AUGUST 2015

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VOLUME 18 - NUMBER 8

Welcome to ourJustice Edition

Coming In September - Back to School IssueCPMA #40027204

WORTH LIVINGHis thoughts of suicide havesubsided now that Chris Moyahas gained a new understand-ing of life. Page 9

A GREAT MONTHYellow Quill’s Gurski sistersenjoyed a month of success onvarious softball diamonds.

- Page 14

SEEKING ANSWERSA grieving mother is unhappywith the investigation into herson’s untimely death.

- Page 10

SHARING HIS SKILLMike Linklater is one of thebest basketball players on theglobe. Now he’s sharing hisknowledge. - Page 15

GANG STORIESBobby Henry is doing hisresearch, preparing to tell thehorrific and revealing stories ofgang members. - Page 3

Ernie Louttit went from being the most wellknown cop on Saskatoon’s west side to an awardwinning author who just released his second book.

(Photo by John Lagimodiere)

Ernie writing his retirement ticket

By John LagimodiereOf Eagle Feather News

SASKATOON – Ernie Louttit didn’t waste any time onthe streets when he was a Constable then a Sergeant forthe Saskatoon Police Service.

He was always on the move, relentlessly patrollingthe inner city of Saskatoon and he had the highest ar-rest rate of any officer. People on the street either lovedhim or hated him ... and as only the third Aboriginal of-ficer on the force when he began, he quickly earned thenickname ‘Indian Ernie.’

Louttit retired a few years ago and traded his uni-form and weapons in for a computer and became anaward winning writer.

He recently released his second book, More In-dian Ernie: Insights from the Streets and this book of-fers more of the same that made his first book so pop-ular, straight up stories from a street cop’s view of therealities of dealing with prostitutes, street gangs, drunkdrivers, mental health issues and other justice officials.The fast moving book wastes no words.

• Continued on Page 11

Louttit cuffs himself to a computer these days

AUGUST 2015Eagle Feather News 2

Eagle Feather News AUGUST 2015 3

By Michael RobinFor Eagle Feather News

SASKATOON – They spotted him while he was outwith his wife at a Regina mall, five men from a rivalgang who start making trouble, chasing him outside anddown a back alley. Steps ahead of his pursuers, heducks into a car.

“So what did he do?” asks Robert (Bobby) Henry,a researcher working to tell the stories of men inSaskatchewan’s Aboriginal gangs.

“I know what I would do; I’d be in the vehicle andI’d be gone,” Henry says. “They had knives; there’s fiveof them – I’m outta there. Not him. His reputation wason the line.”

Instead, the man grabbed a knife from the car, tieda leather jacket around his arm and turned to meet hispursuers. When it was over, the five attackers were onthe ground and he, despite two stab wounds, was stillstanding – along with his reputation as one of the tough-est knife fighters in the city.

Henry has spent the past four and half years work-ing to gain insights about men in Aboriginal gangs –their culture, their behaviour, how they came to be intheir situations, and how they got out. He hopes theknowledge can inform interventions to help Aboriginalyouth leave gang life or avoid it altogether.

Henry worked closely with STR8-UP, an organi-zation created and run by former gang members tohelp others get out of gangs.

Although Henry is Métis, from Prince Albert, hesaid his was very much a middle-class upbringing andit took time to prove himself both to the organizationand to the men associated with it. At first, no one wouldopen up to him, having had experience with researchersin the past that would ask their questions, poke into theirlives, and vanish.

Henry took a different approach, based on a modelof “relational accountability” and a photo voice re-search method. The men would get cameras and beasked to capture images that mattered to them, imagesthat said something about their lives. The photos, andthe stories that went with them, would go into a high-quality, printed book.

The proposal intrigued his prospective researchsubjects. It would make their stories, real, tangible,something they could own and share. Still, they weresuspicious.

He explained to them that while he didn’t receiveany material gains at the beginning, over time he wouldbenefit from their stories and the knowledge theyshared.

“They asked me, ‘so what are you getting out ofall this?’” Henry says. “I told them, ‘I get to listen toyour stories which will help me to get my Ph.D.’”

Now gathered into a book titled “Brighter DaysAhead,” the images and stories offer a glimpse of aworld rarely seen or understood by outsiders.

It is a world of “hypermasculinity” – unrelentingviolence, harsh codes of behaviour and punishment, butalso of honour. Men spoke of the psychological toll ofnever showing weakness, of “putting on the face” tolook dangerous, to look mean. Let that mask slip andyou become prey.

Henry shares the words of a former gang member: “You hear the brothers at night, some of them, you

hear them crying in the cells, and when you do, you heara lot of people saying, ‘Who’s that crying? Who’s that lit-tle girl?’ You know, that crying stops. That’s what I meanby putting on the mask to wear, to belong, to be ac-cepted.”

Gang life starts early, Henry explained during hissuccessful defense of his PhD dissertation. Former mem-bers spoke to him of abusive home lives and indoctrina-tion into violence from the time they entered school – onetook a photo of his former schoolyard to illustrate.

“Here’s where a lot of this started for (gang mem-bers),” Henry says. “Not at eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, but atfour and five where they were learning how to fight onthe school ground because they were getting bullied. Sothey started to fight back, and that’s how they started tobuild their reputation.”

Success is possible in the gangs, Henry says, but itis success with limits unfamiliar to most people. A gangmember might have tens of thousands of dollars from thedrug trade or other criminal activity, but no easy way tospend it. One doesn’t walk onto a car lot with $50,000 incash to buy a brand new vehicle, or buy a house andmake mortgage payments with stacks of cash but no bankaccount or visible job.

“You’ll see these guys driving a cheap older car thatthey bought with cash, then they trick it out with thou-sands of dollars of accessories,” Henry says.

In some ways, men behave with honour and re-sponsibility that would not be unfamiliar in broader so-ciety. Henry recounts how one gang member created hisown $300,000 insurance policy for his wife and child.Facing a jail term of several years, he directed his wifeto caches of money in secure locations around the city,set aside to tide them over while he was away.

It is an impulse that perhaps shows one possibleroad out of gangs: the desire to be thought of as a man,one worthy of respect.

“Prevention and intervention programs must focuson masculinity as a causal factor,” Henry says.

“We have to understand masculinity is one of themain things motivating them. The performance that(gang members) are doing, it’s a specialized, localizedperformance but it’s something that we need to rede-velop for community, or that communities must developfor themselves.”

Inside Aboriginal gangs: research may improve success of interventions

Robert Henry did his PhD research on Aboriginalgangs. (Photo: Michael Robin)

Eagle Feather News AUGUST 20154

Well, the writ has dropped on whatwill be the longest and most expensivefederal election in Canada’s history.

