Four members of the ACQTC Sub-sachemship Nova Scotia Band (Sou'West Nova Métis) traveled to the Hammonasset State Park on October 1st to attend the bi-annual festival and maweomi. They met with Fox-Running and Kirouana before setting up the tent at the festival. They answered questions about our culture at the booth during the two day festival. They also took part in ceremonies, tried the atlatl, watched the native dancers, listened to Native American flute music, ate traditional foods, and visited the native craft vendors booths. There was also a Quinnipiac baby-blessing ceremony at the Hammonasset Beach. On the way home they visited Wampanoag Genealogist, Rainwaters at her home for a few hours and went to the Mashee Tribal Office to see Mother Bear. It was a good time of talking, laughing, learning, and making new friends.

New article by Dr. Herbert Waters - See links page.

The Lunar Calendar of the ACQTC Subsachemship - Nova Scotia Band at Cape Sable has been published in the Language section of this website.

Gordon Earle, federal NDP candidate for South Shore-St. Margaret’s paid a visit to our cultural centre on September 3rd, 2009. Check out the pictures of his visit.

There is a video now posted on the Explore Shelburne County website about our band. Here is the link: Nova Scotia Wampanoag Video

Bras d’Or aboriginals seeking native rights

By TERA CAMUS Cape Breton Bureau - Chronicle Herald

Wed. Jul 22 - 4:46 AM

SYDNEY — The chief of the Bras d’Or First Nation is stepping up efforts to have Acadian-Mi’kmaq native rights awarded to his unofficial band of more than 800 members.

Ray Donovan, who was elected in April, said he hopes by this fall to have meetings set up with native and non-native provincial and federal government officials to establish a landless band in the Bras d’Or area to recognize people known as Metis in the rest of Canada.

"It’s landless agreement we’re looking for," Chief Donovan said Tuesday. "We’re not looking for a reserve, we just want fishing, hunting and education rights for our children who have been passed over for many years . . . rights that we never had before."

According to a historian and historical records, many families of Mi’kmaq-Acadian descent were living in Cape Breton and mainland Nova Scotia in the 100 or more years before land agreements established native bands in the 1800s. Until recent years, children born to Mi’kmaq mothers and non-native fathers were denied their aboriginal status while children born to Mi’kmaq fathers and non-native mothers were not. Chief Donovan said it’s not right to deny aboriginal rights to children of any mixed-race couple when other provinces provide certain privileges to all Mi’kmaq descendants. "You can hunt year-round for your own use, and tuition is paid for and that’s a big thing," he said of rights afforded to other Metis outside Nova Scotia. Chief Donovan said a landless agreement is something the Bras d’Or First Nation will not stop fighting for. "We can prove there was another band here in Cape Breton and it was in the Bras d’Or," he said. "It’s not like we can’t be recognized.

"We have to change that. . . . We’re not going away."

(tcamus@herald.ca)

New articles link posted - "We Missed You" - The story of our Wampanoag relatives on Saint David's Island in Bermuda and the family reunion after 300 years of separation. And a keynote address by Dr. Herbert Waters, brother of our respected friend Lorraine Rainwaters-Henry, at the 20th Anniversary of the Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness.

The ACQTC, the confederacy that we belong to, has invited us to attend the bi-annual indigenous people's festival in Connecticut. Tribes from all over New England and the public will be there as part of Indian Heritage Week. The tradition of gathering together the clans and bands at a central location for socio-political assembly is an ancient Algonquian tradition called Maweomi. Our ACQTC Maweomi will be held in conjunction with the Hammonassett Festival.

They will be filming a documentary on our confederacy, and in one of the segments called "The Infamous Trail of Heartaches" will be featuring the story of our band. We are also looking for any of our members who have experience with video / editing technology to assist with parts of the documentary work.

Admission to the 2-day event is only $5.00 per person. We have two campsites reserved and others are available. We are looking to organize a group of interested persons from our aboriginal community to travel together to this festival and Maweomi to meet our relatives and experience and celebrate our culture. Please let us know if you are interested in going.

http://www.hammonassettfestival.com/

A meeting of the SWNM was held on July 8th. It was decided that new members will be accepted. The membership page of this website has been updated with a draft version of the updated membership requirements. The date of the pow-wow has be set for the weekend of July 31st and will be held at the Stoney Island Beach on Cape Sable Island. There will be displays, demonstrations, ceremonies, mishoon (canoe) races, children's activities, swimming, sand castle/sand tipi contest, music, stories, drumming, tipi's, raffles, and more.

