Workplace Spirituality in Late Antique Egypt through Coptic Artifacts

Engy Eshak

2019, Minia Tourism and Hospitality Research

131 Views26 Pages

1 File ▾

Workplace Spirituality,

Late Antiquity,

Egypt,

Social History,

coptic studies Coptic art

Show more ▾

Integrating spirituality in the workplace is a socio- psychological phenomenon that has existed since ancient times until today. This paper investigates workplace spirituality in Late Antique Egypt through visual evidence. During this period, the diverse religious and spiritual orientations of individuals (Christian and/or pagan) interacted with their socio-economic circumstances and defined their daily spiritual practices in workplaces. This interaction was reflected on visual media, where Coptic artists visualized the hopes and fears of professionals. The study concerns two classes: scribes, representing the upper class professionals, and weavers, representing the middle class. Scribes wielded social power as a result of their distinguished education, social networks, social mobility, and wealth. Nonetheless, they might face challenges with government officials. The Coptic artist decorated scribal tools with spiritual imagery invoking the miraculous protective power of military saints against anonymous enemies. As for weavers, they had different challenges, most prominently the limited income, and the restrictions of Roman legislation. Therefore, spiritual imagery on weaving tools was intended to entreat the power of Christian and pagan spirits to accomplish their wishes of abundance, wellbeing and fortune. Apparently, the Coptic artist, through the language of imagery, employed and promoted the cults of saints and angels for their wide popularity. At the same time, he borrowed classical visual vocabulary, which were gradually secularized. Regardless of the social and literacy status, professionals from different classes were driven by an inner desire to live integrated lives; where spirituality nourished their professional lives.

The Materiality of Magic, edited by Dietrich Boschung and Jan N. Bremmer

Jan N . Bremmer

Published 2015

6575 ViewsPaperRank: 3.330 Pages

1 File ▾

Ancient History,

Anthropology,

Folklore,

Greek History,

Roman History

 ...more ▾

Show more ▾

The Materiality of Magic is an exciting new book about an aspect of magic that is usually neglected. In the last two decades we have had many books and proceedings of conferences on the concept of magic itself as well as its history, formulas and incantations in antiquity, both in East and West. Much less attention, however, has been paid to the material that was used by the magicians for their conjuring activities. This is the first book of its kind that focuses on the material aspects of magic, such as amulets, drawings, figurines, gems, grimoires, rings, and voodoo dolls. The practice of magic required a specialist expertise that knew how to handle material such as lead, gold, stones, papyrus and terra cotta—material that sometimes was used for specific genres of magic. That is why we present in this well illustrated collection of studies new insights on the materiality of magic in antiquity by studying both the materials used for magic as well as the books in which the expertise was preserved. The main focus of the book is on antiquity, but we complement and contrast our material with examples ranging from the Ancient Near East, via early modern Europe, to the present time.

The Dark Wind: Witches and the Concept of Evil

Gary Varner

2007, The Dark Wind: Witches and the Concept of Evil

193 Pages

1 File ▾

Mythology And Folklore,

European Witch Trials,

Witchcraft (Anthropology Of Religion),

Witchcraft, Religion and Magic,

Traditional Witchcraft

Show more ▾

A survey of witches around the world, their prehistoric origin and how society has viewed them throughout history.

https://tinyurl.com/yu69bv9f

Magic Witchcraft Pagans & Christians A study in the suppression of belief and the rise of Christianity

Gary Varner

Top 4%6723 ViewsPaperRank: 1.4108 Pages

1 File ▾

https://tinyurl.com/3ykjjjh8

Maidens, Matrons, and Magicians: Women and Personal Ritual Power in Late Antique Egypt

Meghan Mattsson McGinnis

135 Pages

1 File ▾

Gnosticism,

Archaeology,

Classical Archaeology,

Near Eastern Archaeology,

Art History

 ...more ▾

Show more ▾

Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach to a variety of material, textual, and literary evidence, the aim of this thesis is to shed light on the realities –rather than stereotypes- of an important aspect of late ancient women’s experience: the use of ritual power. Patterns of gender differentiation in late antique Egyptian magic are investigated and shown to be connected to the particular aims to which numinous powers were employed, aims which were in turn bound up with the social roles expected of each sex. The majority of this study consists of a series of case studies of different types of women’s rituals of power, which emphasize examples of significant trends in ritual iconography, praxis, and context, both those which were typical of late antique Egyptian magic as a whole, and those which were uniquely female in character. The fact that female practitioners came from a wide array of socio-economic, ethnic, and religious backgrounds is also addressed.

