Northwest Terri-
tories, you might be familiar with this sce-
nario: you have come home from a long day
at work to find that your young child will
not eat dinner and seems to have a fever.
Your community only has a registered nurse
and a social worker who are both very busy.
You do not want to disturb either one of
them because it does not seem as though
your child is very sick.
As of May 18, you can use a toll-free
number to ask a registered nurse for advice
on how to deal with this kind of situation.
You can speak to a nurse in English, French,
and translation services are available for
Aboriginal and other languages..
The Government of the Northwest Terri-
tories is committing about $600,000 a year to
this service, which promises basic health ad-
vice 24 hours a day across the territory.
Tele-Care NWT is meant to “provide
people with another option for access to
health care,” explained Jo-Anne Hubert,
Senior Nursing Consultant with the Gov-
ernment of the NWT’s Department of
Health and Social Services. Hubert is the
1-888-255-10101-888-255-8211 (TDD/TTY)
24 HOURS A DAY • 7 DAYS A WEEK | 24 HEURES SUR 24 • TOUS LES JOURS
Your family health and support line
Tele-Care NWT
Info-Soins TNO
Votre ligne d'information sur la
santé et les services d'aide à la famille
lead project co-ordinator for Tele-Care
NWT.
Hubert said the government is committed
to the project for at least the next three years.
After that time, there will be an evaluation of
the program to see if it is meeting its goals.
One of the project’s goals is to help
people use current service providers ap-
propriately. For example, if you have a
health question late at night, you might
call the toll-free number for advice in-
stead of waking up the only nurse in the
community. Doing this might also help
keep the professionals in the communi-
ties longer.
The toll-free advice line is also there for
social support. If someone has a mental
health issue like depression, they may wish
to call and talk to someone about it. People
might also call the line simply to get more
information about a diagnosis.
“They have an audio library on spe-
cific health and social issues,” explained
Hubert. “You can call in and listen to an
audiotape, which is about three minutes.
Then you can go back and talk to the
nurse. For example, if you have a
diagnosis you need clarification on, you
can just call and get straightforward
information.”
Hubert said the nurses at Tele-Care
NWT do not diagnose and do not provide
treatment. They tell the callers what to
do—this may be through tips for self-care
or a recommendation to see their local
doctor, nurse or social worker.
“This is an initiative that’s been
identified over the years,” Hubert said.
“There have been times when someone
would call a nurse at night for exam-
ple, and say they don’t have an emer-
gency but just want information. This
is just an add-on to existing services.
It’s really to help people get the infor-
mation to provide care for themselves.”
Health Line continued on page 10

Nunavik residents win
great prizes for not smoking
Photo by Lizzie Quara Aullaguk
Alacie Cruikshank (left) and Laly Nappatak (right) used old cigarette cartons to get their quit
smoking message out.
BY MELANIE FERRIS
Two return air tickets to Montreal and
$3,000 worth of goods from the co-op store
are just a couple of the prizes smokers and
non-smokers in Nunavik, Que. won by en-
tering the “(Stay) Quit to Win Challenge”
earlier this year.
In Nunavik, the huge Inuit territory in
northern Quebec, smoking is a big health
problem. The smoking rates there are more
than three times the Canadian average—
about 70 per cent of Nunavik adults smoke
and up to 80 per cent of youth and preg-
nant women also smoke. Some children
start smoking at age five.
For the past five years, there has been a
provincial Quit to Win Challenge in Que-
bec. While many thousands of Quebec
smokers have entered the challenge, par-
ticipation rates in the Nunavik region had
always been extremely low. For example,
in 2002, only three people in Nunavik en-
tered the challenge—the lowest number for
any region in Quebec.
“How can we encourage more
Nunavimmiut to enter the challenge?”
was the question facing the Tobacco Re-
duction Team in the Public Health De-
partment of the Nunavik Regional Board
of Health and Social Services. They de-
cided to radically adapt the challenge for
the North and then promote it actively in
their region.