Come see the first dugout canoe built by Nova Scotia Wampanoags in hundreds of years.

Camp sites available at no extra charge. No drugs or alcohol.

Daily admission: $3 for adults, $5 per family

Please email Alice Smith at alice-smith@hotmail.com if you are willing to volunteer in any way. We need grounds keepers, gate attendants, people for children's activities, musicians, fire keepers, story tellers, demonstrations, etc. The more volunteers we have, the lighter the load for everyone. Come and celebrate our heritage, build our community, and honour our Creator.

There will also be a short meeting around 1:30 on August 1st at the pow-wow for members of Sou'West Nova Métis in the tent with lawyer Gary Richards about the upcoming court case. Membership cards must be shown to attend the meeting.

Court breaks new ground - Muise will be province’s first Métis judge

The Wampanoag/Mi'kmaq cultural centre is now open at the old Court House at #2401 Barrington. Hours are 9:30am - 5:30pm Monday to Saturday and 1pm - 5:30pm on Sunday. Come in and see the displays. Everyone welcome. No admission fees.

Check the Photos page to see a few of the exhibits.

There is also a Facebook Group for the Cultural Centre.

Update on the Wampanoag Métis Court Case

On June 3, 2009, Jack Hatfield, Louise Ross, Paul Ross, Tony Cunningham, Garnet Purdy, Eric Hatfield and Wanda Hatfield met with Gary Richards, the new council for the upcoming court case. It will cost approximately $50,000 - $60,000 to have the case presented by Gary Richards. We may also incur other expenses for our expert witnesses such as Dr. Meli and others. The next date for court will be postponed as it was scheduled for June 9, 2009 and the lawyer representing Jack and the group will require approximately one month to prepare for court. Gary Richards has made some contact with Crown Attorney James Clarke on the case, and will continue to do so in order to limit the amount of actual time required in the courthouse. It is looking very favourable for the group to have a successful resolution to this case. At some point in time, Gary Richards is planning on visiting Cape Sable Island and gathering as much knowledge of our practices as possible. We are looking for donations to help with the legal costs. Once we are successful in winning our case there will be significant benefits for all, especially our children. Therefore, any and all donations will be greatly appreciated and will be put towards the upcoming court case. Garnet Purdy is the chairman for fundraising. Donations can be made by sending a cheque or money order made out to "Sou'West Nova Métis Defense Fund " to:

Sou'West Nova Métis Council
P.O. Box 263
Barrington Passage
Shelburne County, NS
B0W 1G0

A Royal Bank account is set up for these funds and you will receive a receipt for your donation. Thank you in advance for helping with our futures.

Letter from Iron Thunderhorse to the Sou'West Nova Métis inviting members to attend a festival in Connecticut in October. If you are interested in attending, please send an email to Sachem Louise Ross at nsmetis@yahoo.com

Aque rambe wame pasuk, (Greetings once again everyone)

Our bi-annual Festival is going to be great this year. It will take place on October 3rd & 4th 2009 (Sat. & Sun.) at Hamonasset State Park. We'll have booths, etc., set up. Our members will come from six of the lower 48 states in USA. There are excellent campgrounds right there ... so as soon as you can, send us a rough estimate of how many people from NS plan to attend, so I can have campsites reserved. I invite you to come and celebrate with us. Tribes from all over New England and the public will be there as part of Indian Heritage Week. Admission to the 2-day event is only $5.00 per person. Okay, Dancing Crow - you and as many other crafters as wish to do so are invited to bring samples of all your crafts ... drums, canoes, jewelry, pipes, and, yes, your tipi. You'll probably sell a lot at the festival.

Now the BIG NEWS. We will be filming at the Festival. I got it approved to do a 4-part Documentary of our Confederacy ! Jack "Wanakia" Dempsey from our Fishhawk Clan in MA has produced several videos (one on Wampanoag elders). He'll be our commentator. Totoket TV (Totoket is the name of our Maweomi (central council fire meeting) at Branford-North Branford) has accepted my proposal. They will provide us all equipment, technical assistance, etc. They have three PBS (Public Broadcasting Station) Channels. When the 4-part series is complete, it will run on their main channel. ACQTC will make copies of the 4 segments. One of those four segments will be "The Infamous Trail of Heartaches." In this segment, we'll profile various routes our ancestors took in the removal, disenfranchisement, and relocation to other areas in the USA & Canada. I'd like your story to be the main part of this segment. To do that, I'll need your cooperation and I'll need a group of you at our festival so we can begin filming. I'll be the one to write the script. We'll have assistance from college students (and hopefully Quinnipiac University). Think of the advantages that this 4-part segment documentary can play in your future plans. This will declare to the whole world our story in our own words.