The parties have polished up theirplatforms and elected most of their can-didates and all that is left is for them tobore the heck out of us so no one votesand we are left with status quo comeOctober 19.

Unfortunately, Aboriginal peoplehave not been a major factor in pastelections. Legally, Indians could notvote prior to 1960 and after that, elec-tions were often seen as ‘white manspolitics’ not particularly impacting youraverage Aboriginal person.

There are also some misguided ac-tivists telling us that a vote in a Cana-dian election undermines your sover-eignty as an Aboriginalperson (roll the eyes).

With Aboriginal issuesbeing ignored or brutallypounded on by the current rul-ing Conservative Party, thereis a high degree of interest andnecessity in getting Aborigi-nal people out to vote in thiselection.

Idle No More has alsoshown Aboriginal people thatgovernment bills and laws doimpact the day-to-day hap-penings on reserve and off.

Leaders are now emerg-ing, promoting Aboriginal vot-ing, none more prominent thanChief Perry Bellegarde of theAssembly of First Nations.Chief Bellegarde believes thatthis election can be the one thathelps close the gap betweenAboriginal people and youraverage Canadian.

His reasons are legit. “If we vote in this elec-

tion we can close that gap ...that gap represents the cap oneducation, the two per centcap on overall funding, the

missing and murdered Aboriginalwomen, the high youth suicide, the chil-dren that are inprovincial care,lack of access topotable water,black mold and thehousing crisis inour communities.When our peoplecome out to vote itshows the Mem-bers of Parliament and other leaders thatour issues matter.”

According to Chief Bellegarde, theAssembly of First Nations will be work-ing with Elections Canada on an educa-tion and awareness campaign so that“First Nations that wish to exercise their

own personal inherent sovereignty andindividual right to vote, can. You need

two pieces of ID.You need to regis-ter and so on. It isa challenge for alot of our people toget through thosehurdles. We are re-ally relying on theChiefs and Coun-cils to get their

people out and motivated.”Taking the message directly to the

people are the volunteers behind Indige-nous Vote Sask, a provincial, non-parti-san effort to mobilize the First Nationsand Métis vote in Saskatchewan. Thissmall but mighty group has been meeting

for some time, planning how they canhelp increase the Aboriginal vote.

Next week they intend to hit sev-eral First Nation communities and pro-vide voter awareness as well as formsfor registering and or getting your ID.They just recently received the OK fromFederation of Saskatchewan Indian Na-tions Interim Chief Kim Jonathan andhave members that drove in from LaRonge for meetings. They are serious.

They are also making videos onwhy you should vote and will be usingsocial media to carry the message andrally the troops. The group is non-parti-san and they are encouraging voters tonot only vote, but to make an informedvote ... like read the platform of theparty, talk to the candidates in your re-

gion and know the issues. The truth is, politi-

cians neglect constituentsor ridings that don’t votefor them. And our badtrack record on votingcertainly is reflected inthe poor and neglectfulpolicies the governmenthas created. We justhaven’t mattered.

But Chief Bellegardesays the time is now.

“We need to get thevote out. Our people mat-ter. Our issues matter.”

With all of theawareness and energy outthere around the issuesand voting, don’t be sur-prised if this election ishistoric, not just becauseit was long and expen-sive, but because it wasthe election when theAboriginal people finallytook their place inCanada and elevated theissues and made a differ-ence in Ottawa by vot-ing.

Getting out to vote shows we matter as Canadians

Indigenous Vote Sask is powered by volunteers including from left Shannon Roberts, CeCe Baptiste,Marcel Petit, Melody Wood, Glenda Abbott and Curtis Peeteetuce. (Photo by John Lagimodiere)

Eagle Feather NewsAUGUST 2015 5

My father, when he was remembering the greatdrought of the 1930s, said it was so hot and dry that thegrass and the trees crackled in the wind every day andthe wind, he said, never seemed to stop blowing.

Well that has certainly been true for the first partof our summer. Not only did the grass and trees cracklebut it seemed the wind never stopped and for the firsttime in my life I saw balls of lightening during one ofthe spectacular electrical storms we had which pro-duced no rain. As awesome as that allwas, it was also frightening.

The North burning up, the evac-uation of people from their homes tothe cities and the almost minute byminute coverage on radio, televisionand social media, reminded us everyday just how ignorant we are to cli-mate change and, for sure, ill pre-pared. So ill prepared that it is pretty overwhelming.

I for one know that it’s easier to tune out by goingout and picking berries than to think of what I can doto change what is happening. But thank goodness forour kids. My youngest daughter called me in the mid-dle of all this and said “Mom, Lorna’s having a get to-gether at her house on Saturday and she’s inviting allher friends and their moms. Will you come with me?

“Well sure, but what are we doing?” I asked.“Who knows, she laughed but it should but be

fun.”

And it was. We ate good food, had Taro readings,went for a walk, talked about all kinds of things andcame away with plans to meet again and organize a wa-ter walk and ceremony. I met good women and I got toknow another side of my baby girl.

I remember as a young mother in the 1960s gettingtogether with other mothers and having what we calledconsciousness–raising. Over coffee we educated eachother on issues that affected our lives and the lives ofour children and found ways to change what was hap-pening.

We were able to get Emergency Crisis Centres,Food Banks, Co-op Housing, make changes to the In-dian Act so women and their children would have a bet-ter life.

Getting together for coffee, talking, planning andorganizing was exciting because we were taking controlof our lives. Read Disinherited Generations: Our Strug-gle to Reclaim Treaty Rights for First Nations Womenand Their Descendants by Kathleen Stienhauer and

Nelly Carlson to find out whatgetting together for coffee andplanning by a small group ofmothers was able to do for thou-sands of people across Canada.

So, yes, we can do some-thing about climate change. Wemight not be able to do it alonebut we sure can do it together so

go on call your best friend and her mother that’s a goodplace to start.

So what else am I doing with the rest of my sum-mer besides picking berries, meeting with some radicalyoung moms and their mothers? Well, I am entertain-ing my cousin Hilary for a few days. She is arriving thisweek and that will be a fun time.

I’m taking my great grandson out for a birthdaydinner and doing a dramatic reading at John Arcand’sFiddle Festival. Co-hosting a Storytelling Gatheringand then, flying to a ceremony in Sudbury, Ontario be-tween some First Nations and Michif people from bothsides of the border, who are re-enacting a 125-year-oldTreaty ceremony. That should be interesting.

But right now the big deal is dinner with my greatgrandson who was 10 last week. He is very handsomeand smart. He loves me andthinks I am the greatest cookand “most awesome lady”he knows. His words on anote he sent me, I have asimilar one sent by his fa-ther 25 years ago. I am veryblessed and not always de-serving of it.