https://tinyurl.com/5cmsbcwt

Jesus the Magician? A Crucifixion Amulet and its Date

Felicity Harley-McGowan

2019, Magical Gems in their Contexts: Proceedings of the International Workshop held in the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, 16-18 February 2012, eds. K. Edreffy, A. Nagy, J. Spier

1326 ViewsPaperRank: 5.130 Pages

1 File ▾

Byzantine Iconography,

Crucifixion in Antiquity,

Early Christian Iconography,

Crucifixion of Christ,

Magical Gems

Show less ▴

Page Numbers: (Rome: "L'Erma" di Bretschneider, 2019), 103-116, plates 6-7.

Publication Date: 2019

Publication Name: Magical Gems in their Contexts: Proceedings of the International Workshop held in the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, 16-18 February 2012, eds. K. Edreffy, A. Nagy, J. Spier

https://www.academia.edu/38614985/Jesus_the_Magician_A_Crucifixion_Amulet_and_its_Date

Horus, Isis, and the Dark-Eyed Beauty: A Series of Magical Ostraca in the Brigham Young University Collection

Korshi Dosoo

Lincoln Blumell

2018, Archiv für Papyrusforschung und verwandte Gebiete

61 Pages

2 Files ▾

Ancient Egyptian Religion,

Coptic Studies,

Magic and the Occult (Anthropology Of Religion),

Magic and Divination in the Ancient World

Show more ▾

O.BYU Mag., a Coptic love spell written continuously over three successive ostraca, consists largely of a narrative in which Horus asks for the help of his mother Isis to win the love of a woman whom he meets in the underworld. It is one of twenty-two known Coptic magical texts that mention Egyptian or Greek deities, and its narrative is paralleled almost exactly in three of these. Dating to the seventh or eighth century CE, it provides important evidence regarding the knowledge and survival of Egyptian deities at a time when Egypt was thoroughly Christian. [Full text available on request]

https://tinyurl.com/2z7hwaks

ABOLISH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE

Sign the petition: The Select Committee on January 6th should introduce legislation reforming the Electoral Count Act as soon as possible!

AMERICAN; MUST HAVE ZIP CODE

 

Tell Congress: We urge you to introduce and pass legislation to reform the antiquated Electoral Count Act of 1887 as soon as possible -- and without side deals that undermine other crucial voting rights bills! Legislation cutting off all pathways to overturning a legitimate election is absolutely essential to protect our democracy. SIGN THE PETITION!

It was one year ago that Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, committing acts of violence, espousing white supremacy, and perpetuating the Big Lie that the election result was anything but a conclusive victory for President Biden.

Now Trump appears to be laying the groundwork for potential efforts to upend future election results. A recent New York Times headline reads: "In Bid for Control of Elections, Trump Loyalists Face Few Obstacles."

Unless Congress takes action, the far right may be able to try and manipulate an outdated law at the heart of the January 6 insurrection after the next presidential election. We can't let that happen.

Sign the petition: The Electoral Count Act, the 140-year-old law that governs certification of presidential elections, must be reformed!

Thanks in part to a memo written by Trump lawyer John Eastman, and a powerpoint presentation leaked by former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, we now know some of the most outrageous details of Donald Trump's January 2021 coup attempt.

That fraudulent plan sought to exploit the outdated Electoral Count Act, the law that governs how Congress certifies presidential elections. Trump's plan to overturn the 2020 election rested on the absurd idea that state legislatures should choose new electors after citizens have cast their votes in several key states, overriding the will of the people.

Trump's plan was to get GOP legislatures in a handful of states to repudiate the election results and substitute presidential electors for Trump — and then secure support from a combination of Vice President Mike Pence, Congress, and perhaps the Supreme Court.

Trump's scheme was totally outrageous — and was relatively far-fetched given the politics of that time. But new reporting does indicate that at least one state's (Pennsylvania) Republican lawmakers were considering taking his side and trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. If Pennsylvania sided with him, Trump's team hoped others would follow suit.

With an increasingly anti-democratic bent in the Republican Party and more loyalists in place in key positions, a future effort seems more likely to succeed — and any vulnerabilities in the law that make that more plausible need to be fixed immediately.

The Congressional committee responsible for investigating the events of January 6th is reportedly working on recommendations for legislation reforming the Electoral Count Act right now. It's essential that the committee introduce strong and clear legislation, and that Congress pass it as soon as possible. We can't risk another attack on our democracy.