Arumshemocke (thank you kindly) my relations. My love and blessings to you all. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Micheme Keenauwe Sunkambauwe, (forever yours faithfully)

Iron/Biwabiko

There will be a meeting scheduled later in the year to adopt new by-laws.

Click here to download the draft by-laws - 2009 SWNM DRAFT CONSTITUTION. If you do not have Word 2007 on your computer, you can download the Word Viewer and Compatibility Pack from Microsoft at this location - Microsoft Word Viewer.

The Confederacy of Nova Scotia Métis was dissolved at the January 30th, 2009 meeting. The Sou'West Nova Métis Council which was the only council left in the confederacy will continue to operate as usual. This website has now become the website for the Sou'West Nova Métis Council. Check the membership page for information on card replacements and new applications.

January 21-2009 WINNIPEG --- The National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation announced last week that Great-West Life, one of Canada's largest and most respected insurance companies, has agreed to develop financial support for Aboriginal students totaling $150,000 over the next three years. Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life will contribute $50,000 annually over three years to fund bursaries supporting students enrolled in post-secondary studies or training and development programs of at least one-year duration. These bursaries fill a gap, identified by the National Aboriginal Foundation, in financial support available to Aboriginal students interested in upgrading their education or taking part in one- or two-year vocational programs.

"The Foundation is very excited to welcome Great-West Life as a new partner in our education program," said President and CEO of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation Roberta Jamieson. "I am delighted to commend Great West Life as a company that has taken such leadership in supporting the development of our youth through education "

The bursary initiative extends the companies' existing relationship with the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, one that, since 1994, has included sponsorship of The National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, post-secondary scholarships, and other initiatives. Jan Belanger, Assistant Vice-President of Community Affairs at Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life said that the bursary award initiative reflects the companies' understanding that education and the pursuit of knowledge play a fundamental role in helping Aboriginal students reach their goals. The Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Bursary Award is national in scope and isn't limited to education supporting the needs of a particular industry. "Working closely with National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, we've developed a financial assistance program that meets needs outside the scope of many industry-and regionally-specific bursaries currently available," Belanger said. "This funding responds to the needs of individual students on a broader basis. Helping them fulfill their educational and vocational ambitions is part of our focus on helping build stronger communities from coast to coast."

A man has won a five-year legal battle against the Manitoba government with a landmark court ruling on Métis hunting rights.

But the case has potentially wide-ranging implications beyond who can hunt where and when — a legal expert says.

Provincial court Judge John Coombs ruled Thursday on the case of Will Goodon, who was charged with hunting without a licence after he shot a ringneck duck near Turtle Mountain in October 2004.

Goodon argued his Manitoba Métis Federation harvester card was all he needed — but Manitoba Conservation officials disagreed and Goodon was charged under the Wildlife Act.

Métis, unlike status Indians and Inuit, do not have an automatic right to hunt, the province argued, since they had not established hunting was a traditional occupation of their ancestors outside Manitoba's original 1870 "postage stamp" boundaries.

The judge didn't buy that argument.

"Many community witnesses [some related to the accused] gave evidence about their ancestors hunting at the Turtle Mountains from the 1800s to the present day," the judge said in a 28-page ruling.

"I have determined the rights-bearing community is an area of southwestern Manitoba that includes the City of Winnipeg south to the U.S. border and west to the Saskatchewan border. This area includes the Turtle Mountains and its environs."

The Métis federation had argued the Supreme Court of Canada recognized the right of Métis to hunt in an Ontario case where two brothers, Steve and Roddy Powley, were charged with illegally killing a bull moose near Sault Ste. Marie. In that case, the Supreme Court sided with the Métis.

The Powley case clarified the definition of a Métis person under Sec. 35 of the Constitution. The Supreme Court said to be Métis for constitutional purposes, a person must "self-identify" as Métis, be accepted as a member of a modern Métis community and have some ancestral connection to the founding historic Métis community.

In the end, the judge said, "the Crown presented no evidence justifying any infringement of Métis hunting rights in the Province of Manitoba," and therefore Goodon was entitled to hunt without a licence since his right to do so under Sec. 35 was established.

'Implications could be significant' University of Manitoba law Prof. Karen Busby said the ruling could lead to governments having to consult – and possibly compensate – the Métis before development goes ahead on land considered traditional Métis territory.

