The 2017 Gathering of Nations pow wow held this weekend saw a new Miss Indian World crowned for the 2017-2018 Season
Raven Swamp was crowned in a ceremony on Saturday night.
The Mohawk woman is from the Kahnawake reserve next to Montreal.
This year’s pow wow saw over 10,000 guests in attendance.

Ottawa announced a $90 million dollar increase over two years to the Post Secondary Student Support Program for First Nations and Inuit students in Canada.
The increased funding will address costs of tuition, living allowances, books and transportation for students.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett made the announcement late last week and says investing in indigenous students is investing in a strong future for Canada.

Ontario announced a new drug benefit program that fully covers the cost of prescription medications for anyone aged 24 and under – regardless of family income.
The new program will ensure families don’t have to make the difficult decisions between paying for children’s health care and providing necessary essentials like food and shelter.
The new investment will also see mental health and addiction services increases and reduced wait times at hospitals across the province.

First Nations leaders in BC say they suspect fentanyl overdose deaths are having a disproportionate impact on their communities.
The leaders are working together with the First Nations Health Authority to gather fentanyl specific data to help the communities deal with the nationwide opioid crisis — but say those numbers are hard to find.
Current data collected is now based on self-identification.
Officials with the province say they are working on adjusting their protocols to help First Nations communities get the information they need to combat the crisis.