“We felt strongly that the challenge
needed to be adapted because of the unique
cultural and demographic realities in
Nunavik,” explained Kathy Snowball, pub-
lic health agent at the health board.
This year was the second time the board
offered a special regional challenge in
Nunavik. Entrants agree to remain smoke-
free for at least the six weeks of the chal-
lenge.
One big change was that the Nunavik
challenge is open to both smokers and non-
smokers.
“We genuinely feared that some people,
especially children or youth, might actually
start smoking just so they could then enter
the challenge,” said Snowball.
The materials for the Quebec challenge
were not previously available in Inuktitut.
Organizers completely rewrote and then
translated (into Inuktitut and French) the
20-page Quit to Win booklet developed for
the provincial challenge.
“Rewriting the booklet ensured that Inuit
smokers receive consistent messages from
their local health workers, Inuit smoking
counsellors, and from the challenge materi-
als,” explained Merryl Hammond, smoking
counsellor and consultant to the health board.
“We also created a trilingual poster with
four well-known ex- or non-smokers from
the region who encouraged people to quit,”
Hammond said.
There is an adult challenge with special
prizes for women, men, and Elders.
Organizers also added a separate chal-
lenge for youth aged eight to 17. A school
challenge was also added and was very
popular. In 2003, seven of the 14 schools
in the region entered. In 2004, 11 entered.
There is also a community challenge. In
2003, six communities entered. In 2004, the
number grew to seven.
Sponsors, including First Air, Air
Inuit, the Federation of Co-operatives
of Northern Quebec (FCNQ), the
Nunavik Youth Association, and local
co-op stores and municipalities pro-
vided all the prizes.
To promote the challenge, entry forms,
posters, and booklets were sent to all com-
munities. Regional and local radio public
service announcements were also used this
year. This additional promotion helped. In
2004, 862 people (youth and adults) entered
the challenge, up from 626 in 2003.
Winners of the community and school
challenges are chosen by a panel of judges
from Inuit organizations such as Makivik,
Nunavik Youth Association, FCNQ, and the
Recreation Department in Kuujjuaq.
Quit to Win continued on page 10

Winnipeg gets two new centres
for Aboriginal Peoples
BY MELANIE FERRIS
Winnipeg has a large population of Métis
and First Nations people. This year, two new
centres open their doors to Aboriginal peo-
ple in Manitoba.
The Aboriginal Health Services Centre
opened its doors on June 21, on the second
floor of the main hospital at the Health
Sciences Centre in Winnipeg. Now, patients
at the hospital and their families have a
culturally sensitive space.
Provincial politicians and administrators
fromtheWinnipegRegionalHealthAuthority
officially opened the new centre with a rib-
bon cutting.Aboriginal and NorthernAffairs
Minister Oscar Lathlin said the centre ben-
efits more than just Winnipeg’s Aboriginal
community.
“The many patients who come from
northern Manitoba, northwestern Ontario,
and even Nunavut can access translation and
interpretation services as well as an
Aboriginal patient advocate who can help
them navigate a system that can be
intimidating and confusing for those not
familiar with it,” Lathlin said.
While the Aboriginal Health Services
Centre benefits hospital patients, Aboriginal
students at the University of Winnipeg will
benefit from a new Aboriginal Student
Services Centre this September. The
university has more than 800 Aboriginal
students.
The centre will work to
encourage students to retain,
embrace, and celebrate their
identity as Anishinabe, Cree,
Métis, and Inuit as they navigate
their way through post-
secondary education.
“This centre has been a long time com-
ing,” said Lloyd Axworthy, President of the
University ofWinnipeg. “It will help address
one of Canada’s most pressing problems—
the recruitment and retention of Aboriginal
students to post-secondary education. It sig-
nals the University of Winnipeg’s commit-
Staff at the new Aboriginal Health Services Centre in Winnipeg include (from left) Edith Shorting,
Marjorie Starr, Abirgail Major, Betty Ross, Anna Harper, and sitting is Gordon Dumas.
ment to creating a healthy learning environ-
ment for Aboriginal students.”
