[Bcma-l] (Fwd) CMA Clipping Service: Aboriginals Give $1Million
bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca
bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca
Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:44:42 -0700
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<b>Aboriginals give $1M to human rights museum</b></span></font>
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Paul Turenne, Winnipeg Sun, Wednesday, April 22, 2009</span></font>
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As construction begins in earnest this week on the Canadian Museum
for Human Rights, the museum has received a $1-million boost from
a group of people who know all too well what human rights abuses
are all about.</span></font>
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The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, together with the South Beach
Casino, announced the gift yesterday, saying the project is very
important to them and to all Manitobans. "It gives us a chance to tell
our story. This opportunity to share our truth is why we have chosen
to support this," said AMC Grand Chief Ron Evans.</span></font>
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The $1-million donation will come from the AMC's share of profits
from the South Beach Casino, located on the Brokenhead Ojibway
Nation north of Winnipeg and jointly owned by seven First Nations.</span></font>
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The AMC's member chiefs voted to make the donation in 2007, and
the organization has been saving up to present the gift. Evans said the
chiefs did discuss whether to give away $1 million when there is a
housing shortage and other problems in native communities, but
decided the museum was an important project to them.</span></font>
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"Discussions are always happening, but we also see the importance of
educating the world about our plight," Evans said.</span></font>
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Gail Asper, national campaign chair for the Friends of the Canadian
Museum for Human Rights, said her group has long been working
with First Nations and had always planned major exhibitions related
to aboriginal people well before donations were even being accepted.</span></font>
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To exclude such an exhibit from the museum would have been a
major omission and a blow to its credibility, Asper said, noting her
father Izzy -- who conceived the museum -- always intended to
address aboriginal human rights issues. "He really believed this could
make a positive difference in the lives of First Nations people," she
said.</span></font>
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Site preparation for the museum has been ongoing at The Forks, but
this week substantial construction will begin as crews start drilling to
put pilings in the ground.</span></font>
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Asper said this latest donation brings the private total to about $104
million -- about $1 million short of the museum's $105-million goal.</span></font>
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