• • •Condolences to the

family of “aunty” Bella Ar-cand who passed away inJuly she will be missed bythe many people who knewand loved her. She was, Ibelieve, about 97 or 98years old. It seems to me sheand my father were born thesame year.

I have many memoriesof her, but the most recent isabout 10 years old. It is ofher arriving at Back to Ba-toche Days in her little redcar with a couple of oldladies and a trunk load ofpies to sell.

They were having somuch fun that my friendsand I just wanted to hangout with them for the wholeweekend.

She was one of thosehard working, wise, toughgentle women who alwayshad a smile, a hug and kindwords for everyone. I’ll

miss her.Enjoy the rest of the summer and I’ll see you at

John Arcand’s or somewhere down the road.

Talking over coffee can change the world

So, yes, we can dosomething aboutclimate change.We might not beable to do it alonebut we sure can doit together so go oncall your bestfriend and hermother that’s agood place to start.

AUGUST 2015Eagle Feather News6

How should Canadians react tocriminal acts? What does justice demandin a ‘criminal justice system’? With afederal election looming, it is timely toreflect upon such questions.

When we elect politicians we aredeciding who will go to Ottawa to decidewhat is best for us. Isn’t that what govern-ments do when they enact laws? Of coursein Canada it will be remembered, yourlocal MP’s views and the views of hisconstituents count only if aligned with theviews of the prime minister of the day.

That is because Canada has the leastdemocratic government system of theadvanced modern democracies. The mainreason is the centralization of power in theoffice of the prime minister. So let us startagain. When we elect a party to govern,we elect the prime minister whose viewswill decide what is in our best interests.

The mandate of the Truth and Recon-ciliation Commission (TRC) gives us anexample of how a government can decidewhat is good for a segment of the popula-tion. The folks residing on Indian reservesdid not even have the vote when the IndianResidential Schools were established sothere was not even the artificial link to theelector’s view on what is good for him.

The government’s view was that a

formal system of education based uponthe values, beliefs and ways of theEnglish-French coalition that governedCanada then was necessary.

Once that goal was established thenthe dilemma was howto educate children offamilies who did notlive in the communi-ties ‘settled’ by theones who controlledthe country and itsoriginal nations. Thegovernment decidedwhat was good for the First Nations andthen went on to decide how to do it.

There is another group of Canadianstoday that has next to no influence ongovernment decisions about what is goodfor them: prisoners. Among the results ofgovernment decisions about what is goodfor them and for us are solitary confine-ment policies and statutory minimumsentences, abominations that shame anddisgrace governments that have them.

Well-known victims of the harshCanadian system include Eddie Snowshoeand Ashley Smith, the troubled teenagerwho had committed no major crime butwas tasered and pepper-sprayed in prisonand ended up killing herself in ‘segrega-

tion’ while prison guards watched. Eddie, a 26-year-old First Nation man

from the NWT hanged himself in a solitaryconfinement cell in which he had been keptfor 162 consecutive days. This type of cruel

torture to socialanimals,condemned byinternationalstandards, wouldnot be toleratedhere for dogs.

Or lions, forthat matter, if you

have been inundated with news flashesabout Cecil the Lion. But the current govern-ment likes it and keeps it. Why do we seemto care so little for our own species? Is thegovernment acting in our best interests?

Minimum sentencing is anotherabomination in the name of ‘justice’.Some time ago the Australian NorthernTerritory government adopted minimumsentences that resulted in 15-year-oldAboriginal children being sent to prisonfor stealing pencils.

I happened to be attending a legal forumin the bush of Arnhem Land near the ArafuraSea about a decade ago when on the first dayof the forum a new government was votedin and three delegates from the new govern-

ment came to the forum to announce thedeath of the minimum sentencing law.

That law had been a major reasonfor calling the meetings which includedLaw Men and Women from the district’sAboriginal communities.

Back in Canada I was invited tocomment on the Minimum Sentencing billsintroduced by the Conservative minoritygovernment where I described theproblems with that approach, which treatsevery accused the same, regardless of ageor circumstance or blameworthiness.

The bill was quashed by the oppositionbut was reborn in an infamous Omnibus Billwhich the opposition parties did not darechallenge on account of their perceivedelectoral chances on a confidence matter.

So, in Canada, it is the politicianswho decide on the length of sentencestargeted for minimum sentences not thejudges who see and hear the evidence incourt in each case. Why have judgesthen? Let the pollies decide the fate ofindividuals from their Ottawa hilltop.They know best what is good for you andgood for me and good for every accused.

It is the Aboriginal people, families andcommunities that are most affected by theseapproaches to ‘justice’. Who should decidewhat is good for us and our communities?

In the name of justice

AUGUST 2015 7Eagle Feather News

AUGUST 2015Eagle Feather News 8

There are many definitions of justice and many will depend onwhere you live and where you fit into the pecking order of Canadiansociety; criminal justice, street justice, poetic justice.

The term justice is often used with the word “fairness.” In anysituation, be it in a courtroom, at the workplace or in line at the localbar, we all want to be treated fairly. We shouldn’t be judged moreharshly because of our skin colour (but we are), we should’'t be paidany less because of our gender, and we shouldn’t have to wait longerfor a drink because of what we’re wearing or the colour of our skin.We all deserve equal and impartial treatment.

In order for there to be a just society we must have leaders thatsupport the fair andequitable treatmentof all citizens.There is a saying,“For whom much isgiven; much isexpected.” To ourleaders we expectyou to find ways toensure that the laws of the land are just and administered justly. Protectour rights and punish wrongs using fairness.

Of course, history is littered with examples of governments thatwere unjust to some citizens. One such example would be the era ofresidential schools in Canada. First Nations people weren’t given thesame rights as white people, and still aren’t. In the early nineties, TheRoyal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples made recommendations on“fixing” the inequalities- we’re still waiting for those recommenda-tions to be implemented.

More recently, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission providedtheir recommendations but nothing can happen until Canadians seethe value of First Nations people.

Such an example raises the question of what’s to be done when aninjustice is committed. Over the years, many Indian people have askedthe government to make restitution for the years of unequal treatmentthat their ancestors received.

It took many years for the government and churches to apologizeto First Nation people for the treatment of their children in thoseschools. News flash – money doesn’t fix all problems!

When any crime or abuse is committed, we want justice, both forthe offender and for the victim. For the offender, justice means thatcrimes don’t go unpunished, but also that the punishment fits the crime.We all want to see the bad guys get what’s coming to them.