The Aboriginal Student Services Centre
willbeasafeandprivatespaceforAboriginal
students to study and meet, talk with each
otherorwithanElder,andbringtheirchildren
or family. There will be offices, a lounge,
space for an Elder, and a healing circle. The
centre will work to encourage students to
retain, embrace, and celebrate their identity
asAnishinabe, Cree, Métis, and Inuit as they
navigate their way through post-secondary
education.
Mary Young, Director of Aboriginal Stu-
dent Services, said the university “is work-
ing to create the supports (Aboriginal stu-
dents) require to be self-sufficient within the
community, to feel at home away from home,
to be able to concentrate on their studies, to
be fully engaged with their world and its
teachings, and to be fully prepared for what
the larger world has to offer.”
The $550,000 centre is being built on
the second floor of Lockhart Hall. Elders,
students, and staff provided guidance to
the university to create a centre that truly
works to meet the needs of Aboriginal
students.
The new light-filled space is conducive
to studying, tutoring, mentoring, meeting,
cultural workshops/teachings, and student-
initiatedactivitiessuchaspotluckdinnersand
family and movie nights.
“Aboriginal students at the University
of Winnipeg finally will have a proper
home and place to gather. The building
of this centre represents a new start for
Aboriginal students,” said Sarah Amyot,
President of the University of Winnipeg’s
Students’ Association.
Photo courtesy of Aboriginal Health Services Centre

Residential school museum aims to heal
survivors and their families
BY MELANIE FERRIS
On the outskirts of Portage la Prairie,
Man., there is an old building where Abo-
riginal students go for educational training.
The building used to be the Portage Indian
School, home to many First Nations and
some Inuit children from 1911 until 1971.
Although the building is no longer a resi-
dential school, there are reminders of the
young children who lived and even died
there. Evergreen trees outside the building
serve as a reminder of the school’s former
students who planted them. Some visitors
to the building say they can feel the ghosts.
“I don’t like being in there because I feel
like people are sleeping around me,” said
17-year-old Melissa Stewart, a third- gen-
eration survivor of residential school.
“That’s where all the Aboriginal kids were
sent to get rid of their culture.”
The residential school system contrib-
uted to the loss of Aboriginal cultures and
languages across Canada. About 90,000
Aboriginal people attended residential
schools across the country. Today, former
students and their families are trying to keep
their cultures alive.
On National Aboriginal Day, June 21,
the Long Plain First Nation announced
plans to convert the former Portage In-
dian School into a national museum. The
First Nation took control of the land and
building as part of its treaty entitlement
in 1981. Its vision for the Indian Resi-
dential School Museum of Canada is to
transform it “from a place of hurting to a
place for healing.”
Healing is important for both former
students and their families. Anne
Huntinghawk is a member of the Long Plain
First Nation. Her father attended the
Portage Indian School while her mother
attended Sandy Bay Residential School.
Her parents were taken from their families
at a young age.
“Residential school affected me in a lot
of ways—it disrupted our whole family,”
Huntinghawk said, explaining that her fa-
ther was abused and both her parents suf-
fered from alcoholism. “My sisters
and I were split up and raised by other
people and it wasn’t very good. If my
parents were raised in their own home, I
don’t think it would’ve happened because
my grandparents weren’t like that.”
Huntinghawk was removed from her
parents at age eight. She lived in non-
Aboriginal foster homes and there was no
one around her who would speak
Ojibway, her first language. Now, she
struggles to speak her mother tongue. She
said that while she is not angry with any-
one, residential school still affects many
people.
“It will for awhile… I talk to lots of
people even today and they say it’s still
affecting them, and these are people in
their 30s and it’s affected them too, kind
of like a domino effect.”
