Excitement for The Spirit Horse Returns performance reaches global scale
By Rick Garrick
THUNDER BAY — Wasauksing’s Jodi Contin recently enjoyed performing her hand drum songs at the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra’s (TBSO) production of The Spirit Horse Returns on April 14-15 at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium. The Spirit Horse Returns features the story of the Ojibwe horses, including when four remaining mares on an island in northwestern Ontario were spirited across a frozen lake at night to be bred with a Spanish mustang in Minnesota.
“I’m partial narrator, I’ve written a couple of songs for the show and I get to sing throughout the show, so I really enjoy my space in the production,” says Contin, narrator with The Spirit Horse Returns. “It’s been surreal, I’m still pinching myself every time we do a show — never have I seen my hand drumming songs on a music score so I must say that’s a pretty amazing feeling. It’s been an amazing journey and I’m looking forward to whatever comes next.”
Contin says her highlight from The Spirit Horse Returns was when she first met Asemaa’kwe, one of the Ojibwe horses, as shown in a video during the show.
“I actually wrote a song for Asemaa’kwe and that’s in the show,” Contin says. “So it’s just flown from there and it’s been an amazing time.”
Contin also enjoyed seeing the reactions from students who attended the April 14 performance of The Spirit Horse Returns for schools.
“Yesterday we had the whole theatre filled with 1,500 kids and they clapped almost through the whole production,” Contin says. “So those reactions just are validation that we’re in the right space doing good work.”
Rhonda Snow, visual artist and Knowledge Keeper with The Spirit Horse Returns, says she first heard about the Ojibwe horses when she was 11-years-old while listening to Elders and loggers.
“The more I found out the Elders stories and what [the Ojibwe horses] used to do, I was just shocked,” says Snow, who brought some of the Ojibwe horses back to Canada and was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award by Rare Breeds Canada for her work to preserve the Ojibwe horses. “The stories are incredible, how they helped the children who were sad and I just couldn’t ignore it. As much as people said, ‘No way’, I thought I had to continue on this because I believe in the Elders and I believe in these little ponies.”
Snow says the reaction from people to productions of The Spirit Horse Returns in different communities has been amazing, noting that she has been invited to go to France.
“The excitement is spreading all over,” Snow says. “[We’ve had] standing ovations over and over again saying they wished it was a longer show. It’s touched so many people’s hearts.”
Ken MacDonald, co-creator with The Spirit Horse Returns, says the creation of The Spirit Horse Returns happened over the course of many years.
“One of the most important messages to audiences is that we all have a part in reconciliation and that’s giving people some practical ideas of how that actually looks,” MacDonald says. “Along with the show we also have now a 100-page study guide which incorporates all sorts of study lessons and music lessons, so teachers have really eaten it up. They need this type of content in the schools and we find that it appeals to all ages, everybody gets a different message from it.”
Ryleigh Dupuis, executive director and general manager at TBSO, says the students loved the April 14 performance of The Spirit Horse Returns and responded to the story and the horses.
“It was a great show, and then we did a family show this afternoon,” Dupuis says. “We had lots of families and kids and I think it resonated with people, and it’s a really great story.”