We treat a 13-year-old who stole a pack of gum differently thanwe treat a grown man who commits homicide, so justice has someflexibility in its administration (unless you happen to be First Nation).For a victim, justice may be seeing a criminal put behind bars, or itmay be monetary – the goal is to make the victim feel equal again –Indian people are a long way from feeling equal in many parts ofCanada.

Indian people are the majority in Canadian prisons. Indian childrenare taken from their families and put into foster homes. Indian womenare murdered and missing. Where is the justice for Indian people?

We all have a responsibility to ensure that our communities arefair and just. Let’s all do our part to build and maintain safe and healthycommunities. Change can happen but it takes time and dedication.

We all have an opportunity this coming October to voice ourconcerns with the way things are done in this country. Make your voicecount this October and vote in the upcoming federal election.

Make sure you register to vote and get the identification you need.Be ready when the polls open. Ask candidates what their views are onFirst Nations issues? Employment, housing, affordable day care, safedrinking water; what’s important to you and your family?

There is a great video on YouTube call Justice for AboriginalPeoples – It’s Time - check it out.

Thank you for your letters and emails. It is my hope that all of youreading will choose to take care of your health and make good choices.Be kind to each other.

I enjoy hearing from you. Contact me at Sandee Sez c/o EagleFeather News, P.O. Box 924 Station Main, Saskatoon, SK S7K 3M4.

sandra.ahenakew@gmail.com

The search for justice

By Andréa LeddingFor Eagle Feather News

SASKATOON – The monument to be placed infront of the Saskatoon Police Service buildinghonouring missing and murdered Aboriginalwomen was inspired by a mother’s words de-scribing how she best remembers her now de-ceased daughter.

“The central icon is inspired by a victims’mother in a penned statement shared with theLeader-Post, where she recalled her daughter’sartistry and beauty as a fancy dancer, with hershawl as her wings, her arms gliding like an ea-gle in flight, and her light footwork as if she wasdancing on clouds, said artist Lionel Peyachewwhose sculpture was chosen after a communityconsultation process.

Monica Goulet of Saskatoon Police Serv-ices explained that the community consultationprocess had praise for all three but was a defi-nite nod to Lionel’s work. Goulet describes thework as inspiring.

“When you look at Aboriginal womenwe’ve been stereotyped in a very negative way.Part of reclaiming our identity is to elevate our-selves as Indian women, as Aboriginal women,rather than being seen in a negative stereotypewe should be creating images that show a beau-tiful Aboriginal woman that’s proud of her cul-ture.”

She describes powwows as a moment ofcultural pride.

“Because you see people in all of theirglory – dressed up in beautiful regalia, dancing,

moving in a circle and in harmony. It doessomething to you. Indigenous women should beseen as beautiful talented women. We’re beau-tiful, strong, kind, pipe carriers, healers, gifted– look at all the work we do – we’re oriented tohelping our communities.”

A life-size bronze sculpture will be in-stalled at eye level onto the existing concretepad in front of the police station. The concept isdesigned to attract visitors to interact with thecentral figure and eventually reading the in-formative panels surrounding the site.

The area inside the panels will provide acircular area surrounding the dancing figure toaccommodate a vigil or a space for hand drum-mers. This project will be built to support thecommunity; to provide a safe place to gather, topray, a place for meditation, a place to begin andend marches, walks and vigils.

“I want to show a proud maternal imagethat led a beautiful life filled with positive ex-periences as a mother, daughter, granddaughter,sister, niece and auntie to all who loved her.

“A number of victims participated in all as-pects of traditional practices and danced to be apart of the sacred circle and were exemplary rolemodels before their lives were tragically cutshort,” said Peyachew who is a professor atFNUC.

He also repeated the call for a national in-quiry, commending the Saskatoon Tribal Coun-cil, Saskatoon Police Services, and the Provin-cial Government who partnered to propose thisproject.

Peyachew’s winning sculptureinspired by grieving mother

Artist Lionel Peyachew’s sculpture will be installed in front of the Saskatoon Police Servicesbuilding.

AUGUST 2015 9Eagle Feather News

Moe Morin is a freelance writer and photographerand the co-founder of Humans of Saskatoon. She photographs and interviews people and tellstheir stories on her highly popular Facebook page.She caught up to Chris Moyah and interviewedhim for Eagle Feather News. Chris came to self-re-alization through Str8-Up and has set out to walkand raise awareness about domestic abuse. Hereare his unedited words.

A major eye-opener and a pivotal moment inmy life happened last year when I was introduced toStr8-Up. The very moment that really changed mylife, opened my eyes and made me want somethingdifferent for myself. I was in a relationship with thisgirl and I was her first boyfriend. I brought a lot ofissues that I was carrying from my past into the re-lationship, so I was very violent and controlling. Iwas very sick.

She looked past everything, and remained hope-ful. I continued to manipulate and harm her, and puther through so much crap. She started getting tired ofit, the manipulation, the alienation and grew tired ofme. Finally, the last time we were together was in De-cember 2013. I had a jealous thought, and I started tochoke this girl. Her family found out, and the policewere called, I took off and they caught me.

I remember thinking and feeling, “what just hap-pened?” It was like it was nothing to me. I felt heartless,and I was sick of myself. It didn’t kick in for a week, Iwas thinking about it for a whole week till finally Ithought, “Oh my god, I’m a bad guy, I need help.”

We kept emailing one another, and I emaileddaily but her responses were lengthy in-between. Istarted to experience and putting myself through thehurt and pain I carried. I started to feel what I was do-ing to myself, and I wanted to get of that, and it wasat that very moment I wanted to change. I knew I waslosing her, and our baby wasn’t even born yet. I did-n’t know I was hurting our child either, and I was un-educated about pregnancy.

By March, I wanted to see her again, and it washard for her to trust me. We were in a cycle of abuse,I made promises, and I would come back and hurther. It grew worse. For about a month or so, everywaking moment of every day, I woke up withthoughts of suicide tormenting me. “I lost her, andI’m never going to see her again, life is worthless.”

I wanted to end my life. I ended up walking around, seeking help in

Saskatoon, looking for Elders, leaving my card andnumber. Nobody was contacting me, so I asked theCreator, “why aren’t I getting the help I need.” So Icursed the Creator, “why? why?” I was getting angryat myself, my life, blaming and kept thinking aboutall the hardship I went through. I kept thinking, “Ismy life worth it?”

I came across Core Neighbourhood, was aboutto walk by and met a gentlemen by the name ofJohn Sugar. I started talking to him about needinghelp because I overheard them talking about a sweatceremony. So I asked, “I want to come. I need help.I need a sweat ceremony.” He said I was welcome tocome but didn’t have room for me.

