The Indigenous Beat

March 21 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Part of my job is to provide answers to the dozens of inquiries that reach my desk every week, some of which can seem pretty trivial, but many of which have far more serious implications.

Our power went out a few hours after we learned in mid-December that yet another Ontario Hydro executive had been given a hefty severance package.

By Maurice Switzer A guy who writes books with titles like “An American Holocaust” and calls a lecture on Native American history “A Little Matter of Genocide” does not need posters to make him look tough.

“Call him drunken Ira Hayes, He won't answer anymore; Not the whiskey drinkin’ Indian Nor the Marine that went to war.” The late Johnny Cash often found himself in hot water because of the words that he sang.

A wonderful history teacher has begun sharing old stories with me, shedding light on the past in a way no textbook ever could.

School is in. The most important activity anyone can pursue – learning – is underway in classrooms around the world. Nothing is more important for the future of First Nations than the success our children can achieve in their schools.

After hearing how Native people were swindled in land deals, imprisoned for practising traditional ceremonies, and tortured in residential schools, participants in our cross-cultural awareness workshops will sometimes haltingly ask if I feel more lik

Southbound for North Bay a few Sundays ago I thought I saw something familiar in the middle of Highway 11.