Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 8, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba A13 Winnipeg free press comment editor tuesday August 8, 2006 Gerald flood 697-7269 and beyond treaty Days Are Here again l ittle Black River first nation is nestled on the Eastern Shore of Lake Winnipeg about a half hour drive North of Power View Pine Falls. Its an Ani Hinabe band with about 1,000 members. They signed treaty five in 1876. A couple of us went Over there to take in their annual treaty Day festivities especially the outdoor concert with headliners Carl Quinn and Billy Joe Green. A woman who works at the band office told us to get there Early since seating for concertgoers was limited. I took her advice to heart and left an hour or two Early. We ended up getting to Little Black Early enough to scoop up a prime spot on the grass in front of the modest out door stage. A Large outdoor tent was set up for the elders to enjoy the concert too. The concert was sponsored by South Beach Casino ? which Little Black is a partner in. It brought out people from All Over the area. I spread out a Blanket on the grass and chatted with a few relatives from nearby communities. Soon the Sun began to set and we All sat Back to enjoy a few hours of prime aboriginal entertainment. For those of you who be never heard of Carl Quinn or Billy Joe Green they Are huge celebrities on the aboriginal music circuit. Green is Ani Hinabe from Ontario Quinn is a Cree from Alberta. I a a huge fan of greens blues rhythms and slide guitar and Quinn a unique pop songs with his traditional twist. I missed Quinn a gig at Sage eng a treaty Days last year so i vowed not to miss him again this time around. Greens music ? a mix of his own tunes and classics from the likes of Hank Williams ? blew everyone away and even got the elders toes tapping. Ani Hinabe comedian Gerry the big Bear Barrett the morning show Host on Manitoba s Sci pm radio network had everyone chuckling Between sets. He even Sang a few songs of his own that were pretty funny too. But the tall striking Cowboy hat Wear ing Quinn was the Headliner who people stayed out late to hear. And when he took to the stage with his band composed of two sons a daughter and a granddaughter the fact that he takes his Job of promoting his languages seriously was driven Home. Quinn and his kids Sang entirely in Cree something that gives his music much More weight than your average pop song. The music is not just entertainment but a language lesson that translates even on an ojibway Reserve. Throughout the performance he even sprinkled in a few ojibway words he a picked up during the Day. Carl Quinn had a smash hit in Indian country with his song Nipin a couple years ago. Its off his first cd entitled Neh Iyo. That a what the Cree Call them selves just like we ojibway Call our selves Ani Hinabe. Nipin Means summer. It has an upbeat Pace and with a synthesized voice reminiscent of Cher a believe it would fit in As easily on a dance club floor As it does at a Reserve social. He made everyone wait for that song performing it last close to Midnight. Quinn spoke English Between songs. He said he was worried that too Many of the children can to speak the language of their parents. Quinn believes that our language is a part of us that should to be rejected and to not speak it is to lose an important part of our identity. Elders pass on your language to your children and grandchildren. Young ones keep your language alive. Now that a a lesson that everyone can learn from. the murder of Michael Fra Stacky in Afghanistan proves determination Trumps tyranny the Power of one muses about arming himself and jokes that his i n a world where most of us feel helpless in Puppy Lucky is his alarm system. The face of tyranny oppression and Ter Lucky alas could not save him when the dorism Vancouver Carpenter Michael tyrants ? no one knows whether it was drug Fra Stacky just quietly got the Job done. Lords warlords or the Taliban ? came to Mur and what a Job he did. Der him. Without a charitable organization behind him but Michael a legacy is not just that he Man and with nothing but his own Money and funds aged to build a coed school in the face of Tyran he raised from friends Fra Stacky 56, went to by and corruption in a country where fewer Nahlin Afghanistan for four Summers in a Row than half of primary school age girls Are in starting in 2002, and after seeking the buy in of school and one third of the country a districts Village elders built a school ? where none had have no girls schools at All or that his school existed before ? then exists when 204 other girls schools were either filled it with books teach closed or razed in 2005 alone. And that number ers and sports equipment. Human rights watch reports underestimates when he was brutally the severity of the crisis. Already there appear shot on the night of july 23 to have been More attacks on education in the ? his Puppy Lucky a first half of 2006 than in All of 2005.? bodyguard and translator no Mikee a legacy is that he saw the Possi helpless to defend him ? ble where the world apparently sees the impose his school was educating sible. You have a drop in the bucket he said. About 550 students 255 of Many drops make a cup. Many cups make a them amazingly girls. and in fact the world Bank estimates he did it so that that 5.2 million children Are in school now up together they can build a from 775,000 in school under the Taliban reign country where afghans feel Safe and look in 2001. Towards their tomorrows with Hope and conf the world Bank tells us something else Michael implicitly knew that countries where it want an easy task. His emails Home girls Are educated have healthier populations described the challenges ? risking his life to faster growing economies and ? this is key to buy supplies in Kabul where suicide bomb world Security not just Afghanistan a ? less attacks often on the offices of charities were a Canadian Michael government