He introduced me to Stacey Swampy who wasa Str8-UP member which I didn’t know. We ended updriving to Indian Hill in Whitecap, and I started topour out what was happening to me. I started to tiemy childhood into that, the violence, the abandon-ment issues, the abuse, the neglect, and I cried.Stacey asked me if I had ever been in a gang, and Itold him yes. He told me about Str8-UP, and 10,000Little Steps to Healing.

I eventually attended a presentation with FatherAndre. Everything went in one ear and out the otheruntil Father Andre spoke about the female. I startedto cry, and I started to realize I wasn’t a good father.I realized I was abusing my spouse and child whichopened my eyes. I’ve been committed to Str8-UPever since, and now I’ve been trying to give backwhat I’ve taken from women all of my life. Chris Moya is committed to giving up the gang lifestyle

and turning his life around.

Moya finds life worth living

AUGUST 2015Eagle Feather News 10

By Tiffany HeadFor Eagle Feather News

REGINA – It is always hard to lose a loved one. It isespecially heartbreaking when a parent loses their child,a grief so beyond any natural feeling.

Grieving mother Richelle Dubois is searching foran explanation of what happened to her 14-year-old son,Haven Dubois, who died May 20, 2015.

Dubois remembers her son as being a soft, kind-hearted person. He was empathic to others around himand looked for ways to help people. He wanted to learnmore about the world around him and watched showsfrom the history channel and discovery channel.

He was a good dancer and liked to listen to hip hopmusic though he would also listen to old country clas-sics, such as songs by John Fogerty because they re-minded him of his mother. He was an excellent swim-mer and was in the pool every chance he got and wasalso taking Tae-kwon do classes when they lived in Al-berta. He also played a bit of hockey.

Dubois received a call from the high school he at-tended and was told he was not there so she went look-ing for him. She had gotten a tip of where he was lastseen and she went there.

“I found him twenty after twelve that lunch timeIt was in broad daylight, it was a sunny day. It was abusy area, right by Victoria and Fines Drive below Pi-lot Butte creek there,” said Dubois.

His mother found him lifeless. Dubois says thecreek that she found her son in was shallow and is in ahigh traffic area, with kids going back and forth toschool and home. He was sent to the hospital but it wastoo late.

Media development officer at the Regina PoliceServices, Les Parker, says that the police found thatHaven Dubois’ death was not suspected to have anycriminal nature and it now belongs to the chief coronerKent Stewart to determine the cause of death.

“You need to have evidence of criminal wrong do-ing. There was no evidence, so there was no basis tocome to conclude that it was criminal, and I wouldn’tbe able to speak on that without revealing more aboutthe investigation on our end,” said Parker.

Dubois, on the other hand, feels quite differentlyand very strongly feels that her son’s death was suspi-cious because of all his things going missing: his wal-let is still missing, although his cell phone was eventu-ally returned.

“So for his things to go missing and show up acouple of days later, (people) are handing them in, likethat right there should be suspicious enough because hehad those items on him that day,” said Dubois.

She also said that her son was tall and the creekwas very shallow and wonders how it could be possi-ble for him to drown in it. Though others claim that thebottom is quite muddy and it can be like quicksand ifanyone ever went into the creek.

Dubois also says she moved him a couple of timesto different schools for his safety and was constantlyworried for him.

“I had moved him to a few different schools be-cause of bullying and peer pressure. He got along morewith girls than he did boys, he was such a good-look-ing kid that the girls surrounded him and a lot of boysdidn’t like that about him. I know he was being threat-ened and bullied for that reason,” said Dubois.

She says there were threats made to him throughsocial media and believes there is someone out therethat knows the truth. She and her family have beguntheir own investigation and use social media and havecontacted other news outlets to send out her message formore information about the death of her son.

It will take a few more months before the resultscome back and until then no one knows for certain if thedeath of Haven Dubois was criminal or not.

Parker says that once the results come back, thenew information would be considered as they alwayswelcome new information.

“If the information revealed any wrong doing, ofcourse the investigation would be re-opened,” saidParker.

Family looking for answers in teen’s death

Richelle Dubois with her two sons. Haven is on theright.

AUGUST 2015 11Eagle Feather News

Ernie Louttit is still dealing with the trauma ofbeing a hard-nosed, dedicated cop.

(Photo courtesy Saskatoon StarPhoenix)

• Continued from Page 1Each chapter and the stories

within are captivating. Some of thecrimes are familiar and contain lots ofdetail and after each tale, there is a les-son ... either what Louttit learned orwhat a fellow officer or justice officialor bad guy should have learned.

He isn’t afraid to admit mistakesin the book.

“I am a strong believer as a leaderchecking your ego at the door allowsyou to lead more effectively. I know Ihad flaws and made mistakes. Theyonly remain mistakes if you do notlearn from them,” said Louttit.

“I just wanted to be forthrightabout my experiences and there werealways things I could have done better.”

With many sensitive cases andpeople talked about in the book, Lout-tit was challenged with finding a way totell the stories and teach lessons withoutexactly identifying a fellow officer or anoffender. He did a great job with severalmemorable cases and if you knew thecase, you knew the people but Louttitnever once names anyone.

“I did not name people in the sto-ries criminals, lawyers, judges, and po-lice officers because it would havetaken away from the stories,” said Lout-tit.

“Shaming, praising or naming

people would not have changed the in-tent of the stories. People will recognizethemselves in the book and hopefullycome away with a different perspec-tive.”

Now that he has two books underhis belt, Louttit is in high demand as apublic speaker to groups, classes atevery level of education, educators, po-lice trainees, and more across Canada.He has also become a media go-to guyfor commentary and insight on currentjustice issues.

According to Louttit, much of thetrouble on the streets in Saskatoon andinside the jails can be blamed on gangs.

“The current situation at the cor-rectional centre is scary. I am sure thestress level for everyone except thepredatory inmates is high,” said Louttiton the current uprisings, overcrowdingand escape attempts at the SaskatoonCorrectional Centre.

“Gangs and drugs are the mainreasons why there are so many prison-ers at the centre. If it were not for themwe would probably be operating at orbelow normal levels. As I said in thebook, 2013 would have been a zeromurder year in Saskatoon if not forgangs and drugs.”

Louttit is candid in the book aboutthe physical and emotional toll thatpolicing has had on himself and his

family. Being witness to so much vio-lence and adrenaline bursts left Louttitsuffering anxiety and wild sleeps.

He details the impact of a partic-ular car chase and crash that killed aninnocent married couple on Valentine’sDay as particularity difficult, wakinghis wife as he went through the highspeed chase in his nightmares. He hasnever been officially diagnosed withpost traumatic stress but he admits thathe is only about 70 per cent all rightwith what he has seen and been a partof.

