Kakisa (July 09/04) - Only five of 34 resolutions on the assembly table at Kakisa were passed as quorum was lost after 5 p.m. on Friday.

"It's just a bit disappointing... this is where direction is set," Albert Lafferty, president of the Fort Providence Metis Nation, said of the community delegations that departed.

Recommendations from break-out group discussions on the draft constitution included the following highlights: Voting rights be granted to non-aboriginal Deh Cho residents after three to 10 years residency. Only Dene and Dene descendants will be eligible to run for chief and grand chief. At least 50 per cent of council seats be reserved for Dene descendants. Communities decide for themselves whether to elect a chief and councillors or allow elders to appoint them. The Deh Cho should control resource royalties from the region and have the sole right to tax companies in the region.

Chief Roy Fabian, of the K'atlodeeche First Nation, said resolutions should be passed as topics are discussed rather than left until the final day.

Among the topics left unresolved were the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Program, a few youth initiatives and a number of community issues.

The Dehcho First Nations will now be known as DFN, as opposed to DCFN, because aboriginal leaders have adopted the spelling of Dehcho as one word. Dehcho means "big river" in Slavey.

The Dehcho Divisional Board of Education has always used the single word version. Grand Chief Herb Norwegian said the linguists had it right all along and called the misspelling a "technical oversight." The DFN will update its letterhead to reflect the change, Norwegian noted.

On behalf of the elders, Sam Gargan answered any questions as to why Kakisa is the perennial site of the Dehcho Assembly.

Drugs and alcohol do not plague the tiny community of 40 people and its residents still live on the land, Gargan explained. Elder Daniel Sonfrere later added that the people of Kakisa generally lead healthy, balanced lives. Although they have the conveniences of lights and running water, the community members are often out on the nearby lake or in the bush. Alcohol and drugs are prohibited during the Assembly, but Grand Chief Herb Norwegian had to publicly issue a reminder on Thursday morning after a few people were removed for breaking the rules.

Reclaiming an identity

K'atlodeeche Chief Roy Fabian spoke of the dire need for the Dene not only to learn the Slavey language but to once again begin thinking and acting like their forebears. Having been forced to attend English schools, today's Dene are no longer "independent and free," he said. Addiction is one of the consequences, according to Fabian.

The chief of the reserve urged his peers to strive for a clear mind, a kind heart and a willingness to do favours for others without expecting anything in return. He suggested the land isn't an object, it's something alive. The Dene have a special relationship with the animals and the trees, according to Fabian.

"We need to get back to our culture and start applying our culture again," he said, adding that the elders feel strongly that today's youths should learn the language and cultural practices while on the land.

Back to the Butte

Jonas Antoine, a member of the Deh Cho First Nations/Parks Canada consensus team, mentioned the possibility of relocating the Parks Canada office from Fort Simpson to Nahanni Butte. That way people in Nahanni Butte would have a greater say in the management of Nahanni National Park, said Antoine.

Chuck Blyth, the park's superintendent, said Parks Canada was expecting such a request and will "certainly be willing to take a look at it."

The Parks office was transferred from Nahanni Butte to Fort Simpson in 1988. It currently provides the equivalent to 12 jobs annually.

Mining unwelcome

Expanding Nahanni National Park's boundaries and attempting to protect the Nahanni watershed may be futile unless Canadian Zinc Corporation's Prairie Creek mine is cleaned up, according to Marie Lafferty, president of the Fort Simpson Metis Nation. If the stockpile of cyanide stored at the site spills into the river system, the population of the Mackenzie Valley, "is going to be gone," Lafferty warned. The park's superintendent Chuck Blyth added the Deh Cho's other mine -- North American Tungsten's CanTung site -- will be extremely costly to clean up. The mine was expected to emerge from bankruptcy protection last week.

Ernest Tonka, a member of the Liidlii Kue First Nation, told the assembly he worked at Colomac mine near Yellowknife and it was one of the worst environmental disasters he has ever seen.

And the winners are...

The 12 successful applicants for $2,000 Dehcho First Nations scholarships are: Martina Bertrand, Samantha Bonnetrouge, Doris Camsell, Candy Champagne, Kathleen Gast, Vanessa Gerlock, Floyd Grossetete, Felix Isiah, Rebecca Jumbo, Renanne Lafferty-Gargan, Ericson Sanguez and Stephanie Sanguez.