Long Plain First Nation hopes a
museum will help recognize the effects
of residential schools and honour both the
victims and survivors.
The museum will strive to tell the story
of residential school students through its
programs, displays, and archives. The
museum will have reconstructed
dormitories, classroom simulations, a
memorial garden, archival photographs,
and the stories of former students and
their families. There are plans to build a
wellness centre beside the school and to
bring the stories on the road through a trav-
elling museum exhibit.
The museum will have both guided and
self-guided tours. It is meant to be a place
where people from all backgrounds feel
welcome to learn about residential schools.
Long Plain First Nation hopes to gather
input from Elders and organizations that
work to heal residential school survivors.
The museum aims to tell the stories of
residential schools across Canada, not just
the school in Portage la Prairie.
“We’re hoping to open the museum on
June 21, 2008,” said Chief Dennis
Meeches, of the Long Plain First Nation.
The proposal to build this museum is
supported by theAssembly of First Nations
and Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, as well
as Anglican, United, and Presbyterian
churches.
It still needs more than $4 million in
funding. The project has received some
funding from theAnglican church,Aborigi-
nal Healing Foundation, and Canadian Her-
itage. “We’re also looking for support from
the Catholic church and for private dona-
tions,” Meeches said.
While Long Plain First Nation is work-
ing on getting the school designated as a
heritage building by both Manitoba and
Canada, it is also planning a fundraising
gala in Winnipeg for Oct. 14. You can find
more information on the Indian Residen-
tial School Museum of Canada at http://
www.longplainfirstnation.ca.
The old Portage Indian School is being converted into the first museum that will tell the history
of residential schools in Canada.

National Aboriginal Role Models
hope to inspire other youth
Cara Ann Wehkamp, 26, is one of six national Aboriginal role models announced June 21.
BY MELANIE FERRIS
“I’m really honoured,” was Cara Ann
Wehkamp’s reaction to learning she was
one of six Aboriginal youth to be an-
nounced as part of the National Aboriginal
Role Model Program on June 21 in Ottawa.
Wehkamp is a PhD student in the De-
partment of Environmental Biology at the
University of Guelph. The 26-year-old
Algonquin is a plant physiologist who
hopes to eventually work as an academic.
“Science is all around us,” Wehkamp said.
She hopes to get otherAboriginal youth ex-
cited about science.
“It’s important for young people to have
someone to look up to,” Wehkamp said. “I
want to show youth that any goal is attain-
able.”
The other role models share Wehkamp’s
sentiments. They are Jaime Battiste,
Thomas Edwards, Fauna Kingdon, Jaime
Koebel, and Levi McActeer.
Battiste is a 24-year-old aspiring Mikmaq
lawyerfromEskasoni,N.S.Hespeakshislan-
guage fluently and aims to defend and pro-
tect Mikmaq treaty rights.
“I grew up all my life on the reserve and
so I just want to show that we’re just as good
as anyone else and we can do anything,”
Battiste said. “We’re not less smart or less
determined than any other people.”
Battiste works with youth as the Co-
ordinator of the Tobacco Prevention
Program at the Eskasoni Health Centre. He
develops programs for youth to help them
quit smoking. He also works to promote the
traditional uses of tobacco.
Thomas Edwards is from Lake Manitoba
First Nation. He was selected as a role
model largely because of his dedication to
volunteering.
“I don’t do any of this stuff for recogni-
tion,” the 21-year-old-said. “I just want to
make changes in this ever changing world of
ours, especially in our society when there’s
so many things going on that are not great.”
Thomas is studying for a Bachelor of
Arts and Education at the University of
Winnipeg.
Fauna Lee Kingdom, a 19-year-old
Métis from Iqaluit, already brings a pas-
sion for volunteering and helping others
in her community. The Univeristy of Win-
nipeg commerce student was awarded the
2002 National Métis Youth Role Model
for Volunteerism.
“I like working with people and I like
helping people,” said Fauna. “I get satis-
faction out of it and I think it helps people.
