"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

Native blockade planned to protest big rigs

By: Renato Gandia

Big rigs, semi-trailers and other oil and gas vehicles may be forced to find a different route to their sites near a northern Alberta community due to native blockades expected to go up Friday.
Kelly Lake Cree Nation plans to block Highway 43 near Beaverlodge and Highway 2 near Dawson Creek to draw attention to health and safety concerns caused by oil and gas exploration in the area, about 540 km northwest of Edmonton, said Clayton Anderson, a consultant working for the band.

The blockade is in conjunction with an emergency disaster preparedness drill the community plans for Friday to Monday.

Band members are concerned about the effects of drilling activities on the quality of their water and the heavy volume of industrial traffic roaring through the community of 400 people every day, Anderson said.

The roads to the community that sits on the Alberta-British Columbia border are not built to handle numerous big rigs and semi-trailers with massive loads, he added.

Large and medium-sized energy companies know about the band's concerns, but they're not prompt in fixing the problems, he said.

Large vehicles are transporting dangerous and toxic goods used in exploration, but no one seems to have an evacuation or disaster preparedness plan in case of an explosion, said Anderson.

Regular motorists will be allowed to pass but anything or anyone affiliated to any oil and gas operation will have to find another way to get to their sites.
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