Sign the petition: The Select Committee on January 6th should introduce legislation reforming the Electoral Count Act as soon as possible!

Thanks,

Demand Progress Team

PANDEMIC ENDS OUTSOURCING 

City looking to bring more tech staff

 in-house following demand for new digital services

Jon Willing 

OTTAWA CITIZEN 

© Provided by Ottawa Citizen Ottawa City Hall.

After spending nearly two years making policy largely through virtual government, the City of Ottawa is ready to beef up its technology branch.

The city has been forced to move its council meetings and public consultations online, creating a legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic if the city permanently retains an option for the public to remotely participate in the workings of city hall.

Meanwhile, the city doesn’t have a single information technology employee dedicated to mobile apps, even though the demand for information accessed through smartphones continues to grow.

Council is being asked to endorse more spending for IT staff, however, a report submitted for approval by chief information officer Sandro Carlucci says new internal resources would cost less than outsourcing the work.

The request is for $1 million to be used for nine new hires, transferred from the budget assigned for buying professional IT services.

The average cost to taxpayers for each new position would be $112,000, which includes benefits, the report says. According to the report, this would be cheaper than contracting out the work, saving the city $888,000.

The city depends on its technology branch to provide internal and public-facing tech solutions, but the arrival of the pandemic put the heat on IT services to transition the municipal government to a remote workforce. The branch has had to lean heavily on private sector suppliers and consultants to handle a demand for services that required quick turnaround times.

Because so much new work has been farmed out recently, the city has been growing concerned about the knowledge and experience staying with the consultants, rather than in-house tech staff.

It’s time to build up that knowledge inside the municipal government, the report says.

“Building the complement of permanent internal resources supports the cultural change occurring within (IT services), where we invest in our own staff, and support employee engagement as well as our commitment to excellence in service delivery,” the report states.

The new staff would help the branch fulfill commitments to creating a “digital city” and modernizing the municipal government’s aging IT systems.

The city also wants more internal resources to handle IT security. It’s currently spending $340,000 annually on outsourcing security-related work and the city believes two new positions can be created to handle the demand.

The report argues the amount of available internal resources for the IT branch hasn’t kept pace with the booming demand for new digital services. The branch is also facing a backlog of work related to accessibility assessments.

IT services have a budget of $76.6 million this year.

The 2022 city budget added the equivalent of one full-time position to IT services, bringing the number of positions to 296. The branch’s budget grew about five per cent in 2022 over the budget approved for 2021, though the actual spending in 2021 was projected last fall to be over budget by nearly $3 million.

The finance and economic development committee on Feb. 1 will be asked to make a recommendation to council on hiring more IT staff.

SASKATCHEWAN

Excess death researcher defends against Moe's 'misinformation' claim

Phil Tank, Saskatoon StarPhoenix 

© Picasa University of Toronto professor Tara Moriarty has investigated excess deaths in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the excess deaths in Saskatchewan.

A University of Toronto professor is defending her reputation and her research on excess deaths after Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe suggested it amounts to “the most egregious misinformation.”

Moe made the comments after being asked about a Postmedia story on Saturday that quoted Prof. Tara Moriarty suggesting the actual death toll from COVID-19 is seven times higher than the number of deaths reported, which stood at 975 on Monday.

“That simply is nothing more than misinformation and it should be challenged,” Moe told reporters at a news conference.

Moriarty, who is conducting research into mortality in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, stood by her research in a statement sent to Postmedia after the news conference on Monday.

In her statement, she pointed to the lack of post-mortem testing for COVID-19 in Saskatchewan as one reason why deaths do not accurately reflect the toll from COVID-19.

In Canada, only Quebec and Manitoba conduct post-mortem tests, the only two provinces with a higher COVID-19 death rate per 100,000 people than Saskatchewan, she said.

Far from backing down from her estimate that the death toll from COVID-19 is seven times the number that has been reported, Moriarty said she expects that ratio to increase as death reporting becomes more complete.

Death reporting needs to be 95 per cent complete to fully reflect excess mortality and the last time that threshold was reached was on Feb. 1, 2020, prior to the pandemic, her statement said. When the seven-fold ratio was first calculated on Nov. 28, 2020, death reporting was only 93 per cent complete.

As of Oct. 1, 2021, death reporting was 70 per cent finished, the statement said.