There are a lot of young people who need
help, and I think I can identify with a lot of
people, so I like to help.”
Jaime Koebel, 25, is working to educate
people on issues that affect indigenous peo-
ple around the world by focussing on Abo-
riginal fine arts, literature, health, and gov-
ernance and policy issues. Koebel, origi-
nally from Lac La Biche, Alta., recently
completed a bachelor’s degree from
Carleton Univeristy, and is now working
on a master’s degree.
At age 15, Levi McAteer is the young-
est role model. He spends much of his time
waterskiing, skateboarding, cycling, and
curling. He comes from Manning, Alta., a
small community of about 2,500 people.
“I was very excited,” Levi said when
asked how he felt to be named as a role
model. To him, being a role model is about
“leading others… I hope to keep youth in
school and lead them on their way.”
Levi has an average of 89 per cent in math,
and studies regularly.
TheNationalAboriginalHealthOrganization
(NAHO) runs the National Aboriginal Role
Model Program. You can find more informa-
tion about the program at http://www.naho.ca,
and then click on “Lead Your Way!” You can
also read profiles of the role models in each
month’sissueofthe NAHOBulletin,whichcan
also be found on the NAHO website.
Photo courtesy of Cara Ann Wehkamp

International Elders Summit focuses on
sharing knowledge of Elders and youth
BY SUNITA KOSARAJU
Indigenous people from all four corners
of the Americas will join in a historic gath-
ering to share experiences and knowledge,
reflect on the past, heal historical trauma,
and create positive change for the future
by developing recommendations for the
United Nations (UN).
The International Indigenous Elders
Summit happens Aug. 27 to Sept. 1 in Six
Nations of the Grand River, Ont. The sum-
mit brings together community leaders,
health organizations, educators, academics,
and youth and women’s groups to listen to
Elders’ wisdom on how to heal communi-
ties and work together to achieve a higher
quality of life for the seventh generation.
Solutions to social issues such as suicide,
domestic violence, community fragmenta-
tion, cultural survival, language loss, tra-
ditional medicine, and relationships with
non-Aboriginal society will be discussed.
One goal of the summit is to develop an
Elders declaration outlining those solutions.
The declaration is part of a strategy for en-
suring strong, healthy nations. Women will
carry forward this declaration to the UN.
Elder’s Summit Committee Co-Chair-
person Sara Smith explained that the Elders
Summit is a unique opportunity for diverse
groups of indigenous peoples to look at
their similarities rather than their differ-
ences in creating solutions for current and
future generations. “The summit is an op-
portunity for indigenous people to share
their tradition of peace to the world and to
promote healing and well-being among all
people.”
The Unity Ride and Run will open the
International Indigenous Elders Summit.
This is an event where Aboriginal people
from across North America will travel
2,300 kilometres towards Haudenosaunee
territory. Riders and runners will be wel-
comed by the traditional people of the land
in honour of the Haudenosaunee Great Tree
of Peace, the symbol known throughout the
Americas for unity and strength. The jour-
ney began in Sioux Valley, Man. In keep-
ing with the themes of the summit, the ride
and run honours the grandmother spirit and
women, to restore balance within Aborigi-
nal communities.
Charlotte Beaver, 11, is going on the
Unity Ride and Run with her sister
Rebecca. “It will be my first time away from
home and also my first time going camp-
ing with others. I think it will be very inter-
esting to see other reserves and visit other
places I have never been to before. It will
be my first time riding a horse for a long
time. I hope that I will have a real good
time and a good trip,” she said.
Her sister Rebecca explained her reason
for going on the Unity Ride and Run. “I
have lived on the reserve for most of my
life and never really thought about what it
means to be Native. I respect Mother Na-
ture, but I don’t go to church or longhouse.
When I heard about the Unity Ride and
Run, I thought this is what I would like to
do. This ride gives me a chance to see part
of the world on the back of my horse, and
if it brings me closer to my roots, all the
better.”
