Category: First Nations People


Smudge

The local elders of the First Nations people who run the local community college NVIT endorse a smug week days at the cafeteria at the school 8:30 AM ” everyone welcome”

A source says that  it is a cleansing ceremony with some meditation. A smoke from a burning sage plant sometimes mixed with cedar or juniper is waved by an eagle feather fan.

There is also a boiled concoction made about the same with the addition of rose plant. It is poured over your body after a shower. ” makes you feel clean”.

Jimmy Fountain a local elder says that you will feel like running instead of walking after one of these cleanses.

Today in History: October 211977

The European patent office is opened.

Yard sale

The Angevin Empire, using description in Carpe...

The Angevin Empire, using description in Carpenter’s “The Struggle for Mastery”, p.xxi. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The local first nations elders are having a yard sale today,from 9 am to 3 pm to raise money for an elders conference in Prine George in July 2014.

Today in history: October 19th 1216

King John dies and is succeeded by his nine year old son Henry.

BCAMTA

Merit of Merritt

Its good that it is friday….

The local British Columbia Aboriginal Training Association has a posted goal in their office at NVIT the local first nations run community college. The goal is 650 employed by March 2015.

They also post stats that claim 1998 intakes and 613 employed to date since 2010

SPF (funding partnership including federal government And mining companies such as Teck and First Nations) since 2012: 1054 intakes and 253 employed.

The British Columbia Mining Industry employed 30, 000 people in BC in the heydays of the 1979s ,about the size of the civil service with more than 30 operating mines. It has enjoyed a comeback in recent years after a hiatus to global operations.

Today in history: October 4 , 1883

The first trip of the train Orient Express.

Powwow

This morning there is about three hundred people in the front field of Merritt Secondary School. Starting with a Grand procession a colorful procession of First Nations people are advancing about the field in the direction of a white teepee tent on the eastern side of the field. Flags , feathers and scarlet coated Mounties are followed up by children of first nations decent.

A young women getting into a jingle dancers dress to take part said it is a first annual and is linked to the school district.

The high school also has a pit house reconstruction at the rear of the school.

The Powwow goes to 1 PM today.

Today in history: May 29th 1954

The first of  the annual bilderburg conferences.

June 21

Aboriginal Day is coming next month and the posters and preparations are under way. June 21st at Rotary Park, here in Merritt will see dancers and traditional dress for 5 hours; 11 am to $ PM .The day is a national observance but not a statutory holiday.

A source say’s that Aboriginals in Australia were once under the Flora and Fauna act. If you wish to enquire call  about supporting the aboriginal people and healing by attending in Merritt and acknowledging their contributions to Canada and the world. Call Amy @ 250 -378- 5107

Today in History: May 15th  1960

The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 4

Tomorrow night at 7PM, April 23rd, at the local community college NVIT a film on the representation of women in the media will be presented. In the auditorium at 4155 Belshaw avenue Misrepresentation will be played.
doors open at 6:30 seating is limited to 145 and no food or drinks in the theater: admission 2 dollars ( proceeds to the local women’s shelter.)
A film by Jennifer Siebe Newsom.

Today in History: April 22 1977

Fiber optics is first used to carry phone calls.

A voice from the past  or current  personality , Rafe Mair will be speaking   here on April 24th. ” hear about rivers, PPs, oil tankers ,salmon and democracy all this in a conclusion of why are hydro bills are going through the roof.

Rafe’s picture on his promo poster shows a grey bearded cane wielding lively moving person, with the cane raised and the left elbow high and ready.

Admission by donation ,  at the Merritt civic center starting at 7 o’clock. The event also features film maker Damien Gillis.

Today in history: April 18th 1906

Fire and earthquakes destroy San Fransisco

NITEP

The Native Indian Teacher Educator Plan had a speaker at the local community college last evening. The NVIT lecture hall saw Joanne Archibald present a very neat and clean presentation on the past and the future for  the first nations in British Columbia. metaphors such as the dust settling on the longhouse and a passion of a community to clean up the dust and discover what is good and valuable to continue into the future saw affirming comments given from the people gathered.  The speaker is a associate dean of Aboriginal studies and a professor at the University of British Columbia . Joanne  related the 36 years of the program that recruits and trains first nations teachers.

