Anishinaabe youth discovers new passion at Sudbury Round Dance

By Brittnay Gauthier-Meunier

SUDBURY— Sarah Blackwell, Youth Program Coordinator, from the Social Development Department at the Anishinabek Nation, brought youth members on a trip to the Sudbury Round Dance on Dec. 14, 2019.

This was an opportunity for youth, such as myself, to get involved with our Indigenous culture, foster connections and try new things. For myself, this was more than simply attending another Round dance. It was an opportunity to try backup singing for the first time; in front of a large crowd, I might add!

I am so thankful that Sarah brought us out to the Round Dance. There were friends in attendance, which helped tremendously. Some of them are singers themselves, and with their support, it helped to push me out of my comfort zone.  With this experience, and my new found confidence in singing, I have been able to attend other round dances including, Dokis Winter Round Dance and Canadore College Round Dance, where I have registered and sung again; which is something deeply meaningful to me.

I feel like I have been embracing a new part of myself that I did not realize would make me feel so much more connected to our Indigenous culture, and that would turn out to feel like such an integral part of my identity. Gerry McComb took the photo above and this photo captures not only my heart, my love for our Indigenous culture, my identity as an Anishinaabe Kwe, but also the amount of support as well as encouragement I received when singing backup for my very first time. I am so thankful to sing and learn alongside such beautiful and powerful kwe! I am proud to be able to wear beadwork and a beautiful floral ribbon skirt that I made.

I appreciate those who have taught, helped, and continue to help me in my journey. I appreciate the giveaway item I received which was a sewing kit in one of those old cookie tins and I took that as a sign that I need to start sewing more! I learn more about our Indigenous culture and more about myself every day, so I feel very grateful to have opportunities like this in my learning journey.

When the Anishinabek Nation takes initiative to bring our youth out to community events, they are not only connecting our youth to the culture, but also providing opportunities for our youth to discover their identities and learn more about themselves at various stages of growth. This learning strengthens and builds new connections to the culture and to our people.

At Round dances, we sing, we drum, we dance, we feast, and we have ceremony, but our round dances are much deeper than that. It is another place where we connect with our Creator and where we learn more about others, our identities, our journey, and ourselves. Participating in this round dance took on a whole new meaning for me. I was incredibly happy to dance, socialize, and to connect with new and old friends. With initiatives like this, the Anishinabek Nation has reconnected me with an amazing path of learning, healing, and discovery. They have provided me with an opportunity to discover a new passion— backup singing.