This movement has been initiated by the
women of Six Nations. These women rec-
ognized the need to heal historical trauma
experienced by indigenous people from
across North America and the importance
of acting on the wisdom of Elders.
Event organizers hope the summit will
provide clear direction for community lead-
ers. “This is a unique opportunity for our
communities to address outstanding issues
resulting from historical trauma and the
intergenerational effects of those events,”
said Ali Darnay, Liaison Officer at the
Elders Summit Office.
Smith explained that the summit is hap-
pening “at a critical point in time where we
must react to what is happening in commu-
nities and take a close look at what youth
will be faced with in their lives.”
“As the future leaders of our nations, we
young people have an important opportu-
nity to bring our issues, concerns, and ex-
periences to the table to contribute to a vi-
sion for a healthier future for indigenous
peoples across North, South, and Central
America. This is a once-in-a-lifetime ex-
perience,” added Darnay, who has been in-
volved with the summit and the Unity Ride
and Run since 2000.
In addition to making presentations to
Elders, young people will develop a set of
youth declarations. This statement will be
carried to the UN and to the World Youth
Peace Summit in the Mohawk Nation of
Akwesasne.
A special agenda geared specifically
to youth includes events such as indig-
enous idol contests, youth concerts,
lacrosse exhibitions, smoke dance com-
petitions, and an appearance by First
Nations musician and actor George
Leach.
Birgil Kills Straight, member of the
Elders Summit Steering Committee from
the Ogala Lakota Nation in South Dakota,
emphasizes the importance of the summit
in educating people about the history of
indigenous people in the Americas. As a
boy growing up in the 1950s, he explained
that his history lessons were always taught
from the European viewpoint. The effects
of colonization, assimilation, and diseases
onAboriginal cultures and peoples were not
discussed.
Sisters Charlotte and Rebecca Beaver are
excited to discover new communities and
cultures.
Elders Summit continued on page 10
Photo courtesy of the Elders Summit office

Woodcarving program teaches
new skills to people with addictions
BY MELANIE FERRIS
The smell of fresh pine lures visitors
to the basement of the Wabano Health
Centre on any given Tuesday or Thursday.
The Aboriginal health centre in Ottawa
is home to the Wood Carving Group, a
program to help people cope with drug
and alcohol addictions.
It is co-ordinated by Dan Printup, who
is the case manager for Wabano’s Home-
less Initiative. Printup said the group
evolved out of a program started in 1993.
At the time, the health centre offered a
carving program to people on social as-
sistance. The program taught basic life
skills to help Aboriginal peoples deal with
social issues such as family violence, al-
cohol abuse, and loss of culture and lan-
guage.
“The response was really good,”
Printup said, explaining that addictions
were a recurring issue among people who
used the program. Staff at the Wabano
Health Centre began wondering how they
could merge the basic life skills program
with a program for preventing alcohol
and drug abuse.
Printup slowly started introducing
substance abuse issues into the wood-
carving program. He offered people
forms to assess their lifestyles, telling
them they would not have to receive
treatment, be diagnosed, or go for
counselling.
“People were willing to do it because
they weren’t going to be singled out or
identified as a drug addict or alcoholic,”
Printup said.
Although clients were not singled out,
they were told they could get help with
their addictions through Wabano.
“We have access to different Native
treatment centres and we have access to
Elders,” Printup said. The program also
has an Elder to provide support to clients.
The woodcarving program is in a re-
laxed atmosphere. People come in and
learn how to carve and do wood burning,
eat healthy snacks, and learn about Abo-
riginal cultures. Health centre staff use a
hands-off approach.
Byron Conant leads the Wood Carving Group at the Wabano Health Centre. The group is
making a gift for the centre, which depicts the seven clans.
