‘Keeping our circle strong’ National Indigenous Peoples Day

June 21 marks National Indigenous Peoples Day (NIDP). While the day is filled with fun entertainment, it also helps youth connect with their culture.

Kelsey Starblanket is a member of the Red Dog Drum and Dance Troupe. “It’s really important,” he said. He is also the Cultural Liaison with the Prairie Valley School Division. He said days like NIDP hold great significance to Indigenous communities, especially youth.

“One of the teachings we carry as older knowledge carriers is that the old people tell us our youth are losing touch with the land. We’re trying to reconnect them by doing ceremonies with them, teaching them the language, teaching them how to be drug and alcohol-free. It’s a way we come together and celebrate life. We dance because we can, we dance for the old people, we dance to make our families proud that we are carrying on these ways.”

The Drum and Dance Troupe is from Treaty Four territory in the File Hills communities of Star Blanket Cree Nation, Little Black Bear First Nation, Peepeekisis First Nation, Okanese First Nation and Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation.

“Our drum and dancers usually go together,” Starblanket said. “You can’t have one without the other. This is a family drum. We’re from Starblanket but we say we’re from the community of File Hills which encompasses the nations there because we’re all related. We’re all cousins, we’re brothers and we’re family.”

This has been a family tradition for decades.

“We’ve been singing for over 30 years now,” he said. “We started as teenagers and just went through the ranks. We’ve been all over North America competing and participating in cultural celebrations.”

Starblanket and other senior members pass the torch to their younger family members. But they still make appearances for special events like NIPD.

Four dancers will tag along with them, three of them being members of Starblanket’s family: his nephew, oldest daughter and making her return to the dance circle, his wife.

“She danced as a young girl,” Starblanket said. “And I’m very proud of her. She started dancing last year in the senior women’s traditional category. She’s a housewife but also finds time to bead, sew, craft and all these cultural things as well as run our household.”

Performances include a ‘Flag Song’ which is a traditional national anthem. The anthem is followed by a ‘Victory Song’ to honour veterans. The dancers will show off their special dance style, like grass, traditional or jingle.

This knowledge is passed down from generation to generation.
“Each of these drums, their names that we carry are actually from our grandfathers, Mooshum Starblanket we call them,” he said.

“Mooshum means grandfather in Cree. His brother was Red Dog. So we’re trying to honour these grandfathers. We teach the young not to forget. Just by naming our drums after them, the young boys learn not to forget who we are. Even our songs, we sing in Cree and that is how we retain our language through song and through doing.”

Starblanket said passing on traditions and culture will ensure that future generations live a better life.
“When we do something we’re not doing it for ourselves, we’re doing it for our kids kids, our grandchildren,” he explained.

“So that their lives will be good. That’s why we pass it on. We call it keeping our circle strong with our language, culture, traditions and way of life,” he said. “In our way of life, there’s no alcohol or drugs. There’s no room for that because that’s not our way. It’s called walking the good red road and it’s hard to be on this road but we try and walk the walk.”

Starblanket said getting the youth involved is key for the future.

“I teach them they can become whatever they want,” he said. “They just have to be strong and believe in themselves and work towards those goals. We don’t have time for fooling around because our time on the earth is short and we have to make the best use of it.”

The Red Dog Drum and Dance Troupe will be at the NIPD event in Regina on June 21 in Victoria Park from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.