corruption. Daily event the barbarity of a local Man who Fra Stacky above so in the end should we give up on when a family denied him the 15-year-old was shot to death Afghanistan As Many canadians advocate daughter he demanded for his son went out in Afghanistan not if we have one one Millionth the courage Side got his Kalashnikov and threatened to kill and vision Michael Fra Stacky did. While trying to the Mother and of school officials who stole so today when friends and family gather in help build schools operating funds ? he tracked them Down and his Hometown of Toronto to celebrate his life for afghan Chil got it Back ? or demanded bribes from parents. Perhaps we can All raise our glasses and Toast but he also celebrated the Joys that the popu Dren. His bravery and vision ? and perhaps dream lation appeared healthier since the ousting of this dream that one child graduating from his the Taliban that he finally had a Good principal. School will turn out to be the Nelson Mandela ironically this summer was to have been his left children Gandhi or Martin Luther King Afghanistan so last. He Felt his Job was done and had Only attend class at the desperately needs. Returned to finalize details ? the digging of a heavily damaged it Only takes one ? As Michael so richly Illus Well the creation of a soccer pitch for girls ? Dur Khanai Prima trates. Since boys monopolized the other ? the building by secondary if you would like to help carry on Michael of a girls playground so they a be allowed out to school in Kabul Fra Stacky a work educating girls in play. Afghanistan. Afghanistan go to give girls a Chance he Felt endangered his sister Luba Fras which is Tacky a librarian at the University of Toronto establishing a special fund in his honour. Says of this last trip but he went anyway. Nobody wanted him to go. But Mikee was head Dianne Rinehart is a Toronto based writer and co Strong. He was a founder of give girls a Chance. Indeed in his last few emails Fra Stacky ancient greeks knew All about the Mideast crisis f or thousands of years philos invasion of South Lebanon in 1982. Condemn revenge in their writings some Lover. This unleashed the furies winged racy ? la George w. Bush it must come Peers and religious leaders have but Why single out Israel and Hezbol-2,500 years ago. Maidens with serpents twined in their from within a people. They were Wor condemned revenge. Yet it Lah revenge has caused massacres in every generation has to figure things hair and blood dripping from their eyes. Ried about crowds and demagogues and remains the chief cause of Domestic and Africa Battles in the americas and in out for itself he says. Id be More Wor hello Alice Cooper they followed said societies should build in protections International violence. What a wrong some cases May be responsible for glob ried if people simply accepted what was Orestes from country to country almost like our supreme court against mob with us Al terrorism. Many Radical islamist say put before them. As Plato says the unix driving him mad. Rule. And they knew As a result of a sad revenge has they want to avenge the West a corrupt mined life is not Worth the furies have their contemporary experience in Sicily that even great been defined in Tion of their culture. But this examination he adds should equivalent ? those who argue that Only nations can overextend themselves. Many ways ? tit Bob Gold is a Good one to ask about be done without rancor. Too often today fear of reprisal will make people act Gold a understanding of Public Pas for Tat an Eye for revenge. Gold 73, has a doctorate in debates become vicious and personal ? properly. Sions goes beyond his books. He and his an Eye a tooth for classics from the University of wisc on and take place because people Are Ambi finally he took Refuge in the Temple wife Linda also a pad in classics were a tooth to him sin at Madison. An associate professor Titus not because they want to under of Athena who arranged in the Shadow at the University of Wisconsin when one that doth so shall of classics at the University of Winnipeg stand life. Of the Parthenon what Gold says was the of the most violent demonstrations it be done and As he has taught for 30 years. He is now problem of revenge first jury trial in Europe. The result was against the War in Vietnam broke out. I we used to say in teaching a course in Greco roman Sculp Gold says the ancient greeks dealt a Hung jury but Athena ruled in favour Learned How people can be caught up the schoolyard Ture the first to get away from stiff con with the problem of revenge in a play of Orestes. He says and follow a group and forget you hit me ill hit vent ional concepts of the human body at about Orestes one of the worlds unlock the furies were furious. They argued about their individuality. I be seen the you Back but the u of is 55 plus program. Iest Guys. His father is murdered by his the letter of the Law was not being Power of the harder. I like him because he not Only knows a Mother clytemnestra and her Lover. The obeyed. Athena argued that not Only the Gold a answer is patiently to teach As the most recent example of revenge is lot which he is Only too Happy to share greeks were Adamant that crimes letter of the Law but also the spirit of the Many people As possible about the Power the fight Between Israel and the he Bol with others but also he has a Treen against a family had to be avenged. But Law is important ? a concept that our of the rational ? a slow process but Lah. Israel says it is avenging a Long list Dous enthusiasm for his work. They believed equally firmly that mat courts try to follow today. What better Way is there of violent acts against it. Hezbollah also but does he Ever get depressed that Richide was wrong. Orestes was stuck. The ancient greeks said a lot More has a Long list dating Back to Israel a Many people can to shake their need for he decided to kill his Mother and her that applies now to the Middle East. Tom Ford is managing editor ;