The program has been responsible for nearly 400 people to become teachers. The school itself has John Chenoweth and Many Jimmie because of the program.

Joanne is a Coast Salish native from British Columbia and gave a sence of balance with the past and future as it relates to difficulties  of the past and the ability to not let them hinder forward looking actions.

The presentation showed lively cultural acting in part from the recent BC olympic games and the participation of the first nations in its opening and support for an open house for BC.

https://www.facebook.com/NITEP.UBC?ref=stream  http://www.nvit.ca/speakerseries.htm

Today in History: March 7,1985

The song We are the World is released internationally.

Hobiyee

The crescent moon on the bottom of the orb was beautiful to see last night and a source in the first nations community says that is a Hobiyee. She said that the more pronounced the spoon effect of the crescent the better an omen for a good year is.

The word Hobiyee according to the source is a first nation word from a northern area about Kitwanga. Thats the Prince Rupert area of north western British Columbia.

An interpretation of the moon is that it will be agood year, which may be in conflict with the Chinese lunar new year  that begins the year of the snake as some see that as not a good year. However some good celebrations are planned by the Niska nation:  Say’tKilim-Goot ( one heart, one path, one nation) at Gitwinksihlkw BC, at the TS’oohl memorial center February 22 and 23,2013.

The Niska nation is the first nation group that got a treaty from the Canadian government that includes some self-government and taxation authority some years ago and is being monitored for results.

Dim huxw ga’am niin We will se you again.

Haagwill huwilsim ( take care)

Today in history: February,13 , 1633

Gallio arrives in Rome for his trial in the inquisition.

Indian Summer

This term may not be politically correct but we surely do have it, the days are glorious and bright  and calm.

For a  definition:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_summer

Today in history: October 9th,1824

Slavery is ended in Costa Rica.

The new pellet plant idled by technical problems shows up on the property tax assessment rolls at about 3.1 million dollars in actual value. The value contributes to an over all real property value of about 900 million dollars in the small city of Merritt with its population of about 8000 people.

The company that owns it is said to have another in Ontario and are in difficulty at this time with some legal contentions. The plant was to employ about 50 people and did employ and produce a product . The product is said to have had an unsuitable moisture content for burning. A marketing  of the product for animal beds was tried and then an additional dryer purchases and on the property uninstalled.

The plant contributes to the tax base and in the opinion of citizens needs to be used. A belief  exists that it was a good way of dealing with bug killed timber that has started to be a problem in regular sawmills due to dryness.

Today in history: July 31,1970

Black tot day, the British Navy ends rum rations as a official act.

Twenty some years ago they divide the vast expance of land into an eastern arctic  as well as a  west meaning a legislature was distinct from the one in Yellowknife. There is  a lot of land that on the surface looks like it is not of much value, however mineral resources are  abundant. And the world is so small now. Last week at a scrap gold and antiques buyers event. A person brought in two tobbaco cans full of high-grade silver ore.  with silver around 6 dollars an once I talked to a person who mills precious metals for mines and we estimated that the A bar of silver could be poured from the cans of at least 50 onces About 300 dollars worth of silver. Only requiring a make shift furnace producing 2200 degrees farenheit for and hour.

I was in the territories when the Hunt brothers from Texas tried to corner the market for silver,by owning 10 percent of the world supply. The price rose to about 60 dollars and once. before  the supply side economics of Ronald Regan took over in the early 1980s collapsing metal prices back to demand.

The man said that a supervisor said take some for a  reminder fo his experience, and he did, this from a mine on the Camsell River on Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories.Lots of dynamics at work here, including publicly traded shares ,but if all the construction workers did  the same it would amount to a material loss to share holders. A loss more significant then market corrections when speculation increases stock value. We say if this happens to you be aware and get a recipe or something in writing. giving you permission.

There is a six month limitation period on crimes under $5000.00 in Canada, however there is no limitation on the value of your reputation.

Free minors licences are free to people over 65 and very inexpensive for those under and it gives you the right to prospect and collect samples on unclaimed land. You can pan for gold without one.

Today in history, March 5th 1999

The first premier of the  Canadian, new territory of Nunavut is elected.