Trauma aside, Louttit loved polic-ing and does recommend that youngAboriginal people pursue it as a career... but for the right reasons.

“Policing has many facets but themain one is and will always be to protectpeople. This has always been the tradi-tional role of the warriors in so manyFirst Nations cultures,” said Louttit.

“For any young Aboriginal per-son wanting to try a career in law en-forcement I would suggest you areadopting a traditional and valued roleby doing so. It can be a tough and some-times thankless job but by acceptingthe challenges you can make a differ-ence.

“There is a need for a reflectivepolice force and being part of it wouldhonour all of us.”

Gangs and drugs behind crime stats says Louttit

AUGUST 2015Eagle Feather News 12

By Fraser NeedhamFor Eagle Feather News

LA RONGE – Saskatchewan’s Northerncommunities are still grappling with theaftermath of one of the worst forest fireseasons in the province’s history.

After evacuating as many as 13,000people from their homes for several weeksand with $100 million spent fighting for-est fires, the wild fires of 2015 will be topof the record books for a long time.

Damage to the surrounding area in anumber of Aboriginal communities in theNorth is extensive and although all evac-uees have been back home in their com-munities for a few weeks, it will be quitesome time before they have fully read-justed.

The Lac La Ronge Indian Band wasone of the First Nations worst hit by thewildfires as about 7,000 people in the sur-rounding area had to be evacuated fromtheir homes.

Chief Tammy Cook-Searson saysnever before has the La Ronge band hadto deal with such an extensive crisis situ-ation caused by the forest fires.

“This is the first time we have had allour communities evacuated either by di-rect threat of fire, because we had SuckerRiver, Grandmother’s Bay, Hall Lake, Si-kichew Lake and Clam Lake Bridge andLa Ronge that were in direct threat offire,” she says.

“We also evacuated Stanley Missionand Little Red (River) because of smoke– so all of our communities were im-pacted.”

She also says although people arecertainly happy to be back in their com-munities after being displaced from theirhomes for weeks on end, the readjust-ment process is ongoing.

“I think it’s pretty hard on people. It’ssuch a long time for people to be evacu-ated. You think it’s just going to be a fewdays, then it turned into a week and thentwo, and three …”

To help with the transition backhome, corporations have been coming for-ward with much needed resources.

So far, PotashCorp has invested$100,000 to assist evacuees with their on-going needs. Company spokespersonRandy Burton says although PotashCorpdoes not have company operations in anyof the communities affected by the fires,they felt it was important to get involvedand help because of the extent of the cri-sis.

“We felt touched by the need,” hesays. “We get forest fires in this provinceevery year but the scale of the devastationon this was much higher than we’ve seenin years. In, particular, the number of com-munities and the number of people whowere forced to evacuate I think is un-precedented in Saskatchewan.

“So, we saw in our own communityhere (Saskatoon) thousands of people inthe soccer centres and other facilities hav-ing a tough time and we thought, ‘you

know, we can help at least by easing theirtransition back home.’”

Of the money invested, $50,000 wasput toward the food needs of the returningevacuees.

As part of this effort, PotashCorppartnered with Kitsaki Management outof La Ronge which put in another$50,000 and in the last two weeks ofJuly, Kitsaki-owned Northern ResourceTrucking delivered 5,000 food hampersto 20 different communities in northernSaskatchewan affected by the wildfires.

“In some cases, such as Pinehouse,the power was out for more than a weekso obviously people’s freezers andfridges are out of action and peoplewould be facing a mess with that whenthey got home,” Burton says.

Russell Roberts, Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Kitsaki, understands the im-portance of the transition back home.

“We operate across the North, andknow that people are going to need short-term help to get re-established. Not onlyare we pleased to make this $50,000 con-tribution from our group of companies toencourage others to help, we are veryproud to participate with our companies,like Northern Resource Trucking andAthabasca Catering, to help collect andtransport food to northern communities.”

As the community continues withthe clean up and economic recovery,Cook-Searson says she thinks it will benecessary to conduct some sort of publicreview in order to determine whatworked and what didn’t in terms of howvarious agencies dealt with the forestfires.

However, she has said more fund-

ing is needed to provide First Nationspeople with training and equipment to

fight forest fires at the local level beforethey rage out of control.

Corporations step up for northern communities hit by fire

Kitsaki Management CEO Russell Roberts (left) and Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson (right)at the Potash Corp/Kitsaki food drive.

AUGUST 2015 13Eagle Feather News

When summer rolls around each year, I feel thepressure to conform to North America’s obsession withsleeping on cold rocks and animal feces (seriously,where do you think they go to the bathroom?).

My idea of camping – like my ideal idea of camping– is a hotel room with two TVs, both of them playingHBO.

Why two? So that I can watch Game of Thronesand Veep at the same time, duh.

Despite the hardships that sleeping in mosquitoterritory bring, people like the camping lifestyle. Itdoesn’t help that marketing makes it look so fun whenin reality, camping is cold jaunts across damp grass tothe bathroom at four a.m. because the hamburgersweren’t cooked all the way through.

So, to express my feelings (as well as a truthfuloutlook) on the topic of camping, this is what it wouldlook like if I wrote for that bastion of roughing it: theMountain Equipment Company catalogue. MEC Hybrid Sleeping Bag - $135.00

Excellent for temperatures up to minus 20 Celsiusso would be perfect for that camping trip in Banff withyour outdoorsy boyfriend except that you broke up withhim before you actually made the trip. (Next time rentequipment before buying, idiot.)

Still the sleeping bag can be used on the bed whenyou’re too lazy to do the laundry. Sleeping in a sleepingbag is a lot like climbing back inside of the womb partic-ularly when you’re having one of those sad drunks.Warning: Don’t eat in it; crumbs are impossible to getout.

Patagonia Better Sweater Full-zip Hoody -$127.00

Wind resistant, warm and lightweight, youbought it with the intention of becoming one of thosewinter runner people. The first minus 25 day royallyscrewed up that plan because no amount of fleececan keep out winter’s cruel claws.

After five minutes outside, you were back at yourfront door, your hands so frozen you could barely getthe key in the lock. It took five hours to get back fullfeeling in your face.

