The cultural history of the Amah-Mutsun (“San Juan”) Tribe is the subject of a new collaboration between librettist and mezzo-soprano Helene Joseph-Weil and composer Benjamin Broom. Set out in 14 scenes, and involving multi-media displays and spatial sound effects, the two hour cantata tells the story of Ascencion Solorsano de Cervantes (1854-1930), the last fluent […]

With gas prices on the rise, and time running out on a “lame duck” U.S. administration, advocates for a land swap deal in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge push hard for a quick timeline and approval of a land proposal before the November elections in the U.S. The proposal could open up 110,00 acres […]

With photographs at least every 5 minutes from 1:20 AM (May 1, 2007) until 12:30 PM (May 07, 2007), media artists Jonathan Harris and collaborator Andrew Moore document traditional Inupiat lifestyles and a subsistence hunt for two bowhead whales at Barrow, Alaska. The Whale Hunt includes a cast, a set of contexts leading from New […]

Norval Morrisseau: Shaman Artist, a 50 work retrospective organized by the National Gallery of Canada, is on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), George Gustav Heye Center (New York), until January 20, 2008. Internationally renown for his startling images, enigmatic persona, and bold use of color, Morrisseau was the originator […]

In a letter and status report to “decision-making partners” in the Upper Thelon River, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) proposes a three-year action plan to focus on “balance of interests,” “wins” for industry, and “setting a context” for land and resource management decisions in Upper Thelon River Basin. The early stages of the plan […]

This is an important opportunity for the public to be involved in a policy planning process, and to bring greater attention to the Mackenzie Mountains Natural Region and the ecological integrity of the Nahanni Park Reserve. Parks Canada, Dehcho First Nations, and the Federal Government (in its 2002 “Action Plan to Protect Canada’s Natural Heritage”) […]

CPAWS looks at long term planning and conservation proposals, and reminds members of Dec. 10, 2007, deadline for public comments on Cash Minerals land use application with Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board. Public comments needed by December 10, 2007 (extended twice from Nov. 20). A mining company plans to bulldoze winter roads into the […]

North Country Public Radio (Canton, NY) aired a radio series this week titled “Hydro Power in Cree Country.” The six part series includes interviews with Nemaska Chief Jose Jemekin, Hydro Quebec and Sierra Club representatives, audio postcard from Wakwayokastic River, 1992 interview with Ogdensburg librarian Nicholas Smith, news story about high power transmissions lines in […]

Previously a CBC Radio Producer in Yellownife in the 1970s, Elizabeth Hay wins the prestigious Giller Prize for her novel “Late Nights on Air.” Set against the backdrop of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry and the vividly exposed northern landscape, the novel follows the story of a group of transplants to the North, as they […]

Paul Nicklen has previously been recognized for his outstanding photography in the Canadian Arctic, and was the recipient of two World Press photo honors. His essay on the return of Narwhals to their summer grounds around Baffin Island (and the hunting of Narwhals for food and ivory) appears in the August 2007 issue of the […]