“A lot of the things we do with them,
they don’t even know,” Printup said, ex-
plaining that the program runs much like a
home. Printup often has guests come into
the space. It is an inviting room with mu-
sic; the sounds and smells of wood being
cut, drilled, and sanded; couches and chairs
with plenty of work space; and Aboriginal
art and photographs on the walls.
Visitors, including Elders, often sit just
feet away from where carvers make their
works of art. Printup and visitors discuss
the struggles that go hand-in-hand with
being Aboriginal.
“We talk about our own healing, our
daily struggles, and how hard it was to turn
things around. We talk about being cultur-
ally proud,” Printup explained. “Most eve-
ryday they hear something positive.”
Printup compares the atmosphere of
the woodcarving space to the atmosphere
a child may experience at home—hear-
ing their parents talk in the kitchen about
daily events, problems, and solutions.
Hearing visitors talk about their cul-
ture gets the carvers interested.
“They’ll ask about cultures, the clan
system, and responsibilities… they’re
getting hands-on experience in culture
and help for their projects,” Printup said.
Stories about the different clans, such
as the wolf, deer, loon, and bear, get peo-
ple excited about carving those animals.
The carvers are proudly showing their
excitement about the clan system by
carving a gift for the Wabano Health
Centre, which is a large sign featuring all
seven clans. Their work is led by Byron
Conant, a young man who demonstrates
the success of the carving program.
The program runs several times each
year, 12 hours a week.
Continued on page 10
Photo by Melanie Ferris

Continued from page 3
The nurses who work forTele-Care NWT
use every call to teach people how to take
care of their health. The initiative is a com-
panion to a self-care handbook called Do I
Need to See a Nurse or Doctor? The hand-
bookwassenttoeveryhouseholdintheNWT
last year. It has different explanations on how
to handle situations like what to do if your
baby has a fever.
If you have a phone number registered in
the NWT, you can call the advice line. You
can even call from a rotary or cell phone. If
you are travelling with your cell phone out-
side of the territory, you can still call the advice
line.
The service also has
interpretive services for more
than 100 languages, including
most of the Aboriginal
languages in the territory.
When you call the number, you will get an
automated greeting that asks if you speak
English, French, or another language. The
message will tell you that the service is not
for emergencies and if you are having one,
youshouldcallanothernumber.Youwillthen
speak with a receptionist who will pass you
onto the next available nurse.
“The average call lasts about 10 minutes,”
Hubert said. “We recognize that a lot of our
audience do not speak English, so the service
also has interpretive services for more than
100 languages, including most of the Abo-
riginal languages in the territory.”
The Government of the NWT has held
information sessions with health
professionals so they can tell patients about
Tele-Care NWT. The government has also
sent information on the service to every
household, including a letter from the
Minister of Health and Social Services
announcing the service as well as a sticker
for the telephone and a fridge magnet. In the
fall, the government plans to hold informa-
tion sessions for the public. The information
sessions will be advertised in the
communities.
To use Tele-Care NWT, call 1-888-255-
1010 or if you have a hearing impairment,
call 1-888-255-8211 (TDD/TTY).
Quit to Win Wood carving
Conant is a Cree originally from
Saskatoon. He joined the group in Septem-
ber 2003 and had no previous carving ex-
perience.
“Iwantedtotrysomethingnew,”explained
Conant, whose father used to belong to the
group.
When Conant joined the group, his leader
and mentor was Don McCleay, a world-re-
nowned Haida carver (see his work on the
Internet at http://www.totemcarver.com).
Along with teaching Conant about Haida cul-
ture, McCleay also taught Conant enough
about carving and teaching so Conant was
able to take over the group in 2004.
Conant was recognized as having the
skills necessary to lead the woodcarving
group, says Printup. Today, Conant helps
carvers by listening to their ideas and giving
them advice on how to do things. He
appears calm and relaxed in the atmosphere.
Carving keeps Conant from abusing al-
cohol or drugs.
“It keeps me out of it. It keeps me really
calmandkeepsmymindworkingcreatively,”
he said over the noise of drills and saws.