Instead, you wear the expensive hoodie whilewatching illegally downloaded movies on yourcomputer. Cool: The front zip chin guard helps tokeep popcorn from falling down your shirt. Black Diamond Viper Hammer - $199

So you decided to learn about ice climbingbecause you heard that hot guys were into iceclimbing and went to buy some climbing equipmentexcept the MEC employees with their rosy cheeksand dockers intimidated you and instead of askingfor help, you pretended that you knew what you weredoing and that is why you have a Viper Hammer and

no idea what the hell it’s for. Then you decided to learn about climbing by

watching 127 Hours and what seemed like a helpfultool now looks like the exact instrument that you willuse to cut off your own limbs. (If an experiencedclimber lost one, you will definitely lose at least two)

You leave it on your bedside table and use it toscare away (or climb?) any intruders. Can also beused as a nutcracker or hammer in a pinch. MSR Dragon Fly Stove - $118.00

You don’t like camping; your family likescamping. But you decided to be a good sport andwent along. You figured a cute little stove wouldmake up for the fact that you can’t booze it upbecause everyone is bringing their kids.

And drinking around adorable, inquisitivechildren is a major buzzkill.

S’mores, you thought, will make this wholeshitty trip worthwhile. But when you unpacked it,you realized this stove was more complicated thangetting a stalker blocked from your cell-phone.

You spend two hours trying to figure it out whileyour nieces and nephews poke you with their meltedmarshmallows on the end of their sticks. You giveup – because honestly, anything to do with propanescares you.

You head to bed. Later that night, it begins to rainand you do not bother to get up to rescue the MSRDragon Fly Stove, preferring instead to mumble fromyour sleeping bag, “Suck it stove, it’s your fault forbeing so complicated.”

OK campers, here are some timely tips for you

AUGUST 2015Eagle Feather News14

By Tiffany HeadFor Eagle Feather News

STANDING BUFFALO FIRST NA-TION –A lot of money and time goesinto sports, but the rewards are always somuch greater for the families and thecommunities that invest in a certainsport.

The Standing Buffalo communitywas introduced to the sport of lacrosse byteacher Russ Matthews seven years ago,and since then, has reaped the benefitsboth on and off the field.

“At Standing Buffalo, we believein the power of sport, we believe in thepower of recreation. We know that sportis good for children, for families, for thecommunity, we just wanted to give thecommunity something to hold on to to-gether and something that we could allstrive for together as a team, as a com-munity,” said Matthews.

This year they have three teams,pee wee, novice and bantam that havebeen competing in the Queen City MinorBox Lacrosse (QCMBL) League for afew years. The bantam team has beentogether for six years since they were intheir novice years.

They have never had a corporatesponsor but the parents hold fundraisersand the Chief and council have investedthe band’s money into the team.

“Were looking for a corporate spon-sor to come in and help us. We alwayssay we won the biggest lacrosse tourna-ment in the world that’s been around for39 years. We do not have a box or hockeyrink in Standing Buffalo, and for us tohave all that success practising in thegym or outside, we would like to get acorporate sponsor to build a box inStanding Buffalo,” said Matthews.

This year they have been blessedas 65 residential school survivors fromthe community contributed their Resi-dential School Education program cred-its, which was $3,000 from each sur-vivor.

“The honourable thing in it was thatthere were many programs where thesurvivors could have gotten the moneyright back into their own pockets butthese 65 people awarded their credits tothe lacrosse program, knowing that thechildren were going to get the benefit,”said Matthews.

Not only have they invested moneyinto the children in their community,these selfless survivors also volunteertheir time coaching, taking turns driv-ing, cooking pre-game meals for the chil-dren and so many other ways.

The residential school survivorshave been a motivating force for the teamand make the program a success.

Rosebel Goodwill is one of the sur-vivors who donated her credits to thelacrosse team. She is the eldest of thegroup and also the lacrosse team elder,and she smudges and prays for the teamon their travels and games.

“I saw a lot of changes in the com-munity, people are talking more, gettingalong better, have things going on andhaving our community participate in it,so I think its OK. I see changes,” saidGoodwill.

Their kindness has created a beau-tiful relationship with the communitymembers. They are giving the familiesand the community members somethingthey have never experienced themselvesgrowing up in residential schools.

Matthews said there were 102teams at the tournament and they were

the only First Nations team in which thesurvivors group paid for everything thatinvolved the Lacrosse team.

“The survivors paid for the regis-tration for all three teams in theQCMBL this year. They paid for all 45players to have new sets of equipment.They paid for all the transportation.They paid for all three teams to go toCalgary, hotel rooms, tournament reg-istration, they paid for everything,” saidMatthews.

The pee wee and novice did notmake the medal standings, but the ban-tam team went all the way and won goldin their division. On August 7-9 the com-munity of Standing Buffalo held a pow-wow in honour of their residential schoolsurvivors and the lacrosse team.

It is the hope that players from thelacrosse team will make it into Americancolleges on scholarship; they have hadlong term plans for the future of the chil-dren who participate in the sport.

Residential school survivors score big for lacrosse team

By John LagimodiereOf Eagle Feather News

YELLOW QUILL FIRST NATION – Sisters Meganand Rebecca Gurski have had a heck of a month. Theavid softball players both won championships makingtheir home community of Yellow Quill First Nationvery proud.

Megan was a member of Team Canada at thePan Am Games recently held in Toronto. There, Meganplayed in front of the loudest fans she has ever heardas they helped Team Canada to Gold in Softball overthe United States.

“The home crowd was awesome and sold out.They were cheering all the time and just awesome.They were very enthusiastic,” said Megan who wasone of the youngest on the team and the only Aborig-inal player. Megan was a pitcher in college but for thePan Am Games was the designated hitter who took theat bats for the pitchers.

Her softball career has taken her around the worldand to events like the Canadian Open and the WorldCup but this victory is tops so far.

“The ultimate was winning gold. At the last outwe were so excited we just ran out onto the field. It wasan amazing feeling. We were all screaming and there

were girls crying.”Rebecca won herself a championship

this month too. As catcher for the Saska-toon Tigers, Rebecca caught six games inthree days to help her team win the Provin-cial title. But she doesn’t want to stopthere.

“I’m tired and sore but that’s how itgoes. My goal is to someday play on TeamCanada with my sister so I just have tokeep working at it,” added Rebecca.

The love of softball was passed on tothe girls from their parents who playedand the family life revolves around balland the travel that comes with it.

“I love the travel. You get to playaround the world. We went to watchMegan play in the Czech Republic andwe’ve been to the States and B.C. You getto see a lot,” added Rebecca.

Megan now starts her job as an interior designerand hopes for softball to get back into the Olympics by2020.

“I hope I can stick around that long,” says thehumble star.

In the meantime, Megan and her sister offer ad-vice for those that want to excel in sport.

“Of course you have to work hard at your game,but put family first, then academics then your sport. Ifyou aren’t doing well at school you can’t play ball.”

