The rafters of the Capilano Long House, a sacred meeting ground of the Squamish Indian nation, rang with laughter and the languages of many nations, at a conference in Vancouver, Canada, in June. Two hundred and thirty-four people from 28 nations were guests at the traditional salmon bake given by the Squamish.

Fiji's Ratu Meli Vesikula was once a`ruthless fanatic : He tells Edward Peters why he now believes that:

Joan Holland looks at the issues raised by the 150th anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi. Signed by New Zealand's Maori and whites in 1840, the treaty has never been fully honoured.

Thirteen years ago it wasn't safe to walk around Pukatawagon, Manitoba. Today the police spend their time showing films. Bob Lowery investigates.

Through no fault of its authors, Survival in our own land overran its publication deadline. But when it appeared last year it was a historic event in itself - and an immediate best-seller.

A burly cleric in full regalia, who can be seen moving from group to group across the vast field, is approached by a TV technician. Major technical troubles, he says. The national telecast is threatened: will Canon pray?

Perhaps the world's people will begin to fully understand their connection to all of Creation when Native Americans are included in world forums.

Looking deeper one could see the destructive potential of forces that have broken many another country. The most obvious tension is between Fiji's Indians, who comprise 49 per cent of the population of 715,000, and the ethnic Fijians (46 per cent).

In the villages which nestle between the takes and mountains, live most of Guatemala's Indians, who make up 60 per cent of the population. In their colourful hand-woven and embroidered costumes they represent a culture with different values to the Hispanics who have dominated the country since the 16th century. The relationship between these two cultures, embittered by centuries of exploitation, is the vital issue now facing this war-torn country.