The woodcarving program continues to
be popular as people keep coming back and
bring their friends and family along. “It
helps them quite a bit on their journey,”
Printup said, adding that everyone gets dif-
ferent things out of the group.
Some people soak up much of the tradi-
tional teachings, while others simply enjoy
the safe atmosphere. Printup explained that
he makes himself available to everyone who
comes to him to talk about things like rela-
tionship issues, anger, and substance abuse.
“A good 70 to 80 per cent of them come in
forcounsellingonaninformalbasis,”Printup
said.
Any Aboriginal person is welcome to
join the group.
The atmosphere is inclusive and it doesn’t
matter if a person has no knowledge of
Aboriginal cultures.“Sometimes they feel
ashamed, because other Natives know a lot
morethantheydo,”Printupexplains,butsays
that the hands-off approach helps everyone
feel comfortable.
For more information or to find out when
the next program starts, call Dan Printup at
(613) 842-5035.
Health line
In 2004, Quaqtaq won the community
challenge. Lizzie Ningiuruvik, a smoking
counsellor, held eight group counselling
sessions. She got the whole community
involved and did a major local radio cam-
paign to teach people about tobacco.
“This year, 42 per cent of youth and
17 per cent of adults in Quaqtaq entered
the challenge, compared to only three per-
cent of both youth and adults in 2003. Ms.
Ningiuruvik shows us the positive impact
even one person can have on a commu-
nity,” said Dr. Serge Déry, head of the
Public Health Department at the health
board.
The next challenge takes place between
March 1 and April 11, 2005. If you are
interested in sponsoring the challenge by
providing prizes or money, or need more
information, contact Kathy Snowball at
(819) 964-2222 or Merryl Hammond
at (514) 457-4347.
Elders
Summit
He said the International Indigenous
Elders Summit is a significant event
because the “prophecies of all indig-
enous groups, their Creation stories,
customs, and knowledge still alive in
those groups must be shared. Young
people need to learn and understand
their great histories to create solutions
for today’s problems.”
He strongly believes the summit will
help First Nations recover and main-
tain the knowledge that is still in their
communities.
Aboriginal peoples across Canada can
help ease the path for those taking part
in the Unity Ride and Run by calling the
Elders Summit Office toll-free at 1-866-
862-7466 to offer financial contributions,
provide physical support, or to offer con-
tact information of community centres for
riders and runners to shower or sleep. You
can also get more information at http://
www.elderssummit2004.ca.

Inspiration.
Sharing.
Positive choices.
It helps to have a role model, someone who has
faced the same challenges youth deal with every
day and met them head-on.
The 12 NationalAboriginal Role Models will be
visiting Aboriginal communities across Canada,
sharing their stories and messages with youth.
Their mission is to inspire other young people to
follow their goals and dreams, and make posi-
tive and healthy choices that will improve their
lives and their communities.
You can bring a Role Model to your community.
An online request form is available at:
www.naho.ca/rolemodel
Or mail your requests to:
National Aboriginal Role Model Program
130 Albert Street, Suite 1500
Ottawa, ON K1P 5G4

Sharing Knowledge:
Aboriginal Paths to Health
Traditional Paths ~ People Paths ~ Breaking New Ground
NAHO’s Second National Conference and Health Information Fair
PRE-CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES
Training Workshops/Youth Workshops
November 6 to 7, 2004
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
November 8 to 10, 2004
Winnipeg Convention Centre – Winnipeg, Manitoba
REGISTER NOW!
Conference registration forms are now available on the
National Aboriginal Health Organization website at http://www.naho.ca
or contact National Conference Co-ordinator
Carolyn Hunter
Hunter-Courchene Consulting Group
1065 blvd. de la Carrière
Gatineau, QC J8Y 6V5
Telephone: (819) 779-4610
Toll-free: 1-866-778-4610
E-mail: karen@huntercourchene.com

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