“This means we will likely see large future increases in excess mortality in the province, probably over the next two years,” Moriarty wrote.

The deaths reported to the National Vital Statistics database up to Nov. 28, 2020 are twice the number reported provincially, she noted.

Prior to Omicron on Nov. 15, 2021, test positivity in Saskatchewan was nearly twice that in the rest of Canada, but Saskatchewan has conducted 24 per cent fewer tests than the national average, she added.

“This means that Saskatchewan has almost certainly missed many more cases than the rest of Canada,” Moriarty said. “If people aren’t tested and they die and if you’re missing a lot more cases than the rest of the country, you’re also missing more deaths.”

She also noted that the Saskatchewan deaths reported are two and a half times lower than expected based on the ages of the positive cases. This means COVID-19 deaths are two and a half times under-reported in the province, she said.

Moriarty noted she is the lead author on the peer-reviewed Royal Society of Canada report on excess mortality in the country during the pandemic.

She said all of the information she used to make the seven-fold calculation is available online and the report, including the estimate, has been reviewed by “leading” national and international experts.

“ It would be wise for Premier Moe to check that information and ask advisors to explain it if this is needed before characterizing it as egregious misinformation,” she wrote.

Moriarty offered to help Saskatchewan officials understand her analyses so they can improve “longstanding” issues with reporting deaths in the province.

Moe claimed during the news conference that about 10,000 people die of all causes in Saskatchewan each year. However, Saskatchewan has only passed that threshold once in the last 75 years, with 10,200 deaths in 2020. The five-year average prior to the pandemic was 9,502 deaths.

NDP Opposition Leader Ryan Meili criticized Moe for attacking scientists and suggested he is continuing to try to minimize the impact of the pandemic.

“We know that a lot more people have died of COVID-19 than are counted in the official counts,” Meili said at an online news conference. He also pointed to the lack of post-mortem testing.

ptank@postmedia.com

twitter.com/thinktankSK

Related

Data suggests Sask. COVID-19 deaths seven times higher than reported

Why Saskatchewan's COVID-19 death toll could be far higher than we know

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
Desperate owners of poorly built homes in Alberta say industry advocate let them down

Andreane Williams 1 day ago


Early one morning in February last year, Adetola Wall had had enough.

The roof of her Edmonton house was leaking again.

Wall had purchased the newly built home in 2016, but within a year she noticed moisture in the attic. It would be the beginning of a four-year losing battle with the builder and warranty provider.

In February 2021, she learned about John McKale, owner of Home Warranty Advocates, who billed himself as a crusader for owners of poorly built homes.

But Wall says that moment of hope would turn into disappointment — and when she read a CBC News story about McKale, she felt she had to respond.

"The article was ... showing that he was in a good light and helping people, and that hadn't been my experience — and I knew a few people who hadn't had that experience," Wall said.
From hope to disillusion

When Wall contacted McKale, she was desperate.

"I was pretty frantic," she said. "I literally felt like there was no hope. I had a small child, so I just really was concerned about the mould in the home affecting him."

McKale agreed to advocate for her, suggesting he could get money from the builder or warranty provider so she could make the repairs herself, Wall said.

She paid Home Warranty Advocates $2,625.

"He always said throughout the process that it was refundable," she said.

But almost a year later, nothing has been done, Wall said.

The online portal created for her by Home Warranty Advocates shows no entries after an audit of her house was completed last February.

Wall says her warranty provider told her that no claim has been filed under her name by Home Warranty Advocates.

In June, she emailed the company seeking a refund but got no response.

In an interview with CBC News, McKale admitted his company did not provide the services Wall had paid for.

He said his company has more than 400 clients and the workload has become too heavy.

"We have way too many clients — and we have actually put a moratorium on taking clients so that we can turn around and help the ones that we do have," McKale said.

"We are still contacted daily by people all over the province who have issues with their house that they can't get resolved, and it's extremely difficult to tell those people that at this point in time, we don't have the resources to help them."

McKale said he intends to complete the contract with Wall or give her a refund.

More complaints

Several other dissatisfied clients have left reviews on the company's Google profile.

CBC News spoke to seven other homeowners who said they paid Home Warranty Advocates thousands of dollars without receiving services.

Deborah Teichroeb, who lives in Beaumont, just south of Edmonton, hired McKale in August 2020 to help her deal with some flooring issues.

"I kept saying literally, 'This is the only money I have. And I'm worried because my husband lost his job.'" 