On the left is Rebecca Gurski, 20 years old and a back catcherfor the Saskatoon Tigers softball team and they won Gold at theprovincials. On the right is Megan Gurski, 21 years old. Meganreturned home to Saskatoon Monday from the Pan AM Gamesafter her softball team won the Gold defeating the UnitedStates 4-1. The sisters are members of Yellow Quill First Nation.

(Photo by John Lagimodiere)

Tournament MVP goaltender Brandon Yuzicappi stands with his motherLarissa Yuzicappi.

Gurski girls have a good month!

AUGUST 2015 15Eagle Feather News

Linklater looking to give backBy John Lagimodiere

Of Eagle Feather NewsSASKATOON – Mike Linklater became a basketballstar because he has an uncanny ability to elevate hisgame on the big stage.

Plus he is wicked good and a great leader. Now thathe has made his name on the big stage including a na-tional CIS championship and countless trophies fromtournaments around the world, Linklater wants to giveback to the sport that has given him so much.

He recently launched Prime Basketball Develop-ment, skills camps that will run across Saskatchewancoached by Linklater and several other high level play-ers who have been teammates with Linklater in the past.

“We want to raise the level of play out there,” saidLinklater at his business launch inside the Mount Royalgym where he became a much sought after college recruit.

“It is apparent that we are a hockey and footballdominant province and we want to get basketball up tothose. There are other programs out there that do bas-ketball, but I think with our coaches and pros and the ex-perience we have winning at the top level, that will sep-arate us.”

Using the extensive network of basketball pros hehas played with, Prime’s coaches include several pastHuskie champions, college champions.

“The motto: “champions training champions” is fit-ting because amongst the coaches there are a combinedseven championships won at city, provincial, national,international, and professional levels,” added Linklater.`

Linklater recently has made his name internation-ally in 3X3 basketball, a very fast game that looks to be-come an Olympic sport in 2020. He is ranked in the

world’s top 20 and has theeye of Canadian officials.

“As a player and as acoach, Michael possessesthree ingredients: experi-ence, knowledge and pa-tience. The same ingredientsthat helped make him achampion as a player willcertainly help him to becomea champion coach, while de-veloping the next generationof champion athletes,” saidRon Yeung, manager of Do-mestic Development withCanada Basketball.

Prime is offering onecamp this summer and will offer several more in the fallwith the goal to be all around the province next summer.A portion of the proceeds will be donated to “Give Kidsa Chance Charity” which will help youth get involvedin extracurricular activities through the Dream BrokerProgram.

“We want to grow slowly and will offer a varietyof camps from old guys who want to sharpen theirgames or who are getting back into the game to the nextgeneration of high level players to kids that may not getthe chance to play. Each camp will have a similar cur-riculum and excellent coaches that know how to win,”said Linklater who is keeping his job as Program SportsRecreation Fitness Coordinator at the White BuffaloYouth Lodge.

Linklater’s mentor, pro baller Willie Murdaugh

has been playing with him in high level tournamentssince Michael was in Grade 11 and he has witnessedLinklater’s coming of age on the court and into business.

“We were playing in a tournament in the UnitedStates against college players, division one players atthat,” said Murdaugh who came to Saskatoon to play forthe Saskatoon Slam several years ago.

“I was cramping up so we just kept feeding the ballto Mike and he kept pounding it down. A Grade 11against division one players! I was laughing so hard.

“But he is tenacious and paid close attention toevery detail when we were coaching him. Now I’mproud to be working with him to bring basketball to an-other level.”

For more information visit www.primebasket-ball.ca or email info@primebasketball.ca

Mike Linklater and fellow coach Willie Murdaugh believe Saskatchewan isPrime to take basketball development to the next level.

(Photo by John Lagimodiere)

AUGUST 2015Eagle Feather News 16

By Tiffany HeadFor Eagle Feather News

Through harsh weather of rain, sun, and wind, ded-icated athletes carried the sacred summer games lancefrom Muskoday First Nation to Ochapowace First Nation.

The lance run is a very sacred tradition that hasbeen around for hundreds of years; it is only since 1996that the lance run was initiated again.

On the journey there were 12 people from Musko-day and 12 people from Ochapowace who were chosenand honored with the responsibility.

Three elders, Sandra and Henry Felix from Musko-day and Ross Ellery from Ochapowace, supervised thejourney. They smudged and prayed each morning forsafe travels.

The Chief of Ochapowace Margaret Bear, Council-lor Shelly Bear and five chaperones looked after the 16athletes who would take turns carrying the lance.

Ruthie Henry, 15 from Ochapowace, who will becompeting in the summer games in softball, was excitedto be a part of the run and meet new people.

“It’s awesome ,I like it. There’s nothing really diffi-cult about it, it’s pretty easy and fun, everyone makes itfun, we all take turns and we don’t have to push ourselvesas hard,” said Henry.

Hayden Primeau, 13, a shy boy from MuskodayFirst Nation was said to be very quiet and did not talkmuch during the start of the journey but has since comeout of his shell.

Primeau said he joined the lance run so he couldhave the experience and be proud of it.

He will be playing soccer in the summer games forPAGC. He has enjoyed meeting new people on thelance run and has said interesting things have hap-

pened on the expedition.“Every since we started running, we had a hawk fol-

low us; the elders say it’s cool,” said Primeau. The athletes have also got to meet Ethan Bear who

had joined the run from Regina and finished the journeywith them to Ochapowace.

Tracey Dunnigan, a Regina police officer was askedto participate, every since she had started the journey shehas been in awe of the athletes and the other participants.

“They never complained, always a smile on theirfaces, never complained when they had to get up in themornings and every one of them saying that it’s been funand hasn’t been challenging when they’ve had to pushthemselves,” said Dunnigan.

Some runners had sustained some injuries but theykept on going because they knew the importance of get-ting the lance to Ochapawace.

Dunnigan says the lance run has brought people to-gether and the communities together.

The youth were very distant with each other whenthey had started but now you could see the difference ofhow united they have become.

She also states that she wanted to be a part of this op-portunity to promote the positive of the youth who haveshowed much determination and strength because far toooften the youth are seen in a negative light.

“This Run has been a chance to really let these

youth shine and I am proud to witness it,” said Dunnigan. The lance run is a celebration of achievement and

reaching goals. It would take 13 days to reach their goalof having carried the lance to its destination.

The 2015 Saskatchewan First Nations SummerGames will be held at the Ochapowace Nation August9-15.

Lance makes its journey from Muskoday to Ochapowace

Edmonton Oiler draft pick Ethan Bear participatedin the lance run. (Photo Tracey Dunnigan)

Youth from Muskoday and Ochapowace as well asElders and special guests brought the lance toOchapowace to open the Games.

(Photo by Tracey Dunnigan)