Independent news from the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance

Premier Meets with Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief

JT Shining Oneside shared stories about her Ojibwe and Anishinaabe inheritance during the Native American Heritage Month Celebration on Nov. 15. She spoke about the coming-of-age and traditional birth ceremonies. (Photo credit/ Adrianna Adame)

Yellowknife (August 31, 2012) – Premier Bob McLeod met with Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief Herb Norwegian on August 27. This was the first meeting between the two government leaders since Grand Chief Norwegian’s election in June. The agenda included devolution, the Wildlife Act, land use, and the flood in Nahanni Butte.

“This was a productive meeting that set the tone for our continued government-to-government relationship and work toward a united and prosperous Northwest Territories,” said Premier McLeod. “We can listen to each other in the spirit of respect, recognition and responsibility, and we can work together in the best interests of all of our people. The territorial government will continue to recognize and respect the constitutionally protected rights and treaty rights of Aboriginal peoples, as well as existing Aboriginal rights agreements.”
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Jodi Rave Spotted Bear

Jodi Rave Spotted Bear is the founder and director of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance, a 501-C-3 nonprofit organization with offices in Bismarck, N.D. and the Fort Berthold Reservation. Jodi spent 15 years reporting for the mainstream press. She's been awarded prestigious Nieman and John S. Knight journalism fellowships at Harvard and Stanford, respectively. She also an MIT Knight Science Journalism Project fellow. Her writing is featured in "The Authentic Voice: The Best Reporting on Race and Ethnicity," published by Columbia University Press. Jodi currently serves as a Society of Professional Journalists at-large board member, an SPJ Foundation board member, and she chairs the SPJ Freedom of Information Committee. Jodi has won top journalism awards from mainstream and Native press organizations. She earned her journalism degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.