© Hugo Lévesque/CBC Teichroeb hired Home Warranty Advocates in August 2020 for help in dealing with flooring issues in her home. After many requests for her money back, the company reimbursed her in 2021.

Teichroeb says Home Warranty Advocates left her with the impression it could get her $80,000 from her builder within three months to compensate for the deficiencies in her house. She would then hire someone herself to make the repairs.

"He made it clear that he had never lost a case and that I would have my money back in 90 days," she said.

So Teichroeb hired McKale for $2,625.

McKale denies having made promises to Teichroeb, but he admits that his company didn't get results.

"We didn't promise her $80,000," he said. "We said the amount of loss given all the defects in her home added up to that. That's what we would attempt to recover under the policy so that she could get the repairs done.

"We don't make any promises for the amount. Nothing is an absolute. We should have given her a more accurate picture of how it might go."

© Hugo Lévesque/CBC McKale founded Home Warranty Advocates, which represents owners of poorly built homes, in 2018. He says his company has more than 400 clients and the workload has become too heavy.

Seven months after hiring the company — and after having tried to follow up multiple times, Teichroeb's file still hadn't moved forward.

"We trusted him," she said. "I feel like a fool."

After many requests for her money back, Home Warranty Advocates reimbursed her in 2021.

Calgary lawyer Michael Kwiatkowski, who specializes in construction litigation, says warranty providers rarely give homeowners money to fix their houses.

"Usually [the warranty provider] will hire someone on their own," he said. "They prefer to use their preferred trades because they can get it for cheaper than the homeowner can."

This kind of litigation "moves at a snail's pace" in Alberta, Kwiatkowski said.

"I would never take someone's word over a phone or email that it can be done in a certain amount of time."
Homeowners on their own

The new home warranty system is complicated and homeowners get little help to navigate it, Kwiatkowski said.

Hiring a lawyer can cost tens of thousands of dollars, as complex claims can take months, even years.

"There is no independent ... ombudsman or a person appointed by the government to help homeowners with that sort, so they can either do it on their own or get a lawyer," he said.

"It's a flaw in the system."

Teichroeb says she filed a complaint against Home Warranty Advocates with Service Alberta's customer investigation unit.

Service Alberta said it can't comment on which businesses are being investigated.

However, Home Warranty Advocates isn't listed in its registry of businesses that faced enforcement actions.

As for Wall, she says she accepts that she will have to pay for the repairs out of pocket, saying she has been let down by Home Warranty Advocates and her warranty provider.

"This experience really impacted me with my level of trust with individuals," she said.

Indigenous non-profit looks to acquire ownership of Trans Mountain Pipeline

CALGARY — A new Indigenous non-profit organization is seeking an ownership stake in the Trans Mountain Pipeline, saying its aim is to make sure communities along the pipeline's route receive its benefits directly.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Nesika Services publicly launched Monday, calling itself a grassroots, community-led not-for-profit.

Chief Tony Alexis of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation in Alberta (and the chair and founding director of Nesika) said 14 Indigenous communities along the pipeline's route in Alberta and B.C. have already signed on.

He said Nesika is in the process of reaching out to all 129 communities that have been identified by the federal government as being impacted by Trans Mountain to ensure they have a chance to join in.

"Ultimately what we’re trying to do right now is to organize the communities," Alexis said in an interview. "Once Canada has decided they’re willing to sell this pipeline, then at that time we’ll be negotiating to purchase.”

The Trans Mountain pipeline carries 300,000 barrels of oil per day, and is Canada's only pipeline system transporting oil from Alberta to the West Coast.

It was bought by the federal government for $4.5 billion in 2018, after previous owner Kinder Morgan Canada Inc. threatened to scrap the pipeline's planned expansion project in the face of environmentalist opposition.

Under the ownership of Trans Mountain Corp., a federal Crown corporation, the Trans Mountain expansion project is currently underway, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has indicated that he is open to ownership of the pipeline by Indigenous groups.

Several Indigenous-led initiatives have already come forward. Project Reconciliation is seeking a 100 per cent ownership stake in the pipeline with no equity requirement or liability risk to Indigenous partners. Its goal is to distribute cash flow from the pipeline between the participating Indigenous community owners, and an Indigenous Sovereign Wealth Fund that will invest in energy transition projects.

Chinook Pathways — which is also seeking an equity stake — is an Indigenous-led partnership formed by Western Indigenous Pipeline Group and its industry partner, Pembina Pipeline Corp.

