"We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills, and winding streams with tangled growth as "wild". To us it was tame. Earth was bountiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery."

Luther Standing Bear - Rosebud Sioux

Guardian of the Water Medicine

Guardian of the Water Medicine
Dale Auger

Dale Auger

Dale Auger: On Art, Blood and Kindred Spirits
by Terri Mason

Defining Dale Auger in one sentence is akin to releasing the colours of a diamond in one cut. It can’t be done. It’s the many facets that release a diamond’s true brilliance, as it is the many facets of Auger’s life, education, ancestry, experiences and beliefs that have shaped and polished his work into the internationally acclaimed and collected artist that he is today.

Born a Sakaw Cree from the Bigstone Cree Nation in northern Alberta, Auger’s education began as a young boy when his mother would take him to be with the elders. “I used to say to myself, ‘Why is she leaving me with these old people?’ – but today I see the reason; I was being taught in the old way.”

Auger’s respect for traditional teachings led him on a journey to study art, opening the door to a doctorate in education. He is a talented playwright, speaker and visual artist whose vividly coloured acrylics have captured the attention of collectors that reads like an international ‘Who’s Who’ spanning English to Hollywood royalty. The essence of his work is communication, and now Dr. Auger has come full circle, interpreting the life of his culture – from the everyday to the sacred - through the cross-cultural medium of art.

Read the rest here:

http://www.daleauger.com/printversionbio.cfm

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Local descendant stakes claim to Strawberry Island

By: Doug Etten

What some members term as the "heart of the Lac du Flambeau" is also one of the most sacred pieces of Ojibwe ground within the boundaries of the Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation.

That sacred piece of land known as Strawberry Island is now in the hands of Bill Poupart, a local member of the Ojibwe who says the island now rests with those who care about it the most deeply.

"Today I am proud to say that one of the most meaningful and spiritual lands that has stood at the fingertips of the people of the Ojibwe nation for years is now in the hands of the people," Poupart said.

Though the 26-acre island is still owned by a private company, Poupart is now the sole controller of the land, which has been at the center of controversy. Numerous attempts to purchase the island from Bonnie Mills-Rush have broken down.

Strawberry Island sits on Flambeau Lake on the Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation. Beginning in 1995, control about what development can occur on the island, as well as a battle over ownership, has been the center of a lengthy and at times heated battle between the tribe and the current owners, the Mills family, who reside in Colorado.

The disputes began in 1995 when Walter Mills applied for a building permit to construct a retirement home on the island.

After years of complicated negotiations, accusations of greed on one side and extortion on the other foiled deals between the Lac du Flambeau tribe and Mills-Rush.

The tribe last approached the owners just over a year-and-a half ago according to Mills-Rush, but she has not been in contact since.

"The last offer I got from the tribe was for $250,000," Mills-Rush said. "That is nowhere near the value of the island and we have no interest in that amount."

Keep reading here: http://www.lakelandtimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=9&SubSectionID=9&ArticleID=7961
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)