"The implications could be significant," said Busby. "The most important aspect of this case is clear… if there are constitutionally protected hunting rights, it means those rights can't be interfered with unless the Métis people are consulted and if necessary compensated for those rights.

"This case isn't really just about hunting rights," Busby added. " Métis people have the right to preserve their hunting rights into the future, and that's the really important aspect of this case."

Busby said that could mean any future hydro dams, hydro transmission lines, oil pipelines or development of Crown leases that could have an impact on hunting rights would require consultation with the Métis community — and compensation — before such a project could proceed.

Meantime, Manitoba Conservation Minister Stan Struthers told CBC News that the court ruling will help the province set up a system to allow Métis hunting rights, now that the area in which they can hunt has been established.

"It was a question of how do we make this happen out on the landscape?," said Struthers. "How do we implement that decision? And this isn't quite the whole province that the Métis Federation wanted, but it's an area of Manitoba that we can now do some good work on."

Struthers said charges against other Métis hunters in Manitoba could be dropped as a result of the ruling.

A meeting of the Sou'West Nova Métis membership was held on October 8th, 2008 at the Centreville fire-hall. The council leadership was re-elected for another three year term. The next meeting will not be scheduled until after the trial in January.

Some of our members have received scholarships from the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation. See the Education page for details.

Maurice “Strong Bear” Foxx, 59, of Mashpee, and member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and chairman of the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs, died unexpectedly on Thursday, Aug. 7. He was born in Boston, and was graduate of English High School and attended Wentworth Institute of Technology and Northeastern University. For 25 years he worked at the Faneuil Hall Marketplace where he became director of technical services. Mr. Foxx retired to Mashpee where he was active in tribal affairs and was a member of the Chief’s Council. He was particularly dedicated to the preservation of tribal historic landmarks. As coordinator of the Wampanoag Repatriation Confederacy, he was passionate about the repatriation of tribal remains and artifacts from museums, colleges, private collections, and as a result of excavation, and considered the re-internment of his ancestors his most important work. An activist for peace and justice, he was also a well regarded authority and lecturer on Native American history as well as contemporary Native American issues. He was a mentor to young people and a champion of higher education, and had been instrumental in the establishment of the Native American Institute at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. He also helped to establish several Native American museum programs including those at the Fruitlands Museum in Harvard and the Children’s Museum in Boston. At the time of his death he served on the Wampanoag Advisory Committee at Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth. He leaves a son, Maurice Foxx of Atlanta; two daughters, Monet Foxx of Dorchester and Aisha Foxx of Brockton; a grandson, a sister, Anne Foxx of Yarmouth; four brothers, Peace Alexander Foxx Jr. of Virginia, Rev. L. Nelson Foxx of Cambridge, Vincent Foxx Sr. of Roxbury and Frederick Foxx; and an extensive extended family and many friends. Memorial service will be at 1 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 13 at 1 p.m. at the Chapman Cole and Gleason, 74 Algonquin Avenue in Mashpee. A member of the tribe’s Bearse family, he will be laid to rest after a celebration of his life to be held in Mashpee. Memorial donations may be made to the Housing Program, Health Program or Education Program at the Mashpee Wampanaog Tribal Council, P.O. Box 1048, Mashpee, MA 02549.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/bourne/news/obituaries/x1570384514/Obituaries

The Sou'west Nova Métis Council would like to extend heartfelt condolences to Maurice's family and to the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. A time of prayer was held during the opening ceremony of our Pow-Wow to honour Maurice and to uphold our brothers and sisters in Mashpee.

We recently received information from CESO concerning the financial and consulting support they offer for Métis projects in the areas of governance, organizational development, strategic planning, forestry planning, fundraising, business development, etc. For more information, contact Robin Vernest at (902)-461-9871 or 1-(877)-795-4876 or email CESO at atlantic@ceso-saco.com. The website is http://www.ceso-saco.com. If you have benefited from the services of CESO, they would like to receive testimonials that will support their proposals for continued funding. Please send testimonials to vhill@ceso-saco.com.

We are looking for any donations as a defense fund for Jack Hatfield's trial taking place at the Yarmouth Court House, in the fall of 2008. Please send a cheque or money order made out to "Sou'West Nova Métis Defense Fund " and mail to:

Sou'West Nova Métis Council
P.O. Box 263
Barrington Passage
Shelburne County, NS
B0W 1G0

A Royal Bank account is set up for these funds and you will receive a receipt for your donation. Thank-you.