What sets Nesika Services apart from these other proposals, Alexis said, is that it is a true not-for-profit not backed by industry or affiliated with financial institutions or any other operating parties.

"These groups, these other groups, they are profit-oriented, which is a major conflict for Indigenous communities," Alexis said.

"For me, as a community leader, when I look at Nesika, it provides the best opportunity for us to build our wealth and grow our communities. Resources are needed within the communities and Nesika provides that kind of opportunity for us.”

Alexis said Nesika is exploring both equity and revenue sharing opportunities in Trans Mountain with no up-front capital requirements from participating groups.

He declined to see how a potential purchase would be financed, saying that will be determined once the government of Canada makes the potential terms of a sale clear.

Ottawa has not yet accepted any bids for the pipeline, though Alexis said he expects negotiations with interested parties to begin "within a month or two."

Deborah Archibald, director of the centre for regulatory and governance policy at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, said that there are now multiple Indigenous-led groups seeking a stake in the pipeline speaks volumes about both the viability of the project as well as the capacity of Indigenous-led businesses.

"It's a tremendous signal in terms of where Indigenous businesses are at in Canada today, in feeling that they can seriously compete in such a process," she said.

“I think it bodes well for the federal government as well . . . Like any party selling a project, I think the federal government would be very pleased to see there is more than one interested party – and in this case, more than one Indigenous-owned interested party.”

There are still Indigenous groups along the pipeline expansion route who oppose the project, regardless of ownership, and Archibald said an Indigenous equity stake won't magically eliminate the concerns of environmental groups.

But she said it will go a long way toward improving some of the social license issues that have plagued the project in the past, while at the same time marking a significant milestone in Canadian oil and gas and pipeline operations as well as Canada's relationship with its Indigenous people.

"This will be a project in which Indigenous people are the decision-makers. They’re not being consulted by the decision-makers, they are the decision-makers," Archibald said. "And that I think is a quantum leap forward for Indigenous people in terms of their participation in resource development."

Nesika's other founding directors include Chief Alice McKay of Matsqui First Nation, Coun. David Walkem of Cook’s Ferry Indian Band, and Mark Peters from Peters First Nation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2022.

Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press

Four Treaty 6 First Nations form alliance to build economic sovereignty
Ashley Joannou 

Four Treaty 6 First Nations in Alberta have joined together to form an investment group to pursue ownership in major infrastructure projects.

© Provided by Edmonton Journal Treaty 6 Grand Chief and Alexander First Nation Chief George Arcand Jr., right, and Chief Tony Alexis of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation are shown together in 2019. The two are part of a coalition that recently formed the First Nation Capital Investment Partnership.

Alexander First Nation, Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, Enoch Cree Nation, and Paul First Nation have formed the First Nation Capital Investment Partnership (FNCIP) to invest and acquire assets collectively with commercial partners who share Indigenous values, they announced last week.

Treaty 6 Grand Chief and Alexander First Nation Chief George Arcand Jr. told Postmedia Saturday that there has been an increasing number of opportunities brought to individual First Nations that would be hard for them to manage alone.

“We started sharing some of the individual opportunities that came and some of them were fairly big and were tough for a single First Nation to undertake in terms of size of a project and size of a partnership,” he said.

“So the idea was, why couldn’t we consider creating a business based on some fair principles around what kind of business we get into?”

Arcand said the partnership is looking for environmentally “greener” opportunities that are over $50 million, which could include potential options like carbon sequestration projects.

“If we’re going to get involved in oil and gas, we think, ‘Why can’t we get involved in trying to help on making things better?’ ” he said.

In a statement, Chief Tony Alexis of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation called the partnership the way of the future for First Nation communities.

“We are reclaiming community care and collective sovereignty, which will bring our communities back to the shared wealth we once had thousands of years ago,” he said.

“Entrepreneurship and collaboration is part of who we are. With qualified professionals on our team, our industry partners, and our intergenerational knowledge, we are stronger together.”

In the same statement, Chief Arthur Rain of the Paul First Nation said ownership of infrastructure projects will generate significant economic and social benefits and Chief Billy Morin of the Enoch Cree Nation said the move supports the long-term vision of becoming a self-sufficient First Nation.

Arcand said the group has already signed some letters of intent for projects but said he can’t provide details until they are public within the next week or so.

The group has chosen Calgary-based Axxcelus Capital Advisory Partners as its exclusive financial advisor.